The Journal of a Backwards Professor

[Rosseforp]

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.

Mike, you are a true GearHead.
That WAS the SBC that was in all of the Chevy speed books and magazines at the time. Proven combination that just, like you said, worked. Then World Products came out with the Sportsman II SBC head, and making horsepower became much easier and cheaper.

A lot of people don't realize all of the engineering and testing that goes into building crate motors, that at $10,500, like you found out was a bargain.
Picking out all of the right pieces to build a high performance engine in the 1980's was still a guessing game for most hot-rodders. You read about it in a magazine and that is how we did it in those days.

The only reason that I can put a motor together for $4500 is I buy all of the parts direct from the manufacturer, camshafts, pistons, etc... and I have used the same vendors for my machining for over 45 years. That and I do all of the inspection and assembly myself. Things like filing rings and o-ringing heads. I was taught by experienced race-car mechanics. My best friend's FIL owned a race car shop called "the Garden Grove Auto Clinic", and I learned a lot from those guys.
My first complete engine rebuild was in High School. My Sophomore year a student dropped some ball bearings in the Principal's pickup truck when it was getting a tune-up, and needless to say, some pistons and valves got banged up a bit. Lol
The teacher tapped me to do the rebuild because I was good friends with his best student that had just graduated. It was a 292 Ford Y Block, and needless to say, High School was a breeze for me after that. Talk about getting a Get Out Of Jail Free Pass................ I actually majored in Machine Shop, but I had my own car and driver's license by my Junior year. It was a 1961 Nash Metropolitan, but hey, you gotta start somewhere.
I got my 65 Mustang next, but it was a rust-bucket and I junked it and got my 67 'stang that I still have.

Circa 1993 on my way to a race at Carlsbad Raceway on the Southbound 5 Freeway, just past San Onofre, SoCal.
4:11 gears, 3500 stall converter, C-4 trans. 12-1 compression 358 cubic inch Windsor, with a 7500 rpm redline.
Also 3" exhaust and Flowmasters, 2 1/2" over the axles out the back.
The MT 26.5x10x15 slicks and floor jack are in the trunk. Best ET with that combination was 11:99 @114.57mph.

This is at LACR, Palmdale SoCal. Duel In The Dessert, 1993.
I was racing in the Street Legal 1 Category at the time and won the race. You can barely see the decals on the front fender, but one of them was from B&B Chevrolet and they gave me a check for $100 just for having the decal on the winning car! I also got $275, a set of spark plugs and a cap.

After the new paint job!

 

[Rosseforp]

Sunday, March 1
NSC Gillette
Platinum(4)
Omega 290
PdP 63
Pinaud Clubman

Tonight's shave was very good.

I like the Omega 290, it is just a little smaller and stiffer than my Omega 66, but just as soft. It doesn't splay as much but builds a great lather.
My first OC razor was a New SC that was also my first PIF. I didn't even know what kind of razor it was, had never seen one like it. It sure looked a lot meaner than the 53 Tech that I had been using, but I found it efficient, albeit with a tendency to bite.
I got my first Fatip and gave the NSC away.

About a month ago I tried shaving ATG 1st pass with a very steep angle and have been getting the closest and most irritation free shaves since I started wet-shaving a year ago. This does require a razor that clamps the blade very securely like a NSC, so I picked another one up and gave it a spin tonight.

The 1st pass was ATG starting at the base of my neck. I used multiple reduction passes up to my jaw, then from my jaw to my sideburns. XTG under my nose and chin. It was smooth, but I felt a lot of drag, and you could see the lather marks from the combs.

Now the 2nd pass was something else completely, nose to ear leaving no lather behind. I couldn't even feel the blade. WTG on my neck and nothing left at all.
No need for a 3rd pass, I rinsed, splashed on the Witch hazel and cleaned up my gear. The Clubman did give me some notice, but cooled off and left my face nice and dry.

