The Journal of a Backwards Professor

[Rosseforp]

Nice write up, Doug.

Man, you can shave at night and be BBS in the morning! Wow. Lucky you!

Unless I'm really just lousy with my technique I must live in an alternate universe of whiskers. BBS the next morning would be a miracle for me.

Thanks Jim

My beard is not very heavy, I can easily go 2 days between shaves, but where is the fun in that?
I usually shave after dinner in the evening, and get my mornings started around 4:30 am. My face is usually still smooth until around 9 am. My neck is a different story, but was very close today......

I moved from where you are to the Proline AC blade without noticing much if any difficulties in my shaves; not saying you should change blades because what you're using is obviously working for you.

I am using the Proguards that I got for my Feather AC Pro, and I was thinking of using the Proline's as they are half the price. And the SE1 already has a guard!
At this stage it seems that using a very steep angle is working, where-as I had previously thought that a shallow angle would be more efficient.

With only 2 SE shaves under my belt, getting a BBS is more luck than technique. I know you haven't used a SE in a long time, I was curious if some of your SR shaving technique transfers over......

Take care
Doug

 

[Rosseforp]

Monday, February 24
ATT SE1 Proguard(2)
Simpson PJ2
PdP 63
Pinaud Clubman

Tonight's shave was both close, and comfortable.

This is my 1st time using this soap, the scent is nice, not overpowering. It lathered up nicely. I have been getting such close shaves starting ATG 1st pass, I wanted to see how the SE1 was after a WTG 1st pass.

I started under my nose, then my sideburns and face, sliding over my jawline down my neck. For some reason I saved my chin for last, and it bit me. Really, a tiny nick, just enough to get out the alum block. After rinsing I could have easily been done, but there were spots that needed more buffing.

The 2nd pass was nose to ear, with a lot of touching up on my chin, in no general direction, trying to avoid the nick. Then another WTG pass on my neck, nice and slow.
No need for a 3rd pass, but since I had the alum block out, I re-applied to my nick, then rubbed it over my face.

I stopped using alum block months ago, as I never seemed to get much of a benefit from it, and it usually would let me know I just had a lousy shave by stinging and catching. Tonight it neither caught any stubble or stung.

I cleaned up my gear then wiped my face with a moist towel and splashed on the Witch hazel and it felt slick on my face. The Clubman tingled then cooled and dried. I finished up with Nivea balm.

Patience with this razor is rewarded and needed, it will bite if not careful. I'm not sure if this will ever be a daily driver, but the shaves with this razor just keep getting better.

 

[Chan Eil Whiskers]

Thanks Jim

My beard is not very heavy, I can easily go 2 days between shaves, but where is the fun in that?
I usually shave after dinner in the evening, and get my mornings started around 4:30 am. My face is usually still smooth until around 9 am. My neck is a different story, but was very close today......



I am using the Proguards that I got for my Feather AC Pro, and I was thinking of using the Proline's as they are half the price. And the SE1 already has a guard!
At this stage it seems that using a very steep angle is working, where-as I had previously thought that a shallow angle would be more efficient.

With only 2 SE shaves under my belt, getting a BBS is more luck than technique. I know you haven't used a SE in a long time, I was curious if some of your SR shaving technique transfers over......

Take care
Doug

I use a steep angle with the razor.

In theory a shallow cap riding angle works better for me, but in practice it's a different story.

Happy shaves,

Jim

 

[Rosseforp]

In theory a shallow cap riding angle works better for me, but in practice it's a different story.

I believe that is why we have test pilots............I'm sticking with a steep angle

 

[rabidus]

I am using the Proguards that I got for my Feather AC Pro, and I was thinking of using the Proline's as they are half the price. And the SE1 already has a guard!
At this stage it seems that using a very steep angle is working, where-as I had previously thought that a shallow angle would be more efficient.

For me, all Feather AC blades are trash! Way too much work to BBS my face, Prolines will BBS my face in half the strokes than the Feather blades.

If it wasn't for Schick Prolines, I wouldn't be using AC razors. After finding Proline blades, the SE1 is pretty much the only razor I use. Kai blades are better for me than Feather but not much.

