Shore fishing last fall and I pulled in a Berkley Lightning Rod and an Abu Silver Maxx...

I know nothing about baitcasting reels and was wondering if this was able to be saved? Most of the internals look to be rust free, the only rust i see are on the drag magnets?

IDK.....but I would close that sink drain before a screw, small part or spring finds it..

You on the toilet for that long?

Well..... LOL No all jokes aside, this is the best lighting I could get at the time.

Question on the Abu Garcia brand: What's the difference between an ambassedour model and a regular one?

I would message DVT (Deleware Valley Tackle.) He's a very well respected member that maintains and repairs reels.

I don't think that's an ideal work area. If lighting is a problem I would purchase an inexpensive desk lamp and work at a table.

Clean it, lube it, and give it a whirl. Worth a shot for free.

Check youtube for how-to videos, I am willing to bet you will find just what you are looking for.

I've refurbished way worse looking projects than that but it will require stripping to the frame. You'll need a schematic from ABUs site and take pics along the way. There are "gotcha's" on nearly every reel though and I have yet to find a video that points them out. They're an inexpensive reel and probably a good one to experiment on. If you get in a jam call or email. Worse case send it in and I'll put it together.

I agree 100% with Mike, there are lots of gotchas...

"Remember It Isn't Rocket Sience" LOL love those quotes, from the peanut galleries...

All the time I have spent servicing reels (3 decades now), there isn't a vid out there that doesn't have a few of them I know of that were left out, and, only because the producers of the vids haven't run into them.

Tight Lines All!

Seems like most of my "gotchas" usually have big sounds for tiny parts. Little pins, springs, clamps, etc... A big oh SH** by me and a small, "ting" by them. Lucky for you, you'll know exactly where they'll end up..... the drain lol

I took a cheap $40 baitcaster apart this winter to clean it and I made a serious attempt to keep everything in the order I took it off, but somewhere along the way a pawling spring fell out out. I think I found where it goes, but I have no idea exactly how. Put it back together and now it doesn't work. Definitely made me think twice about taking apart some of my nicer reels to clean.

You're not alone. Every year a few "Bag-O-Parts" in the mail along with a note requesting a reel be made out of them. lol

I took a cheap $40 baitcaster apart this winter to clean it and I made a serious attempt to keep everything in the order I took it off, but somewhere along the way a pawling spring fell out out. I think I found where it goes, but I have no idea exactly how. Put it back together and now it doesn't work. Definitely made me think twice about taking apart some of my nicer reels to clean.

Slide every part in order on a pencil or skewer. Handle, washer, nut, washer, side plate, bearing, washer, and so on. Then when it's time to put it back together it will all be in order.

Seriously, if you do not know how to take apart and put a reel back together please send it to Delaware Valley Tackle.

You found a good reel that can be salvaged and put to good use. A professional can replace and repair parts and lube the reel so she sings like a saint. It is worth every cent.

If you do want to lean how to take a reel apart, you will need the schematics that come with new reels; locate the schematics on the Internet; and practice, practice and practice. Use a cheap reel to practice.

Servicing and cleaning reels is an art. It can take years to perfect your talents. For a little money you can speed up the process and know you have a good working reel by sending it to DVT.

Just my two cents.

The ambassador is more epic than any other. That's the difference.

How so Spiro? Upgraded parts or just a fancier name?