Neal

No, it was so hot the belt expanded. JR, if it wasn't anyone else, I'd have to call BS. Wow, that is hot. I wonder if a belt with kevlar fibers or other not so thermally sensitive materials could be made available by Blackstone for skating hotbeds like Dubai or JR's garage.

Are you thinking the belt slipped? Are the pulleys the belt runs in geared?

So why the under stroke? If you don't mind me asking... Class rules?

Lets see now. SBC, probably a stroker because no one builds them with a stock stroke any more. Aluminum heads (only cheap guys like me still run iron), belt driven distributor, electric water pump, vacuum pump (must be a big cam and lots of compression), dual carb tunnel ram with provision for 2 stages of nitrous, 1 & 3/4" headers (thermally coated of course). This all means I'm drooling and really jealous and probably about 850-900 hp on gas alone and then up to 1000-1100 with both stages of nitrous. Am I close?

Matches the jersey nicely. Simple and classy! Very nice, I really like the Rebels jersey and the gloves look like you picked them up at an end of season pro-stock sale. Perfect match. I'm have to add that Rebels jersey to the list of candidates for next year's beer league team.

Actually, you'd be surprised the number of old guys who will only use Sherwood sticks because they are the only ones that offer the Coffey curve. I have heard that basic statement from 2 or 3 different guys in the last year or so.

Dave's up in Fridley is the only location I know of. They only have the 90/75 and 100/75 spinners.

This seems to contradict what I understand about FBV. Wouldn't the move from 100/75 to 90/75 remove glide but not impact the bite substantially? I thought that if 100/75 was too much bite the move would be to 100/50. I'm on 100/75 and I like it, but I'm getting some grab on the back on transfers to backwards skating and chatter on stopping. If I can find a shop with the right spinner, I'm going to try 100/50.

I'm not scared of it, I just don't like it. :) I'm usually pretty good on my shifts though. The only exceptions are when I get stuck on the wrong side of the ice and everyone else goes for a line change or if I'm on the point during a PP and we're controlling play. I don't know if I'm scared of it, I've never tried it. It is my goal to get through life without ever having too. As to the Finland jersey, I'd rather see that then a light jersey with dark sections or vice versa. I skate semi-regularly with a guy who wears a white with dark sleeves and and shoulders, when he turns sideways, at a quick glance he looks like he is on the dark team. My pet peeve are the guys who bitch and moan about skaters who aren't good enough to skate with them. It is open hockey, where else is a beginner supposed to get his reps? Oh, and don't make the obvious assumption, I've been skating for 35 of my 38 years...

Trainer needs to find him some navy blue tape to match the socks. At least at the NHL level this has been true, IIRC. I wonder if it is a result of his practice techniques?

Could always do like the one guy I skate with and get a shotgun rack. His is mounted on the front forks, but he has a lot more fork than you do.

Nice job, I love that blue. With all the extras cut off the frame is soo smooth and it really highlights the classic 2 triangle architecture of the frame. By flop and chop bullhorns, do you mean you took standard road handle bars and cut the ends off and mounted them upside down?

I don't think radius and pitch enter into this discussion. Please correct if I'm wrong. So just a table of 3/4 ROH means a starting point of 95/100, 3/8 ROH = 50/100 etc would do. while we're creating work for the Blackstone guys, how about a list of sharpeners by metro area that offer the new technique?

Check at an industrial supply store for an equipment cooling fan. You can usually get one for $40 and up depending on the cfm requirements. McMaster-Carr, Grainger, MSC all carry them. As well you can get reducers down from 4" diameter PVC to 2". They aren't cheap but they open up a lot more options for fans. I'm researching doing something similar involving a ShockDoctor dryer fan, heater and UV unit going into a box that vents outside.

PerformanceThe ProCurve stick curver does an excellent job adding curve or toe flare to a blade. It can also be used to flatten a curve or remove toe flare by reversing the position of the blade in the curver. With some experimentation I was able to tweak any number of different blade types to match my preferred slight mid with slightly open toe style. I'm usually taking curve out, but I have done blades for others and adding curve is even easier. Curving or de-curving a blade that is similar to your end goal is very simple. For example, changing a CCM Thornton from a deep mid with a closed toe to my preferred slight mid can be done in 2 steps First heat the blade and then place the press and swivel in the middle of the back of the blade and adjust the toe wing to your preferred openness. Converting a CCM Lecavalier from its Lidstrom like moderate heel to my preferred curve takes 3 steps. Heating, then removing the heel curve and the last step adds the mid curve. If I was going to improve the curver, I would add another press and swivel on the opposite side of the existing one. This would allow you to take curve out in one spot and add it another all in one step. 9/10 Ease of UseThe curver is a little challenging at first, but becomes very easy with practice. Uninstalled blades are much easier than wooden sticks or blades in shafts. I'd recommend trying out the curver on some old blades without using heat. The curve won't set, but you can experiment with different settings and the lack of heat allows for easier manipulation of the blade. But once you've done a few, it really is pretty easy. 9/10 ValueFor the player who can't find his preferred curve, the curver is a great deal. Its $50 price tag isn't much more than a single custom blade. If you can find a blade with the right lie, toe shape and a similar curve, you can easily tweak the curve to your exact specs. For the player who likes to experiment with curves, the ProCurve is a great deal. A stash of clear out wood blades lets you experiment on the cheap. 10/10

