Guest: Nick Kingsley - So How Did I Get Here?

This is Hard Park and brought to you by Right Hunted Right Toyota out of Scottsdale, AZ. Coming up on today's show, Nick

Ainsley, local car modifier car builder, specifically with collisions and a few other things in his mid to late 20s.

We'll find out exactly how old he is in a few moments, but it was a pleasure having him in studio.

Wow, what an amazing story. The stuff that he's gone

through, the things he's had to deal with are not unlike a lot of you, but some of them I can promise you, you haven't had to deal with. And I don't know if I could have

dealt with that stuff as he continues to struggle with some of those demons. But an amazing young individual

and I'm stoked to have had him in studio.

And we're going to call this Part 1 because there's so much more to talk about. And so after this word from

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Nick Kingsley, welcome to Hard Parking.

Yeah, it's good to have you in the studio.

Thanks for fighting me on. Of course, dude.

So it was a few weeks ago we did the Copper State 1000 and you you crash into the booth and we had a conversation, but I said we're going to talk again later and this is later.

But first and foremost, what did you bring today?

Let me crack this so you can kind of take us through it.

All right, so every year car week, there's a Alvarado Street brewery. They usually theme a car.

I know in I think it was 2024, might have been 23 was F 40s year before that was Countach. So this is it.

And it's, you know, it's just an IPA, but they they make their own beer in house. They can it themselves and they

make their own label. So I figured I'm just like,

again, I'm a big Countach guy and that's, you know, that's why I got it. And they come in a four pack.

So I stepped off too. So I saw two at my house, but I

figured car guy to car guy, you'd probably appreciate it.

I appreciate it. So that means I can actually

drink one and keep one in the office.

It's two years old, so the. Studio must be good.

I don't just, I mean, obviously I might have a shelf life.

I didn't have. Yeah, it's at 8. 22O.

That's, that's when it was canned.

But well, you know, I, I didn't have super high praise for it when I had it, but it's, it's a, it's a novelty thing.

All right, well, I appreciate it.

We'll set those little boogers to the side.

So. But.

Yeah. And then, of course, to sip on.

You brought your drink of choice.

Yeah. We're not doing bourbon, which

is fine, but you do the. We got the Angry Orchard.

Yeah. I just started drinking these

like maybe a month ago and I've kind of just had a soft spot for him since, you know, like I, I, I don't know why past like year or something Bobby can't really tolerate like any like, you know, like bourbon or Scotch or anything like it's.

Just like I got you, I'll I'll drink whatever you can't tolerate. Yeah, and you know, like sake is

one thing and anything else like it's 5-10 minutes.

I'm just like, you know. Sure.

Well, I mean, let's cheers. So we were talking about some

stuff earlier and I didn't hit record, so there's no Patreon bonus for that. But I need to know more about

you because we, you know, the funny story is we've been communicating for a long time. Yeah, well, like.

On Instagram. Well, we met actually years ago,

like I think Aaron introduced us, but it was like, you know, like I knew who you were, but you're just like, oh, it's some kid, you know, quick, Hey, I doing and like, you know.

Don't tell me I big time you dude I.

No, but then, then it's like, 'cause I didn't start getting like more more known, you know, and it's like, again, I always chat with everyone on social media.

That's just how I am. But I'm always like, you know,

you'll post something like, oh, that's neat.

Or like, oh, I, I kind of know about that car from this or my opinion on that, you know, like, well, that's kind of how we talked, you know. Well, it's funny too, because

it's like a year ago maybe we were chatting and then we were at the same event or No, I think I saw you had posted something and I saw you in the picture. I go, oh, that's I see this dude

everywhere. Yeah, yeah, yeah.

And then I felt embarrassed. I was like, I see this guy

everywhere. Like everywhere I go, you're

there. I'm not everywhere you're at.

And we're going to talk about that, but I have a question for you. How old are you?

2525, yeah. So when we were on the Copper

State and you were talking about some of your dream cars and things, you know, when you're in high school and things of that nature, and you had mentioned the NSX, the new NSX, I'm like, fuck yeah. I'm actually old.

I was like 20. How do you think I feel?

I was 10 years ago. Yeah.

Like, so like high school years was.

Let's see. Shit, it's going to date me a

little bit too. So like freshman year was like

2014, graduated, left campus 2018.

From here. Yeah, yeah.

So I was born in Chandler and then I went to Chandler High.

I was part of the 100 graduating class.

Like I lived in one house till last year, you know.

So I'm pretty fortunate, like Chandler.

Like I remember when this was all fields for exploded in the past four or five years. And then to me, it's like it's

exploded in the past 25 years, you know?

Dude so when we moved here 10 years ago this was the last neighborhood and then all these other more expensive houses popped up. My dad, my dad's Christian, so

he always went to church a lot growing up.

One of his good friends at church, the name was Howard Morrison. Oh, Morrison Ranch.

Morrison Ranch so the family mottos mountain to mountain, but it was like we'd always go have food and down and it was like, you know, they they owned all of the farmland and everything like that. So it was just like, OK, you

know, like I was, I was cool. And then it's now it just it

blows my mind when we go South. Like to me, it was like 2O2 S

was like, you don't you don't go pass far, far past that.

There's nothing out there now. I'm just like houses.

Yeah, more houses. That's.

Where they film all the movies. Holy suburbs, more houses, you

know, like shit, more houses, you know, And it's like me and Dad, we used to always go to Tucson like once every six months, once every year to go to the museum down there.

And it was like, I remember where we'd hop off right before the, I think it's the Pima Res. Is that are you talking about

the the Pima Air and Space Museum where they have like a car museum or something? Pima Air and Space and we always

head down there and it was like the way we'd get off, you'd go through rez kind of South of us. Oh, absolutely.

And you know, it was fields for a long time after it was rez and then it, you know, it got to I think we basically take Arizona up for the most part. And then, you know, once you

start getting close, we kind of hop over, take backstreets, get back to the house. But now it's like last time we

did it was a couple of years ago and I was just like, shit.

Yeah, that's like the official way from the 10.

It always says you exit early and you're kind of sneaking.

Through and you know. You're in Arizona.

Yep. So and it's now it's just houses

on top of houses. And I'm just like, OK, you know?

So you would go to this the the Pima Air and Space Museum?

There has to be a reason why. But first, let's give you a

proper introduction. Why don't you tell the people

who you are and what you're known for?

Yeah, I'm just kind of known for being the kid who always gets always gets his ass and some cool seed around town or I do paint and body works as specialty, but wide bodies are kind of like my thing I'm getting known for.

Also, it's like I just I get to work on some cool shit.

So in my. Statement.

Yeah, yeah, I get, again, I've gotten some fairly neat opportunities, I would say. You know, nothing super crazy,

but I've gotten cool deals. Well man, I don't know, I think

I've seen video of you driving some pretty pretty rad cars.

Yeah, there's also a lot of cool shit I actually don't post about because I don't like some of the attention I get from it.

But it's like in the car scene, I'm in an interesting spot because it's like most technicians are kind of like, you know, they're kind of quiet for the most part.

Or they got contracts with dealerships.

So we can't post this and this and this, you know, and I'm over here. It's like I'm, I'm working on

Kun Tasha's and I'm doing this or it's like, I'm also I work crazy ass hours, at least when I have extra work to do.

So it's like I kind of got known for it's like you got photographers, owners, and then I'm somewhere in the middle of this entire group where it's like the dealers know me, the business owners know me, the photographers know me, the owners know me. Like I'm kind of a cool central.

So it's like kind of get a hand in every pot, if you will, in terms of what people like, whether it's like the custom JDM stuff or the, you know, the exotic hypercar stuff to luxury to, you know, this, this, this and before you know it.

All at the age of 25. Yeah, it's, it's, I'd say past

four years is when it's really picked up.

But I mean, the past five years in general, there's been a wild ride, so. Yeah, we can get into some of

that. So to the Air and Space Museum,

is there like a family thing? So yeah, grandfather was a

pilot. Is he the same one that smacks

you for for lighting the Ferrari or something?

Oh yeah, grandfather was a pilot.

World War 2 night fighter, king fighter, race test pilot after SR71's like coolest cat you could imagine.

All right? It's like, cool, you were

overqualified to be an astronaut.

That's that's dope as shit. Hey, I got pictures of him at Le

Mans 66 with the Ford team. So I think that's where the

Ferrari hatred kind of stirred. Sure.

It pictures him smoking scarf with the fruit.

You that's kind of where the Lamborghini part started and then grown up hanging out with him.

It was like we got a 55 going. We're going to fix up or store

do this or that or like here's authentic GT 4275 GTV, a lot of Kuntasha's Diablos Mercy Lagos X-ray 220 EV One 10s, you know, kind of that that era of vintage, I guess.

And that's where you get to learn to like to appreciate some of that stuff. Yeah.

So how did you get started in this space?

Because you've named a lot of different cars, and again, you're 25, so you're not that removed from this stuff.

Like how? How did you get started in the

space? So I saw a Japanese dude cutting

up Porsches and like I always kind of knew about him and I was again, it's it's going to be on a topic.

I think a lot in this is like some popular comes out and kind of shows this thing off People like, Oh, I've always loved that. That's that's amazing.

It's like, do you didn't know about it before this came out?

You know, in RWB to me was one of those things, like I saw a magazine like, this is cool. You know, we're talking like

Need for Speed. 2015 is when it popped. 2015 is when I got my

license again, High school, you know, best boss ever had.

Chris Carroll over at Turbocraft in Mesa looked at me one day and he's like, no car is ever going to be cooler than what came out when you were in high school. And I found that's like, that's

what you were into in high school.

It's like, yeah, you're like, oh, we're going to mature a little bit later on. And you're just like, yeah, fuck

this. I'm still an idiot, you know?

And then you're just like, that's back to what's what's cool, right? It's nostalgia, but it's a

little bit more of like, this is what I hold, right?

And to me it was like, you know, home life was kind of always rocky to say the best, you know, whether it's like, you know, parents divorced this and that, a bunch of other shit where it's like I was kind of isolated a lot you.

Have any siblings? I got a brother we we didn't get

super close to later. He's older.

I got, yeah, my older brother Tyler, and I got 1/2 brother and then then it's me. And so Tyler's see February 96,

Daniel is March 96 and then I am September 99.

So it's a little, you know, it's a lot of that older brother, younger brother bullshit. There's also like there's some

really bad times. And there was, you know, when

our parents split, like we kind of got a little closer and but it was just a lot of like kind of to figure out life a lot on my own. Because when my parents split,

my mom was like, I'm done being a mother.

I'm going to go kind of party for a little bit and be single life. And dad was like, yeah, fuck

this. I'm going to go date this girl

from church. And it was next thing I know,

I'm just like, OK, I got all this time my hands, I got shit.

I got to figure out, you know, especially as a young man, it's like your parents are kind of, they're supposed to teach you some shit. Are you still in high school at

the time? Oh yeah, yeah.

Yeah, they, they were going to try to hold it through till I graduated and they just, they couldn't, they couldn't do it.

That's the stereotypical thing. Yeah, any like they they were

court. They were, they're still they're

still friends. You know, it was a very civil

divorce, but it was still just like, all of a sudden I have no guidance, you know, I got no like that's like the number one thing to be successful is have a happily married family, a household that supports you at least through high school, you know, And it was like, oh, cool, now I got to, you know, like I already kind of knew how to drive by then, so it wasn't a big deal. But it's like, you know, typical

father, son stuffs like dad, I like this girl.