Shallow works for me. I lather once and shave ATG with as many strokes as needed until BBS. ATG is different directions for different areas of my beard, but mainly S-N.

 

[Rosseforp]

If it wasn't for Schick Prolines, I wouldn't be using AC razors. After finding Proline blades, the SE1 is pretty much the only razor I use.

Thanks for the advice, as the choices in AC blades is, limited. After looking around a bit, it does seem Proline is quite popular.

 

[Rosseforp]

Tuesday, February 25
ATT SE1 Proguard(3)
Simpson PJ2
PdP 63
the "Veg"

Tonight's shave was good.

The PJ2 really whipped up a great lather tonight, and brushed on my face thick and creamy.

I have been using a 39 gram titanium handle that is 78mm long. I wanted to see if a little extra weight would improve the balance and used a 45 gram titanium handle that is 88mm long tonight.

My 1st pass was ATG starting at the base of my neck, using short strokes lifting at the end of the stroke, keeping the angle steep and using a little pressure, but not enough to scrape all of the lather off. As the balance did feel better, I continued shaving ATG on my face, and WTG under my nose.
The hollow under the left side of my jaw still had a patch of whiskers, but everywhere else was very close.

The lather went on even nicer for the 2nd WTG pass, E-W and W-E for under my nose and chin. I still felt stubble on my neck, so I lathered up and shaved ATG until the razor went silent.

The Witch hazel did let me know that the "Veg" was gonna sting a bit, but not any more than usual. I finished up with Nivea balm.

I had to work for it, but I ended up with a superb BBS, and my face feels like I only made 1 WTG pass.

 

[Rosseforp]

Wednesday, February 26
Mk1 Piccolo Gillette Platinum(1)
Semogue 620
PdP 63
the "Veg"

I really like this Semogue boar, it loads easily, whips up great lather, and puts it on smoothly. It has the perfect backbone and softness.

The Mk1 has by far the narrowest cap of all my DE razors at 18mm and a ton of blade exposure...

I have only used this razor once, on my chin. So this is really it's first drive, I put a fresh Gillette Platinum in and went full ATG on my 1st pass, starting at the base of my neck. I was using a fairly steep angle but still expected to have more blade feel as it effortlessly removed most of the stubble.

I shaved ear to nose on my face and chin, and WTG under my nose. The 1st pass was pretty good, certainly a SAS, but I still had lather and I wanted to give this razor a thorough test.

The 2nd pass was nose to ear on my face, then WTG on my neck, but there was still a bit of stubble on my neck after rinsing so I lathered up for a 3rd ATG pass on my neck.
I could feel the razor just shaving the rest of the stubble till it grew silent.

There is a definite difference in the way the blade feels between DE and AC blade, I think I would say the blade feels softer, as I expected the Mk1 to feel more aggressive.

It was a very good shave.

The only place where there is any stubble left is near my scar, and I don't expect that to change much for a while. The nerve that runs behind my ear did get cut and there is still a lot of numbness in that area along with some swelling. It could have been worse.

The Witch hazel felt nice and the "Veg" refreshed after the initial sting. I finished up with Nivea balm, and the wife said I smelled nice.


DFS

 

[Rosseforp]

Thursday, February 27
Mk1 Piccolo
Gillette Platinum(2)
Semogue 620
PdP 63
the "Veg"

I haven't given up on the ATT SE1, not even close. I was getting glass smooth shaves with it. But I have noticed the Proguard blades do seem to fall off quickly, and the Schick Proline blades I want are on a slow boat from Japan. So I am back to finding which of my DE razors shaves ATG the most comfortably.

I got a few interruptions from some teenage kids in the house, but tonight's shave was still pretty nice......

The Semogue boar is tops and the PdP 63 has been giving my face plenty of cushion during the shave. The post shave is ok. It leaves my face smooth and soft.

The 1st pass was full ATG starting S-N with my neck. I was able to use plenty of pressure comfortably at a steep angle to reduce most of the stubble. My passes were about a half in to an inch long, there was no pulling or tugging, but the blade feels softer than an AC blade. My face was ear to nose on my face and chin, and WTG under my nose.
Even though the 1st pass was close, I still needed another pass to get a BBS.

