I put together a 'new' UL rig. I don't know much about Pastor and Co but it looks like they did decent work. This is my first Cardinal and it is a smooth little reel. My UL Penn was not quite UL enough to feel right on this little rod. Is it spring yet?

I've had the odd Sila-Flex and such with spiral wraps, and I highly recommend adding an overcoat of thinned varnish to the wraps, as they dry out and get frizzy and fray very easily. Oh, and that's a sweet set-up!
Shrimpster

The guides are indeed correct. The stripping guide faces the way it does else you'd have line coming off the relatively large diameter of a spinning reel spool slapping against the long leg/foot of these type of guides. Once the line is through this first guide, that problem is eliminated.

I like the rig, especially the three piece configuration. I have fished the Cardinal reels my whole life and they are hard to beat. I have one fished since the 1980's and it is still going strong. Enjoy.