Editor’s Note: I realize age is sweeping through my drug-soaked brain cells, but somewhere between the SmokeOut last year in RockingOut North Caroling and Las Vegas Bike Fest I lost the Chop-in Block trail. So, when this group of builders surfaced in Daytona, I looked at an empty bottle of moonshine and muttered, “Where do I know these guys?”
I knew Gary Maurer from Kustoms Inc. and Ron Harris of Chop Docs were somewhere at the epicenter of this group, club, charity, or exploit. I just lost the plot somewhere between the last redhead and those maraschino cherries soaked in white lightning. I was too embarrassed to call the headquarters, so I went online in search of the history of the Chop-in Block. You’ll get a kick out what I discovered:
Chop-N-Block is a custom meat processing business, which provides a quality product in our clean, professional and customer friendly facility. From hunters to farmers we have the processing resources to fit your needs. With over 50 years’ of meat processing experience, our primary focus is to deliver a consistent and dependable product at an affordable price.
To learn more about us, we hope you will come take a tour of our facility. We look forward to hearing from you soon.
What we offer
We offer traditional cuts such as ground venison burger, cube steak and stew meats but our specialties are our custom products.
Special Prime Cuts
Ground Pork
Sausage Links
Cube Steaks
Venison Burger
Pan Sausage
Smoked Meats
Stew Meat
Summer Sausage
When we’re open
Monday – Friday 7am until 8pm
Saturday 7am until Noon
Sunday Closed
CHOP-N-BLOCK
Processed Meats
3386 Cypress Gardens Rd
WINTER HAVEN, FLORIDA 33884
(863) 662-1007
The Choppin’ Block Kustom Fab
It all got start January 2007 after two buddies decided that its time to start there own place. They didn’t want an everyday name they wanted something more, so they came up with The Choppin’ Block.
The Chopin’ Block is becoming bigger than ever before, and they are planning to be the number one bag shop on the market. The Chopin’ Block takes pride in every truck and is known for our quality of work. We make and offer over 100 custom made parts that are manufactured with the highest of quality.
The Chopin’ Block is a suspension shop. We do everything from lifting, to lowering, to body drops, and full custom chassis. We also do body mods, and anything that has to do with sheet metal. No matter if you want to go high or low we can do it. Our shop sells suspensions parts, rims and tires. The Chopin’ Block shop is fully equipped with the best and latest machinery that can handle any job.
Www.choppin-block.com/home.html
The Chopin’ Block
In December 2006, The Chopin’ Block opened its doors to serve as Clarksville’s only full service butcher shop. But what you can get here goes far beyond the meat counter. Open at 6am on weekdays and 7am on Saturdays, The Chopin’ Block serves up a hearty breakfast to get your day started. Fried pork chops, assorted meat & biscuits, omelets, and steak & eggs are some of the most popular items among our customers. You can also keep it simple with a bowl of cereal or oatmeal.
I gave up and called Gary Maurer, of Kustoms Inc, out of Grand Ledge, Michigan. He reminded me about the Limpnickie lot, a marketing collaboration by Chris Callen of the Cycle Source to help promote bobber builders with limited budgets. The notion in it’s purest form was an act of the chopper Gods. But the evil Satin of competition, event doctrines, and respect for the code of the west were challenged, and LimpNickie started to slip. As usual a couple of the team did 90 percent of the work and someone else wasn’t stepping up.
The notion was to form a collaboration of marketing efforts to support a broader group of builders and manufacturers. Gary and Ron understood the ropes and opened the newly formed Chop-in Block to a wider range of bikes and builders, and began to recruit a larger range of sponsors. They are now talking about semi-truck rigs, hitting 14 plus shows a years, offering tech articles to Bikernet and Magazoons, and hauling 16 builders to shows where they will install product, fix bikes, and show audiences how to build their own rides.
So here’s a taste of Chop-in Block action from Daytona from Gary Maurer:
The Chop-in Block invades Daytona with both barrels loaded, despite the gun laws!!! We teamed up with the Broken Spoke Saloon and lit the place up.
At the Editor’s Choice Bike Show, the Chop-in Block Builders took home four of the Editors Choice awards. In the Judged class, we won four awards and “Best in Show”…not too bad for a bunch of “Misfits!!” In the Trike Show, we won 1st place “green” award and yes we’re trying to cut down on our carbon footprint, if that really means something?
On Wednesday March 13, Cycle Source joined us for our Chop-in Block/Cycle Source Magazine ride through the Florida loop with 75+ bikes. Nothing like a ride down A1A with a bunch of friends just as the winter closed out up north. We enjoyed that great warm southern ocean breeze!!
The Twisted Tea Bike will travel with the builders all across these United States promoting the Chop-in Block and Twisted Tea.
The Chop-in Block FREE Ride-in Bike Show was a big success with 48 entries of some of the baddest bikes in Daytona!
There you have it: Chop-In Block action from Daytona. If the brothers remain true to the Block Mantra, they have a shot at a very cool endeavor. We will bring you more reports in the very near future.
–Bandit
Twisted Tea Award Julio Mena Generator Shovel
IronWorks Magazine Deanna Cowhig 1996 Sportster Custom
Best Chopper Tommy Bright Jr. 1971 Ironhead Rigid Springer
Best Bobber Lou Marino Ridgid Evo Springer
Best Rat Spacey “Indian Giver” 1993 Evo Rat Chopper
Best Metric Matt Smith 1978 Kawasaki KZ750 Cafe Racer
Best Custom Jason Grimes 1972 Ironhead Custom
Best Bagger Jason Hutchinson 2000 Big Dog Bagger
Best in Show Ray Llanes 1959 Panhead
Twisted Tea
Spectro
Slime
Lincoln Electric
Bikernet.com
Tough Litigator
Bar’s Leaks / Rislone
Ride Wright Wheels
Biemers BBQ
Design Engineering Inc.
Fabricator Kevin
James Gaskets
Haf Life
Metabo
Mid USA
Belknap
HogSnot
Cycle Source
IronWorks
American Bagger
Stage 5
Garage 71
Affliction
Kustoms, Inc.
Chop Docs Choppers
Doomtown Choppers
Raw Iron Choppers
TNA Fabrications
Bare Bones Leather
Steelborn Choppers
DeVille Cycles
Turner’s Cycle Shop
Harrow Pinstripes
Texas Bike Works
Penn Jersey Cycles
FnA Custom Cycles
Sim’s / O’Brien
Greg’s Custom Cycles