The 2nd pass was nose to ear with a few buffing passes on my face, then WTG on my neck. I was able to get all of the tricky spots under my jawline without any irritation. The 2nd pass was very smooth.

The Witch hazel did have a tingle and so did the "Veg", but my face still felt nice and I finished up with Nivea balm.

DFS

 

[Esox]

My passes were about a half in to an inch long, there was no pulling or tugging, but the blade feels softer than an AC blade.

You might find it feels 'softer' than a Mk.2 as well. The narrower cap offers more blade reveal so more of the blade can flex. I equate that to the suspension in a car, the blade flex acting like a shock absorber. The Mk.2 having less suspension travel and the thicker SE blade having no suspension.

That problem, which can cause me weepers, I related to wheel hop from the blade loading and unloading while flexing like a poorly setup suspension. Watch the back wheel and imagine the blade doing the same thing. Loading (traction) and unloading (suspension allowing traction to break).

I believe thats the reason I found the NEW LC so smooth. It was very smooth everywhere except over my swirls where the blade would load up, flex and skip. I couldnt BBS my neck with that razor because the blade lacked support. The NEW SC opened my eyes to blade rigidity.

The length of your stroke is a giveaway. You need to make shorter strokes to stop the blade from loading up to the point of the blade flexing and skipping.

Using my Mk.2 Grande and even a Derby Extra blade, I can make a single stroke from the top of my cheek to the base of my neck without the blade flexing but my correct angle is important and changes from steep on my cheeks to very shallow on my neck. I do the same, only much easier and quicker, with my MMOC, even with a very steep angle through the entire stroke. The difference is the inherent rigidity of each blade.

The drawback to an extremely rigid design is "The Planer Effect". A very rigid design works like a wood planer, so any irregularities in a flat linear surface will get planed off if your technique isnt where it needs to be. Thats why I bled my first seven shaves with my Grande. Each time in the same place.

You might try stretching your skin a bit tighter. Razors blades are linear and flat. They like to shave a flat linear surface. Assuming you're using a rigid design and a sharp blade think of the razor as a wood plane and your skin the surface the plane is sliding over. One high spot and off it comes, a weeper.

The other thing I've learned is that no matter how little pressure you apply to your skin, there will be a 'wave' of skin ahead of the blade. It may be very small and quite likely is judging from the size of weepers that are occurring, but they can happen because that 'wave' has no distance to propagate into. The more pressure used, the taller that wave ahead of the blade becomes and the larger, and deeper, that weeper could be.

Think about the below pic and how waves propagate. The razor starting to move top left instigating that movement. The blue and/or red waves would be your skin surface ahead of the razor from the pressure applied. When those waves can no longer travel, they bunch up, you shave into and over them and plane off the tops creating a weeper.

This is why I was always getting a weeper right side of my mouth. The same spot every time. I'd be stroking from my ear towards the corner of my mouth. A wave of skin ahead of the razor and blade, and when I'd get to the corner of my mouth, that wave had no where to go, bunched up and I'd plane the top of that wave off just a tiny bit and get a weeper.

To overcome that I stretch my skin tighter and shave in a slightly different direction. Either slightly up or slightly down when I get to the same spot, but never straight into the corner of my mouth anymore. That wave needs a direction to travel in, so I gave it one. No more weeper there.

 

[Rosseforp]

Flare Tip Friday, February 28
55 Red Tip
Gillette Platinum(3)
Omega 66
PdP 63
the "Veg"

The Omega 66 wasn't expensive, but it delivers a nice lather to my face. The knot is just small enough where the brush is soft, but easy to get to tight spots without making a mess.

I went full ATG on the 1st pass. S-N on one long pass from the base of my neck to my sideburns......Still using a steep angle I used enough pressure to keep the blade to my face. I shaved nose to ear under my nose and chin.

The 2nd pass was nose to ear on my face and WTG on my neck. Even with steady pressure it felt pretty comfortable on my neck, but after I rinsed I felt a lot of stubble on my neck, my face was smooth.

