17 June 2006 - Cycling slump

I had acquired a fever Wed from Thane. He got over his pretty quick, but mine lasted until yesterday morning. With not being on the bike for over 3 days I went out last night. The legs felt like cement blocks, but the ride pace and time was pretty avg. Tonight I plan to go hit the road hard to put out some power and to simulate a race scenario. Yup, I'll be racing with my good friends back home on the A-bikes team for the 24 Hours of Summer Solstice in Bolton, Ontario Canada at Albion Hills. I can't recall the last time we raced together and didn't take 1st in our class, or 1st overall for that matter! This is going to be a blast! Julie, Thane, and I along with the dogs, will be leaving after work Friday to drive up. We'll get a hotel in Buffalo, NY or just over into Ontario, then drive the remainder Saturday morning. We will be racing as an Expert 5 Man team under A-bikes.com for Robert Parent (friend/owner).

17 June 2004 - Family and car update

Today I woke early as Nathaniel got an early start. Yesterday he had a reaction to some antibiotics he was given for an ear infection. Julz took him in again and I then went and got the new scripts. Today he is getting better and had a nice long afternoon nap. So upon waking I went outside to get a headstart prior to the flaming sun in the forecast, estimated to be knocking on 100 degrees today! I started with washing the car and truck. Then I pulled out the heads and intake for the Vette to finish the painting. They turned out pretty good despite my improvised setting and minimal cleaning elements. I'm still trying to get the front bumper brace out of the car. I have 1 bolt loose, but it is still difficult to move. I need to find a nice long cheater bar. I need to get it out to scrub it down to remove any rust and re-paint it before re-installing it. Once I get an engine stand from a new friend to borrow I will be able to assemble the engine and paint the block as well. I have a lead on a slightly used 650 carb and my bell housing is being repaired by a co-worker (had a small hole that he is welding up). I've recently joined a forum site for C3 Vettes. The people there are awesome, especially "jackson"! He's supplying me with some awesome information on what I have as well as some important resources. Here's what I know as of now: Given the info I have, it's a near certainty the 4 bolt main motor is based on a 350 build and will have 360 cubic inches. The engine is numbered 3970010 which is a 350 4-bolt 1969-1980 Corvette/Camaro engine. It has double hump 461 heads with an Edelbrock TorquerII Intake and a 4spd manual trans. L2304 060 Forged TRW 350 pistons were assembled as a "typical" 350 build, it should have about 11.5:1 static compression ratio. I upgraded the cam to a Speed-Pro CS179R specs: 0.050" dur 222*I/222*E, SAE dur 290*I/290*E, valve lift .447"I/.447"E, overlap 78*, has a published power range 2200-5200rpm with "good" idle. I will most likely have to run premium gas in this thing.

11 June 2006 - Shanghai, WV that is...

This morning I rode over the 2 mountain passes to the west of Martinsburg looking for some killer climbs. Well, I found some! Leaving Martinsburg I rode over North Mountain then over the Shenandoah to Shanghai Pass. The climbing was brutal with grades of over 14%! I was literally standing on the pedals and moving at speeds as slow as 5mph on a few occasions! It was a great ride and it is definitely helping to improve my climbing. The 2-1/2hr ride covered about 40 miles and ascended 4,600 feet! I thought I had made the top earlier this week, but I was wrong by a few hundred feet! Returning home I downed a huge glass of chocolate milk, then it was off to my cousin's son's birthday party where I fueled up on a bunch of food.