The Nivea balm let me know that I had a BBS, no weepers or irritation. I was always able to get a nice shave with the NSC before, but always a weeper and some irritation.

Tonight was a DFS.

 

[Esox]

Mike, you are a true GearHead.
That WAS the SBC that was in all of the Chevy speed books and magazines at the time. Proven combination that just, like you said, worked.

I can still remember what they sad about those Speed Pro pistons in Hot Rod magazine; "If you're contemplating an engine built, the Speed Pro Hypereutectic pistons will give the bucks up street guy an E ticket ride." They werent wrong. Those pistons were loud until they got warmed up though. A lot of people thought my bottom end was gone on a cold start.

A 61 Nash Metro hahahaha. A friend of mine had the same car! His was brown and white. Funny that, what are the chances lol.

Circa 1993 on my way to a race at Carlsbad Raceway on the Southbound 5 Freeway, just past San Onofre, SoCal.
4:11 gears, 3500 stall converter, C-4 trans. 12-1 compression 358 cubic inch Windsor, with a 7500 rpm redline.
Also 3" exhaust and Flowmasters, 2 1/2" over the axles out the back.
The MT 26.5x10x15 slicks and floor jack are in the trunk. Best ET with that combination was 11:99 @114.57mph.

I was driving to the gun club one day in my Chevelle, a 35 minute drive on county roads. I left the only stop light with a mid 2000's Mustang on my back bumper, he was in a hurry. I got into 4th, doing about 55 and when he had a chance to pass me he came around my left side. When his passenger door was even with my drivers door I punched it. He couldnt get around me even with a run at it lol. He tried 3 times and each time he failed. He wasnt happy, but I was sure having a laugh lol. I let him around the 4th time and I didnt even get a wave! It's a great highway car! It passes everything but gas stations lol.

I had a 3:55 rear end in the Chevelle but I wanted to swap it for a 2:73 and would have if I didnt have to change the entire carrier. 3:08 were the tallest gears I could put on that carrier so I didnt bother.

Thats a cool Mustang. It looks serious but laid back at the same time. Just how a muscle car should in my opinion. @rudyt is a Mustang guy too, maybe he'll drop in and tell some stories.

I didnt think the C4 would be strong enough. Most guys here built C6's. The Muncie M21 in my Chevelle is good for around 700HP as we found out from another guy that had a 1969 Yenko 427 Nova, but it didnt have the 427 in it anymore. He swapped it for an aluminum Dart 496 block with matching Dart heads and intake with a Demon 1150 carb on it. On his first run he broke 1st gear at launch, short shifted into 2nd and still ran 11 flat.

The Muncie came out and I said he should look for an M22 because they have straight cut gears or have Vern, my mechanic friend, put him together a powerglide. He ended up buying a Borg Warner 6 speed, broke it and sold the car lol.

 

[Esox]

This does require a razor that clamps the blade very securely like a NSC

I does for me. I can shave first pass ATG with any of my rigid razors, even a Tech. If you'd like a little contrast to that, try an R41. They are capable of a very good shave, but the lack of blade support is very apparent, even on my third pass. I cant shave ATG any sooner than that.

If you like using a steep angle, you might end up really enjoying an R41. The head geometry is such that it present the edge at a steeper angle than the Fatip, yet has around the same amount of blade exposure.

That slight change in blade angle makes a very noticeable difference. Thats why I believe its such a tactile razor. I'm very aware of the blade and as many say, its a very effective razor, if not efficient by my own definition.

You can buy the head only at Maggard and it accepts most all standard threaded handles. The handle on it in the picture is the NEW Common Bar from my SC. The head is pretty heavy though so bear that in mind. The Common Bar handle is no where near heavy enough. It works the best for me with a fresh Feather blade.

 

[Rosseforp]

I can still remember what they sad about those Speed Pro pistons in Hot Rod magazine; "If you're contemplating an engine built, the Speed Pro Hypereutectic pistons will give the bucks up street guy an E ticket ride." They werent wrong. Those pistons were loud until they got warmed up though. A lot of people thought my bottom end was gone on a cold start.