Like what, what do I do? It's like, no, you know, there's

a lot of like those kind of things as a man, you got to figure out, you know, as I'm sure your girl like whatever, you know, both both sides have their things.

They they, you know, you typically learn with a parent.

It's like no one to ask advice to, you know?

So did you kind of keep it kind of straight?

I mean, were you able to somehow miraculously, I mean, did you stay in school? I, I, I graduated high school,

yeah. And actually add a mass

scholarship offered to me. So you were.

So were you the people at school kind of know what you're going through, or were you one of those kids at school that no one really knew what was going on? With with my shit, I like to

keep my mouth shut right you. Were kind of quiet about it.

Yeah, and it's you know, so I was quiet about like my friends kind of knew, but it was also it's like I started doing trade school when I was a junior solely because it was like at this point I took interest in cars R to BBM.

Like it was a lot more of like, yeah, the Porsches were cool and wide body and it was that cool St. culture, but it was a lot

more of I was like, oh, that guy loves what he does.

He's got a purpose. I want to do that, you know?

And it it left its imprint. There was one car in particular

that I was like, wow. And I kept getting my phone

taken away in class because it was that semen.

I'm like, this is some sick shit, you know?

Was it my NSX? Sadly, it wasn't.

OK, Yeah. But actually I think I've never

seen pictures of your NSX around that time because that that rap was like yo. That was a joke though, but

still, yeah. No, but it's like I remember

you're NSX along with like couple cars from around that area when I was like, oh, this is this is sick, you know, and I wasn't going to car shows in Scottsdale.

I was going to pavilions with friends.

We didn't have any money. So we're like, let's park

outside the show so we don't get laughed at you.

GTR we rolled together. I think so, probably.

Along with the with the crazy rap, the the mermaid and it was pretty much it was one of the two GT Rs around here that got all the attention. Yeah, and then this guy named

Mason, he's got a bright orange S2000.

Oh, of course. Yeah, everyone.

Knows and it's like I remember when that got shown off and we tried going to some of those meats back when he was doing it off of like power and 60, you know yeah.

But yes, that was the envious meats over there at that, at that Kmart or whatever. Right in the US, yeah, They were

in an old Kmart. I think it was right when Kmart

shut down. Or actually there's a Kmart over

here. Used to be a Toys-R-Us right

here. That's it.

The Toys-R-Us closed first. Kmart closed couple years ago.

But yeah, And I think there's like a Taco Bell or Wendy's or some shit there. But yeah, so I just.

We were kind of like, you know, you start to figure out your career path in high school and I was like, you know, I took auto class night. I want to become a pilot, but

then it's like you've seen raising Arizona.

Yeah, I haven't seen it in a long time, you know.

Where he finds out he's color blind.

Yeah, I got to see that movie again, man.

I got glasses. Fuck me.

You know, like. That's like the first Nicolas

Cage movie that I remember. Yeah, I was right.

Because he's the dad in it, right?

He's like the the, the crazy act because that's the movie where they they try to kidnap that baby or whatever.

I I haven't seen it since my parents were married.

Yeah. So it's it's.

I don't remember much about. It 10-11 years at least.

Oh, it's definitely it's. I remember the kid finds out

he's colour blind. He's like, I can't become a

fucking pilot. You know, for me it was like

glasses and I already had, I already had a surgery because I already had one big health issue at the time.

So I already had surgery for that.

And it's like as soon as you have something like that, you're just like, Nope, you're done, you're done.

Like titanium staples. Nope, we don't want you.

You know what? Are the staples for.

So I had a. This is it's going to happen a

lot in my life. I found I have a lot of very

unique and rare health issues. So in high school or junior

high, was having like hypoglycemia OK?

I know what it is. You know Paul Blart shit.

And one day I was in school and like I would black, I wouldn't remember. Oh wow.

But I'd be like sleep like I'd still be, you know, around I guess. One day I told my math teacher

to go fuck himself and we had a sub that day.

So the sub called security and security should now they noticed my eyes were dilated in class and all the kids were like he's doing drugs of. Course.

And so they called the nurse and I guess I tried punching the nurse and luckily I missed, thankfully.

And so Officer Story was named security guard.

His son was diabetic. So Officer Story shows up and

he's like you don't like I'm getting fatherly instincts has to check his blood sugar, you know say like wrestle me to the ground. Blood Sugar's at 17 usually for

those unaware, it's I think 90 to 125 is where it's supposed to be diabetic. Your blood Sugar's too high you

don't have enough insulin hypoglycemic is blood Sugar's too low anywhere between 20 and 0 is obviously fatal.

Now was I like I was I think it was 17 you're.

On the edge. Yeah.

And so it was, I would just kind of go in the sleepwalking state and just, you know, you start getting angry.

It's, you know, you start getting like temper things, your vision starts to blur, get a little woozy sometimes.

And then they were going, they, they, so they started like, he didn't have this. He wasn't born with this.

Like pancreas is fine. What the fuck's going on?

You know, all the blood works. Check out they find a tumor on

pituitary gland which comes in later, but they're like, we're just going to give medication for that.

Not getting bigger. You know, it's just there.

It's kind of a common thing, you know, so they're like, we'll just leave that one be. They're checking everything and

they're like, do we we don't know.

I'm starting to get specialists and people are starting to flying from other countries like doctors and they're like, do we don't know? There's a doctor out here and he

was endocrinologist and he's just like, I got a hunch.

I'm just going to shoot in the dark here.

So they did a scan of my pancreas.

It's called an insulinoma. They found a tumor probably

about the size like a small apple on my pancreas and it was pushing up just enough to it was causing my blood sugars to, you know, so. And of course, you know, we

started going to the hospital, Phoenix Children's and getting doctors and surgeons and, you know, they do my surgery make through and next thing you know, I got like hundreds of people coming in and out of my room all day.

They're like, my dad's like. Why the fuck are you guys here?

Research and. They're like, dude, we, we've

only heard about this in textbooks.

Last case was in like 89, right? You know, like this is where we

had to study this while it's here, you know, so finally get out of the hospital this and that, you know, my dad's like, hey, like you guys should like check like just copy the notes from this person because you're all going to take the same notes. Just copy the notes, you know,

Google Doc, that shit and share the file, you know, and made it through that and, you know, leveled out.

Went back through high school just fine, you know, kind of chunked up a little bit. So the weight was kind of

falling a little bit, you know it.

Was it meds induced because of pancreas and.

Just as the pancreas, it messed with your hormones, messed with my growth hormone, you know, growth hormone, just all kinds of them. I can't remember a lot of them

off the top of my head right now, but it it messes with you, right? And going through those ears,

your body is very sensitive, you know, it messes with, you know, puberty, how you mature this and that, you know, and so I made it through that going through high school, you know, again, life's just fine now. I'm just like, OK, you know,

it's normal. And it's figure out what you

want to do for work. And then they're kind of taking

us on tours through even like trade schools and colleges when we're sophomores and juniors. As a sophomore, remember the

painting body teacher was like, I have more places asking for students to give jobs to. Then I have students to get

jobs. And he's like, automotive

doesn't have that issue. Diesel doesn't have that issue.

And I was like, I wanted to be an actor, so it was, but I couldn't get the film courses. I kept getting auto courses in

high school. So I was just like, fuck it,

we're going to see how this goes, right?

If I could go back and be like, dude, don't do it.

But so that was that. And you know, I signed up for

it. I was always really good at

math, like I wouldn't do my homework freshman year.

My teacher was like, OK, you keep 100% in your tests and she's like, I have no idea how you're doing it because I just sleep in class. I wouldn't do any class work.

My seat was in the back corner. My seat was in the back corner.

I'd be asleep. And I do that in for the first

semester, I was retaking everything.

She was going to be different test forms and acing them, you know, So she's like, all right, I'm going to switch your homework scores and your test scores.

So that way you know majority is are.

That's a gift dude. Like I suck at math.

I'm like stupid genius with numbers, always have been.

And so that can she goes my GOT my geometry teacher and she's like, Hey, Nick's not going to do his homework.

You're going to be surprised. He's going to ace everything.

Just watch, you know, every every teacher tried.

She's like, watch this. No same deal.

Junior year was Miss Seller. She was a Gilbert PD cop.

She was cool, Same deal. She tried.

She's like, hey, you're just acing on your test.

Senior year had a teacher named Miss Crooker.

Miss Crooker had my brother four years before me.

Oh boy, Tyler. Left a little bit of reputation.

So it was like they were like, there is a Kingsley, right?

So I always tell people like if you've seen Van Wilder, that was kind of me in high school, you know, like everybody kind of knew me. The security guards let me drive

the golf carts around. Like, I was cool with everyone.

You know, I wasn't super popular, but I was like, oh, it's Nick. He's cool, you know, walk in the

highway, give teachers high fives.

I didn't even know, you know, But Miss Crooker was like, OK, she's like, you're going to do your homework.

And she's the only one who got me to do it.

But I was, she was collecting on the other side of class.

And I was like, doing it. And she's like going down the

roads grabbing papers. How did she get you to do it?

Was it a conversation? She just sat me down one day and

she was in the Navy and she served up in Alaska and she tells some stuff that I don't even think is like, you know, like probably still hush hush now about like Russian nuclear testing and other stuff like that.

So it was like, there was like some respect.

I'm like, oh, there's responsibility.

Dad was in the Air Force, grandfather, you know, family members and like, OK, I, I can respect that, you know, But she just had, she just talked to me like a person respectfully.

She's like, hey, like I just she's like, you're going to do your homework in my class for my class.

And she's like, I'm going to help you out.

You're not going to know how, but at the end of the year you'll realize it, right? And so she just eventually got

to the point for his like, and she's collecting.

I'm doing it as she's collecting homework.

And I'm just going, I'm doing all the math in my head just.

And eventually she's like, Hey, I need you to show your work, you know. So I'm like, shit, you know.

So now I'm now I'm doing it as we're waiting to go in the class for the bell rings, writing everything out, you know, And then it became like, hey, like, dude, I'm not going to collect yours if I see you doing it. So I'm like, oh God damn it, you

know, play. Hardball a little.

Bit now I'm just like, OK, I'm going to do it my English class that I have every day. And eventually it was just like

she's like, OK, like Nick's going to do it.

Not at home, you know, and but she was giving me tests for like college courses like. AP stuff like even though they

don't. AP and beyond AP stuff like she

was kind of just giving me some stuff just to like.

Do they have that here? Because I know Arizona Chandler.

Chandler had AP courses and stuff like that, but what she was doing was I found out for a lot of my homework stuff because like I wasn't copying anyone's work.

So I was, you know, I was acing all this right when I say acing like I was getting like 9800% on everything, you know, in I.

Wouldn't know what that's like in math.

Like for me, it was English. I'm like, what do you mean

there's three? There's, you know, like that.

That was your. That was your.

Comma colon, like what's the like?

That's where I was just like, you know, but eventually you got to the point where what she was doing is she was giving me like actual college grade papers. And so same deal with science

was you're supposed to have an entry level BS science class freshman year, then it's chemistry and biology, then you're done with your science courses.

At junior year. I had chemistry or I had biology

freshman year. I couldn't go back and take

that. You can only take that BS

science course for the credit if you're a freshman.

