Thread: Winter Project

Look forward to your results

Sounds like a fun project/test.

Hard to believe good ball bearings wouldn't improve the reels. Should be interesting to see results.

Got my bail ball bearing kits from Hedgehog.
They ship fast! Expensive shipping costs but fast .
I stalled four of them in my Shimano Nasci 500 reels and the other kit in one of my Sahara 500 reels .
If you’re going to do this , make sure you have a good screwdriver.
I own a couple gunsmithing tool kits and was able to select the correct screwdriver bit for the job .
Even with the right screwdriver, it’s a jog getting the bail roller crew out . They must tighten those things mechanically at the factory .
Finding the right hold took a little trail and error , but by the time I’d done the third one , iwas knocking them out .
Took about an hour for all five .

Results ?
Well, I can see the roller move when pulling line off the reel and the drag seems smoother .
If it makes the drag smoother it’s worth the $12.50 I have in each kit , with shipping .

I got to looking a the Nasci 500 schematic and best I can tell it has one ballbearing in the outside of the handle knob .
I’m not sure putting an inside bearing will make that much difference.
My washers and other bearings should be here the first of the week .
I’ll try one and check it out . I can always put them in my Sahara 500 reels , or maybe one of my Daiwa reels . I’ve read Daiwa and Shimano can use the same bearings .

I’ll report if it makes a difference next time I go fishing.

Sounds like you like the initial results

Originally Posted by DockShootinJack

Sounds like you like the initial results

So Far .

I’ve tuned a number of reels. Here is my take. Adding a bearing, or bearings to the knob really smooths things out compared to the bushings you find in many reels. Adding bearings to the drag support and spool support will not be noticeable to the hand but will really help for a smoother drag. Adding bearings to a line roller most certainly helps with line twist. All my reels have 2 line roller bearings. I don’t tune anymore as I just can’t see as well and like you mentioned, sometimes the disassembly of a line roller can be a bear. While I never have had any Daiwa reels with bushings bind up I have had several Shimano reels that have. Many of those bushings can absorb water and swell. So I just take a preemptive measure and change them out. Have to say that now when I get a new reel I check to make sure that it doesn’t need any upgrades. Of course my reel buying days have become less and less the past couple of years. I think the best move I ever made was when I bought 4 of the Daiwa Ballistic FW 1000’s. I added 4 bearings and those reels really shine. Hope tuning upgrades work out for you.

Regards


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Randy , I reached a point in my equipment buying where I’ve decided rather than searching for that “Holy Grail “ , I need to utilize what I have.
I like small reels .
My favorite is the Shimano Soare XR500spg . It’s only con is line capacity. With its shallow spool it only holds about 70-75 yards of my favorite 2# line . The Nasci just about doubles that .
Hopefully I can’t tune a few of my other Shimano 500 size reels to get close to the Soare XR . We’ll see .