Procaster GS-35 conversion and upgrades

Canals and rivers demand strong tackle and heavy lines, and after one too many sessions messing around with snag leaders, I decided enough was enough, I needed a dedicated setup for them. That meant no more last-minute faffing, just heavy line on the spool and straight into the fishing. It also gave me the perfect excuse to pick up a few classic Daiwa reels. And what better choice than the iconic Procaster GS-35? In my opinion, they’re one of the best-looking reels in the Tournament range, with a glossy black finish and striking red and gold detailing that really sets them apart. They’re compact, powerful big pit reels that can stand up to hard work on tough waters.

Buying a set

I ordered a set in reasonably good condition, recently serviced by the previous owner. However, I noticed that one reel felt slightly wobbly in use and had some play in the main shaft. The rotors also showed some paint chipping on the sharp edges, which is a known issue with these reels. They had already been converted and were fitted with shallow spools, but I preferred deeper spools as I intended to use heavier lines. Furthermore, in terms of design, these are not the smoothest reels in the Tournament range, being GS models, so there is definitely room for improvement. As a perfectionist, I wanted them to be in top condition both technically and visually. I therefore decided to fully upgrade the reels, making them as smooth as possible and restoring them to a near mint condition both mechanically and visually.

The wishlist

I planned to carry out the following upgrades and replacements:

Refurbished rotors
Bail assembly upgrade
Lineguard roller bushing upgrade
Balancing the rotors
New genuine Procaster 35 worm shaft
Additional worm shaft washers
Worm shaft bushing upgrade
Oscillation pawl upgrade
Anti-reverse upgrade
Oversized spacing sleeve
Extra ball bearing on the drive gear
Copper gear washers for adjusting
New spools + spool wraps
Upgraded line clips
Line lay washers

I left out the worm shaft upgrade. While slow oscillation worm shafts are available from Weston Developments, these only fit the 3000–5000 models with ball bearing-supported worm shafts. As Procasters do not have ball bearings on the worm shafts, their design differs, making this upgrade impossible. However, this was of little concern, as I will only be using heavy lines (0.40 mm or thicker). For this type of use, the upgrade is unnecessary and may even be less suitable for very heavy lines.

Rotor assembly

First thing was the rotor assembly. This was going to be completely improved. For the rotor, I decided to go for new rotors because of the paint chipping on the old ones. FAF customz specialized in refurbishing original rotors, using a 2K paint instead of the 1K original finish. This makes them much more durable. The graphics on the spools are also printed directly onto the spool using the same process originally used by Daiwa. Unfortunetely, FAF customz closed their business shortly after my order, so these are probably one of the very last they did. Nevertheless, I was very pleased to have got mine just in time. It is, however, a real shame they stopped, as far as I know they were the only ones who could do this.

The original GS-35 bails were not the best anymore. Technically, they could also be improved, as the line rollers run on bushes. An upgrade of the bail assembly was therefore necessary. I ordered titanium line rollers from Weston Developments, running on two EZO ball bearings. As these only fit the one-piece bails of the 3000–5000 models, I also ordered new TS5000BE bails from Gato Custom Reels, along with black TS5000T bail pins and black TS5000BE line roller screws. I lubricated the bearings with Shimano DG18, a water-repellent grease. Unlike bearing oil, this grease is specifically designed for line roller bearings and provides longer lasting protection. A small amount applied to both sides of the bearing is sufficient. While I was at it, I also replaced the bail trip covers and screws with new parts from Gato, ensuring everything looked as good as new.

These reels are also notorious for the well-known “coffee grinder” noise, which is actually caused by the line guard system. Normally, keeping the line guard shafts well lubricated helps to prevent this. However, Gato offers the TSM line guard roller bushing upgrade. These bushings fit inside the line rollers and, compared to the original design, their increased length should minimise binding, thereby reducing or even eliminating noise. It seemed well worth trying this upgrade.

The original rotor assembly is not balanced, and as some parts were replaced, it was likely even further out of balance. For this reason, rotor balancing was something I particularly wanted to carry out. This offers several benefits: reduced vibration during retrieval, improved smoothness, less wear on gears, bearings and shaft, lower noise levels, and slightly improved line lay. Additional weights are placed inside the rotor to achieve proper balance. As I did not have the equipment to carry this out myself, a helpful contact kindly carried this out for me. A word of caution: it is important to complete all intended bail modifications before balancing, as replacing parts afterwards would disturb the balance again. With the rotor assembly now complete, I could move on to the body.

Working on the body

Before starting the upgrades to the internals, I first wanted to fix the wobble on one of the reels. The main shaft had some play, which is a well-known wear issue on these reels, often caused by wear on the worm shaft. I therefore set out to replace the worm shafts. These are harder to source, as they have different part numbers from the 3000–5000 models and have long been discontinued. Fortunately, I came across a brand new set of three being sold as worm shafts for Emblem X5000H reels. In reality, they are exactly the same. After replacing them, the play was gone, and so was the wobble.

I started by upgrading the worm shaft bushings, as the entire reel needs to be disassembled for this. Normally, I would fully clean all internal parts and the body at this stage. However, as the reels had hardly been used since their last service, this was not necessary. I simply re-lubricated them. The worm shafts do not feature ball bearings, unlike, for example, the SS-3000, but instead run on bushes. Converting these to ball bearings is not possible due to the design of the housing in the body. Tim van Zanten from Gato has, however, developed some excellent components, including the Whisker GS PLX worm shaft bushing upgrade kit. These are Teflon bushings, which offer lower friction than the original nylon version, resulting in a smoother operation. While still inferior to ball bearings, this is the best possible upgrade within the design limitations. The nylon bushing on the oscillation pawl was also replaced with a blue Teflon version, supplied in the Oscillation Pawl Upgrade Cat. 1 kit. In addition to the bushing, this kit includes titanium oscillation pawl screws, which, unlike the original screws, do not loosen over time.