So I tried doing physics junior year and I was like too many numbers, I'm too lazy. Fuck this went to human anatomy

teacher was not nice, only not nice teacher ever had immediately switched out of that senior year, end up back in physics and I waited till like you had like 6 weeks to change.

I went to the end of that six week and so I sit back down senior year, Mr. Beck's like hey Nick, I'm just like fuck, I

thought you forgot by now, you know?

Then once I realized I'm like, oh, it's just algebra cakewalk, right? So between all my math teachers

got together, Mr. Beck got with them, they started calling

around. Next, you know, I'm getting a

mass scholarship offer to me. It wasn't a full ride, but it

was pretty damn good. Where to you remember?

One of them was. And then why not?

One of them, well, it was math, but it also translated into physics for a lot of places. I think some technical school

out in Boston, Harvard had a math one.

You know, I remember the Harvard 1 specifically because like, that's the school years. Like, whoa, that's for like rich

people, you know, and we didn't have the most money growing up.

We didn't have nothing. But we, you know, I remember

there were days where it was like, hey, we're going to skip a meal because money's tight. Or other days where it's like,

hey, we're going to have a nice dinner tonight, you know, is.

Where middle class? Yeah, this is where I was too

smart is I just kind of did the numbers.

I'm just like, you know, 70 grand in four years is doable, but I'm not going to kill myself going through work and some bullshit job trying to pay for this myself because my parents were divorced and there's no way they were going to help out with that. They're always like, oh, we

could, you know, I'm just like, guys, I know how much both you make, Mom, you work in preschools.

OK. I'm just like, Dad, No, you

know, I was starting to get like a little grudge with my dad.

So I was just like, the less help from you, the better.

And so I was just like, OK, choices made automotive and then it was, you know, it's like the stuff you like.

What I found is if you kind of just think on that and almost manifested a little bit, the stuff I love is what had my interest. Well, how did you get into that

space at this point then? OK so I I started I my first

shop I ever worked at was a chop shop.

They have since got. Like a legit chop shop.

Like a legit. Chop on TV.

Yeah, like the ones where you're like my first job was swapping the numbers on a Mustang. I think statute of limitations

is over by now, but. Well, you didn't name the chop

chop. That is true.

And they, they have since closed.

I should add that. But I, I got tired.

I'm like, I get here, everyone else is going home.

Like how can I learn this stuff? You know, like this school

really wasn't teaching me a whole lot.

It was more like, hey, I'm going to school for this and like, OK, you have an interest in it. And that was my foot in the

door. They weren't teaching me

anything practically in school. And so again, I I was seeing

this Porsche, I kept getting my phone taken away and I was like, you know, RWP, this is amazing. I know these guys don't buy

because my engine built in Mesa, AZ, you know, right.

So I no called no show to work that day.

They they didn't even notice. I didn't show up.

Went around the street to Chris's shop, walked in like hey, you know, explaining like and I guess to do the body kits.

Is that the black one that was being built over by UMS probably 20/16/17? That's Levi's car.

There's 993, there's another car called LFALFA.

There's legal things. We can't talk about that with

them. Maybe that was L Hefe.

L hefe was a long was. It a nine, OK.

So L hefe looked like a 71. It was a 964.

Underneath Levi's car is a black 993.

Pretty sure this was a 964. So Levi's, you're probably

thinking. A Levi's car did have a big

winger, did have a duck tail. I don't remember this was this

was sometime between. Because I I know because both

those builds happened in the same year, within six months of each other. Oh well, shit, never mind.

Yeah, yeah. And they're both there.

Was a shop over there at ums. That's turbo craft.

Turbo craft. Oh, that's right, it is turbo

craft. OK.

Yeah. And so I was just like, hey, you

know, I love these and I guess don't do the body work, but it says to build the engines. And so it's like you walk into

Chris's office and there's about 10 feet from the entrance door to the store. Doesn't say a word to me, just

opens the door to the shop. Levi's 993 is sitting there.

And I was like, never saw one. And, you know, it's like a kid.

You're just like, you start to like, float a little bit and close the door. He's like, all right, man, go

home, make a resume, bring it back and we'll go from there, right? What you put on the res Worked

at Willie's Chop shop. I didn't even put that shit on

there. Yeah.

I was just like, I told him I was working at like some sketchy shop and I'm like, dude, they're paying me under the table.

Like I don't, they're not teaching me anything.

Like, you know, so I'm a kid in high school.

I'm just like, I kind of just want some fun around neat cars right now. If I can learn it, great.

You know, if you at least gave me through high school and I can hop on somewhere else, great, you know.

Hello. 93 Toyota pickup truck at the time.

Broke every traffic law on the way home.

Type that bitch up. Broke every traffic law on the

way back because I was like, I'm getting this job and I walk up and he's just locking the door, walking hand to him.

He's like. Cool.

Call me back tomorrow after I get in time.

I'm like, sweet, go home. Call him.

He's Molly, the kind of the office lady picked up.

She's like, yeah, he hasn't got time.

Call back tomorrow. I'm like, cool every day for two

weeks, you know, And eventually to this day, like, I love Chris.

He's still a great mentor. He's still a good friend and

he's giving me a lot of solid advice.

I'm almost positive he hired me. Just like I'm tired of fucking

this kid, you know? Persistent.

He's like this kid's persistent. Yeah.

Find something for. I've always kind of had a good

hustle about work. Aside from COVID, I've never

been without a job for more than 2 1/2 weeks.

I've always been like, you see me, I don't have a job.

Like dude, I'm making phone calls that day.

You know I'm showing up. Like I'm calling one place doing

a phone interview as I'm driving to another place.

And so, yeah, I worked there. You got to see a bunch of RWBS.

And that's where it was like I learned things like in what was popular in high school, like Chris was like F40 go Countach amazing 959, like, because that was his era of when he was in that age of like, you know, the the first Holy Trinity, if you will. And so it was like I learned

that I learned just like, hey, dude, if if you're going to put your name on something, make sure it's overdo it.

If it's worth doing, it's worth overdoing.

Give it blood, sweat and tears. Give it everything you got, you

know, and those are still values I hold to this day.

And I got in a collision after that, but it was like, I got to see a bunch of cool RWBS and work next door to UMS they would have JDM shit. So I'm like, oh, that's you just

got a wide body Supra that was in the front cover like Super Street in 2002 with a plexiglass hood on it, you know, 1400 horsepower. You know, it's like cool shit

like that, you know, and I got into collision just because it was like that was kind of the next step I knew about.

And you know, again, Phoenix is now it's kind of popping off, but it's still not the custom metropolis of you.

Custom work is in all honesty, it's rare.

There's not a lot of it. There's not a lot of custom guys

around here. Exactly, let alone the people

who can afford to pay it, you know, the custom guys, usually guys with the civics in the S 2000s, which now are pricey.

But you know, when I pre COVID, it's like these things were Dimes on the dollar, you know? So yeah, collision was my entry.

And then that was, you know, all 2018 and all 2019 beginning of 2020 was, you know, COVID hit, got laid off.

I finally got myself into the paint department because I want to become a painter. And again, COVID lost my job,

ended up at an exotic shop shortly after that.

I'm doing like wide body Ferraris and shit for celebrities and this and that and then that ran it's ran its tail for a couple months and my health started taking a nosedive. Like really really bad.

Was it related to the high school or another?

Health issue, genetic condition called men one.

It caused the thing in junior high, but this was a separate issue. Now homie upstairs was like, I'm

going to get bigger now and I'm going to fuck you up right.

I didn't realize it over, you know, everyone's like COVID.

Wait, right. Well, I don't realize over the

past year and a half, I started gaining weight.

I went from I graduated like 155.

I was it's a pretty good shape, you know, and all of a sudden end of 2020 I'm like 200 lbs. I'm like, what the fuck?

And I'm 5-6 so it's like I'm not tall, you know, I don't carry the weight very well. And you know, I was going to an

endocrinologist and my dad got into Mayo because he had a liver cancer and they're like, hey, you have this rare thing we look at your kids and he's like, yeah, sure.

You know, brother made it out Scott free.

This one's fucked up, you know, And they do a test on me and you're like, how are you walking?

I was like, what? I didn't even me me and my mom

were. You like feeling anything or

what? Like how did you know that your

body was a little? Off so This is why I tell like

especially car guys, I'm like, dude, when your suspension wears down you don't feel it just wear down it's gradual it's fact.

So my energy levels and everything was, it was gradual, you know, and you know, I was like, and on top of that, I'm dealing with like depression and other shit, this and that, you know, and. Depression from.

Just life. Life.

Yeah. Just, you know, it's like, hey,

like, you know, never really feel in love as a kid and this and that, you know, I missed out on a lot of love is growing up.

This was coming out of 2020. This was.

That was a tough time. August, September, you know, so

it was like, and I'm stuck in the same house with my dad and we're talking once a week, once every two weeks.

Like we see each other every day.

We're not saying shit to each other.

You know, there's no like, hey, let's go throw like throw the football like nothing, you know, and you know, I got I got a friend who I thought was a friend hired a creative bespoke.

That's where I was working at the time.

And you know, he's saying shit up front.

You know, I don't think it was ill intended, but I'm also way too nice. Keep way too many people benefit

of the doubt. This was a Co worker at Creative

Bespoke. Yeah, who?

I got hired. There was a friend outside of

it, you know, and again, I don't, I could be wrong, but I don't think it was ill intended. I think he was just saying shit

and he didn't realize what consequences it had, right?

OK, you know, next thing you know, he's making mistakes and I'm kind of like, hey, he's my friend.

Like guys, like he's new to this.

Like, you know, I'm kind of taking some bullets right before you know it. There's also shop manager that

got promoted who he had it out for me.

He's like, oh, this paint body, I'm going to give a bunch of mechanical shit to do and I'm like knocking that out of the park, you know? Is there a lot of that in the

industry? Oh yeah, it's especially in the

when you start getting flashier, it's aggressive.

People think they have something to prove.

Yeah, they're just like, they're like, oh, I could.

You're not going to beat me to get to the next step.

Oh. OK, Yeah, I can see that.

Now it's like also on the collision side, it's like by this point I already did a Veyron and I've done one Senna before. I worked here because when I

graduated at the trade school, I had all these platinum certifications, so on a sheet of paper I was the most qualified person. What trade school did you go to

and why'd you go to the trade school?

Eve it just because they had a partnership with the high school, you know, it's just that that was the option.

It was like, I do electives, you know.

So I sacrificed the social life too and I started working the day I turned 16. First job at Taco Bell didn't

really do much there. I think I worked like a total

like 16 hours because they wouldn't give me more time than like 2 hours every Saturday. So I was like, OK, fuck this.

And I got a job at a car wash, my friend Bradenhead.

Within a year I was managing the bitch and they did their whole manager thing and they're just like, you're not 18.

Your store makes the most money. I'm just like, Yep, but you

won't you know, like and so it's cool.

Like that's where I learned like just to be polite because it's like a lot of these guys are ex convicts, you know, and they, some of them do some pretty serious shit.

But you realize, like, hey, some of these guys can still be some pretty solid dudes. Best not to piss them off, you

know. So I learned like, you know, my,

my running rule of days, if I can make one person laugh a day and just be kind and happy, I've done my daily duty, right?

