Thanks for the replies guys....this does have a bit of sentimental value for me, since my Dad and I used to go out surfcasting together.
The rod is definitely a medium dark brown...not sure about the Conolon - is that the material, a product name? The rod is in good shape though, aside from a few dings, gouges...and some minor cork damage. It's got 7 guides plus the tip top.
It's a two piece, but the handle piece is only about 4ft long (with 1 guide), and the top piece is 6ft long.
I downloaded the Penn 704 schematics from a website posted in the "How-To" section of this website, and I'll take that apart and give it a good checkover. I was hoping to find a site sponsor that has a good selection of rod and reel maintenance stuff, since I pretty much need to gear up from scratch. But most are primarily for lures/plugs/etc. Of course, I'll need to get a selection of those too! :-)
I checked on Cabelas - they do have guide sets for surf casting
http://www.cabelas.com/cabelas/en/co...sets&noImage=0
but do these include the tip tops? Also, I have no idea how to replace guides...I was hoping to find a how-to here on these boards, but haven't found it yet. Things like...materials, basic procedures, tips and tricks, suggestions/recommendations for the different types of guide materials (silicon carbide, chrome, etc.), etc.
In other words, I need a good old-fashioned "hardware store" for surf fishing, to pick up rod repair and reel maintance stuff, a basic selection of plugs/lures, line, leaders...and good helping of sage advice!
Thanks again guys!
Ed