The 3rd pass was full ATG on my neck until I couldn't hear of feel it cutting anymore. I splashed on the Witch hazel while my face was still moist and cleaned up my gear.

The "Veg" stung at first and I finished up with Nivea balm. My face is BBS, but the Red Tip doesn't compare in efficiency with Fatip, and there is still stubble on my neck along with some irritation from chasing a BBS. Still a pretty decent shave for a 64 year old razor....

 

[Esox]

My face is BBS, but the Red Tip doesn't compare in efficiency with Fatip, and there is still stubble on my neck along with some irritation from chasing a BBS.

Gap vs exposure. It seems you might prefer little gap and generous exposure of a well supported blade too.

 

[Rosseforp]

You might find it feels 'softer' than a Mk.2 as well. The narrower cap offers more blade reveal so more of the blade can flex. I equate that to the suspension in a car, the blade flex acting like a shock absorber. The Mk.2 having less suspension travel and the thicker SE blade having no suspension.

That problem, which can cause me weepers, I related to wheel hop from the blade loading and unloading while flexing like a poorly setup suspension. Watch the back wheel and imagine the blade doing the same thing. Loading (traction) and unloading (suspension allowing traction to break).

I had to re-read the first paragraph a few times, as I relate the blade flex more to spring wind-up than poor shock absorption. It is the length of the exposed segment of the blade that is flexing, facial skin being the actual shock absorber.

I can definitely see the problem with with the 1964 1/2, 4-Speed Mustang, as I actually ran that same combination at the dragstrip during the early 1970's. I had a 1965 Mustang notch-back coupe just like the one in the video.

A shorter tire=less blade exposure. And a device called a traction-bar, which is essentially the same as adding a shim under the blade, would solve the wheel-hop problem, and prevent the Mustang from leaving a driveshaft on the dragstrip. Let's hope there is a driveshaft-loop installed on that Mustang. Stiffer shocks are also indicated.

But, yes, I do see how this applies, and it makes a lot of sense. I had thought that with the extra blade exposure and gap the Mk1 would have more bite than my Mk2. Instead it felt more forgiving as it allows the blade to flex over moles and irregularities.



Mk1 Piccolo

Mk2 Piccolo SE


Of course, I am on a pretty steep learning curve right now, as I have NEVER been able to shave my neck ATG with comfort in the past 50 years. Every time I tried ATG with carts in the 70's there was blood. Even electric razors irritated my neck.

Last night using more pressure than I felt was needed and a very steep angle, I was able to make one smooth pass all the way from the base of my neck to my sideburns. 3 passes ATG on each side of my face and neck, then XTG under my nose and chin, and I was almost finished. Well, the Red Tip is a capable razor, but it needs multiple passes in all directions to really get the job done.
If it was my only razor, I am sure I could get really great shaves with it, but it will never shave better than a Fatip.....

If you take a close look you can see the extra suspension link called a Cal-Trac, that I installed to control wheel-hop on my 1967 'stang. It does the same thing as adding a shim under the blade!

 

[Chan Eil Whiskers]

Love is for the car.

 

[Rosseforp]

Love is for the car.

Thank you Jim, I have had the 'stang 42 years............

It has spent the last 20 years locked up in my Mom's garage 35 miles away, as I was starting a family. Now that my daughter is starting to ask her about driving, I have decided that it is time to get it back up and racing again. This picture was taken late last year on it's way to the shop I have rented space at 3 miles from my home.

 

[Esox]

I had to re-read the first paragraph a few times, as I relate the blade flex more to spring wind-up than poor shock absorption. It is the length of the exposed segment of the blade that is flexing, facial skin being the actual shock absorber.

I can definitely see the problem with with the 1964 1/2, 4-Speed Mustang, as I actually ran that same combination at the dragstrip during the early 1970's. I had a 1965 Mustang notch-back coupe just like the one in the video.

A shorter tire=less blade exposure. And a device called a traction-bar, which is essentially the same as adding a shim under the blade, would solve the wheel-hop problem, and prevent the Mustang from leaving a driveshaft on the dragstrip. Let's hope there is a driveshaft-loop installed on that Mustang. Stiffer shocks are also indicated.