And so I'd always kind of like crack these jokes and get, if I can get these guys to laugh, have a good time and just be polite and respectful to them. They're polite and respectful to

me to the point they're like, hey, dude, like we got your back. And I'm like.

Yeah. But then meanwhile you're

dealing with all these issues. Yeah, right.

Maybe that's kind of. Like until later down the road,

it was like, again, COVID, COVID, I think everyone realized how lonely were all of a sudden you weren't talking to your friends, weren't seeing your friends.

And you're just like, oh, shit, you know, those who didn't have families like, like me, you know, we're just like, oh, voices in my head. Hello, you know, like, and it

sets in and it, it, it caused a lot of damage to a lot of people mentally, socially, You can see it in kids now.

Like there, there's a certain age group and I'm like, if you graduated here, like I don't want to work with you because I'm just like, you know, it's nothing you did.

But I'm like, just how you react to things now and how you act.

I'm like, no, you know, I, I Nope.

And you know, so it's like I'm dealing with all this.

I'm dealing with stuff at home. My health is now falling apart.

I'm dealing with stuff at work using the same friend group I had. So it was like if I dealt with

some shit at work, I'm hearing about it in the friend group.

So it's like I have no escape from anything.

So eventually I got to the point manager pulled me and he's like, hey, dude, put you on leave for a week.

I'm like, dude, fuck you dude. So I just quit.

I'm like, I don't want to deal with this bullshit.

You know, I quit. Got it, was the only time I got

out of cars I was contracting. No.

Was this like creative still or? This was, yeah, at the end of

Creative and then, you know, I was starting to pick up some side work around then. And because I, again, I got to

know some celebrities, hang out with some people.

So it's like I kind of had, I had a couple weeks where I was kind of just freelancing, just random jobs, but I also didn't have a lot of bills at the time. And then I got into contracting.

And so I was like building like barn doors for houses and I was like remodeling kitchens. And that was a fun job, but

that's where I was a. Little different than some of

the other stuff. Yeah, like do we?

We'd set up nail guns on the OR we'd set up cans on the fence and pull the safeties back on the nail gun world.

You know, I was thinking Happy Gilmore scene with the helmet, but so that was that. Shoot anybody in the head with a

nail, right? Yeah, you know, but I ended up

trying a power box. I got a lady from Letter from

the City, Gilbert. And that's pretty funny.

I have it framed, but yeah. So it was like, you know, I had

that. And then, you know, they're

starting to figure out what's happening up here.

And they're like, dude, you need, you need a surgery.

I was like, that's cool, like no, it's, it's it's bad.

Like you might not make it out of this.

And so at the time the dogecoin stuff was taken off.

So I said Hail Mary. I was like, you're just going to

put 800 bucks in like November 2020 in the dogecoin.

So I'm like, I saw a tweet about it, you know, funny and forgot about it completely. Well, January happens.

There's that whole GameStop AMC fiasco right in the Dogecoin starts to take off a little bit. So we're we're building doors

one day my Co workers like, hey dude, didn't you buy some of that Dogecoin like November? I was like, yeah, he's like, it

just hit a cent today. You should probably look at

that. And I'm like, oh, I have $3200.

Holy shit. Not a bad return from 800.

This is in January, not neat. Put my phone on, snooze, get

back to work. Fucking month and a half goes

by. He's like hey dude, just hit

$0.07 today. Oh cool, I got 12 grand.

Neat. Phone back in the pocket next,

you know, by that was like Wednesday, by Friday was at 12 cents. And now it's kind of doing the

hike everyone remembers, you know?

And so there was a, there's a way you can set a cap to where you could cash out at if you hit this, even for a fraction of it, that was like $0.50. It's not going to go higher than

$0.50. It's not going to hit $0.50,

right. Well, day before the whole SNL

skit thing, it hit $0.50. It ended up going to 53 that

day. Next day went to 74.9 cents,

which if it hit 74.9 cents, I think it would have had like

$48,000, but it cashed me out about like 33.

So I went into this. First brain surgery because your

pituitary gland is basically if you put your finger between your eyes, on your nose and on your temple like that where they meet, you know it's front of. That's where it is, yeah.

And so it's pushing down. Doctor's like back here

somewhere. Yeah, it's, it's behind your

sinus basically in between your eyes.

So it's pushing down on my or pushing up on my, no pushing down on my sinus, on my optic nerve.

And there's two arteries that run there.

And so it was basically crushing one of the arteries.

So I was waking up everyday with you bad nose, Please.

I was bleeding out of my tear ducts for like last month and 1/2 for the surgery. They're like, hey, like there's

a very real chance you don't make it through this.

What year is this now? 21 Yep.

So May 12th of 21, surgery went in.

You know, I got this tattoo literally less than 20.

I think it was less than 12 hours.

I see you, looks like some jokers.

There's just a bunch of playing cards.

Yeah, just a bunch of playing cards.

Because one of my friends or one of my friends used to always say he's like, dude, the only bet you can ever place is on yourself. You're going to be there.

So I was like, OK, if I don't show up to the surgery thing, then I'm toast. If I do, there's a chance, you

know, there's a YouTube quote underneath.

Well, if the quotes from something else, it's keep moving forward. But there's YouTube where I

watched at the time, I liked at the time.

Don't not a big fan anymore, but his video is kind of playing in the background. Doctors like, hey, dude, like

just think about life. Just think about some shit.

You know, this is this is a big hoop you're going to go through.

And I just remember I was like thinking about him, like, well, you know, could be worse, you know, like and YouTube videos playing in the background is at the end of it is like, just keep moving forward. And I'm like, well, that's what

I got to do, you know. So cash out of the doge went

into that made it through use what doge money.

I had to basically pay what medical bills I had after I had insurance. Be still left with the chunk,

you know? Oh.

Absolutely. And found out next year rolls

around you can write off medical bills and your taxes.

I was almost penny for Penny, just made it through Scott free, right? And after that I hop back into

cars, into Patrick Motorsports and I'm doing like 930 fives and 9 sixteens and these rare Porsches and these race cars and getting into that route. So that was good.

You know, I got Whittington 935. Anyone doesn't know them,

They're the big drug runners who are fucking smuggling weed and shit in. And everyone's like, how do you

guys get into racing? And they're like buying cars

cash at night and they're putting nitrous in the cars and doing these killer qualifying, blowing these engines on these Porsches. And then the day before the race

were like, switch out the engines, guys.

You know, in the 70s I got to restore one of those cars.

It was pretty cool. 917 was pretty sweet.

A couple 930 fours. The first Singer.

Oh, really? Yeah.

So it was already done, but it ended up coming back.

First, what did you do on the singer?

It it when I when it came back, it came back for some pain issues. And we're not talking to the

DLS. This is like the bass model

singer, you know? Throw some air quotes on that.

Yeah, I mean it's, it's still 700 gram and it's like bass model. Right.

So you went through all that kind of stuff.

Now we're creeping into like the modern era, I would say, because we're in the middle of 25 right now.

We're almost middle of 25. Yeah.

So, yeah. So this is what?

Of your last few years look like.

Well, so against this is 21, so this is still pretty fresh, you know, and end up back in the collision shop at kind of a higher end collision shop because I were actually worked on your NSX because you sold it to Yoshi.

So I worked on it when he owned it and I got to be paint prepper and I was just doing this so we'd get like Mclarens and Ferraris and some stuff like that.

And, and again, I'm still kind of doing some stuff on the side, you know, and then a year to the day of the first surgery, I found out I had to get another one because it decided to come back after they're like, it's not going to come back right, right. Instead of hacking the front of

my face off like they everywhere else they've.

How do they do that though? Now you say that because.

So for the people who aren't watching this, let me describe Nick's face right now. He's got like this super weird

decision. I don't know if you guys ever

seen Vanilla Sky, but in that movie Tom Cruise had like a lot of shit going on. And so like Nick, you, you, you

have to watch the video because it's hard for me to describe it, but it looks like he has a Phantom of the Opera mask on right now. No, seriously, just joking.

But how how do they do that? Because to get to that, I mean,

where do they go? Their nose.

Like a liposcopic where it's like they kind of stick these things inside you without cutting you all the way open.

Yeah, I'm assuming that's how they did it, but basically the old way was like they cut along your nose down to the center of your lip and they basically flop over the front of your face skin. Then you're stuck with like the

scar forever, right? Exactly, You know, and they

basically fucking crack open the front of your face.

So what they did for me, and I'm up at Mayo Clinic, which Mayo is a case by case, they only take certain patients.

It's all experimental. They went through my nose and

they go through the nose to the top of the sinus and open up a small little cavity and it's like straight shot, you know.

And so, yeah, they, they open it up and because it, the tumor was also starting to wrap around the artery too.

So it was very Dang like they couldn't just cut it out.

They had to like, and it was pushing up on part of the brain.

So they took out a chunk of my brain, but they thought was all of it. And so coming out of that to

learn how to like, talk and. Walk again, not your brain.

Yeah, well, I I have a chunk of my brain missing.

But you still got the good 10%? I think so, yeah.

OK. I hope the voices are still

there, though. The voices are actually worse

now. But, you know, I kind of left

that with like some PTSD and some anxiety.

But yeah, they, they go through your nose and, you know, they, they break your septum. I was actually awake for that.

Yeah. Because they have a rhino, I

think rhinoplasty, I think is a nose doctor.

She, she came in and at this point they injected me with all the stuff that was knocking me out.

And I remember she's like, hey, I just kind of like looking and like, OK, you know, And I just remember feeling something cold up my nose. It was a metal rod.

Jeez. And then I didn't actually, no,

I, I do actually remember feeling the pain a little bit.

I heard that crack as she just basically like snapped it, you know? Yeah.

And I just remember being like, oh, what the hell.

And after that I was just out. What the hell was that?

You know, it was brain surgeries, like they kind of bring you up for part of it and like say AB CS, you know, and then they back out. But you know, so I make it

through that, which was a pretty big thing to go through for anybody. They said he'd be normal again

in six years. I was working again in six

weeks. And so I remember I went to a

Guns N' Roses concert that was like 4 weeks after that and I was wearing the shirt to the doctor when the next day and doctors like, yeah, they were in Talos and I'm like, yeah, I was there. He's like, are are you fucking

insane? What were the risks because of

that, if they wanted you on the show for such a long time?

Oh, well, you, you, your muscles basically just disappear.

You know, cardio, physical, physical, stuff like that.

But it's just like, you know, just stay at home.

Don't do shit. Like people don't realize if

you're not active, what muscles you did have, especially if you were very active. Within two weeks, they start to

rapidly go away, you know, so that was the big thing was going back to work. I'm like, man, I'm tired now.

I just, you know, walked across this place, stuff like that.

Like there was a risk of, there was a big risk of like, you're not going to wake up like this. This is going to be it.

And then it's because it's your head too.

You can't lift more than £5 because if you lift it, it's going to pop the plugs out. Next thing you know, your brain

fluids going to be all over the place, which did actually happen once because they're like, hey, if you taste anything salty, that's the fluid. And you, you know, and I tasted

it once. So I'd go back and they'd like

re glue some shit, but you can't breathe.

I'm having to like rinse my nose out and, you know, shit's coming out and stuff like that. But you know, they're like, we

straightened out your septum so I can breathe a little better now. Yeah.

The first one was the the big risk of like, yo, like walk talk again, function like human being like, oh shit, you know, a little like kind of getting close to some coma days.