Weight I don't find the grip heavy. I'm sure some people's tape creations are heavier. 9/10 Balance On an XN10 shaft with a Mission pro stock composite blade, I found the combo a little blade light. With my heavier shafts and/or a wood blade I found the grip didn't interfere with the balance in any noticeable way. 9/10 Grip This is where the ergo shines. I very, very rarely drop my stick now. Strength and leverage on poke and sweep checks are greatly improved. 10/10 Feel There was a transition period of a 2 or 3 games where I found some maneuvers awkward, but after that I could stick handle and deke as well as I ever could. I'm no David Perron, so take that for what its worth. 7/10 Flex I haven't noticed much difference in flex, but I was adding a wood butt end to all my sticks before the Oggie. 10/10 Performance My velocity on my best shots didn't go up, in my opinion, but the Oggie allows me to get more on all of my shots taken when I don't have time to set up. I find the improvement greatest on my back hand. 10/10 Durability I've been using these grips for a couple years now and have one in all my composite shafts and OPS. I've got 4 currently and 2 of them show some wear, especially around the very top of the blade side, but I'd be surprised not to get another year (or 80 to 100 games) out of each of them. I'm sure that if I was using my old taped creation that ran 6" down the shaft and ended in a big knob that I would have spend substantially more on tape than I have on Oggies. 10/10 Overall I'm very happy with my ergo grips. I won't use a stick without one. I've broken 2 fingers on my top hand and the ergo grips let me play with almost no pain while having a strong grip on my stick, a more consistent shot that is harder and faster under pressure.

He should still be able to get parts through GM or secondhand. Theres still an entire section on the GM site for Olds owners (service info etc.) Not to mention that almost all the parts with the exception of body parts interior trim parts are shared with some other GM product. the only parts I'd be worried about are anything on the dash, door panels or seats.

I don't think I updated this with recent purchases. Wife now drives a 2007 Ford Edge SEL. Very nice, very luxurious vehicle. Wish the mileage was a bit better. And the 1968 Mercury pickup was getting tired, so I replaced it with a 2004 Nissan Frontier crew cab. 1968 Mercury Cougar is still sitting in the garage waiting for an exhaust system.

If you are a decent mechanic, this could be a real fun car. Pros are that it will be pretty quick and have lots of torque so it should be fun to drive. Cons are that with the big block handling and braking will be poor and gas mileage will be horrific. Expect 10-12 mpg. 70's Camaros are known for mediocre build quality and some rust issues and this is a 33 year old car. So you have to be willing to accept some issues. Old cars are never perfect unless you spend big $$$$. The engine is not original and if the car didn't come with a big block, the original cooling system won't be good enough for stop and go traffic. Ask if it has been upgraded or budget to do so yourself. Also, the big block should have heavier springs. The ride will be bad without those. I'm not Chevy guy, so I'm not speaking from experience, just as an owner of an old muscle car. If you are willing to work on this car and can do without it for a couple days when the repairs are bigger or parts aren't available right away it will be a fun car. If you need a car every day that will be reliable or are the type of person who just wants jump in and drive, this is not the car for you. I should also mention that this car is substantially less safe than any car made from about 1990 and up. The brakes and steering are very poor compared to any modern car. The crash resistance, especially rollover are also poor.

Every year for the last 10 years I've gone to a huge car show in St.Paul MN, with something like 10,000 pre-1964 cars and 250,000 spectators over the weekend. I've had the idea of getting a truck with a large bed, installing several kegs of beer and hiring attractive ladies to sell it as I tool around the fairgrounds. I could make a mint. How many kegs would fit in the back of that dump truck? ;)

Damn, does that ever suck. Now David won't have an opportunity to go to an NHL training camp this year and maybe even play in an NHL game (or more). And he definitely won't be signing a contract for more money than most of us will ever earn to play a game he loves to play. He also won't be receiving the best training and coaching available so that he can develop his game to its peak and build a career for himself playing hockey.Oh wait, yes he will.

Man, I'm trying to picture what kind of mid-50's automobile you are tooling to the hockey games in...Maybe something like this:

I second that. Not to mention there are three shades of black or the exterior, guess you forgot what shade ya had. yeah, aren't they black, midnight black and Johnny Cash?

Can be done. Two ways. Either redo the wiring so the cycle is shorter or change the gearing on the motor that less motion is done for the same cycle length.

I've got a 68 Mercury M-100 pickup and a 68 Mercury Cougar XR7. Of course the Cougar has spent more time on jack stands this year than mobile, but that don't count right? Commuter/wife's car is a 2000 Passat. Might have to ditch it though, its getting to the expensive to maintain stage.