You thought your Hypereutectic pistons were loud?
You should have heard my 358 when it was cold. It had an Isky 505-T cam in it that ran .028" valve lash, and the JE race pistons ran .007" piston to wall clearance.
Of course, the $600 price tag, plus $120 for tool steel wrist pins, and $90 for a set of Speed Pro file to fit rings does put a set of custom made pistons out of reach most hobby racers weekend warriors. I was pretty serious about my bracket racing. At one time I was leading the points at 2 different tracks.
After 400 runs and 20,000 street miles I retired it and built another complete motor.

My 377 is a 9-1 stroker with 6.250" Chrysler connecting rods and Probe pistons. It was a kit, I bought the assembled short-block from a so-called Ford specialty shop for $2800. At the time I was recovering from a bone-graft in my left wrist and my doctor refused to let me use a torque wrench.
I put my own factory 351 heads on it, but the rings would never seat, so I tore it down and had all of the machine-work redone at my shop, $700, and assembled it myself this time with Dart heads and a custom Isky FL358 solid lifter cam. They added 5 degrees to the exhaust to compensate for the heads and put it on 103 lobe centers.

Somewhere around 486 ft lbs @5700, 525hp @6400, gets with the program. It has so much torque I always ran 3:82 gears and a 3200 stall converter to get it to hook-up consistently. That yielded a best sea-level run of 11:82 @114mph. That is also 5700 in the lights, so nowhere near top speed......

I expect it to run 11:50's at a few more mph(maybe 116mph) with the 4:11's and the 3500 converter I used in the smaller motor. If I stick a blower on the small motor or a shot of nitrous it will easily run low 10's..... Lol

That gas station, that is a hard place to pass..................

 

[Rosseforp]

If you like using a steep angle, you might end up really enjoying an R41.

But then there is the 2011 R41, or the 2013 R41. I guess they are kinda like the Mk1 and Mk2, one is supposed to be aggressive, the other a kitten.
Seriously I don't think I need to go anymore aggressive than what I already have. Once I find out which razor is most comfortable ATG, I can dial in blades and soap. I'm still debating weather to use the NSC tonight again, or give my GC-OC84 a full test run. I have only used the GC-OC84 on my chin and under my nose.

3 guesses which razor I use tonight, and the first 2 don't count.........

 

[Esox]

Can Hear Every Valve Rocker Or Lifter Every Time.

You thought your Hypereutectic pistons were loud?

I didnt like listening to solid lifters, they drove me nuts because I focused on them too much lol.

Funny thing about my SB. As great an engine as it was, the same shop and the same guys built my BB. I'd heard for years that they built great SB's but not so great big blocks. I didnt understand, and still dont, how they can build one and not the other. AFter the cam break in and the idle was turned down to we could actually hear something, we heard knocking at the top end. Obviously not cam or lifter noise, much heavier than that. Out came the sawed off broom handle and my mechanic friend stuck it in his ear and had a listen around the heads and decided they needed to come off so he could have a look.

Once we figured out what was happening, he called the shop and talked to the guy that ground the crank. He asked him "Where are the tops of the pistons at the top of the stroke?" The answer he got was "About flush." About? lol

I wish I had kept the picture, but I found a pic online of a micrometer and photo shopped a bracket between 0 and .020 and put "ABOUT" on it and took it in and gave it to the guy hahaha. We still laugh about that when it comes up lol.

Your engine sounds much the same as the engine another friend has in his Class 7 4x4 race truck. He built up a 400ci Chevy with Merlin heads that makes around 550hp. 35" tires and 4:56 gearing with an old cast iron gear driven NP205 transfer case with Dana 60's at each end.