How was the family support during all this?

They showed up and that was about it.

You know, they couldn't really do much.

Yeah. You know, Daddy's sister just

sit in a chair over there. Mom.

Mom would show up. They'd trade their days, you

know, But it was like, like. On TV then.

Because it was kind of at Mayo during COVID, yeah.

Oh, so you can only have one person if?

One person, well it was 2 guests period and they can only be there for like an hour and a half and kick them out.

Oh, so your visitation list was limited to only two people and obviously they couldn't be there at the same time?

Yep, got it. Yeah, they, they kind of made

some exceptions for like, OK, you guys can stay in the room together for like 5-10 minutes, but an interesting time.

It, it wasn't much, if I'm being honest.

You know, they, they have their own lives to live.

I'm an adult. Tough shit, you know that was

that, you know, so again, you know, back to work doing all the race cars and now this shop and year to the day I'm like, hey dude, like I already know one of these boss man's like, oh cool, don't worry, you'll come back. Well, wasn't the case.

He basically replaced me before I even left.

And then again, I've always been good at just like knowing places to call and I was already kind of talking to someone at the time and ended up working for him right after.

Second time around that actually started GoFundMe because my boss was a bunch of people I liked up to, they're like, you should probably do this to help out with some bills, you know, because that time gas was like 550 for regular, you know, and I'm driving from Chandler to North Scottsdale, you know, in a truck because that's all I had. Like you, you need some help

with like food, other shit, you know, like you need some help with some stuff, right? So I did that, which now, you

know, as soon as you put yourself out there like that, some people start looking at you differently.

I, I still get it. People are like, I'll make a

wish kid this and that. Some people just say I'm going

to beg them for money, you know? Were you a Make a Wish kid or

they just kind of playing around with that?

It's fucked up jokes, Yeah, You know, it is what it is.

So I've always had thicker skin, though, you know, I can take a joke so it doesn't. But there are some occasions

where you see some shit, especially screenshots, people you're hanging out with. Yeah, like.

I thought we were cool. What the fuck is this?

You know, and they're they're not like telling you about it in person. You're just like kind of hoping

they do and just don't. So you're just like, OK, buddy,

shitless now, you know, right. And so that and basically wiping

out my savings from the second time.

And it was, it was funny because I can actually see inflation inside the bills side by side. First one was 1.2, second one

was 1.8 and a year difference. They only one extra piece of

equipment and I had them landed out.

Second one. I made it through just fine

though. It was they're just like, do you

have no issues? I'm like keep on trucking, you

know got back out at a custom shop at time a friend of mine was dying and he just got the RX7 that I know that I now own and he was like, hey man, I want to give this card to him.

Like dude, I'm about to go into a surgery.

I just had to basically beg people for money for the most part and put my shit. I'm like, I'm not taking a car

that will look very bad. The optics, the optics not

knowing the details. I'm a I'm an optics person too.

Exactly right. So make some surgery.

You know, I had a couple of friends, you know, everyone was really friendly at the time. One guy gave me a free quail

ticket. You know that people are getting

me into events at car. They're like, hey, if you can

make it a car week, you're going to be still in recovery, you know, So like, OK, cool. Eventually I had to pay for

hotels, you know, and so I got to enjoy my first car week, which is kind of cool. It was all cuz very cool.

Again, friends were like, dude, here's a, here's a quail ticket for free. You know, it's like, dude, take

that opportunity. You know, you don't have a job

to go to. You already have time off, you

know, like, yeah, you can spend 300 bucks on hotels, you know, yeah, paid through that. You know, of course, all the

donation money went towards the medical bills and then a lot of my own savings, and I think the majority of it actually was my savings wiped out, practically all of it.

And then he started calling me again in beginning of September and he's like, hey dude. He's like, I just found out I

got HIV from a blood transfusion.

And we're just like the. RX7.

Yeah. And it was like, oh, you already

have a degenerative disease I was going to kill.

And he's like, yeah, he's like now.

I went from like maybe six months to like maybe 2.

Like how the does that happen in today's world?

They they must have missed something.

Obviously this is a 1986. Though he he, he's also, yeah,

he's also not a party animal too.

So he's just like, he's like, dude, that was the only way I could have gotten. It sure OK.

And I was like, no wife, no kids, no mom, no, no dad.

You know, he sold his Supra because he wanted to try to give me the Supra too. And I was like, I'm not taking

that car. And he's eventually he's like,

hey, buddy, he's like, I know you're not going to take this for free. He's like, you've always wanted

an Arc 7. He's like, you did a lot of work

for me a couple years ago doing the contracting stuff.

And he's like, I want you to take this car.

He's like, these are some taxes and some import duties out on the car. It's like, all right, fine, you

know, so I went to my credit union.

OK, guys, I, I need a loan for this much.

You know, like I don't, I've never pulled out a loan before.

I just have a credit card. Like what can I do?

So they're like, oh, ninety 9800 bucks personal loan, right.

So it's like did that and like, hey, does this work?

He's like, yeah, it's fine. Got the car.

Cars delivered on my birthday, you know, from a good friend.

I got to drive to that time I met Aaron.

Makes sense? Aaron I met like a week before I

got the car and he got me into the RX7 club.

And those guys have been nothing but family to me as a kid who didn't come from a family. Like they've been family, you

know, great guys. Like Aaron helped me move out

last year. Like I would take a bullet for

that dude. He's a great guy.

Love him to death. And that one name was Ryan

Denton. Oh yeah, Ryan Denton.

Yeah, yeah, Ryan's cool guy. Ryan's the first one I met

because he had a yellow FD and I didn't know.

I was just like, oh wow, Now I have this car.

It's on Teehee Replica. I call him Teehee. 3 Point

Sevens. Like he had reps on there.

No, I had reps on mine, OK. And so it was, it was still kind

of getting transported. Then the RXL was pretty dope.

Yeah, the Ariana Mia, the yellow one.

Well, he got to add yellow BB or add gold BBSLMS on it.

And I was like, how cool would it be to have a dark blue FD with BBSLMS on it? Lo and behold, scroll into

Facebook marketplace, pull these off my RX7.

Hey buddy, what year? He's like, oh, mine was 92.

I'm like, mine's 94, same body. That'll work.

And I just like, I was like, hey, dude, I don't have a lot of money, but I'm like, I can give you this for it.

And he's like, and it I'll be honest, it was like half of what he was offering. I'm like, dude, this is legit

what I can do. I'm not trying to lowball.

You can't. No worries.

He's like, honestly, dude, he's like, you're sending me a legit offer. They're yours.

Come pick them up. You know, I, I had those BBSLMS

in the back of my truck for like a week before the car was even here. Nice car gets delivered on my

birthday for my 23rd birthday, you know, drove around once on those wheels and I turned in it and I could hear the power steering pump screaming because they were also like bumped up size X morning took those wheels off, swapped them out, you know, and I'm already back working at this point.

So I'm starting to get some checks coming in again.

I think it was working again for about a month by this point.

And that was kind of just like my reintroduction to the car scene of like all these nice people, because I had PTSD of like I was at this big name custom shop and now I, these people don't like me. Now no one likes me.

And again, as like the, it fucks with your head, you know, especially after COVID and all this, like I have no friends, nobody likes me this and that. That's that's what I'm going

through, you know, and then I just encounter all these people with star, except they're super nice.

And so I'm a strong believer in the world needs more kindness because there, there I have had my plenty of dark days, right?

And the darker ones are more recent than they were back then.

And. Very recent.

I I've had, yeah, I've had a lot of people to just like, hey dude, how you doing today? I will remember those people to

the day I die. How are you doing today?

Well, yeah, all right. I guess ups and downs, you know,

life kicks in the nuts and then it makes you feel good for a week and it kicks in the nuts again.

But it's it's just. How do you get through it

though? Because maybe December.

Oh, January. January.

Yeah, I knew. Very recent.

Yeah, 'cause it's around auction.

We were at the young motor cars opening.

Yep, you were just kind of getting through some stuff.

Yeah, so. Are starting to get through some

stuff. And so, yeah, this is all like

the story is still kind of, you know, just keep the RX7 in September, Yeah, get diagnosed with insulin carcinoma and.

Again, another OMA. Another OMA.

No, this is this is the first time I've cancer of any point.

OK, and so I'm every. Like legit because the other

ones were gross that they had to cut off.

Yeah, And it's from the same thing.

It's in the same spot of the brain, everything.

And at this point, I was going to my doctor's appointments alone because there were points, like there were some weeks I had like 20 appointments in a week, you know, like, I was frequent.

I was a frequent flyer, you know, And so I can't tell them, like, hey, could you guys keep this out of my doctor's, like any kind of medical notes, Like, why?

And I'm like, I don't want my parents knowing about this.

You know, I'm again, I'm starting to kind of like separate because that's how it was.

You know, it's like, hey, you're on your own, you know, never had to borrow money from my parents. Like, yeah, I got to say my

dad's rent for you was a blessing for a long time.

But there was a lot of like, there's a, you know, comments and little mental stuff Like it, it fucks you up.

It takes its toll right mentally.

And so I was just like, you know, what, If that's if that's how they want to be, then I'm just going to keep this part of my life separate, you know? And my dad already wasn't happy

that I went out and I got a car, but I ended up with a car, right? And they didn't know the details

of the car. Like I straight told my dad, I'm

like, hey, I got a car. He's like when I'm like, oh, I

just got back from the shop. It was just delivered like kind

of today. You're originally like it's

going to stay outside, parked it outside over one night with those gold BBSS like it's going inside, you know, but so now I had this a very real issue of like, oh shit, OK, But again, I've already had serious shit. So I'm kind of numb to a lot of

it. So I'm like, OK, we'll just show

up to work every day. And a big thing of like how I

get through that stuff was there is nothing Nick Kingsley could ever fucking do that will fix this or fix that.

Like doctors, you know, I'm like, that is their issue.

I'm just here, only thing I can do is show up, eat healthy, not do crystal meth, you know, like, like, you know, just that that's it, You know, because it's you're not a doctor.

I'm not a doctor. If you got something, you're

going to go to the professionals just like, just like cars, you know, you're like, hey, I want to put a wide body kit on the car. You're going to go to someone

like me or somebody else with a skill set.

So I kind of tried enjoying life and getting distracted.

And then when I started my first radiation treatment in December, friend, I got the car from died that week.

I start radiation treatment that week, engine exploded that week.

Car has been down ever since and I'm.

Sorry for the loss of your homie.

Yeah, it was, you know, it's, it's probably be fucked up making this comparison, but we had a lot of cats growing up like, you know, family pets. And to me, like when you lose a

pet, that's kind of preparing you for when you lose your mom, your dad, your grandfather, your, you know, friends, this and that. And it's sadly it happens.

I think everyone can relate to that.

You know, suicide was pretty popular in high school, sadly.

But yeah. And it was, you know, we knew

his day was coming. So I kind of hung out with him

when I could, the last couple times I could.

And I kind of, it was just a bad week, you know?

And then it's like, OK, now I got this car I got to fix and I can't really fix it. I don't make a lot of money.

And now I'm starting to pick up heavy exercise work, higher quality details and doing a lot of work.

And you know, so I'm like, burn the candle both ends.

You know, I'm going to work. I'm doing like Countach during

the day. And then after that I'm taking

apart like Bentleys and Porsches and Escalades and all the stuff.