But, yes, I do see how this applies, and it makes a lot of sense. I had thought that with the extra blade exposure and gap the Mk1 would have more bite than my Mk2. Instead it felt more forgiving as it allows the blade to flex over moles and irregularities.


View attachment 1068598
Mk1 Piccolo
View attachment 1068601
Mk2 Piccolo SE


Of course, I am on a pretty steep learning curve right now, as I have NEVER been able to shave my neck ATG with comfort in the past 50 years. Every time I tried ATG with carts in the 70's there was blood. Even electric razors irritated my neck.

Last night using more pressure than I felt was needed and a very steep angle, I was able to make one smooth pass all the way from the base of my neck to my sideburns. 3 passes ATG on each side of my face and neck, then XTG under my nose and chin, and I was almost finished. Well, the Red Tip is a capable razor, but it needs multiple passes in all directions to really get the job done.
If it was my only razor, I am sure I could get really great shaves with it, but it will never shave better than a Fatip.....

View attachment 1068616
If you take a close look you can see the extra suspension link called a Cal-Trac, that I installed to control wheel-hop on my 1967 'stang. It does the same thing as adding a shim under the blade!

Spring wrap, yes!

The shim acts as a traction bar, limiting spring wrap and the energy stored in the blade from it. The more resistance the blade meets as it cuts increases the energy stored in the blade. When that energy gets released, the blade springs back into place and I get a weeper.

Chris Kirchen, the designer and maker of the Karve razor, is the first razor designer, that I know of, to publicly address the concept of blade rigidity. The below from his AMA on reddit:

"The geometry came from a bunch of research to familiarize myself with how razors are configured and then creating analogies between how a blade is configured and real world applications. The one I'm most proud of (because I saw an immediate improvement), was to support the blade as much as possible as a way of eliminating chatter). All razors support the blade on the top side with the top cap, but chatter comes from cyclical loading...force, no force, force, no force, etc. The unloading comes from loading the blade during cutting, but then something gives (such as the whisker that is being cut) and the blade unloads for a split second. The top cap can only help with the loading, so the baseplate has to work together with it."

Thanks for the pictures of your Mk.1 and Mk.2 Fatips. The difference is minor yet very telling. I believe your assessment to be accurate. The extra blade reveal actually makes it more forgiving. I didnt expect that but I understand why it would. It lets you feel things easier. Gap does the same. Where I said in a previous post that I bled on each of my first seven shaves with my Grande, that was because my Grande has such little blade gap, and I now suppose blade reveal, that I couldnt feel that wave of skin bunch up in time to stop my stroke. Using my NEW SC I can, easily. The difference is the gap and the tension of the skin as it flows through that gap giving a warning. You'll know ahead of time if the SC is going to bite. The NEW SC is a more forgiving razor, yet just as rigid, if not even slightly more so. The downside of gap in the SC is, if it does bite, it bites hard lol.

There is much to consider when thinking about a razors design. I personally find it very interesting.

Some people have scoffed at the idea of being able to look at a razors design and making a very good guess at how it will shave. I think you have a solid grasp of razor design and understanding. It was an epiphany for me when it finally clicked and I never looked back.

Your experience with carts and electrics, that I would alternate every shave to save my skin, mirrors my own.

My 1967 Chevelle SS didnt have any wheel hop, but it was difficult to launch anyway lol.

That was before I had the engine rebuilt. After I sold it to a friend he went a bit wild on it. He put the widest back tires on it that would fit, pulled the 408ci engine I had built and replaced it with a very well built 427 with ~600HP at the wheels. This is it in my driveway the next summer.

 

[Rosseforp]

That was before I had the engine rebuilt. After I sold it to a friend he went a bit wild on it. He put the widest back tires on it that would fit, pulled the 408ci engine I had built and replaced it with a very well built 427 with ~600HP at the wheels. This is it in my driveway the next summer.

It is gorgeous Mike. I really like the body styles of 1967, Mustangs, Malibu's, Nova's, Dodge Darts.......