I think turbo is the way to go these days, as much as its against how I think. The twin scroll turbos are very efficient. I drive a 2006 Grand Prix, 3800 SIII supercharged. Some of the hot rod guys are deleting the SC and adding a twin scroll turbo. They're easily making 400hp but then the transmission needs an upgrade too. This has been on my mind the last while.

I dont need that, but another 100hp or so would be nice in my car. Of course then I'll start twisting axle shafts and blowing steering racks and connected parts. I wonder how the traction control would deal with 360hp. Not well, would be my guess haha.

 

[Esox]

But then there is the 2011 R41, or the 2013 R41. I guess they are kinda like the Mk1 and Mk2, one is supposed to be aggressive, the other a kitten.
Seriously I don't think I need to go anymore aggressive than what I already have. Once I find out which razor is most comfortable ATG, I can dial in blades and soap. I'm still debating weather to use the NSC tonight again, or give my GC-OC84 a full test run. I have only used the GC-OC84 on my chin and under my nose.

3 guesses which razor I use tonight, and the first 2 don't count.........
View attachment 1069523

I'm not sure which razor that is. It looks different than @Cal's CG .84 and it has positive blade exposure.

Cal's .84.

Your razor.

If yours is a CG, they changed the game again lol.

 

[Rosseforp]

I'm not sure which razor that is. It looks different than @Cal's CG .84 and it has positive blade exposure.

Correct you are.

My GC84-P is the same as @Cal's.

My GC-OC84 is the picture I had posted.

No time to shave last night, spent the night at the ER, my FIL slipped and fell. No broken bones, but his butt is VERY sore!!!

 

[Rosseforp]

Tuesday, March 3
GC-OC84
Gillette Platinum(5)
Semogue 620
PdP 63
Pinaud Clubman

Today's shave was very good.

My Semogue was a delight to use today, laying the lather on my face. This brush and this soap is a very good kit.

I have only used this razor once, for a touch-up on my chin and under my nose, and it did bite the corner of my jaw. This is probably the most aggressive DE razor that I have, so I treated it with respect.

The 1st pass was steep ATG starting at the base of my neck to my jawline. With 2 days of growth the GC-OC84 had no trouble, smoothly reducing stubble, I could feel the teeth more than the blade. Then I shaved my face ear to nose, WTG under my nose.
I could have stopped with a nice SAS, but I really wanted to see how this razor feels WTG.

I did shave my face nose to ear on the 2nd pass, then I lathered my face again and shaved WTG, all the way from my sideburns to the base of my neck, the razor just gliding on it's way down. There was still a touch of stubble in my hollows so I shaved them ATG on the last touch-up.

There was no irritation at all on the 1st pass, and the 2nd pass was comfortable. I could feel the razor removing the remaining stubble with no drag at all. I splashed the Witch hazel while my face was still moist and cleaned up my gear. The Clubman had a bit of a tingle and the Nivea balm left my face feeling nice.

I think this razor is gonna see more use. DFS.

 

[Esox]

Correct you are.

My GC84-P is the same as @Cal's.
View attachment 1069914

My GC-OC84 is the picture I had posted.
View attachment 1069913

No time to shave last night, spent the night at the ER, my FIL slipped and fell. No broken bones, but his butt is VERY sore!!!

I see the difference now. Its the thickness of the comb. Interesting. A modern, stainless steel NEW SC.

Glad to hear nothing got broken!

 

[Rosseforp]

Wednesday, March 4
GC-OC84
Gillette Platinum(6)
Semogue 620
PdP 63
Pinaud Clubman

Same kit as yesterday, was very good.

I thought about shaving WTG 1st pass while I was lathering up, but as soon as I grabbed the razor it went for my neck.
I am finding that I don't need much pressure with this razor shaving Steep ATG to keep the blade in contact with my skin, there just isn't that much blade feel. I feel it cut, the resistance, but I am not feeling the blade touch my skin, only the teeth.
It is not uncomfortable, it just feels like the blade could be sharper.