So they get PPF it without doing cuts trying to fix this car.

And you know, before you know it, it kind of scope creeps into like simple engine rebuild while you're there.

Might as well upgrade this, you know, before you know them chase the rabbit. Now I'm just like, OK, here we

go, you know, And so I'm starting to kind of get out of the most of the doctor's appointments.

I'm starting to kind of get clear.

I'm still going through treatments and stuff.

So I was cancer free the first time.

July 18th of 2024 was the first time.

No 23. Sorry, sorry. 23.

Yeah, time flies. Yeah, and, you know, and so shop

move, shop was not going downhill, but shop had to move locations. And there's a couple of internal

things where I was like, you know, it's my time to leave mentally just wasn't, you know, morale was down.

And, you know, if you surround yourself with negative people, you're going to get dragged in some negative shit.

And when tensions are hot, especially with the business owner, it's like before you know it, you're getting yelled at, screamed at for asking simple questions or doing what you're told to do. And then you don't have the

attitude in the, you know, you're not encouraged to work.

You're just like, fuck this. I don't want to, you know,

before you know it, you're making mistakes.

You're like, oh, OK. And left there at this point I

was, I should have it's funny part like most places I've quit, I should have left like a month or two prior and I didn't and.

Stayed a little a little too long, then a.

Little too long, you know, and higher quality details.

I Nikki and hired some of the greatest people.

They've always been nothing but friends to me.

They can show me like, hey, dude, you kind of need friends in your life. And you know, so they were kind

of a positive outlook I had or a positive outing, you know, something to look forward to. Was like, cool, after I get off

this job, I have to go here. These guys are all nice cracking

jokes, having a good time, even for the 30 minutes everyone leaves. I'm, I'm there, you know, and

I'm working from like getting up at 6:00 every day, going to the regular shop. I'm not getting home till like

10/11/12 from hires, you know, because I'm that's a day, that's a day, right, right. And at this point I'm pretty

strapped for cash. And then I go to another Body

Shop, a main collision again, because that's where most consistent money is at. I was promised there was work

there and I start there beginning in December and slows down for Christmas. Never picked back up.

This is now beginning of 2024. I've done 20 interviews in two

days and I'm getting shot down every single one of them because the economy is creeping up now, you know?

And I applied at the shop I worked at for a past year, which is the guy who bought the building me and my old boss had to move out of. So there's tension there, right?

And he didn't trust me, but he's like, hey, do I need a tech?

So, so I remember I did all these interviews, I called him.

He's like, hey, dude, like you worked for Danny.

I'll be honest, I don't really want to hire you.

I don't trust you. You know, it's like, all right,

cool, no worries. I understand.

That's my thing is I can talk with anyone, you know, like I've just have a conversation. Like if you don't like me, just

like, hey, dude, like listen, like I don't really like you that much. Whatever.

Like don't need to get reasons. I like, hey, no worries, I'm

out. That that's me.

You know, I'm, I'm a very easygoing guy.

I never had to raise my voice at anyone.

You know, like I've been in a couple fights here and there, but it's mainly because substances were involved, you know, and you know, but that was that.

And it was like, I remember I had, I had $53 in my bank account and I was like, hey, I got to go to work today.

So I was at the Safeway across the street and I was going to Fry's or no, my bad Safeway, grab my protein shake.

I usually grab the morning tea. That was my caffeine bump.

And yeah, so that was the caffeine bump.

And I was like, I can't afford the tea today because I got to get gas. My truck gas light was on and I

was checking out and the Powerball machine was just glowing that day. I was just like, screw it,

what's 5 bucks, right? I'm going to go broke anyways.

Got 1 ticket put in my pocket, went to the gas station, put like 20 bucks in, you know, so now I'm like, I'm doing mathematics. I'm like I got like $18.00 left.

I got to pay a bill Friday. Time to get creative, you know,

Time to sell myself in Van Buren St. and so.

That'll work out for you. Helicopters.

Not that popular, sadly. All right.

But yeah, so I went to work. Robert called me.

He's like, hey dude, I need tech.

I'll hire you 70 bucks an hour. I'm like, cool, it's pay cup,

but jobs job. And he's like, I'll pay you cash

till Friday so you can get your bill.

I'm like, you know, comes picks up my tools and I go home.

And I was just thinking about I'm just like, I really hope this works as if not, I'm fucked.

And then I always laid in my bed, stared at the ceiling for like 8 hours. It's like 9 or 10:00 at night.

They've already called the winners.

And I'm like, you know, I'm changing now.

I'm getting ready to go to sleep for the night, feel that ticket out. And it's like, man, this is

weird, right? So I'm like, I'll look up

winning numbers. There's multiple ways to win the

Powerball, but I won. I won 58 grand that night.

I was able to pay off every debt I had.

And. Then put, I think it was

basically I took 30%, paid everything off for the most part, put the rest of it in savings for taxes and kind of got to work. And then again that another

blessing, if you will. Absolutely.

Hired calls me a week later. He's like, hey dude, Nikai just

called me the RWB is coming up. I need you to do some work to

the car. And I was like, at this point I

kind of got I was supposed to work on the car at other places and it just never worked out and I'm just like yeah, sure dude, I forgot the passion I had for those and you know in he's like, hey dude, the exhaust gets here Sunday.

I'm like he built, he's building the car Monday.

But I've done Porsche exhaust on the bottom 30 minutes in and out. Good.

No, got there at 1:00, you know, didn't leave till 2:30 that night covered in penetrating oil and everything else to get this exhaust off and get it on, you know, and to be back there at like 7 the next day. That was hires.

RWB Yeah. So February last year.

God, that's when it was. Yeah, I remember going up there.

Yeah, and be back there 7 So now I was like, OK, get home. 2

shower, bed by three, crash, wake up at six, shower, you know, change, go out. And I, I, I brought, I'm like,

hey, I brought all my tools in case one of his tools breaks or need some. Here's all my shit, you know,

set my tool bags down. I thought it was higher.

Tap my shoulder. Nikai has tapped my shoulder.

He's like, hey, you're going to help me with this.

And I was just like, what, you know?

Fucking hey dude. And again, it's like now it's

start like and I'm still like kind of shock and awe because it's like 1. He's a hero.

But again, my passion for the industry, this one was at an all time low. I'm just like, oh shit, you

know, like screw this. Next thing you know, I'm helping

and I got cameras and people all over the place and I'm still like, man, nobody likes me. You know, like we don't like

that guy, you know, because now people are kind of judging me from the whole like thing. They're like, Oh, you, you did

this, went through a surgery and you end up with a car.

And I'm like, do you guys know? I'm just going to ask her a

question Like I'll answer the question, you know, but I, I got I'm dealing with. If we have time, I kind of want

to get into that a little bit. Yeah, that's fine.

And so I'm I'm dealing with that.

But before I know it, I'm turning around, there's cameras and people are waving at me. Old Co workers friends I haven't

seen since high school friends I I realized I was talking to a car shows people are like oh like you must have installed this body kit on my car for hire.

You must have done this or you did this here.

You know, now I'm getting thumbs up and friends and it was kind of just just nice some. Frenemies in there too.

A. Few, you know, but I'm, again,

I'm cordial. Like somebody could straight up

look at me and be like, hey dude, go fuck yourself and I'll be like, have a nice day, you know?

So yeah, and that was February and I was just killing it.

Last year, beginning May, cancer came back pretty bad.

So I went through radiation again.

I was told the hardest radiation treatment attempted on US soil was very experimental, going through 2 hours a week, one hour on Monday, one hour on Friday. Most treatments like 2015

minutes, you know, they're not that long.

And so I was like, hey, I have a nine to five to go to.

I told everybody I worked for. So it was hiring Nikki new, my

boss Megan and Robert at the time, New couple, maybe 2 super close friends new. And then my buddy Zach had a

wrap shop cloak wraps. I worked for him like, hey,

dude, this is what I'm going through.

So I got to be careful about this, right?

And it was 2 treatments a week for 12 weeks.

So we're talking 24 hours total of just getting blast with radiation. I got my fingers crossed.

I'm hoping for superpowers. OK, my way to distract myself

from that is I was like, I'm going to load myself up with as much work as I can, you know? So I'm just like.

I get it. Monday I'm waking up at 4:30, be

at the hospital at 5, sitting in a chair from 5:15 to 6:15, getting blast with radiation, leaving, going to the 8 to 5, going from 8:00 to 5:00. And now the temperature is

starting to creep up to it's summertime shop.

You know, it's not a seed, it's swamp coolers and hopes and dreams. And after that, going to hires.

This is all by choice. Nobody's forcing me to work, you

know, But it's like another thing to stay, stay ahead, stay ahead of bills, too. Bills and keep them busy and

keep your mind. On and so I'm doing 3 to 4 hours

for Nikki and hire and then after that I'm going to Zack's for another two to three hours. So now I'm putting my body

through stuff that your body is not supposed to go through.

You know, like, I made myself sick after the RWB because it was like, OK, no food on Sunday, barely any sleep there.

Monday, helping build the car the entire time higher was having food show up and I'm like, oh, let me just finish this up and I'll go get some of the catering rags.

I'm in the VIP area. I finish it.

Gone. Yeah.

It's like shit. You know, we got the first night

we get ramen. It was just like, you know,

small little group. I was like, this is this is

cool. And now it's starting to said

I'm like hero, that's neat. You know, next day, same deal.

I'll get myself breakfast burrito.

Nope, start right away. Same deal.

Catering gets there. I'm trying to get the lights to

work because the lights didn't work when we started the building it I'm no electrician, but I'm like 2 wires go together, stuff lights up, you know, figure it out in the spot because I got cameras over my shoulder.

I'm not going to give up on this.

Finish that, go get food. At the end of Day 2, the builds

done, you know, kind of a larger group get food.

And then Wednesday was like, I'm going to sleep in, today wasn't.

That supposed to be like a three or four day build and it got.

He does all of them in two. He always kind of stays the

third day in case something kind of goes over a little bit.

But it's two days and you know, so I go help clean up, get pick up my tools, go to work and set my tools down.

A week prior met a girl who went to Eve it same trade school I went to just briefly. She started that Monday when me

and the Kyra walk and use the restrooms on Tuesday, we go into the main office and it like, you know, we're talking 200 people all of a sudden split. It's like the seas part, you

know, and I was walking through and she's like, I met you last week. I work with you and I'm like,

oh, what's up, dude? You know, somebody can I know

she likes cars because she's here.

You know, she was just there on lunch briefly and then then she left. And so I'm dropping my tools

off. She walks up me as I'm like, put

my tools back in my toolbox and she's like, you're a God now.

I'm like what? You know, I'm immediately like

here to her, you know, again, she's in high school, trade school. There's a lot of similarities.

And like, you know, I went to that trade school.

I liked RW BS. I had a lot of bad influences.

You know, I made a bunch of pretty stupid choices early on in my career in my life. And I was just like, I'm going

to be a good influence. That's what I can do.

So I took Jasmine under my wing, kind of showed her a bunch of stuff. And for you know what, I'm doing

work on a lot of extra side work at the shop on weekends.

I'm doing a lot of cool things for Nikki and Hire.

I'm doing a lot of cool things for this person, this person.

Now I'm doing a lot. About when?

When is this? This is like March of last year.