I could never really sell my 'stang, it is already too far gone. Lol

When I bought it over 40 years ago I was gonna put a 390 big-block Ford in it and go drag racing. Then they closed OCIR and I bought a boat and sold the motor.
I towed my boat with it for 10 years, then got talked into taking it to the Riverside Drags and got a runner-up, running 16 second elapsed times. The hook was set and I sold the boat and started bracket racing with it.

Of course I did a few upgrades on the motors over the years, the current being a 9-1 compression 377 Windsor with Dart heads, that I built myself.
The last time I ran it was 1999 at Carlsbad Dragway, best times from that day were 11:[email protected] with slicks. I did drive it 75 miles to the track, the car being fully street-able.

I'm really looking forward to putting it back on the street after it sitting in a garage for the last 20 years. All except for having to crawl around the roll-bar. The car meets all NHRA safety requirements. Lol

The 'stang is in bad need of a wash job after sitting for 20 years, here it is now........

 

[Esox]

There was a guy up the street from me that had a 1970 Mach 1 428 CJ in yellow and black with a black interior and a 4 speed. That was the only Mustang I ever really liked, but there was a 1971 Fastback with a 427 that went through my friends shop after a resto that was really nice. He also did up a 1967 GT350. White with blue stripes with a 289 in it.

This is where mine lived for a year while we sorted out the engine.

The engine in it when I bought it was a 402 that was dealer installed under warranty, fully documented with dealer codes in the manual, in 1969. My mechanic friend was a dealer mechanic at the dealership it was sold brand new from and he was most likely the one that worked on it under warranty. That car has never been more than 40 miles from where it was sold. The original owner still lives a couple miles up the street from me. I paid $120 for all the GM Canada paperwork, but that was sure worth it.

I wiped the cam lobes off so it was time for a rebuild. When it came back it had a bad rod bearing because the shop didnt chase the crank properly and 5 of 8 pistons were hitting the heads so it came back out and we had to find someone else to do the crank. I had $8200 into that engine by the time it was finished. .030 over for 408ci, Keith Black hypereutectic pistons, heads milled .010 for 10.25:1 compression, 520 lift, 290 dur cam, stock intake and exhaust with a Holley 750. Muncie M21 4 speed and a 3:55 posi rear end.

His shop was a local hangout for all the car guys and there were some really nice cars through his shop. AAR Cudas, 32 Fords, you name it. Even a 1967 Plymouth Belvedere with a 440 in it, talk about a sleeper lol. The one I liked the most though was a 1966 Chevy Biscayne. It was faded powder blue and grey primer and looked like just another old clapped out car if it wasnt running but it had a strong 427 in it and he and his son both drag raced on the weekends. That car was in the mid 11's. I named it The Getaway Car lol.

He worked on all the old hot rods and in the 1970's was the go to guy for building a 7 second small block. He built all the Chevy SB's in the drag cars in the pic below. He used to race a 55 Chevy with a 283 and Powerglide in it.

My nephew just pulled the 425 Rocket out of his fathers 1971 Olds 442 convertible. He's going to do a basic rebuild on that 425 then a complete rebuild on the original 455 down the road.

That car is fast. It has a heavily worked TH400 in it with a 3200 stall converter. I dont know what all was done to that 425 but it ran away from my Chevelle.

He's finding out though, that building up an Olds engine isnt as simple and easy as building up a Chevy or a Ford lol.

 

[Rosseforp]

He's finding out though, that building up an Olds engine isnt as simple and easy as building up a Chevy or a Ford lol.

Those 442's with the 455HO and W2 heads were some mean machines......
These days kids just buy crate motors. I worked at a job shop that was next door to a high-performance automotive machine shop.
I used to see John Force's engine blocks sitting there waiting to get machined. John used to store his race cars at the shop I bought my camshafts from, Clay Smith Engineering.