The 2nd pass was mostly XTG, this is where this razor really shines. I even buffed the two trouble spots by the corner of my mouth ATG with no trouble or irritation. I finished my neck WTG, nice and smooth.

This GC-OC84 shaves eerily like my New SC, but smoother, the geometry is very close.
Both heads weigh 32 grams, but I am using a 39.5 gram bronze handle with the NSC and a 41.5 gram titanium handle with the GC-OC84.
The extra weight in the handle seems to make the GC-OC84 feel lighter. I think that helps with the balance when shaving Steep.

The Witch hazel felt nice, but I got interrupted and didn't put on the Clubman for about 10 minutes, it stung!
Only for a few seconds, and the Nivea balm calmed everything down for a nice shave.

DFS

 

[Esox]

This GC-OC84 shaves eerily like my New SC, but smoother, the geometry is very close.

The NEW SC gap is .023". The CG .84 is .033". If it had the same amount of blade exposure as yours shows but with .010" gap, I'd own one.

 

[Rosseforp]

Friday, March 6
Prewar Tech
Feather(1)
Omega 618
PdP 63
the "Veg"


The Silver Tip rose to the top tonight, great lather, felt nice and soft.

OK, after reading all of the posts about using shims, I decided to try one in my Prewar. It has always been one of my favorite techs.

I started under my nose to get a feel for how the shim changed things. I could fee the blade a little, not much, so I shaved around my lips and chin, XTG face, then full ATG on my neck. The prewar had no problem shaving ATG at all, nice and smooth with very little drag.
The blade felt more like it was scraping than slicing, though.
I finished with a WTG pass on my neck and XTG everywhere else. The shim did make the razor a little more efficient, but at the cost of comfort.

I felt the Witch hazel, and the "Veg", Nivea balm soothed everything nicely.

My face feels ok, there is still stubble on my neck.

 

[Rosseforp]

Saturday, March 7
Gillette Heritage
Feather(2)
Omega 618
Wickham 1912 Club Cola
Pinaud Clubman

Nice shave tonight.

First time using Wickham 1912 Club Cola, the scent is pleasant, with a hint of Cola, the lather is nice and creamy, the silver tip just gets better.
Using a shim in my Prewar Tech didn't help much, but it did make a difference in the Heritage.

The 1st ATG pass on my neck was very smooth, almost no drag or blade feel at all. It didn't feel more aggressive, but it felt more efficient. The Heritage just zipped across my face with an XTG pass.
The 2nd pass was nose to ear on my face and N-S on my neck. There was still some stubble left so I made a 3rd ATG pass on my neck.

This is probably the smoothest shave ATG so far, but the guard seemed like it was dragging a bit.
The Witch hazel was nice and the Clubman was refreshing. The Nivea balm confirmed a close shave.

I didn't notice my face tightening up post shave at all, but my neck is a tad tender, I think from the guard.. I am liking the Heritage more with a shim, now.....

 

[Rosseforp]

Thats a cool Mustang. It looks serious but laid back at the same time. Just how a muscle car should in my opinion. @rudyt is a Mustang guy too, maybe he'll drop in and tell some stories.

Thanks, it took a bit of work, but I am a fan if keeping the tires inside the fenders. I had the rear-end housing shortened 4" to fit the 275x60x15's inside the fenders. You can barely get a finger between the tires and leaf springs. Lol
Ford actually made two C-4 transmissions, I use the large case that has wider bands and a stronger front pump, a larger flywheel, and a larger input shaft. They used the large case on 351 Windsor's all the way up to 460 big block's.
You were wise to ditch the 700R..... Powerglides pretty much rule.
I had a buddy in the late 70's that had a 69 Z28 with 302 with the old angle-plug heads, an M22, and 4:86 gears. That thing sounded so sweet going through the gears.