And so now I'm picking up, I'm stacking the work like crazy.

And then, you know, I start going through treatments again in June and now this is point like summer's hitting.

And now I'm just like, I'm talking seven days a week.

I'm at the shop Saturday, Sunday, and I'm just sending it right. Feel the effects of radiation

about two days after. So Monday feel a Wednesday,

Thursday, Friday, Sunday, Monday.

So I feel like dog shit. Monday morning I'm getting

blasted again. And so when they're doing that

to your head, what I would say people is like if you have like a hot tea or hot coffee, you can feel the warmth go down.

It goes in your chest and spreads out in the center of your head, starts getting hot. You can feel it from the inside

out and it's the oddest feeling in the world.

And then your vision starts to black out around like the around the 38 to 40 minute mark. Interesting.

By the time it ends, I got about a 15 minute cooldown for, you know, my vision starting to come back, 'cause there's, you know, I got bags of ice on my head. Wow, that's that's pretty wild.

And so how long did you have to go through that?

Did you? Eradicate it.

I've been clean. So basically that was all

summer, yeah. Which again, I'm working through

and I'm feeling like dog shit. So weekend of is it Labor Day is

in September, OK, Labor Day weekend, you know, I had a ball joint failing my truck. So I was borrowing a friend's

truck. So I was trying to fix that at

the shop and go and hang out some of the RX7 guys because they were doing a little lunch that day and I wasn't feeling good during the lunch, but I was hanging out because it was friends, you know. And I go home and I get home and

I had an MRI the day before. And I knew that that last week I

had two treatments left, you know, so I've done 22.

I got two more and then MRI the day before to check up on things. And I get home, I go to use the

restroom. It's probably a little TMI but

I'm pissing blood and I'm just like right row.

Right, it's not good. Not good.

So my doctor gave me a cell Saturday.

I call him. He's like, I think you just have

radiation sickness, but just meet me at the hospital, right?

So a beeline all the way up there, you know, they're like, hey, you have radiation sickness.

You know, we didn't take into consideration the MRI.

You know, he's talking. He's like, dude, he's like

you're going to set off sensors at the airport.

He pulls out like a little, I think it was probably like a miniature Geiger counter or something.

It's it's not ticking Babbitt. It's like tick, tick.

He's like, yeah, if you go to the airport right now, he's like, you'll probably set off something in security.

And I'm like, oh, thanks, buddy. That's great.

And but he even told me he's like, dude, he's like, we can't have like a little betting pool of when you would tap out, you know, not not like die, but he's like, he's like, we didn't think you'd make it because they're like, dude, you're young.

Most of our patients are between like the age of 65 and 80, you know, and he's like, we've also never, you know, heated somebody up this much. And I was like, thank you for

that. I do my last treatment Labour

Day. He calls me Tuesday morning.

I get the phone call. It is 5:59 AM.

And he's like, hey, dude, good news.

You don't do the one Friday. You're clear.

Like really He's like scan came back clear as it has ever been.

Like I'm going back to your past four years of scans that has never been this clear. Like, oh, sweet, actually

entered remission December, I think second week of December.

So I've kind of loosely just passed my 6 month mark, I think last month or the month prior. So since then I've been, I've

been clear. Had to move again, you know,

just a couple of life things. Mental health has kind of been a

struggle recently. Like January was a big one, you

know? Yeah, Yeah.

I thought it'd be a fun idea to try to slam a bottle of pills because I don't want to wake up. Somehow woke up just fine.

Should have been way more to kill me.

But meds expire, you know? I'm not the smartest on that

one. Thank God.

Right. So, you know, lost my job in

January. I had a bunch of setbacks from

like, oh shit. Luckily, I've always had great

friends and friends pulled me through that.

You know, friends have always kind of pulled me through some shit where it's like when I get to the point I'm like, shit, I don't want to. Like friends have been like, hey

buddy, come on, like Matt O'Connor.

Great guy if I. Didn't have him in my corner.

I, I, I'd be, I'd be bound right now.

I started, I moved into his house.

He helped me out. He was just understanding.

He's like, hey, he's like, I want what's best for you.

And Sadie, the dog, you know, and he's like, whatever you.

And so I got him. Aaron Howell Chad Apex Stream

Cars, obviously my super close friends, but you know, 'cause it was like 1 moment I'm at the young motor cars opening and that was like that same week, you know, and it's.

Chad's good guy too. Love him, love him to death.

Chad's kind of the one who kind of started pulling me out of my shell at car shows, you know? He's like, hey, like you're.

I should force Chad to come over here.

You should, but he also lives basically in California.

Yeah, well, that's all I have. Not me.

Yeah. And yeah, I just, if I, if I

didn't have friends, it would. Yeah.

You know. So then you up after all that

stuff, you're, I think, did you go to Chicago?

This egg you were driving? Around or one of those things,

Steve Hamilton's Regara and then sheer on Super Sport.

In the past couple years, how do you get to that point?

So again I helped do the RTV which.

Put me on the map. I worked at a.

Custom shop prior gave me some good reputation.

Well, who gives you that call they put out a thing on?

Hamilton collection. You know, like.

Hey, like we need somebody who does wide bodies.

We got a project and I was scented by all my friends because they're pretty big. YouTube channel.

I got friends in Chicago. Next thing you know, now I

should've messed. Him like, hey dude, I do it.

I just did this R32 for a buddy Art who I met through RWBS in Naples, FL. His family happens to own the

Steelers, which. Was really cool.

That's cool. I'm not a sports guy, but I'm

like that's that's cool. That's a sports guy is a big

football guy. That's cool, mom.

Was a big sports guy. She's Broncos.

Hell and back, you know, hates the Steelers.

But she was like, oh, that's cool.

And I was like, OK, this is cool, you know, and did that.

And again, I'm doing all all all sorts of crazy.

Stuff like. When I was at the custom shop, I

was driving around to Countach for like 3 months.

You know, people are like yo who's this kid driving around to Countach? I always building race cars and

working on, you know, do working on like McLaren's like oh this kids pretty cool. And this whole reputation was

building this past couple of years too, you know, and they know. Also from the resume.

Yeah, in the. Life they go OK this he's not

going to be right this isn't too big for him like he used to so RWB was also icing on the cake of course of just.

Like, because you're God, that guy can Jasmine's words.

Yeah. Jasmine's.

Yeah. You know, and I'm like, I'm just

a guy, you know, I'm still going to stub my toe and hurt in the morning, you know? And so a bunch of friends.

Sent it to me and I'm like fine. Guys, I'll, I'll shoot him a

damn message. You know, Little did I know, all

my friends are like, dude, Nick's your guy.

Nick did this R32 underneath a Chevy Nomad with two feet of space behind him in a garage in Florida in HKS print shorts while it's muggy as shit at the end of July.

You know, like, Nick's your guy. And so, you know, at one point

it was down to me and another guy and I was checking Steve and Steve's like he's like, well, I kind of knew.

It was like he was like Christmas week.

I'm like, hey, dude, here's my phone number if you have any questions, help you with anything.

I'm just like whether it's tools, whatever you guys need for the shop to put to install this kit, I'm like, I will give you that information. I will not expect anything.

If you go someone else, that is fine.

I just want to help. That's my big thing.

I just want to help. I want to make friends, cars,

whole thing, right? He's like, cool, send me a text

like, Hey, it's Steve. And I was like, oh, it's Steve,

the owner of all of this. I would expect to be the social

media guy. You know, I'm just like, OK, Mr.

Steve, All right. You know, I was like.

I think I got it, but I'm not going to tilt my horn here, you know? And again, Art was like, Nick's

the only guy I trust do paint and body work.

I flew him out from Arizona to do my R32.

He was great. I had, you know, Aaron out here

and Chad and all these other guys were like a lot of it.

I found out after too. You know, I do some friends like

Haiti. We we, we recommended you and I

had friends who were friends with those guys and like we put your name in the hat and Steve's like, Hey, I just, I love your stories. Like I love the fact you've

hustled through everything and he's like you've never just expected a handout. He's like you've always worked

through it. If you physically can, right,

You know, And again, I work. Through shit that people are

just like. Dude, how?

I'm like, dude, there were days where I was at work throwing my guts up in the bathroom to be fixing a Prius 5 minutes later, you know? Well, that's the thing though,

honestly, and and with anything we.

Do, Especially once you get with people who don't want to waste time on anything. They have a project, they have

the money, they have the time, they have the reputation, and they want somebody who's recommended by other people that they trust so where they don't have to fuck around with that shit. And you just became that guy.

And the other thing too is like, especially when people hear that story, which a lot of people don't know.

About it, because I didn't tell people I went through the treatments till after I was done, right?

And that's when most people, they're like what?

They're like, like, dude, you were just working on my car at 1:00. AM last week.

I'm like, yeah, I was also throwing up in your bushes if you haven't. They probably feel like shit,

but it's not their fault. Yeah.

And you don't want, you know, like that, which is why you didn't. Tell them to begin with and

that's the whole thing is I'm like.

I'm like, I'm like I'm. A workaholic.

I choose because I'm like, I don't want to be here in five years. I'm like, you know, I want to be

here in five years. You know, I got goals and people

are like, yo, dude, like you were doing that.

I'm like, yeah, dude, like my body hurts.

My shoulder hurts. Like, dude, November I blow my

rotator cuff. You know, they can't, they can't

operate. They can't do anything about it.

Like I had parathyroids removed at one point because it was high calcium, pulled cartilage out of my knees, out of my joints.

You know, it's like my body hurts.

Collision is not easy on the body physically.

Add in medical issues and it fucks you up pretty good.

And so again. Fitment industries deal I'm.

Like, oh, this is big. Well, that's what I was going to

say. Yeah.

Spin through the Chicago thing. As an NSX guy myself, yeah.

You're fans of the NSX and you're working Fitment Industries brings you in. Yeah.

Tell us a little bit about that. So yeah, it's like, you know.

They're kind of relaunching all the social media stuff, the YouTube. The everything you know.

And Steve kind of moved it from Wisconsin to Chicago, where he was based out of because he. Wanted a little bit more like

hey I need. To I want to be here to kind of

rebirth this thing, right? This is fitment, right?

Fitment industries. Hamilton Collection.

Same building, same. Got it.

Yeah, I didn't know that, you know, So I build.

This NSX and. You know, there's 40 minute

video out there. You know, they gave him a little

shout out right at the end and opportunity of a lifetime.

You know, to be able to have such good media on such a channel in the engagement is not the greatest just because it's like they relaunched it after a couple years of kind of sleeping. Did you enjoy that project?

It was fun. It was different to have to.

Kind of make a persona on camera.

And again, I'm a technician, I'm kind of mouthy.

So I'd have to like, oh, I can't see.

They're like, do we have an HR department?

They're like, the video will go through HR before we upload it.

So I'm like, OK, you know, I'm used to like, give me some air pods, I'll put them in. I'm I always listen to music

every, every every day, every minute, you know, and that I couldn't. There's still some.

Scenes for I'm still listening to music when I could get going but it was like do we spent 4 hours filming an intro It was my first time ever and I'm like oh I got to do this XYZ and I'm like yeah like OK you know so getting on can't comfy on camera which I. Wasn't comfy the.

Entire time, eventually to the point I'm like, I'm just going to. I just imagined the camera was

somebody I was teaching. That was a human face, right?

