Staff Bio's >> Nick (nchopp83)

Articles Manager

Like Z, I'm not nearly as much of an auto expert as some of the other moderators and admins. Neither of my parents were very automotively inclined, so what I learned, I learned on my own.

My first car was a 1978 Oldsmobile Cutlass Supreme Brougham, with the 260cid V-8. It was a great first car in that it was VERY easy to work on. Considering the fact that you could stuff a 455cid Olds Rocket under the hood, a 260 left plenty of room to work. I started on some simpler projects like the plugs and wires, then moved on to the heater core (10 hour job - yikes!), and replaced the manifold gasket. It died an untimely death at about 60,000 miles - some kind of overheating problem blew the head gasket and cracked a manifold. My mechanic bought it and used it in a demo derby, I think.

Next was a 1993 Infiniti Q45, bought in May of 2005. After weeks of searching the Internet, I finally found a good resource - a nice, small, tight-knit Nissan\Infiniti forum. I was hooked immediately - helpful, friendly, and some really off the wall guys and girls. The Q45 died in early 2006. RIP. Next came a $900 Maxima that lasted about a year, then a $900 Intrepid that got totaled. Now I'm on to a $900 Bonneville while I get some loans paid off so I can shop around for an M45. Chopp - ridding the world of $900 autos, one POS at a time.

I'm currently a 911 Dispatcher for Blue Earth County. Based in Mankato (city of 50,000), we answer 911 and non-emergency lines for the county, and dispatch for Mankato PD, Mankato Fire\Rescue, Blue Earth County Sheriff's Office, about 10 local government fire departments and 8 local government police departments.