It is currently 28 Mar 2024, 09:32


1, 2  Next New Topic Add Reply
Author Message
ABU 2500C
Post 03 Sep 2020, 22:22 • #1 
Guide
Joined: 06/21/20
Posts: 141
Finished the clean up and resto of a 1976 ABU 2500C. This baby ABU is a lot of fun to fish.

It was dirty but not filthy, and everything worked.






A little cleaning and polishing and things started to look good.






All back together and ready to fish.





So, I had to fish, of course! Got lucky and caught a few before the sun went down tonight.






Looking forward to many more sessions with this little beauty!


Top
  
Quote
Re: ABU 2500C
Post 04 Sep 2020, 06:40 • #2 
Piscator
Joined: 08/10/05
Posts: 19077
Location: downtown Bulverde, Texas
congrats on acquiring a great reel - fat bass, too.

Those phosphor bronze anti-reverse dogs were always short-lived for me on any brand B/C - I bought and replaced a few of them.
(this is a reel the Japanese make some trick parts to reduce casting inertia in the level wind mechanism)


Top
  
Quote
Re: ABU 2500C
Post 04 Sep 2020, 09:59 • #3 
Guide
Joined: 06/21/20
Posts: 141
Parts on order. Most are available from the USA, Texas to be specific.

There was a 2500 IAR model sold in Japan for a number of years in the 1990s (IIRC). These had an instant anti-reverse bearing. Later models went back to the dog and ratchet.


Top
  
Quote
Re: ABU 2500C
Post 04 Sep 2020, 10:30 • #4 
Piscator
Joined: 08/10/05
Posts: 19077
Location: downtown Bulverde, Texas
looking forward to your updates - post a link to your TX source.


Top
  
Quote
Re: ABU 2500C
Post 04 Sep 2020, 21:28 • #5 
Guide
Joined: 06/21/20
Posts: 141
DadsOleTackle
Conroe, TX

https://www.dadsoletackle.com


Top
  
Quote
Re: ABU 2500C
Post 05 Sep 2020, 12:07 • #6 
Piscator
Joined: 08/10/05
Posts: 19077
Location: downtown Bulverde, Texas
thanks - I know the website - it's kind of tedious to figure out what he has


Top
  
Quote
Re: ABU 2500C
Post 08 Oct 2020, 22:02 • #7 
Guide
Joined: 06/21/20
Posts: 141
Finally got all the parts in for the mods/upgrade.

New spool bearings were ABEC 7 stainless. I thought about ceramics but figured they were probably overkill since most likely the hold up on casting would be the level wind parts. I'm pretty sure that turned out to be correct.




Then the clutch bushing was replaced with a bearing.




The the worm gear bushing is replaced with a bearing.



Next is the idler gear. The old one gets replaced with a ported one with two bearings.




The drags are upgraded with Smooth Drag carbonated washers.



Some polishing is done before reassembly.



Then some fishing. Still haven't caught anything big but a few smaller bass ...





... some fat Crappie...




... and one Bluegill that managed to get a 1/4 oz Dark Sleeper down his throat!




It took me a while to get the right brake settings. Now using one medium (I think) brake block. Spool tension is set depending on the lure used. I put the reel on a light 5.5' foot rod. I can cast 1/4 oz lures 50 yards with an easy side arm flip. Eighth ounce lures go nearly as far. I do have to remove all spool tension on these lighter lures or some pulling occurs. I have yet to try any lighter lures but I will soon.

Still looking for another rod to pair with the reel. Period correct would dictate one of the pistol grip types. Garcia made one and the Lews Speed Stiks have been discussed. Still undecided.

I also have a lightweight spool and a mag brake system for this reel. Not sure if I'll go down that rod or not. I already have a BFS/UL set up that can easily cast 1/32 oz stuff and can probably do short casts with 1/64 jigs. The line guide is going to be replaced if I continue to use braid.

Anyway, messing with the reel has been a lot of fun and very educational. I still have some minor tweaking to do but I'm ready to put in some hours with this reel.




