Delaware Valley Tackle

Looks like you got lucky. Mainshafts can and do get stripped. Try a new nut making sure it starts easily and snug by hand. Tighten just enough to align the retainer with the screw hole. Don’t force it at all ever.

Years ago you could buy what they called a Japanese handle that was a grip and seat mounted on a carbon tube. You just used arbors to fit to any blank. I don’t like the idea of the blank not going all the way through.

Service it the same way you do everything else. No need for anything special. My preference is a water resistant grease like yamalube marine but shimano, super lube or other common recommendations are fine. 

Take the e clip off the bottom, remove the washer, bearing, retainer, washer and level wind drive gear. Install on the new shaft in reverse.  

A dunk in relatively clear water isn’t catastrophic. If the water is silty, sandy or it lays on bottom for an extended period I recommend a deep cleaning. Otherwise, a clean water rinse, air dry and lubricate whatever parts you can access readily. 

You’re looking at about what you paid for the rod.  You’re way ahead of the game to buy something higher end. 

Definitely a good idea immediately after salt or brackish water use. Not a replacement for regular deep cleaning but interim service is a good idea. 

The brand and type of grease for use on reels is given way too much significance. The single most important thing is to do regular maintenance and keep things clean and lubricated with something appropriate. The feel of a new reel has little to do with the type(s) of grease used.  Shimano bantam drag grease works well on both drags and gears. It’s similar to Cals. Personally, I’ve pretty much settled on marine grease for gears, Cals for drags that require it, gear oil for frame bearings, level wind and sliding parts, Lighting Lube or air tool oil for spool bearings. Tsi321 in tuned reel spool bearings. 
Ps: I’m not giving the OP hell, lol. You’re not doing any harm by tinkering and experimenting but I hate to see you or anyone following stress over this. 

See the pinned thread by road warrior. Still holds true today 

It depends on the size of your hand what you feel is comfortable. Seats are cheap enough to buy 16mm and 17mm and see which you like better for this rod. Blank diameter doesn’t figure in unless you use an exposed blank seat in which case it’s sized to the diameter where it will sit on the blank 

A misconception about grease is that the thickness should be used to “fill” gears to make them feel smoother. In some cases this works short term but it only masks issues. Grease is merely a carrier. The actual lubrication is film thin. The soap or “thickener “ is just meant to keep the infused oil in place from falling out or flinging off. As for the OP, in a fishing reel, painting a film on contacts surfaces suffices in most situations. I use a craft brush trimmed short to be stiff. If the young man wants to contact me directly I don’t mind helping him out. 

Even if not the same plant there’s not enough difference to base a decision on. Pick the one that feels, looks best, appeals to you and is best deal. The JM seems a little higher end

You need to evaluate the level of damage. It’s really easy to make a bad matter worse, aesthetically and structurally. It’s hard to patch spots and have them blend in. Permagloss is a urethane finish for rods. It’s hot and sometimes not kind to certain paints. 

The only thing I’ve seen with graphite is high heat causing failure. Even a hot car shouldn’t affect a graphite blank. 

I’ll happy to help if you’d like.  If you decide to go the diy route I’ll answer questions for you. Spinning a gritty or dry bearing under power is a horrible idea. 

The only real difference in blanks is the way the company chooses to label them. The inshore mh might be more powerful than the bass mh for example. Inshore guides might be titanium but can be good ss. In rod building we say a blank doesn’t know or care how you build on it. When frogging first caught on I built frog rods on inshore blanks that had lots of backbone but still enough tip to load and cast well. There’s crossover both ways 

That can be a jig/plastics, spinner bait , chatter bait, spook, swimbait (within casting weight) rod. Pretty versatile 

The SLX is a variation of proven shimano platform. Buy and use with confidence 

Extra costs can be added. Usually before 24 Hrs or after 48 check directions for your brand. Iightly sand with 400> finish as usual 

Yes the Bantam is tailor made for heavy duty work. 

The Avid spinning mh blank is a touch lighter power rated 3/8-3/4. 

Either will work I keep the tan on hand. Shimano bantam drag grease is good too. 

The metal drag washer is upside down. Install it with the “bump” facing up. The next washer goes on last just before the star. Try that and see what happens 

For fresh water applications titanium is overkill, looks cool though. Alconite is best bang for the buck. Plenty hard and pretty light. Using the smallest guides you can get away with saves the most weight. 

Take calipers and measure the tip diameter. Convert to 64ths inch.  This is the tube size. Ring is likely a 6. Fuji FAT is a good all around model.