Mitchell Reel Museum Discussion Group

Tutorial: Garcia Mitchell 3-0-0 Spinning Reel Service

1958 Garcia Mitchell 3-0-0 (Version 6)
Bail is very stiff and sticky
Handle turn is stiff and sounds very noisy, whirring and some grinding
Finish is really not too bad with normal looking rubs around foot, back and bottom (Chip on front of foot)
Cover screws are mildly boogered, but not too bad
Serial number: 21xx752

I will use the following:
Flat Tip Screwdrivers
12mm Mitchell Wrench
Corrosion X
Aluminum Complex NLGI #2 Marine Grease
Cal’s Teflon Drag Grease
Penn Reel Cleaner
3 in 1 Oil

“The first step which is skipped in tutorial for all screws is to first apply 3 in 1 oil, tap & let set before attempting to loosen”

(Part numbers will be in parenthesis)
Schematic used



And here is the Reel....



Remove the handle (16B) by unscrewing it (note it is reverse threaded)



And remove screw holding handle on the shaft/arm



Push release button on spool, remove and set aside



Remove the three cover screws (14)



Open the reel like a book (This way parts won’t tend to fall out)



Here’s what we have inside



Remove the pivot gear (30)



Gently pry up and remove the slide (27)



Now you can pull out the reel axle (7)
Sometimes they can be really stuck with hardened grease or oil residue that has turned to varnish



Loosen the 12mm baffle plate nut (35) and remove



Gently pull the rotating head (39) up and off the housing (34) threads
This will free the baffle plate (41)
Note there will be a washer (48) under baffle plate and there may be one or more shims (49B) also
Be sure to look for them; don’t lose them in the cleaning process



Here you see the baffle plate washer (48) stuck on underside



Looked to see if shim (49B) was in rotating head, but none were present
You will see later, that there was one, but it was installed in wrong location



Remove any shims (49A) that are present here
Note, they may be stuck underneath rotating head gearing, rub finger across it to see



Ended up finding the misplaced 49B shim, along with two 49A shims



Remove housing lubrication screw (15)



Remove the two slide guide mount screws (28)



Gently pry up and remove the slide guide (29)



Here we have the stripped out housing (34) ready for cleaning



We will now move to the rotating head (39)
The liquid you see is the 3 in 1 oil that has been soaking for a while to loosen screws
You can see someone in the past has boogered one of the screw heads, by trying to force it with wrong size screwdriver



Remove the larger bail trip lever screw (45) and pull trip lever (42) out from the inside



Next we will remove the trip lever spring screw (50) and the trip lever spring (44)
Notice the shape of spring looks odd



Here it is out and yes the spring has been bent to a very odd shape, which we will correct later before re-installing



Now remove the bail (40), by removing the two screws (46 and 47)



Bail spring (43) should come out also, if not pull it out
We can see how gunked up the bail spring is, no wonder it wasn’t working properly



Here is the rotating head (39) stripped and ready for cleaning
I found that the counterweight inside was a little loose
This is NOT the kind with screws that can just be tightened
We will fix this by using Loctite 620 to bond the counterweight to the rotating head after cleaning
(This was a recommended product that I had not used before, but is working well, so far)



Here is the cover plate assembly (32)
Notice the gearing is cross-wind (CW) type, not level-wind



Lift up off the stud, the transfer gear (31CW)



Lift up off the stud, the pinion gear (26)



Look underneath for shims stuck to bottom of pinion gear



Or still on the stud
Here under the grease WAS a shim (51)



Lift out the main drive gear (25CW)
Look for any shims (54) that might be present



Check to see if the main gear shaft has a cotton insert, stuffed inside, if so pull it out
You can see it here being pulled out



Lift out the anti-reverse dog (24)



Here is the cover plate assembly (32) stripped and ready for cleaning




The cleaning process is not covered, but is:

Manually removing all grease & debris
Clean with warm soapy water and tooth brush
Drying
Cleaning any stubborn spots and displacing any residual moisture with Penn Reel Cleaner
Finally a full wipe down with cloth dampened with Corrosion X

If a more forceful means is needed, use a brass brush NOT a stainless steel one


Here are the parts processed and ready for assembly, minus the spool which will be covered last



The inside of reel housing will get a very light coating of an aluminum complex NLGI #2 marine grease





NOTE: All screws before being re-installed will first get a coating of grease



Install slide guide (29) with two screws (28)



Again a light coating of marine grease



Notice the slight damage to two of the teeth on the axle (7)
We will be replacing this axle with an undamaged one



Install the Bail (40) and bail spring (43) with the two screws (46 & 47)
Notice the bail spring has two end points
One points out, the other points up or down, depending on how you are looking at it
The one that points up or down goes into the tiny hole (right by the stud) on the rounded face part of the bail



The part that points out fits in slot on rotating head bracket



And then you spin around to load spring



And finally install the two screws



Lightly grease where trip lever and trip lever spring install
Reshape the trip lever spring (44) to a proper/usable shape, as shown



And install with screw (50)



Install trip lever (42) with screw (45)



Slip the two smaller shims (49A) on threaded shaft of housing



And install rotating head



Complete rotating head with fixed counterweight after curing for 32 hours



Slip the larger shim (49B) that was out of place on to the threaded collar inside the rotating head



Then add the washer (48)