Top
  
Quote
Re: ABU 2500C
Post 09 Oct 2020, 05:23 • #8 
Piscator
Joined: 08/10/05
Posts: 19077
Location: downtown Bulverde, Texas
those are all great mods, lowering inertia, and should slick up the little reel for light lures.
Great fish photos, too, especially the hot blue - I've seen them on Lake Austin with that much blue (maybe more).
I've been on the edge of finding a 2500CI (you know I hate bronze dogs, from replacing too many), and know of a good one at a fair price, but need to save my money instead for the other RH Composites surf rod.

btw, where did you find the Valley Hill BB level arm - they're OOS all over Japan?


Top
  
Quote
Re: ABU 2500C
Post 09 Oct 2020, 12:33 • #9 
Guide
Joined: 06/21/20
Posts: 141
Thanks very much. It's been a bit of a journey but worth it. Parts links below.

ValleyHill Ball bearing level line
https://japantackle.com/tuning-parts/br ... 00085.html

Avail BB pinion bushing 13462
https://japantackle.com/tuning-parts/br ... 13462.html

SUPER PORTED ABU DUAL BALL BEARING IDLER GEAR KIT
https://www.mikesreelrepair.com/super-p ... -gear-kit/

Avail BB pinion bushing 13462
https://japantackle.com/tuning-parts/br ... 13462.html

Bearings - eBay (forget which vendor as there are tons)

Smooth Drag washers - numerous vendors on eBay

Hope you can get that 2500CI. Those were made from about 1993-1997 (with some limited editions for Japan only in the early 2000s). This was when Mamiya-OP Tackle (took over or merged with Olympic) was the ABU rep in Japan. You could get some different colors like red, green and gold. Some more rare ones had a gold crest instead of the usual silver.


Top
  
Quote
Re: ABU 2500C
Post 10 Oct 2020, 11:40 • #10 
Glass Fanatic
Joined: 07/11/14
Posts: 1784
Location: urban Colorado
terrific reel and good work on it..

I see a small bass in TX, is what I'd call a nice fish, in CO.. ha

replacing the bearings with ceramic in a Lew's Speed Spool, made a big difference. But that reel has the fixed-when-casting levelwind..


Top
  
Quote
Re: ABU 2500C
Post 12 Oct 2020, 09:16 • #11 
Guide
Joined: 06/21/20
Posts: 141
I may try the ceramic bearings at some point. It's just too easy to put them in there.

I was able to throw a 3" Gulp minnow on a 1/32oz jig head yesterday. This is the lightest set up I've tried so far. I tended to get slight spool over runs at the end of the casts unless I was more judicious with my thumb.


Last edited by FishFishWish on 12 Oct 2020, 09:42, edited 1 time in total.

Top
  
Quote
Re: ABU 2500C
Post 12 Oct 2020, 09:45 • #12 
Piscator
Joined: 08/10/05
Posts: 19077
Location: downtown Bulverde, Texas
I worked over my oldest LPS Lew's Super Duty after this last salt trip.
Completely backed the line to a line winder and took it apart to clean and lube everything.
Decided I'm going to do it again with ceramic bearing upgrades for the spool.
Too nice a reel to not keep it perfect.


Top
  
Quote
Re: ABU 2500C
Post 12 Oct 2020, 10:07 • #13 
Guide
Joined: 06/21/20
Posts: 141
I've put ceramics on some of my other bait casters, besides the BFS rig. It's a pretty cheap and easy upgrade.

Put the finishing touches on the the BFS. It's officially Max Black now.



Top
  
Quote
Re: ABU 2500C
Post 12 Oct 2020, 10:07 • #14 
Piscator
Joined: 08/10/05
Posts: 19077
Location: downtown Bulverde, Texas
looking sharp


Top
  
Quote
Re: ABU 2500C
Post 12 Oct 2020, 10:16 • #15 
Guide
Joined: 06/21/20
Posts: 141
Thanks. I wouldn't recommend anyone do if they want a BFS reel. Easier, and maybe cheaper to buy one instead of modifying this reel. But I already had it and I wanted to play. And you can get the look and feel you want, something you can't get off-the-shelf. The handle and knob options are nearly endless on AliExpress.