Next up was the pinion gear assembly. The ratchet used for the anti-reverse is positioned on the pinion. As the original ratchets cause quite a large backlash due to the limited number of teeth, I upgraded them with Weston anti-reverse ratchets, resulting in reduced backlash. Do not expect miracles, but the difference is certainly noticeable. The Koyo bearings on all pinion gears were still in very good condition. The Koyo bearing on the drive gear was also in good order, so I only lubricated them with bearing oil. The right-hand side of the reel, however, features a bushing, which I replaced with a refurbished Koyo bearing, identical to the others, sourced from Gato. Please note that these refurbished bearings from Gato need to be lubricated before use. Gato also offers an oversized spacing sleeve, made from hard anodised aluminium. The original spacing sleeve is actually slightly undersized and made from standard aluminium. This version from Gato is made from hard-anodised aluminium and is wider, allowing optimal pressure to be applied to the pinion bearing. Will you notice much difference in practice? No, of course not. However, in my effort to make these reels as good as possible, it was an upgrade I was more than happy to include.

With the pinion gear assembly now complete, could reassemble the internals. Now it was time to fit the copper washers for adjusting Copper is a better material, as it is softer and is will absorb some of the inefficiencies, resulting in a smoother retrieve. …… Be careful, using to many washers on the drive gear can seriously damage the gears.

Now, I was able to reassemble the body and refit the rotor.

Spools and drag knobs

I ordered a set of TS5000BE spools from Gato. These spools have a line capacity of 250 m when using 0.40 mm mono, so even with thicker lines, this is more than sufficient. The standard line clip is not suitable for hitting the clip, so I ordered line clips from Weston Developments. These not only look great but are also spring-loaded. Replacing the line clip is not particularly difficult with the right tools, but I would recommend doing it somewhere where you can easily retrieve the spring, as it can pop out during installation. I always use the toilet for this.

These reels were already fitted with SS2600 / SS-9000 drag knobs when I bought them, having been converted to quick drag. I retained the original felt drag washers, as I personally find the combination of carbon washers with quick drag a bit too direct. I did, however, order new Weston click plates. These sit on top of the washers in the spool. The original ones are not particularly robust and may wear over time. The Weston versions are much stronger and should last for a very long time.

I ordered custom spool wraps and rings from the Signshop Kent. The original GS-35 wraps came in two designs: a gold print or a sticker featuring “35”. I prefer the former, so I ordered wraps that fit the TS5000BE spools in that style. I used a 3M adhesive primer to ensure the wraps would not come off easily.

The final touches

As a finishing touch, I repainted the gold-coloured decals on the bail kicker and lever on one reel that needed it. The reels were now complete. One final important step, however, was to adjust the line lay. As the spools are not original, the line lay had to be adjusted using line lay washers. I then applied Ardent Reel Guard, which protects the reel against water and dirt by leaving a thin protective coating. With everything complete, it was time to put them to the test on the bank!

In use: making up the balance

After using the reels for some time now, it is time make up the balance. Are these reels worth the upgrades? And are the upgrades worth the money? What upgrades have little effect, and what upgrades are absolutely recommended?

Moneywise, the upgrades have cost me quite some money. One could argue that you could buy modern big pit reels that perform way better for less money. That is absolutely true. But that’s the whole point of these cult classic reels. We don’t upgrade them because we want the best possible reels, we want to achieve the best possible performance with 40 year old reels. But we do it because these reels are way more robust then anything else and because they have unrivaled looks to them. In that aspect, I am absolutely satifsfied with the results. The GS-35 is worth every penny, and I am planning to continue to use this set for many years to come. So that answers the first question. About the second question, are the upgrades worth the money? If you look at it purely as an investment, absolutely not. If I were to sell these reels, I would never get the money back it costed me, as always the case when upgrading your reels. But from a technical viewpoint, I think that most upgrades are worth the money, although there are some that do a lot for little money and the other way around. While it is difficult to judge each upgrade, because I have not tested them apart. I can say that they cheapest way to improve your reels is simply adding the extra ball bearing on the drive gear. For very little money and with little effort, you can considerably improve them. Next up the rotor balancing, it is not that expensive but it does a lot. You can just feel a better … The line roller is at least on the GS-35 reels almost a necessity, if you care a little about your lines. They are expensive, but worth it. The Teflon bushing are difficult to judge, but I am very happy with them. I think they certainly play a role in a higher smoothness, but not as much as the others above. The copper washers for adjustin must not be underestimated. These can do a lot when do you it properly. They are very cheap, but you will need some experience in feeling how much you need. Lastly the spring loaded line clips. You could do without, but it all depends on your fishing style. As I never use a bait boat, I need to use the line clip for reaching the perfect spot on the other side of the canal or the rivers. So yes, they are worth it.

I would also like to recommend Weston Developments and the Kent Signshop for their great products as well as good service. But especially Tim van Zanten from Gato custom reels, as he has really put the effort in helping me with these upgrades. I don’t know anyone who understands the Tournament models better then him, and he gave some great advice and help about fine tuning them. Gato has made it its mission to make tournaments as precise and backlash-free as possible, resulting in a range of unique products specially designed for these reels. I would highly recommend checking out their website.