I did something similar one time only I put a Penn Squidder handle on a 209 Penn, since I hated the tiny handle on the 209. I also had quite a gap between the handle hole and the reel spindle. To help alleviate this, I made a "bushing" out of copper tubing. It was easy to bend and shape and fit into the handle "hole" gap and I filed it down to the width of the handle. This kept the handle from potentially stripping out on the spindle if the drag was too tight or a big fish was on.