Top
  
Quote
Re: ABU 2500C
Post 17 Oct 2020, 09:02 • #16 
Piscator
Joined: 08/10/05
Posts: 19077
Location: downtown Bulverde, Texas


well, didn't take any photos, but I just put the raced-out bearings in my Super Duty GXHF spool, and even got brave enough to change my working line to braid.
The no-seal abec-7 with Hedgehog Alchemy Ultralight oil. I got no problem oiling these after every trip.
Bought a nice Billings spool pin tool from a guy in Austin, easy to use and adjust the final pin position, and a very good ebay price.

Hands down, this is my best salt reel.
The reel was originally a very good deal, $120 ebay price ($180 retail). This was my first ever low profile reel, and it's already been fished hard.
This model has the 8.3 gears, which is why I changed the handle for the 12.5-mm pitch increase.
Third trip with the handle (total 6 days), it does exactly what I wanted on both lure retrieve and fighting big fish.

The Super Duty also has the best mag adjustment I've ever used - when I was working on the bearings, all my parts and tools zinged to the magnets - had to use tweezers to get the bearing clip past, and still fight with the tweezers and the magnet.

My Lew's Inshore will be in the queue for the same bearing treatment, especially since it's on the ML rod for lighter lures.
(maybe I'll take photos and begin a new thread)


Top
  
Quote
Re: ABU 2500C
Post 17 Oct 2020, 10:36 • #17 
Guide
Joined: 06/21/20
Posts: 141
That handle looks sweet!


Top
  
Quote
Re: ABU 2500C
Post 17 Oct 2020, 11:21 • #18 
Piscator
Joined: 08/10/05
Posts: 19077
Location: downtown Bulverde, Texas
thanks - that's the Livre SV55-60 - can be set up for either of those pitches. Made to fit 8x5 mm, Abu, Lew's (offered in 7x4 for Shimano and Tica)
It came with a massive 37 mm knob, intended for offshore jigging with light tackle.
Luckily, I had a great use for the light 14-g knob on a cheap Gomexus carbon handle to replace a 40-g pot-metal knob.

Also got the SV for a decent price when Asian Portal had stock.
Used the SV on my Lew's with this Perfect 24 mm Livre Fortissimo knob.
I love this knob, rounded on the end with pentagonal facets, and narrow enough to hook your fingers.


Top
  
Quote
Re: ABU 2500C
Post 20 Oct 2020, 09:47 • #19 
Guide
Joined: 10/26/16
Posts: 100
Location: UK
This has been a fantastic thread: my thanks for it all.

I have an old, but perfectly functional, "out of the box" 2500C.
I would be really interested to know which of the new parts and upgrades you felt made the greatest difference to the performance of the reel? i.e. where to start if I don't want to do your entire upgrade in one go!

thanks, and tight lines


Top
  
Quote
Re: ABU 2500C
Post 20 Oct 2020, 21:29 • #20 
Piscator
Joined: 08/10/05
Posts: 19077
Location: downtown Bulverde, Texas
answering out of turn, everything that lowers the mass and inertia of the level wind makes the greatest difference, because that's a load brake on your cast you can never eliminate, but hope to minimize in slick parts.
The power to move the level wind mechanism during the cast comes off the spool through the idler gear, so the lightened BB idler gear is the place to begin, and BB worm gear goes hand-in-hand.
Bearings through the spool system are gravy, but if you go to the trouble to alter the former, they're parts that need replacing, anyway, and newer bearings with light (or no) oil spin much more freely than older shielded bearings lubed with who knows what.

When you get to slicking up the spool and choose braid, you can make a big difference going to a shallow spool made for braid, because the mass of the line on your spool is always the greatest inertia (slow to start, hard to stop). Also note 12-15-lb braid is about the thinnest to try on a baitcaster, and make sure you check the capacity of that shallow spool.
Of course you can also use this spool with UL mono, equivalent line diameter is 4-lb test, though 6-lb might be a better choice.

