[thirdstreettito]

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Who is NAPCO? What is NAPCO? NAPCO built some of the most awesome trucks on the face of the earth, didn't they? Where did all the information go? What happened to them / him / her / it? No files, no archives, no parts, no specs, no books, no diagrams, no - - not anything! Something is wrong with this picture!

My axles have numbers on them. What do they mean? My transfer case has a tag. Who can tell me what it means? NAPCO has to exist, somewhere. It has to. I need it to. I think that maybe we all need it to.

"NAPCO". Just hearing the name creates in my minds eye visions of a magical, mystical, Super Truck Hero with tremendous brute power and strength. But where? Some nefarious demon has obviously escaped from the netherworld and managed to restrain our hero in a deep, dark, musty cavern. Incapable of breaking the evil ties that bind it without the assistance of mortal old truck lovers everywhere, NAPCO must be alive somewhere just waiting to be found and set free! "NAPCO lives." We all know that. We just have to discover where.

NAPCO lives! Just ask the countless individuals masquerading as parts men and women (I should refer to them as "counter-personnel") from Florida to Washington who have shuddered and mumbled, slithering into the shadows of their store when I mentioned the name. They know ... ask those who have flatly, boldly and incorrectly denied the existence of NAPCO, knowing in their heart that they were wrong. The proof is in the parking lot! They know ... Ask those "true" parts people who swell with pride, search their archives, and diligently make serious attempts to locate that needed item. But, alas ... they've not the resources. NAPCO is hidden too well. They bow their heads and say, "Sorry, but I can't help you."

Having to speak those four words --"I can't help you"-- must be a terrible experience, for the "true" parts person. They know too ... ask yourself, as you drive, or polish, or turn a wrench on, or just gaze at your own NAPCO. Yes, we know... But we don't know enough!

Well, the good Lord helps those who help themselves. So armed with the knowledge that; some parts are still available; some books and manuals can be found; and with a solid gut feeling that the information I need for my NAPCO's survival does exist, I started what I've begun to call "The Quest for NAPCO".

I mmediately, I hit a brick wall. I didn't hit it too hard, because I had been leaning up against it for some time. But when I hit it, I shook a brick loose from the top. It plummeted down and smacked me square in the middle of the top of my head. When I woke up, I looked at it's shattered remains (I have a hard head!), and felt all that frustration ... you know? The frustration of just not knowing? The frustration of not being able to accomplish what you set out to do? The frustration that comes from someone telling you you'll have to upgrade, or junk it? Telling you it's too old? Telling you it can't be fixed?

Why was I so frustrated? It finally dawned on me. I realized that the things I thought I knew, I didn't. Things I thought were facts were supposition, or had been repeated enough times to give them the all the trappings of being facts. Old wives tales and folklore abound when it comes to NAPCO. It's "ALL" got to be make-believe, I thought. Or is it? Maybe because of my inaccurate beliefs and my trust in the misinformation, I had been looking in the wrong places. Asking all the wrong questions. This was just too difficult. Or was it?



I had to get a grip, so I looked at my truck. There she sat, patient and serene, in all her glory. She's real, and she's a NAPCO. She is one Awesome Chevy. Yes, there are answers out there. Parts too! If we can't get 'em, the information is there somewhere to make them. Even if we choose to upgrade, it should be because we made an informed decision, not because "nobody knows anything about it", or "I don't know what else to do." Yes folks, our NAPCO's will continue to live through the efforts we make to ensure they never die... "NAPCO's FOREVER!"