penn 310 reel repair

[Harry]

I picked up 4 penn 310 reels for 40 bucks. They need some work and since not much is happening as far as fishing and boating time goes up here in the NE, I figured this would be something to mess with. And pass the time.

Even if I can get 1 or 2 working out of 4 I still came out ahead. Anyone ever work on these?

[Cliff]

Harry,I have redone a few 320GTi's which are not bad at all. You can get
the schematics online from Penn. You can get all the parts up the road
from you in Mystic Islands.

[Harry]

Hey thanks cliff.
Where's the place in Mystic? I'm closer to somers point. Do you think tackle direct could get them?

I will search the net for a schematic and parts list. Just never had one apart and would hate to have springs flying everywhere;D

Thanks again

[Cliff]

Scott's Bait&Tackle he's has all the parts inhouse for all Penn reels.
You can order online at their web site and then pick them up or have them
mailed. Nothing should come flying out at you unless it's really busted up
then you still have 3 more play with.He also has the schematics online.
Tackle Direct would order the parts from Penn.

[Harry]

Thanks Cliff, I'll check out Scott's B&T *thumbsup*

[Beckcl]

Hey Harry....I dont know if you are wanting to fix them yourself, but Penn has excellent service and reel repair department.

Last winter I sent them 4 330 GT lever drags and 2 330 GT star drags for service. They were trash (so corroded they wouldnt turn) when they left me, and were like new when they returned.

They completely dissassemble clean, repair, and grease them and ship them back. I think the 6 reels cost me about $90 in service charge and parts.

You can download the reel service form from Penn's web site and mail them in.....just a thought.

On a side note, I had 6 Mariner stand up rods that had excessive corrosion on the aluminum reel seats. They replaced all six with brand new rods for $40.00

Penn has fantastic products and service!

[Harry]

Hey Harry....I dont know if you are wanting to fix them yourself, but Penn has excellent service and reel repair department.

Last winter I sent them 4 330 GT lever drags and 2 330 GT star drags for service. They were trash (so corroded they wouldnt turn) when they left me, and were like new when they returned.

They completely dissassemble clean, repair, and grease them and ship them back. I think the 6 reels cost me about $90 in service charge and parts.

You can download the reel service form from Penn's web site and mail them in.....just a thought.

On a side note, I had 6 Mariner stand up rods that had excessive corrosion on the aluminum reel seats. They replaced all six with brand new rods for $40.00

Penn has fantastic products and service!

Thanks man,
The seller mentioned being able to have penn service them before I bought them (selling point) and said for 40 bucks (price of the reels)I could probably get 4 nice reels back from penn for a low fee. Damn for 90 bucks you can't beat that. I will DEFINITLY check it out.

Harry

[Harry]

Checked out the Penn site and it seems like a sweet deal. Printed out my form and will send them out tomorrow.

Picked up the 4 GTi 310's that need work, and this little Penn 930 golden beauty that's in excellent shape, all for 65 bucks !!!
Even if I need to put $150 or so into them, I think I will make out ok.

http://i40.photobucket.com/albums/e223/aclineman/Pennreels.jpg

[gut wrench]

Google "Alan Tani",he has a site with great descriptions of how to rebuild reels,all brands...

[Harry]

Thanks,
WAY too many irons in the fire right now, between working on the old WWII rifle, my old traffic beacon, work, honey do list, getting ready for Aruba and being away or that week, and of course the time tending to CSO and now getting these reels. At this rate I will be too far behind the 8-ball when fishing season rolls around.......*001*

I figured it was a fair deal and by having the reels "Factory repaired" with a Penn invoice in hand, I could sell a couple reels easier if I don't decide or need, to keep all 4, and help cover or at least offset, the cost of the one or two I do keep. And they should be like new.

[seaside]

Google "Alan Tani",he has a site with great descriptions of how to rebuild reels,all brands...

I'll second the Alan Tani site.
Also, if you decide to take one apart sometime and fix it, the experience will transfer over to other Penn reels. Most of the star drag Penn reels have a very similar design, so learning to fix one will often allow you to fix others. I learned this 30 years ago when a friend bought a headboat and we rebuilt all 30 reels, mostly Penn 60s and 65s. Other than the levelwind mechanism, rebuilding everything from 209s to the Senators is pretty much the same. If I recall correctly, that 930 will be a bit more complicated. Although they don't dominate the market like they used to, Penns are known for having widely available, inexpensive parts and for being fairly bullteproof reels. There are a few tricks you learn that help a lot, too, like putting tape over the heads of the 4 machine screws that hold the brass plate containing the drag washers and gears before you flip it over and put it back together. That way you don'e have to try and hold 4 screws, the antireverse dog and spring and the stack of drag washers while you push everything together and screw it down. The Alan Tani's site is good at showing you tricks like this.

Of course, for the $15 a reel Beckl quoted for the Penn work, you really can't go wrong there, either. Those are all really good, workhorse reels. You might want to check into upgrading the drag system while they are being rebuilt. There is a new drag system called Carbontex that all the Abu Garcia's are switching to and I think they make washers for Penn, too. I just rebuilt a bunch of Abus with them.

Get those 5 reels rebuilt and you'll end up with a really sweet deal!!!

[Harry]

Penn called today to say they received the 4 reels and looking at a 3 week turn aroundfishingsmilie*

[Harry]

Upon return of our trip my 4 Penn reels were here*yay*

All 4 are in like new condition and had been completely dis-assembled, cleaned, any worn out parts replaced, re-lubed and assembled. Total for 4 reels soup to nuts, shipping,,,etc ,, was $142.
:secret:Penn sent back all the replaced parts, including one original spool, and some new replacement parts to boot..*thumbsup*

Who says customer service is dead?
I would recommend anyone that has a Penn reel and wants service to go to the source with this company.
As I paid $40 for these 4 reels valued new at $100 each. I really didn't have a need to buy 4 of these reels, but they are nice conventional Penn reels and I'm sure I could find a use or a home for them if I don't use them.

[Harry]

Oh, they even replaced the missing "Penn 310" labels on 2 of the reels as seen in this "BEFORE" photo




http://i40.photobucket.com/albums/e223/aclineman/Pennreels.jpg

[Beckcl]

I am glad your experience was as good as mine. I love Penn products, and their customer service is great too! ;D

[CFISHN]

Score one for AMERICAN made *thumbsup*

[Dave]

Nice Harry... looks like a sweet deal to me. I have (3) 940's that I think could use some expert service and maybe a part or two, and I'm sure I can find one or two old and no longer in service senators around the shop needing some long overdue attention. I love these old American made Penn reels and have had some longer than I care to remember and was not old enough to appreciate or really know how to care for them properly *kickrock*