When I started building my first 351 Windsor in 1989 there weren't a lot of off the shelf parts available. I had JE make me a set of 12-1 full floating skirted flat-top pistons because nobody made them at the time. I had the block decked so the pistons were at the top of the block and used a set of ported 289 heads with 1.94 x 1.6 intake and exhaust valves, and 57cc chambers. A .540 lift x 304 duration flat tappet cam, and Edelbrock intake with Holley 750 DP, and 1 3/4" headers took care of business until I got a set of Dart Jr. heads........ That motor cost me $4500 to build, then the heads added another $1400........

People used to look at my car and ask me how I got it to run so fast. My answer, "Speed is Money, how fast do you want to go?" Seriously, I spent a lot of time talking directly with the manufacturers and engineers. I usually bypassed the speed shops altogether.

And some people think we spend a lot of money on razors. Little do they know. My budget for racing the 'stang was $2500 a year. Gas, oil, entry fees, and Preventative Maintenance.

How do you make a small fortune racing cars?
Start with a large one.


But now you really have me going on my New SC. I was gonna let it sit outside to let the patina develop, but I just buffed the cap again and will try it tonight. I also have a nice 40 gram bronze handle to use with it....

It is kinda funny that your first experience with your Grande gave you weepers. I was getting weepers from my New SC, when I got my Piccolo SE, they stopped...

 

[Esox]

I cant remember which code is on the heads on the 425, but I believe they're big valve heads.

Crate engines... There was a shop here in town that had a Chevy ZZ 520 crate engine they ordered in for a client who didnt come and get it when we were doing the engine in my Chevelle. They wanted $10,500 for it so I passed thinking I'd build an engine good enough for a lot less. Needless to say, after spending $8200 I was kicking myself in the *** over that one lol. If I was going that route now though, I think I'd start with a tall deck block. 620ci's @8.5 or 9:1 comp would be nice everywhere but at the gas station lol.

I almost did that when another friend pulled his two 454ci tall deck marine blocks out of his 31' Baja. He replaced the two in his boat, but one was rebuilt with an Eaton 1/71 blower that he put in his 1976 Chevy Caprice 2 door. That much HP in a car with suspension from 1976 wasnt a good combination lol. He had also been in a wheelchair for 22 years at the time and drove with hand controls. I was only in it once, but it was an intense ride. He sold it to another friend that has a body shop. That guy collects Mopars and the Caprice is the only Chevy he has. He has a 1970 'Cuda, triple black, 440 with a pistol grip shifter. A white 1971 440 Challenger, a blue and white 71 440 Challenger, a blue and silver 2015 Challenger SRT and a new Hellcat. He parks them all out front of his body shop in the summer.

For quite a few years John Force was pretty hard on engines lol, they must have had a lot of his haha. The mechanic friend of mine raced with a friend of his when they were younger, Bill Kydd. Bill owned Kydd Rad, a radiator shop, around the corner from my friends shop. He built the BeCool alum rad in my Chevelle. Bill drove a wild custom 54 Merc. Lowered, chopped and tubbed. I only saw it once and didnt have my camera. Bill was an NHRA record holder.

Bill Kydd - https://cdrhf.com/Inductees/bill-kydd/

My first engine rebuilding experience was a 350 Chevy in my 1984 GMX 4x4. It came with a 305 in it new and they had soft camshafts. I left a stoplight one day and the timing gear on the cam broke so that was that. I picked up a used 350 and had it bored .030 over, Speed Pro hypereutectic pistons at 11.5:1, 480 lift 290 dur camshaft, Weiand high rise single plane intake, Edelbrock 650 carb and the old Blackjack AlumaCoat headers. The engine was soliid. I cant say the same for the TH700R4 trans that was in it haha. That was 1986 and even at that time the assembled short block was $4200. After rebuilding that 700R4 four times, the first time they pulled the pump off the front, turned it over and dumped it out lol and the last time the transmission case broke, I had a TH400 built up. Problem solved.

I sold that truck to a friend a few years ago, the floors were gone and I didnt want to rebuild it all yet again. The engine hadnt even turned over for 5 years when he came to get it. We poured a bit of gas in the carb, set up a gravity feed, hooked the battery booster to it and turned the key. It fired right up and is still running in a friend of his sons pickup. You can see my old 4x4 here where a few of us got to talking cars for a few pages of @rabidus's journal.

