I've been looking to add another Daiwa Exceller EXE baitcaster to my collection, but have been hesitating.  A workhorse in my collection is an older TD Pro that I'm guessing is 8-10yrs. old. It's didn't see use last year, but I hung onto it rather than use it as a trade in at the BPS Classic. I'm glad I did. The wife was at a resale shop and called me to let me know they had some fishing gear and she thought one of the reels looked familiar.  I checked it out and although it was an Arid 100H (I don't own one), I figured for $5 it was worth it just for parts.  The star drag w/clicker and the swept handle with the bearings in the grips fit that old workhorse perfectly and actually reduced the weight. I cleaned her up and switched out the bearings and for just over $13 she's back in service paired to her old AllStar partner, which I just gave a face lift to.  A new reel would have been nice, but I'm really pumped about using that combo again. Love tinkering with my gear.

Nothing better than a bargain....an idea.......and success. Good job Sir. 

I like tinkering too but you cant beat the feeling of checking the mail and seeing a box with Japanese writing on it.