Install the baffle plate (41)
Notice it is keyed



Install the 12mm Baffle plate nut (35) and tighten
At this point spin the rotating head to make sure it spins freely
If not, you will need to adjust the shims on one or both sides, until it spins freely and quietly



Install the axle through rotating head and into the housing (Flat side towards you)
Notice this is the new, undamaged one



Then, lightly grease the slide (27) and notice the stud



This stud will fit into the hole on axle that is now installed
Then lightly grease



Notice on the bottom on pivot gear (30) there are three raised appendages
They fit into the grooves/slots on the slide



Make sure the slide is shifted towards the back of reel housing



Install pivot gear (30) down onto stud (three appendages facing the rear) and wiggle until it fits in
Next turn pivot gear and make sure the axle cycles in and out as it should with no binding



Here is the cleaned cover plate (32)
Notice the wear marks from the main drive gear...




We are going to add a shim here (54) later, when we install the main drive gear
Since this will raise the gear slightly, we are going to also add another shim under the pinion gear

There are four main shim points on the 300 series reels
First number is the newer part number
The number in bracket is the older part number that I use in this thread

81012 [49B] Baffle Plate to Head
81024 [49A] Head to Housing
81047 [51] Pinion Gear
81035 [54] Main Drive Gear

These four points are where you can experiment to make them run smoother and quieter


Again lightly grease the inside



Install the anti-reverse dog



Take the main drive gear (25CW) and fill the shaft with grease
Screw in handle and remove, to see how much is needed
Excess will come out weep hole on shaft



Clean outer shaft of excess grease and apply a small amount of Corrosion X on outside of shaft
I use a needle oiler for this



Install a shim (54) on gear shaft then slide main drive gear (25CW) in
Here is cover plate (32) with main drive gear (25CW) and anti-reverse dog (24) installed



I added an extra shim here, so a total of two pinion gear shims (51) are installed on stud



Install pinion gear (26) on stud



Lightly grease everything
Then install Transfer gear (31CW)
Then lightly grease the transfer gear
Next manually turn gearing to ensure everything is working properly
Reach under and manipulate the anti-reverse knob (boomerang shaped on this one)



See that reel runs in one direction only
Change position and see that the reel will run in both directions
“Smoothly and quietly”
Here it is checked out and completed



Lightly grease the faces where cover and housing will meet
Now put together the housing (34) and cover (32) like a book
Wiggle if needed, as gearing falls in together



Install the cover screws (14)



Apply small amount of Corrosion X on handle screw



Slip screw through handle and attach to handle arm/shank




Screw on handle (16B) remembering that it is reverse threaded

Now, check the operation of the reel

Make sure no shim adjustments are needed or something is not meshing correctly


Now for the Spool…

Take spool and unscrew the drag adjusting nut (1)
Remove the drag nut (1)
Remove the brake spring (2)
Remove the drag washer (5)
Separate into two pieces, spindle (6) and spool shell (4)
There may be another drag washer on spindle inside, although this one didn’t have one
It is in excellent condition and doesn’t need any cleaning
A little Corrosion X on some points and it’s ready for assembly



Here it is broken down



You can make changes to the drag by using another washer under shell, on spindle inside
Changing to the newer Teflon washers
Or if you really want to bump up the drag pressure, you can use Carbon Fiber ones
(Penn HT100), the correct size is 6-60 or 6-155 depending on OD needed (Inset type or not)
All I will be doing is greasing the regular fiber one, which will make it smoother in operation
Just a small amount is all you need
I will be using Cal’s Drag grease for the drag
USE ONLY A TEFLON BASED DRAG GREASE!!



Put spindle back into the spool shell and rotate until the gearing meshes and it goes completely in

Then, lightly grease the drag washer (5) and install on spindle



Lightly grease the bottom of the brake spring (2)



And install (Notice it is keyed)



Screw on the drag adjusting nut (1) and the spool is complete



Here is the finished reel and spool
It runs very smooth now and bail works like new
Very quiet now also with the new shimming



Last thing is to snap the spool into place on reel
Flip handle to storage position

And you’re done...

Reid,
Great Job!! I will be trying the carbon fiber drags.
Thanks,
Vic

It is a darned good tutorial!!

no hay de qué

Cordiales saludos, Reid

Hi First of all hello to every one this is my first time Thanks a ton for the tutorial it was really very help full. I managed to service a very old Mitchell 300A but the drag of the reel is not working the spool is runs free even after the tightening of the drag Knob. when i open the spool to recheck i saw that the plastic gear on the spool shaft is turning free is that the cause or it should not turn free. It would be really help full to get some input

Ted
Thanks a ton for the words really installed some confidence .Also can you Please suggest where i can get a new axle because i think it is impossible to fix the damage one if I am not wrong so can you help any way I have been looking for a source for spares on internet but till now nothing . If you can give me some pointer it would be a really great help. this reel is a friends grand father's and he really want it fixed for keep sake
Regards
rajat

Rajat,
Mitchell part 81007 is the axle for Mitchell 300, 300A reels. There are several of these axles currently available on both ebay US and ebay UK. You may want to check these out.
Regards,
Ted Lanham

I have a Mitchell 300. I am having a problem with the handle. When I turn it once it hits the seat it starts to come undone going in the other direction. I am not sure what is the problem but it made it tuff to land the fish. Any suggestions?