I took that picture after it had been off the road for 5 years from not passing the emissions test. It had a serious case of cancer. The floors were gone too. When I sold it to the friend, they got it home and jacked it up and the frame sagged so it was done.

Full Rancho 4" suspension lift, no blocks and a dual steering stabilizer. GoRhino axle trusses front and back. 3:08 gearing with 35" BFG Mud Terrains, Leaf 5 point harnesses. That truck worked. The weak link was the corporate 10 bolt rear, but I only broke it once haha. The front was a Dana 44 that I never had a problem with, but both diff's were open. TH400 with racing clutches, B&M valve body with a 2800 stall converter, 800rpm idle. It had enough engine to spin the tires off the line and surprised more than a few 5.0 Mustangs at the green light lol.

3:08 gears, intentionally, with 35" tires. You might be asking yourself why lol. Wheel spin and rotational speed. I built that truck for mud. The 3:08 gearing gave me enough wheel spin at high rpm to keep the tires clean and not plug up with mud, no matter how thick or deep it was. That truck would throw big clumps of mud and grass 50 feet in the air at launch in 4Lo and fly right over the top layer of the mud without sinking, most times. I didnt get stuck very often but when I did, it was buried. One day a friend with a lifted Suburban who had an 8000lb Warn winch had to chain his truck to a tree and I stalled his winch. We had to call another guy that had a 1976 crew cab Ford 4x4 with 24"s of lift and 44" Super Swampers with his 15,000lb winch to get me out.

I miss that old truck...

I had the block decked so the pistons were at the top of the block and used a set of ported 289 heads with 1.94 x 1.6 intake and exhaust valves, and 57cc chambers. A .540 lift x 304 duration flat tappet cam, and Edelbrock intake with Holley 750 DP, and 1 3/4" headers took care of business until I got a set of Dart Jr. heads........

I dont know much at all about Fords, but I know thats a hell of a SB. A guy I knew in Illinois had, the last I heard, a 434ci Chevy SB in his 1969 Camaro convertible. I dont know what all was done to it other than it was still a street car, had 12.5:1 comp and ran 10.2 @127 lol.

Why I started getting a weeper where I didnt with my SC is because the gap in the SC warned me to either slow down, stretch my skin more or change direction before it drew blood. The Grande has no such warning system and just lopped off the top of that wave of skin without letting me know it was going to happen. Why it happened seven times? Call me a slow learner haha.

The NEW SC is a great razor, especially if you shave steep. A Derby Extra blade in mine gave me a 10 hour BBS shave done with a steep angle. Thats equal in duration to my Grande, but my Grande is more gentle on my skin because of having less gap. The NEW SC taught me my skin doesnt like gap. If I shaved three full passes with my SC I'd have irritation. With my best blades, I only needed two passes and a light clean up so it worked out.

The problem I have with the SC is shaving shallow. Because it doesnt have the blade exposure of my Grande, its more difficult to get an even shave. I can have a BBS shave, but when the growth comes back up, its a bit patchy because its more difficult to maintain the proper amount of pressure to get an even depth of cut.

NEW SC vs Fatip Grande.



The Grande, with more generous blade exposure, solved that instantly. A 10 hour BBS is the best I'd had with my SC. 12 hours is the norm with my Grande.

Because my Grande has such a small amount of blade gap, I've done 5 full ATG passes with a fresh Kai blade that even has an extra .004" blade exposure per side, and had no irritation at all.

Its the same with my Slims. They're rigid enough and smooth enough, but to have an effective shave I need to set them on 7-9. With gaps that large I can watch the redness growing on my skin with each pass and I need three full passes to get where I want to be. As gap increases, so does my rate of irritation.

Thats why I've settled on DE's that have minimal blade gap yet offer generous exposure of a well supported blade. They give me my best shaves. The only way I could better that is with an SE. The thicker SE blades dont flex when I shave, not even at the very edge, so I can shave at any angle during any part of a shave.

You dont need to spend a lot to get a lot in the razor world. The engine world is a lot different lol.