Recycling

One of my first tasks, as a new resident in an unfamiliar part of the country, was to find all the self-serve auto wreckers in the area.  Back in Wisconsin, I had attained junkyard warrior status, pulling engines and transmissions in the dead of winter multiple times, completely stripping cars in one business day, and so forth.  Not only had I battled the elements and time, I had fought my greatest enemy:  rust.

Out on the dry Colorado plateau, rust is a laughable joke.  My Nissan is a "rusty" truck around here, with a few small holes in the bed sides.  Perhaps to a native to the southwest, it would be considered too rusty to salvage.  All I see are pristine cab corners, frame rails that still have spots of original paint, and the original 1984 exhaust.  I once had an old Toyota pickup, a Midwest native, that I loved dearly.  So much so, that I pop-riveted license plates all over the body, trying desperately to keep the old girl going.  I even ran an extension cord from my apartment to the parking lot to weld the cab back onto its mounts.  Desperate conditions call for drastic measures.

As I peruse the scrapyards along the front range, I marvel at the variety of vehicles available for me to dismantle.  Everything from Datsun Z cars to the humblest Bug is well represented.  In fact, I occasionally even come across something I can use, which was becoming difficult back home.  Today, I pulled the front valance and the gauge cluster from an '81 Datsun King Cab.  Only one fastener broke, all the others came out with ease.  I used to dream of life being so easy. . .

I really do love the idea of recycling car parts.  Too much gets thrown away (think whole vehicles) in our culture these days.  I like to think of myself as some sort of greasy, dirty eco-hero sometimes.  Mostly just greasy and dirty, I suppose.

-Jackson

The Nissan, near Horestooth reservoir.

New Beginnings

Moving is hard.

Comfort is an odd word to define.  In reality, the meaning morphs to suit whomever is expressing it.  Is this couch comfortable?  Is this city comfortable?  Is this state?  To each person, the answer is unique.  

I found myself both too comfortable and eerily uncomfortable in my previous work/life position.  In fact, I couldn't figure out what comfort was.  I was in a fine position, making more than enough to support myself and my hobby habits.  I could nearly write my own work schedule, and I had cemented myself as a staple in the niche society I had become a part of.  But, I wasn't comfortable.  At all.

The circumstances that lead to major life decisions are laughably menial.  I was at a Halloween party, inebriated, and a simple suggestion changed the course of my life.  "Why don't you move with us?"  "Yeah, why don't I?  I will!"  There seemed no clearer path, no better road to happiness, comfort incarnate.  The weight that lifted off of me that day in late October, 2013, will not be missed.

So, as I settle in to my two new jobs, in a new town, it's time to open my toolbox.

My first purchase as a Colorado resident was a 1984 Nissan 720 King Cab 4x4.  Five speed manual, locking hubs, dual range transfer case, the likes of which had never been available to me back home.  This was the first truck I didn't settle on.  Sure, it has some rust and dents, but they really only add to the character of the truck as a whole.  Or maybe I've grown so accustomed to paying less than $750 for a vehicle that I've become immune to such defects.  Regardless, I can't be happier.  Well, until I really start digging into it, that is.

Naturally, this truck needed a couple things to be relied on.  Strut rod bushings improved the ride and eliminated the noise of the strut rods carving away at the frame.  New spark plugs (8 required for the Z24 4-cylinder engine) and wires improved power and fuel economy.  A set of 300zx junkyard seats made sitting in Denver traffic much more bearable.  And finally, my favorite Alpine tape deck was installed in the dash.  That's as far as I've come so far, as my funds have all but dried up.

I plan on getting this truck 100% reliable and enjoyable as I continue to own it.  I've never had any four wheel drive vehicles, so I'm very excited at all the new stuff I get to take apart.  Hell, I'm even excited to get really mad at some problem I've never seen or encountered before.  My real excitement is the opportunity my roommate and I have to support ourselves doing what we love; fixing decrepit classic imports.  Classic being over 20 years old, imports being pretty much any European or Japanese car.  This blog will be the chronicle of our experience, be it success or failure.  I'm really banking on success.

-Jackson

This is a picture me driving the 720 the day we picked it up.  More pictures and videos to come.