Page 1 of 1

Calcutta Conquest handle-side side plate removal

Posted: Wed Jan 31, 2018 11:19 am
by Mike son
Searched around and couldn't find an answer. I was looking at my Calcutta Conquest 300 last night and couldn't figure out how to remove the handle-side side plate. The two screws on the inside portion, on the spool side if that makes sense, seem like they they would give me a problem. They look to have their center lines running into parts of the frame. The two I'm speaking about are one just behind the level wind guide and the other is on the bottom near the reel foot. I tried to see if a screw driver would grab them but I wasn't too confident in the amount of grab I was able to get and thought I might strip the screw. Any thoughts/tips?

Re: Calcutta Conquest handle-side side plate removal

Posted: Thu Feb 01, 2018 5:21 am
by Bantam1
There are the two screws inside which you have listed, and there is one on the outside of the side plate. I use a longer shank Phillips PH1 screwdriver. I tape the shank of the driver to avoid any chance of scratching the frame. The driver I use is from Wera which can be found on places like Amazon. It does a great job of griping the screw. I am the tech that works on all the Conquest models now so i am very familiar with them.

I will warn you, if you try to take the whole reel apart to service, make sure you lay everything in order. The level wind is not the easiest thing to reassemble. You almost need a third hand to get everything lined up and installed.

The other thing I see people make mistakes with is the drag star. First make sure the drag is tightened all the way down before you install the handle. Also make sure the clicker plate is lined up correctly on the drive shaft. I see people just force them on. You have to line up the star to the square nut, and the clicker plate to the drive shaft. Do this without the wave spring first. It makes it much easier to line up. Then install the spring and finish with the handle.

You will need ACE-0 grease for the cross carbon drag washers and ACE-2 for the drive gear. Or you can just send the reel to us and pay $30 for service. It will come back clean and in proper working order. This is assuming the reel is in good shape to start with.

Re: Calcutta Conquest handle-side side plate removal

Posted: Thu Feb 01, 2018 8:16 am
by Mike son
Thanks Bantam! It's the two screws on the inside that seem like they'd be the most difficult, the screw on the outside is a simple. Funny I actually wrapped my screwdriver shaft in electrical tape before I attempted the to grab the inner screws realizing it'd be rubbing against the frame.

Interesting note about the level wind, I have yet to take one apart on a round reel. The way you install the drag star and handle is exactly how I install mine on all my reels. The reel is actually brand new and I only plan to service it myself, or Shimano, after I use it for a season.

Re: Calcutta Conquest handle-side side plate removal

Posted: Fri Feb 02, 2018 5:08 am
by Bantam1
The worm shaft assembly on the Conquest is very different than our other round reels. Due to the compact design of the body, it was the only way to assemble the line guide. The 100/200 sizes are not as difficult. The 300/400 can be very challenging.