# Abu 6000C



## medicdav66 (Sep 27, 2007)

Okay, it seems that I will need to purchase an Abu to see what all the fuss is about. I am thinking of getting a 6000C, and can get it pretty cheap. It's an older reel so I would like to know how difficult it would be to fix it up for casting? Or is it even worth the time/money? Can I change out parts on this one? Or even get parts for it?

Just need a little advice from some of you Abu guys! opcorn:


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## Kwesi W. (Apr 14, 2006)

Im not an expert, but I have experience with the Abu 5000\6000c reels. The short answer would be no. If you want the MAX distance I would say start with an Abu with the bearings in the spool. You will not get the same performance with a reel that has the bearings\bushings in the end caps. I guess you could but it would take some serious reel tuning\Machine work. However I thing the older reels have better built parts. The fame is more rigid in my option for example.


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## Torpedo (Oct 2, 2007)

Abu 6000C is one of my favorite reels. I took a hacksaw to my early 90s model, took off the level wind, flushed the bearings, balanced the spool and added a conversion bar. Very fast, smooth reel.and have cast over 500 ft measured on grass. No magnets, just one brake. Still undecided whether I should add an adjustable mag, send it back to the fishing section or keep it as is. Great reel IMO.




















BTW it had 1 bearing and 1 bushing in the spool, I added a pair of regular bearings from another Abu.


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## Tacpayne (Dec 20, 2008)

It is pretty easy to change ou the bushings to bearings, which basically turns it in to a c-3. will you get the most distance, No, but if your wanting to just give an Abu a chance and you can do it for short$ go for. You can get a set of good bearings pretty cheap, and I wouldnt recommend giving Abu a fair opinion without upgrading to bearings.


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## Tacpayne (Dec 20, 2008)

Hey MedicDave, If your going to try to go to the cast a muck on the 21st I would be happy to bring a 6500cs mag , and a 6500cs, I dont have any ct's right now, but will soon. let me know, you will be impressed with the rockets


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## AtlantaKing (Jul 7, 2002)

It depends on which 6000C you start with. If you were to get one of the new 6000C's, which have the V-spool and IAR and bushings, it would be a fairly simple job to swap the spool bushings for a pair of bearings. If you get one of the older ones with bushings under the end caps instead of inboard in the spool, it would still be an easy swap, but the older fixed spool Abus just don't cast quite as well. 

The cheapest way to go is to get one of those new 6000C's for $40 at that _factory outlet for fisherman_ place  and clean it up well. Pull the bushings and soak in light oil before replacing them. Pull the levelwind mechanism out (leave the top bar) and give it a go. That'll net you 75-80% of the performance of an Abu CT with bearings for a third of the price. 

Conversely, why not just find someone with an Abu CT and try it out? While conversions seem a cheap way to go, it often does not end up much cheaper than just buying a CT to begin with, especially after paying shipping to get the various parts. Or, you could just buy a new CT now, cast with it for a while, and (provided you don't scratch it up too much) if you don't like it, sell it for $30 less than what you paid for it. Consider it "renting".


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## Torpedo (Oct 2, 2007)

Just added a mag to the 6000 today. I had an extra Blue Yonder sideplate so I used it to replace the 6000s domed plate. Reel is very smooth, fast and quiet.



























Not bad for a reel I got for free over 17 years ago, went from bushings to bearings to chopped with a hacksaw now is half Blue Yonder with a custom center mag and ceramic bearings. Gotta love the Abu's for their interchangeability!


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## jlentz (Sep 11, 2005)

As mentioned earlier, it really depends on which model 6000C you are referring to. If it is one of the older ones with the fixed spindle and bearings under the endcaps it can be tuned up to make a great bulletproof fishing reel, but most likely not a great field reel. look up Jerry Foran Reel Services and you can see what can be done with that type of reel. They are one of my favorite surf reels to use. If it is that type of reel first thing to do would be to clean and re-oil or replace the bearings, remove the levelwind and add a conversion bar, and remove the line out alarm and levelwing gear from the spool spindle. If it is one of the newer Ultracast designs with bearing in the spool it will make a much better field reel. In that case start off cleaning and oiling the bearing or replace if needed, remove levelwind assemby and add a conversion bar and lastly remove the plastic line out alarm gear and replace with a speed bullet/bushing. Also add a mag unit and you will be ready to go. 

John


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