oldschoolbasser Posted July 10, 2015 Posted July 10, 2015 No,not the chronology challenged,but guys like me who still enjoy fishing with Classic Ambassadeurs, and also those who like to upgrade,and tune them. I've been in contact with Jeff Brooks of Boca Bearings, and they're going to bring a new bearing to the market that is a direct replacement for the stock brass bushing. As anyone who has tried to convert a bushing reel to bearings knows, you either had to modify the spool,or change out a bunch of parts to convert them. With this new bearing, all you'll need to do is swap out the bushings,and add a spool centering cushion,and a spool centering shim. The bearings will be ABEC7 ceramics, so the upgrade will be noticeable. The extra parts needed cost about $8 on top of the cost of the bearings, so it's also less than the price of a new spool,and pinion gear. Date of release is not yet set,so I will update this post when I have a confirmed date. 5 Quote
Drew03cmc Posted July 10, 2015 Posted July 10, 2015 Wow, good to know. Please keep us posted. Those old reels are tanks and just don't die. Quote
oldschoolbasser Posted July 10, 2015 Author Posted July 10, 2015 They're the Zombies of reels lol! You just can't kill them! 1 Quote
Super User Maxximus Redneckus Posted July 10, 2015 Super User Posted July 10, 2015 Thks i saw this posted today on FB the bearing will be a 3.2 mm that will fit in the old d series .I looked at all my 4600d s red buttons and they have bearings already. 1 Quote
oldschoolbasser Posted July 10, 2015 Author Posted July 10, 2015 I talked to Jeff back in March at the Fred Hall Show. I told him that there were a lot of Ambassadeur fanatics that were looking for this size bearing. I told him to join our FB group,and take a poll to gage interest in this size bearing. The responses were overwhelming positive, so now we wait until they come out. I guess He underestimated the size of the Ambassadeur Community, we're large,and world wide! I already reserved 5 sets. 1 Quote
Super User Maxximus Redneckus Posted July 10, 2015 Super User Posted July 10, 2015 Yes glad they are doin this.your right talk about a following worldwide when i listed my abus for sale on the face book site i had 43 messages from ppl from all around the world i was overwhelmed.what surprised me was the buyers from Japan half where Japanese citizens.ABUFORLIFE worldwide 1 Quote
oldschoolbasser Posted July 10, 2015 Author Posted July 10, 2015 What's the harm in asking? The worst they can say is no. I asked a friend of mine in Japan to contact Avail about some spools. They never made the spools I wanted,but the President of Avail took on the project personally, and I got my spools. I guess that old saying is true. "You'll Never Know Unless You Ask". You should see some of the Japanese Ambassadeur websites,and Yahoo Auction! Tons of Ambassadeurs. 1 Quote
BASSPATROL247 Posted July 10, 2015 Posted July 10, 2015 What's the harm in asking? The worst they can say is no. I asked a friend of mine in Japan to contact Avail about some spools. They never made the spools I wanted,but the President of Avail took on the project personally, and I got my spools. I guess that old saying is true. "You'll Never Know Unless You Ask". You should see some of the Japanese Ambassadeur websites,and Yahoo Auction! Tons of Ambassadeurs. Nice!!! I look at the jap anese sites all the time and they have some sweet stuff. Kinda ticks me off necause i am always looking for anything abu garcia wise like gear,clothes,bags etc.. and they have it all and theres hardly anything in the US market for sale Quote
oldschoolbasser Posted July 10, 2015 Author Posted July 10, 2015 Nice!!! I look at the jap anese sites all the time and they have some sweet stuff. Kinda ticks me off necause i am always looking for anything abu garcia wise like gear,clothes,bags etc.. and they have it all and theres hardly anything in the US market for sale Yes the U.S. market is the Red Headed Stepchild! We don't get all the good stuff like they do in the Asian markets,but I think that will soon change as the market for JDM tackle has been increasing, and more tackle stores are selling JDM tackle. With the popularity of online Japanese Tackle stores,JDM Ambassadeur tackle is now easier to find. Quote
oldschoolbasser Posted November 10, 2015 Author Posted November 10, 2015 Just received an update from Jeff Brooks at Boca Bearings. The new replacement bearings for the brass bushings are now available! Model# SMR103.2C-205P58#7LD.These are the correct replacement size for the brass bushings for reels such as the 5000,5000-5500D,and the AL Series models. Can't wait to try them out! Quote
Delaware Valley Tackle Posted November 10, 2015 Posted November 10, 2015 Results will be limited unless you do the bearing supported level wind upgrade if it's available for your specific reel. It's the non disengagement of the level wind that limits spool inertia on those reels. 2 Quote
Drew03cmc Posted November 10, 2015 Posted November 10, 2015 Awesome guys, thanks for all of the info. Quote
oldschoolbasser Posted November 18, 2015 Author Posted November 18, 2015 Dual bearing cog wheels,and worm gears already added to my reels. Also needed for the conversion are the spool bearing cushion, and spool centering shim. Part #s are 8720,and 8721. 1 Quote
poisonokie Posted November 18, 2015 Posted November 18, 2015 Tell them to make a 10x14x3 as a replacement for the plastic drag collar on TD Lunas next Quote
oldschoolbasser Posted November 18, 2015 Author Posted November 18, 2015 I replaced all my drive shaft bushings with bearings. 1 Quote
Josh Smith Posted November 18, 2015 Posted November 18, 2015 Results will be limited unless you do the bearing supported level wind upgrade if it's available for your specific reel. It's the non disengagement of the level wind that limits spool inertia on those reels. C5 levelwind setups drop in. This upgrade maked the most sense, to my way of thinking. I have one reel in which I kept the spool bushings, but it still absolutely got the levelwind upgrade. Done right, the levelwind adds to the inertia of a spinning spool instead of subtracting from it. Josh Quote
redmeansdistortion Posted June 11, 2019 Posted June 11, 2019 On 7/10/2015 at 2:01 AM, oldschoolbasser said: What's the harm in asking? The worst they can say is no. I asked a friend of mine in Japan to contact Avail about some spools. They never made the spools I wanted,but the President of Avail took on the project personally, and I got my spools. I've been wondering if Avail will ever make spools for the 1600 and 3600 sized Black Max and Pro Max reels from the early 90s. They've become my favorite light lure reels. They share most of their architecture with the Ultra Cast style 4000 to 6000 sized Ambassadeurs. Same drag stack and a fixed spool shaft. They also have disengaging level winds and have a low reel seat, so they're very easy to palm. Quote
oldschoolbasser Posted June 11, 2019 Author Posted June 11, 2019 Available has spools for most of the older Ambassadeurs so maybe these might be next? If I were you I'd send an email to Avail asking them if there is any future projects for these reels. No harm in asking,and it would open up another niche in the Ambassadeur tuning market. If they do,I'd have to pick up a few Reels just to try them out. I used Black Maxx Reels back in the day,and they were great little reels. Wish I would have kept a few of them. 1 Quote
redmeansdistortion Posted June 11, 2019 Posted June 11, 2019 I'll have to shoot them an email sometime today. I've been amassing a collection of 1600 and 3600 Pro and Black Maxes since they're so cheap right now. I have three Black Max 1600s, one Pro Max 1600, two Pro Max 3600s, and a Black Max 3600. 1 1 Quote
Super User J Francho Posted June 12, 2019 Super User Posted June 12, 2019 35 minutes ago, Josh Smith said: Holy necrothread, Batman! This thread is only four years old. I think the record is 14. 1 Quote
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