New Member

[jcboyken]

Hi my name is JC Boyken. I am from SE Indiana and I will shortly be graduating from WVU. I am just getting started with reel maintenance and I found the forum. I just bought an Abu Ambassadeur 6000 off of Ebay for what I feel like was a pretty decent price. When I got it it was full of old line would barely turn and was in pretty rough shape. I've got it running pretty smooth now but I a few questions.
1. Once I got it apart I soaked the whole thing in Simple Green overnight and ran it through my ultrasonic cleaner. This got most of the dirt and grime off of it but it didn't do a whole lot for the grease I was able to get most of the grease off with dish soap and a tooth brush. Some parts of the reel have holes and crevices in them though or don't come completely apart (gears and levelwind/plastic bushing combo). Is there a way to better/more efficient way to clean these parts?
2. I was also thinking about swapping out the bushing for ceramic bearings. Is this doable and will it measurably increase the performance of the reel?
3. The frame is also a bit bent is there a way to fix this?
4. Can anyone tell me what the numbers on the reel seat mean?

[happyhooker]

Greetings, JC, from Minnesota.

Lots of folks on this site dig those ABUs, so you should get some feedback shortly.

Frank

[Crow]

Welcome !!

[Keta]

Hi.

[Darin Crofton]

Welcome aboard, JC, hoping an ABU lover will help you soon!

[Midway Tommy]

Welcome!

The number on the foot tells you when the reel was made. 05 May, 72 1972, 02 the second batch, i.e. variation.

I can't help you with the other issues except that you can soak unpainted metal parts in lacquer thinner to remove grease & film. You can also clean nylon parts in lacquer thinner for a short period but do not use it on plastic parts. If you do use lacquer thinner burnish the metal parts before reinstalling them.

[alantani]

welcome!  sometimes you have to go in with an old toothbrush and scrub, sometimes it takes a dental pick.  think of the last time a dental hygienist cleaned your teeth.  same kind of thing.  some reels can certainly be more  challenging than others!!!!

[Benni3]

Welcome from salem va,,,,,

[foakes]

Welcome aboard, JC!

Best, Fred

[Sharkb8]

Welcome JC from South Australia

Kim

[Alto Mare]

Welcome from Philly, JC...enjoy your stay!

Sal

[Tiddlerbasher]

Welcome from the UK - Chris

[oc1]

Welcome

Is there a way to better/more efficient way to clean these parts?

Using a solvent will help a lot.  Some solvents are more aggressive than others but the more aggressive ones are more toxic and require more personal protection.  I use naphtha.  Some use kerosene, paint thinner, laquer thinner, acetone, carburetor cleaner and others.

I was also thinking about swapping out the bushing for ceramic bearings. Is this doable and will it measurably increase the performance of the reel?

It is doable, but you may not notice any difference in casting distance.  The reel needs some sort of braking to make the spinning spool controllable.  The ambassadeur has the centrifugal brake blocks.  The centrifugal braking will overshadow any difference in bearings.  Personally, I prefer the brass bushings because they require much less maintenance.

The frame is also a bit bent is there a way to fix this?

This could be a huge problem if the whole thing is twisted.  How and where is it bent?  Post a picture if you can.

-steve

[jcboyken]

Thanks everyone for the warm welcome and the advice. I hope to get to know everyone over the course of my education in reel maintenance.

This could be a huge problem if the whole thing is twisted.  How and where is it bent?  Post a picture if you can.

-steve

Here is a picture of where the frame is bent you can see a slight gap between the frame and the side plate. As far as I  can tell it doesn't effect the performance of the reel but I would like to learn how to fix it and if its possible to fix.

[nelz]

Welcome JC.

I've worked on alot of Abu's since joining up here. They really are fun to work on and there's so much you can customize. Started out like you but have learned a bunch. I like to older model best, the ones that click twice when you re-engage the gears.

Wow, hope you didn't pay too much for that Abu, it's a mess! Personally, I would keep it as a parts reel and pick up something a little nicer to add upgrades too. Then again, some folks like to revive the dead, lol.

The frame edge can be straightened by laying against a flat surface and tapping with a small mallet or hammer. Pretty much everything comes apart on these reels, but don't mess with the push-button assembly. Spray some carb cleaner on that or soak it in some solvent along with the gears.