Not even close. I've got the butt end stripped of the varnish and the reel seat and grip off. It looks good and clean. I took my time and was able to scrape off all the glue residue. My problem is trying to decide on a down locking or an uplocking reel seat. The down locking reel seat appeals to me, especially on a shorter rod. But I can't find an inexpensive double locking seat. A single locking ring would probably be fine (famous last words as my nice click pawl falls off on a hot fish). And I'm trying to find a thread that comes close to the original. It's a tiger striped pattern. I may go with clear wraps and try and salvage the original thread as trim. If I can't find something I definitely want to go with a thread that compliments the original as I will be keeping the original label wraps in place. Come to think of it, I really should practice applying varnish to the thread wraps since this will be the first time that I will be working with the material. The project is definitely on the back burner for now. I'm in no great hurry.
