older Abu Ambassadeur reels

[oldfishingfool]

I have several older 60's and 70's ambassadeur 5000's and 5500's. Can someone tell me what the gear ratios are on these reels and is there a way to tell what the gear ratios are by counting teeth?

[Maxximus Redneckus]

Easiest way is to mark your spool and turn your handle a full turn and count how many times you see the mark on your spool.start your handle at the top and stop when it hits the same spot  

[cart7t]

I have a 1974 5000 old red. At the time they came out with a "Buzzing" gear kit, which I added,  that raised the ratio of those reels to a whole, whopping....

are you ready for this???

4.7:1

w00t!! 8-)

[J Francho]

I remember when 5:1 was "High Speed."

I think most of those older Garcias were 3.something to one.

I really don't think it makes any difference, unless you are looking for a new reel.  6.3:1 is going to feel a lot faster, and you'll have to make a conscious adjustment.  The difference between say, 5.8:1 and 6.3:1 is almost unnoticeable.

A better measure is inches per turn.  Take out some line, mark it at the tip top.  Make one full turn of the crank, and mark the tip top again.  Measure the distance.  Compare.

A general guideline, with some exceptions:

rod moves the bait: faster ratio, greater inches/turn

reel moves the bait: slower ratio, lower inches/turn

[b.Lee]

I thought I was the only one who had older Ambassador reels. I have about 25 reels.  I bought off some guy in Mississippi when I was passing through in 1992 for 100 bucks.  

[Muddy]

I just missed an old one at a garage sale, sold for 5 bucks!!!!!! :-/

[Wayne P.]

This site will help you-----http://www.geocities.com/heartland/lane/4448/models/5000.html

On the right side of the page you can select other ABU models.

[carrothead]

3.8:1

Great Crankin' Reels!

[Wayne P.]

If you want to see or purchase some tricked out old ABU reels, check Don Iovino's web site-he does some great upgrades/rebuilds

A friend of mine has about a dozen that he fixed up, including a couple of grey 5500c models I gave him-Don especially likes to fix up the models with the tension knob on both sides of the reels like the 5500c

[sweet daddy]

The bps catalog outlet has the mag c4 new in box for fifty bucks. They take a little fine tuning like a revo sx, but when you get the brake dialed in they work great.

[oldschoolbasser]

5000's have a 3.8:1 gear ratio,and the 5500's have a 4.7:1 gear ratio.5000C's also have a 3.8:1 gear ratio,but also have ball bearings.I have about 60 Ambassadeurs,most of them are "Customized,but I also have a few "Originals"in near mint condition.I have a tricked out 4500D(direct drive)in the works with a total of 10 bearings, carbon fiber handle,Carbontex drag washers,and Orange side plates.Most of my reels are the "70's" style,but I also have some newer "80's"style reels with all the bearing upgrades.Upgrading older Ambassadeurs are easy to fix up as all the newer ball bearing supported parts fit with no modifications,with the exception of the bearing supported cog wheel.This reel has all the bearing upgrades and is as smooth as silk!  

[oldfishingfool]

I checked all of my reels by marking the spool. some make it allmost 4 turns and some make it allmost 5 turns. They must be the 3.8:1 and 4.7:1 ratios that were mentioned. Thanks for all the replies. Next question, are the bearing supported worm gears something that you can buy from Abu or are they only available form custom dealers? If so what model of new reel has the bearing worm gear parts and what are the parts numbers? Thanks guys.

[Maxximus Redneckus]

The bps catalog outlet has the mag c4 new in box for fifty bucks. They take a little fine tuning like a revo sx, but when you get the brake dialed in they work great.

a mag c4 8-) do u have link to the outlet catalog or am i missing something???

[sweet daddy]

The bps catalog outlet has the mag c4 new in box for fifty bucks. They take a little fine tuning like a revo sx, but when you get the brake dialed in they work great.

a mag c4 8-) do u have link to the outlet catalog or am i missing something???

Do you like being a *****, or do you lack common sense. I cant provide a link, but as I said the catalog store which sits right next to the home store has the c4 mag reels for fifty bucks.

[Maxximus Redneckus]

The bps catalog outlet has the mag c4 new in box for fifty bucks. They take a little fine tuning like a revo sx, but when you get the brake dialed in they work great.

a mag c4 8-) do u have link to the outlet catalog or am i missing something???

Do you like being a *****, or do you lack common sense. I cant provide a link, but as I said the catalog store which sits right next to the home store has the c4 mag reels for fifty bucks.

Both depends on the day i suppose .why dont they have these in there major catalog the c4 mag you talk about???