I always wonder about guys that can build good small blocks, but struggle with big blocks. I think it is the same kind of thinking that relegates machinists as either a lathe guy, or a mill guy. And if you are gonna be a toolmaker, you better have a good understanding of the Cartesian coordinate system, and you better know how to run a mill. I was taught by toolmakers....... but I prefer lathes to mills. Too many chips with mills. I used to run an old Tracer mill when I worked at 3M Orthopedic's that had hydraulic lines and cables all over it, no safety guards at all, and I had to spend 45 minutes every day cleaning chips only to see the thing get covered up with chips 5 minutes into the next shift.

I started building lawnmower engines then 4 cylinder's, 6's and then V-8's. All makes. My Dad was a Ford guy, and I do believe I have Ford Blue running in my veins, but I have always worked on all different makes.

My current car is a Chevy Volt.... get the pun? I really do love it, though, don't know why Chevy stopped making them. Plugs into 110, runs on gas, what more can you ask? I had to pay for parking last week at the hospital, but they had free charging stations, I got a full charge!

The Metro I had was Yellow and White. I put high compression pistons, an MGB 1800 cylinder head, cam, twin SU 1 1/2" throat carbs and a header in it, but spun a rod bearing and traded it for my 65 Mustang. Wish I had kept that car.

When your best friend is a Mopar guy, you work on 340's and 440's. I think the 458 we built for his 1969 Roadrunner was making around 750 hp. I ran an 11 flat with it @120 spinning the tires the length of the track....... it had a spool in the rear-end so when it got out of the groove I had to keep the steering wheel turned a half lock to keep it straight!!!!! That was CRAZY!

I sure you have a lot of stories to tell, I'm always up for a good bench racing session.

Take care and keep the shinny side up!

 

[Esox]

I am liking the Heritage more with a shim, now.....

Maybe add another shim to increase the gap.

 

[Esox]

Ford actually made two C-4 transmissions, I use the large case that has wider bands and a stronger front pump, a larger flywheel, and a larger input shaft. They used the large case on 351 Windsor's all the way up to 460 big block's.

Were they different for cars and trucks?

My current car is a Chevy Volt.... get the pun? I really do love it, though, don't know why Chevy stopped making them. Plugs into 110, runs on gas, what more can you ask? I had to pay for parking last week at the hospital, but they had free charging stations, I got a full charge!

Theres some interesting history with GM's electric cars. This documentary is a good watch.

I think the full movie is available on PBS here. At that time it came down to battery technology and GM wasnt satisfied with the technology of the time. They were NiMH batteries, developed by an engineer in Detroit that altered the existing technology. I cant remember how the story went, but somehow he got screwed out of the rights, GM took control of them, built the cars and then sold the battery technology to Ovonic Battery Co. which was a division of Texaco. I dont think they sold any EV1's to the public, they were only available through special lease agreements, but they sure built a pile of them, then crushed them. They were quick too.

I remember when I didnt have any stories. That was a long time ago haha.

 

[Rosseforp]

Were they different for cars and trucks?

I believe it had to do with the weight of the vehicle. Truck and Mid-Size cars used heavy duty engines and transmissions.
My first 351W came out of a 1974 Ford Gran Torino Elite, so it came with HiPo rods and the larger transmission. I bought the car for $150 and had a junkyard buddy yank the engine and trans, then he got $100 for it when he sent it to the crusher!
I was pretty surprised when I tore the motor down and checked the specs. Whoever assembled it at the factory took the time to even match the rods so the side clearance was exactly .018" all the way across(Factory Blueprint Spec). When I had the block sonic tested the cylinder walls were over .250" on the thrust side.
That saved me the cost of buying new rods, I just had the factory rods beam polished, shot-peened, and bushed for full floating pistons.

I remember the EV1, I believe the actor Ed Begley Jr. had one of the first ones that came out. Back then we all thought he was crazy. Lol

 

[Rosseforp]

Maybe add another shim to increase the gap.

I could add another shim, but it will never be as rigid as my GC's or Fatip's......