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- 1. The Knobby Conversion is probably one of the most
widely used tournament brake conversions available. In this
article we will be fitting a Knobby Kit to a flat sided ABU but we
sell kits for a variety of models in the Tuning
and Conversions section of our shop. One benefit of a Knobby
Kit is that you can retain the ratchet if you have one, which is
another reason why some people opt for this particular conversion.
We suggest that you
read the complete article before attempting this conversion.
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- 2. The first job is to line up the spacer on the side
plate and decide where you want to position the kit. The
position above is the most popular for casters but you can put it
pretty much anywhere you want, particularly if you need to avoid a
ratchet mechanism (see the last picture in the set). The
Housing Spacer should sit so it overlaps the graduated chrome ring
by about 0.75mm to allow enough room between the reels tension cap
and the Knob of the kit and this is easy to achieve as all you
have to do is make sure that the edge of the 8mm hole for the
Housing Bush to go through is right against the graduated
ring
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- 3. Mark the intended position of the kit and then drill
out the hole. Start off with a 1mm drill bit to drill a
guide hole and then open out the hole to 5mm. Rather than
try to drill an 8mm hole it is then easier to open out the hole to
full size with a small round file as it allows you to get a
tighter hole for the Housing Bush which will make for a sturdier
job. Also if your guide hole was a little out (remember the
hole has to edge against the graduated chrome ring) you can
correct it with this method.
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- 4. Your side plate should now look like this.
Before you fit the Housing Bush and Spacer you will need to file a
small notch out of the base of the Spacer to give it clearance
over the graduated chrome ring, where it overlaps. File it
down a bit at a time until you have a flush fit and then clean all
the filings off the side plate and loosely fit the Housing Bush
and Spacer to make sure everything fits properly.
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- 5. Once you are happy with the fit of the Bush
and Spacer you can fit it properly. Tighten it up with two
pairs of pliers, protecting the bush with a rag or a piece of
rubber to ensure you dont scratch it. A dab of lock and seal
will prevent the assembly coming loose but if you want a more permanent
sealed fit, some Araldite on the threads will fix it for
good. If you are intending to use Araldite however you
are probably better advised to complete the fitting of the kit
first to ensure that everything works okay.
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- 6. The side plate should now look like this on the
inside. Ensure that the housing threads are clean and then
apply some light grease or reel oil to the internal thread of the
Housing Bush in preparation for fitting the Magnet Shaft and
Tension Spring.
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- 7. Screw the Magnet Shaft and Tension Spring into the
housing from the inside of the side plate. At this point it
should be screwed down so there is only about 5mm clearance
between the magnet and the side plate and you then fit the side
plate back onto the reel. Making sure your reel is set up
for casting and the spool is properly centred, from the outside of
the reel wind the Magnet Shaft down until you feel the magnet
contact the spool, then simply wind it back half or three quarters
of a turn. Give the reel a quick spin to check you have the
braking right (the spool on an ultracast ABU should spin for about
10 - 15 seconds without blocks), adjust the position of the mag if
required and then remove the side plate from the reel.
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- 8. Hold the inside of the Magnet Shaft to make sure you
dont move its position and then screw on the Knob as far down as
it will go on the top of the Shaft. Tighten the Grub Screw
with a 1.5mm Allen Key to hold the Knob into position and then
refit the side plate and test the reel by giving it a quick
spin. If you have accidentally moved the Magnet Shaft
without realising it or you decide you want to adjust the Knobby
Mag at a later date it is simply a matter of repeating the tuning
procedure again until you have it set right. Thats it, job
done!
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- 9. A couple of my reels with Knobby Mags fitted. On
the left the Black CT has the kit fitted in the traditional
position preferred by most casters, where it can be adjusted
easily during the cast. The Blue CT Elite on the right has
the Knobby Mag fitted so that the ratchet can be retained.
In this case I could have fitted it on the lower right of the side
plate but chose the position shown although this spot does mean it
would be in the way if I wanted to palm the reel on the retrieve. If you have any questions
about any aspect of this conversion or the parts used please email
us via our Contact
Us page.
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