Again, the real test is how the reel behaves with light lures. (it's easy for heavy weights to haul away line from a baicaster)
_____________________________________________________

If you think about the mechanics of a cast, it's ballistics.
The fastest thing that happens is the lure at the end of your swinging rod.
When you release your thumb, everything in the reel uses energy from the cast to accelerate to some line velocity below your initial lure velocity. The lower the system inertia, the higher that peeling line velocity, and the longer your cast.

From that initial acceleration, everything immediately begins slowing down - the ballistic curve.
Since the spool of line has the greatest mass and inertia, by itself, it's the last to slow down.
Everything dragging on the spool is helping to keep it from backlashing, but we still have casting brakes and thumb to slow the spool to match the decreasing lure/line velocity.
Again, it's the maximum velocity achieved by the line coming off the spool that's the biggest factor in cast distance.


Last edited by bulldog1935 on 24 Oct 2020, 08:32, edited 6 times in total.

Top
  
Quote
Re: ABU 2500C
Post 20 Oct 2020, 21:37 • #21 
Guide
Joined: 06/21/20
Posts: 141
The lightweight spool will make the most difference if you want to throw really light lures. If not, the bearing on the worm gear, then spool bearings, then the cog wheel bearing upgrade. You can make the spool lighter by just putting less line on it.

Using the best lightweight oil and the minimal amounts on the stock parts will make some difference (could be significant depending on how much and what type if oil ic currently being used). Cleaning the bearings really well with acetone can before oiling can show some changes to the good. Polishing certain areas (like the spindle for the idler/cog gear, ends of the worm gear, etc) can help too.

All that said, my 2500C stock after a good cleaning and relube was able to throw 1/4 oz stuff a mile. If you aren't interested in throwing anything lighter than this, I probably wouldn't even bother with any of the mods. YMMV.


Top
  
Quote
Re: ABU 2500C
Post 20 Oct 2020, 21:59 • #22 
Piscator
Joined: 08/10/05
Posts: 19077
Location: downtown Bulverde, Texas
I'll take exception with you, because I cast ninteen-naughties NLW reels, Marhoffs, Ambassadeur, Lew's and modern low profile reels.
Your answer is correct for Lew's and low profile reels that disengage the level wind during the cast.
But the fact that a 100-y-o Talbot with nickel silver spool, or '90s Lew's blows away the cast of any LW Ambassadeur proves my point.

When most tournament casters moved from Talbot and Meek (not all - some still use Talbot and Meek) to Ambassadeur, the first thing they did was completely remove the level wind mechanism.
http://www.realsreels.com/customABUReco ... Brown.html


Last edited by bulldog1935 on 21 Oct 2020, 06:56, edited 3 times in total.

Top
  
Quote
Re: ABU 2500C
Post 20 Oct 2020, 22:01 • #23 
Guide
Joined: 06/21/20
Posts: 141
For 1/4 oz and less lures?


Top
  
Quote
Re: ABU 2500C
Post 20 Oct 2020, 22:09 • #24 
Piscator
Joined: 08/10/05
Posts: 19077
Location: downtown Bulverde, Texas
I was casting 1/4 oz 200' on my NLW CT without really trying, first time out.
Even my Lew's cast half that distance with the same lure.
The start-up inertia of the LW is the biggest drag at the beginning of a light-lure cast.


btw, from ballistics, doubling cast distance is a 20% increase in initial line velocity.


Last edited by bulldog1935 on 20 Oct 2020, 22:33, edited 2 times in total.

Top
  
Quote
Re: ABU 2500C
Post 20 Oct 2020, 22:11 • #25 
Guide
Joined: 06/21/20
Posts: 141
Sounds good. I was getting 50 yards with the stock 2500C and a side arm cast. Would be interesting to see what it could do on a bigger rod. I'd probably just backlash it! :P


Top
  
Display posts from previous:  Sort by  

1, 2  Next New Topic Add Reply



Who is online

Users browsing this forum: okie3 and 6 guests


You cannot post new topics in this forum
You cannot reply to topics in this forum
You cannot edit your posts in this forum
You cannot delete your posts in this forum

Jump to:  
Google
Powered by phpBB® Forum Software © phpBB Group