So I'm explaining like, hey, This is why I'm doing this and I'm explaining everything and why it works and why you should do it this way and why you don't do it this way.

And you know, like I'm not an expert on body kits, but I'm pretty damn good with fiberglass.

Body kits are made of fiberglass, you know, so it, it was a bit of a different experience, but once I got into the groove of it, like we, we were missing some like self tap and screws and some other stuff. And we're getting to the end of

day one. I just had the diffuser on.

There's always one piece that fits like garbage and is the diffuser. And I would, I just had that to

put on and I'm like, Oh well. And it this was about 2:30 at

the time. We ended up five because the

camera guy had to go to like dinner or something and we kept having. Problems with O'reilly's giving

us self tapping screws. In Austin, the mechanic, he's

like, does this look like a fucking self tapping?

Like he's just like, you don't know what a self Tapper is, dude. Eventually they gave us the

right screws. You know, when I got the RWV

Chicago guys came out because, you know, I'm friends with them and they're like, hey, like I told one of the guys, I'm like, hey, it'd be cool if you just brought the car by for the video, you know, and the owner of the car was sick.

But all the guys came out purely on their own, like on a weekend.

They sacrifice their weekends like, hey, Nick's in town, want to go see him? He's a great guy, love him.

You know, family. My best friends, Patrick, John,

Luke. Max is in Wisconsin.

Max drove from Wisconsin to Chicago where Patrick and Luke met or live. I was staying at Patrick's

house. You know, like, Patrick's

parents are super nice. They're just like Nick, you're

part of the family. Last name's King.

Mine's Kingsley. So I was joking, like I'm the

favorite, right? But, you know, so they're all

there watching. Then all of a sudden it was

like, it's like 245. We finally get self appers and

everyone kind of like turn around.

They're like Steve's collections there.

It's like a Kona Seg, Bugatti remark, Hennessy, you know, Aventadors, like all sorts of crazy shit, all the boring shit.

Yeah. Dodge Daytona, you know. 94

super everyone's. Favorite R34 was sitting over

here, you know, and sounds like a dream.

Yeah. And it was funny.

Like somebody. Turned around and like, oh.

Shit, I'm like, what? At this point I already had 1/2

of the car all fitted onto the car and they're like, dude, you're quick. I'm like, Oh yeah, I'm quick

with it. Like give me music, crank the

Bee Gees a little bit, you know, getting myself and I'm just like, all right. And that day one, it was like

half the car was done, like it was secured on the car.

And then day two it was funny like because I I'm cheap, right?

Like I don't like to pay for carry ONS.

I'm just like personal item and I'm good.

And I was like cramming my bag all this and I was like fucking beating it down. Like make it the proper size

before I got to the airport, you know, I'm wearing like 3 hoodies to get onto the planes and like it's too big, you know.

And because I'm also giving some stuff to my.

Friends. And I get there and they're

like, hey, dude, just wear your same clothes tomorrow.

And I was like, what? Oh, yeah, we need it for

continuity purposes. Oh, right.

Like, guys, I could have saved. I could have saved a shirt.

And a pair of. Jeans, if I knew this

information, man, you know, wear up same clothes next day, knock it out, you know, again, I probably could have had that car done in maybe 10 hours if I didn't have to be on camera, if I could just zone in. And I was like, here we go,

right. But it was cool it it was a

great experience. They gave me a dark horse

Mustang as a loner. And I was like, yes, don't need

like my license for insurance, like, oh, just here's the keys, you know, and I finish it. And my my whole rule was Steve

had a surgery the week before. So he was kind of like

recovering a little bit. And I was like, hey, dude, like

this is your car. You're paying me.

I want to get your visual approval of it, like if there's anything I can fix. So I set my flight to Monday

afternoon. So you know.

Max goes back to Wisconsin. The car is technically done

Sunday night. You know, they're now editing

the video and doing all this and I.

Got like half a day to burn. I meet Steve there 8:00 on the

dot in the morning because I'm very punctual.

So is he. So he's like takes one.

He's like, oh, dude, this is this is killer.

It's great. You know, I'm like, God, big

YouTube personality. This is cool.

You're also a hard worker. You built feminine industries

yourself. Like I can respect this and he's

like cool. You know, we talked about price

agreed on that and he's like cool.

He's like, oh, by the way, if you want to drive anything, just feel free to ask. Go for it.

You know, sick, right? You know any many money MO Yeah.

And so it's like again IA. Lot of stuff I don't post about

is. Like my buddy Paul, I recently

got a Wira is an EB110. He's got a sheer on Super Sport

and a Regera. I've been driving that sheer on

Super Sport and Regera for about the past year, occasionally helping him out lose some cars around.

So I was familiar with a couple of cars right, But I'm like big YouTube stuff I can post about this now and it's not as big of a deal. So he's like, hey, it's.

Like they're buildings here about a. 100 yards across is the

wash place. They use the detail company and

they're like, I just drive the regar over there I'm like all right, cool. You know we take like 4 of the

five of the cars over to get detailed and then we're like let's do a Starbucks run and he just tossed me the keys to the shoes on. Yeah yeah.

And so we go to. Starbucks, right?

And it's. Again you you can't beat Bugatti

they're just like that's big Volkswagen auto group they can dump hundreds of millions of dollars into making these things perfect and they are you know and Starbucks run broke some speed limits, you know had a good time that's easy to do when everything is like 3545 Oh yeah I.

Think I flew past the Prius doing like 195.

And a 30 yeah, yeah, it's just with modern cars there's I'm sure you can say this with the NSX like it doesn't feel like you're going that fast you're just like, oh, I'm doing like 50 I'm doing 120 you know, yeah 1:30 in a like a 1992 Honda Civic, the whole. Car is shaking and it takes

forever to get there No, it's modern cars.

No time at all. Another thing Chris told me

right, It's more fun to drive a slow car fast and.

It's a fast car. Fast.

Because next thing you know, it's like that GRI just got.

I'm just like, oh man, this is slum.

Like I'm doing 50 and I feel like I'm going like 20 miles an hour. This is a drag, you know?

Same thing that cheer on. It's like I'm doing 60, I'm

doing 170. You know, especially it's like

you barely touch the pedal and you're like, whoa, you know, that's cool. Yeah.

It's just how solid cars are getting now, you know?

Well, hey man, before we finish this up.

You have a reputation. I see you as.

Enough to communicate with you kind of a quiet, understated, a guy that's always in the pictures, a guy that's always on the scene. I don't personally think you're

a mouthy person, but I don't know you like that as well.

And we've had some fun conversations about politics that we don't have to get into right now.

But you said you when you're working on the RWOB, you know, or you're asked to be on that project, you know, some people don't like you. Why?

Why is it you think that? I'm sure it's more of just like

it's how I like I if you ask. Me everyday I'm like, yeah, I'm

not cool. Like that's me.

Like it genuinely is me. You know, I'm a, I'm a very

simple of like I safe to say I've stared death in the face a couple times, right? So I'm a very easy person.

I was like, hey dude, like I'm going to treat everybody with politeness and respect until I'm treated otherwise.

But I still have those doubts and insecurities about myself because again, it was like with how I was raised and certain things, it's like, you know, you're, you're confident.

Lot of roadblocks. Exactly.

A lot of them speed bumps. Well, I don't to me, to me, to

me roadblocks. You can.

Get to roadblock too to. Me roadblock is deaf and I

haven't hit. Well, all right, well.

We'll take your definition. There's a.

There's a. Little hiccup beginning in

March, but yeah. It's a but I just.

You know, so it's like I'm. Always at car shows.

I got really good at networking, especially last year.

And I'm just I'm nice and I treat everyone with respect.

There's plenty of people to where I still look up to them, right. And you know, I've looked up to

them for years and I know I can tell by just how they, you know, oh, oh, hey, I got to go talk. OK, whatever.

And, you know, eventually like, OK, like he doesn't like me the greatest, you know, and that that's OK.

Maybe it's, you know, after you see him every weekend or see who and it's like it starts to give you an idea right now.

There was a couple and since last year tour I was in a point where I'm like one of the people.

I was just like, hey dude, like. What's your guys's issue, dog?

Is it something I can clear up? You know, like people still get

to like they're like, whoa, I'm like, I'm not trying to fight you. I just same friend group dude

stop sneaking on me. Is there an issue here?

You know, is there something I can clear like I'm not going to?

I'm not. Going to go home and have dinner

with. You, you know, I'm like, I'm not

trying to be your best friend. We got same friend groups.

If I'm getting asked questions about stuff like I don't want that, you know, and I'm friends. I'm friends with plenty of

people who honestly, professional respect, personal respect, got plenty of friends who I let work in my car that I probably wouldn't hang out with after work.

I got plenty, I got plenty of people who I'd hang out with after work who I wouldn't give a wrench, you know?

Yeah, absolutely. And so it's.

I'm I'm sure a lot of it's just. Mental like, and I got I got my

demons I struggle with like everybody else has them, you know, and just treat everyone with kindness and respect because at the end of that, you do not know what someone's going through. I've had my dark days and it's,

you know, you get that one text from somebody you haven't heard from in six months and he's just like, hey, dude, how you doing?

You know, means so much more than people realize, I think.

From all the stuff that. You've kind of.

Walked us through today and and thank you for that.

One thing that stands out to me clearly is obviously you.

You have your demons, but you have people that care about you, that enjoy you, that enjoy your personality.

And I guess I would ask that you try to think about those things when you're having those dark times, and you probably do.

It's easier. It's easier for me to sit over

here and say that. But yeah, like, I value having

you here right now. Yeah.

And I. Value seeing you and talking to

you. So it's like.

Try to hold that. It's easier said than done, but

you have people that care about you, man.

Again, like I'm a very isolated person.

You are, you know, it's like. But it's like, I've been at car

shows for a long time. It's like people like Jordan.

Like, did Jordan busted his ass? You know?

It's like I don't talk to him a whole lot, you know?

I don't mean this in a real way. I wouldn't consider his friends,

but we know each other. Yeah.

You're friendly. Yeah.

Hey, how you doing? Good morning.

You're friendly. Brief I.

Wouldn't hold a conversation, you know, because he's always busy. I'm always busy.

But so many people like that and it's.

It it's, I think it's hard for when you you forget a lot of times about. The people you have surrounding

it's like big thing person who was very important to me last year. My name is Jasmine.

I was training at work. I don't work at the same spot,

you know, and she's always like Nick, how you doing?

Thank you for showing me everything this and that you know, same kind of cars you going to.

I'm always cracking jokes. I'm always trying to be a

comedic person, you know, And that's just.

Me right this year it's. A kid named Conrad, you know,

like he's always like just talked on social media and then I'm like, hey, dude, I'll I'll be at this show with Leo and his Countach. You know, you should show up,

right? He's like, how cool.

And I'm like, dude, you can sit in it, dude.

Like I got the approval. You know, like when my engine

was going out in the FDI was driving home and I stopped at McLaren Scottsdale. And this is when I knew

something seriously was bad because it would it barely start. A bunch of kids ran over and I

still have the video, and they're like, oh, like Fast and Furious can be sitting at this and that.

Like, we've never seen one, you know?

Just love the FD, man. Always.

Yeah, like people love. The FD, they're like we've.

Seen Supers, GT, Rs, but not that thing, you know, and so I'm letting them sitting in the mom's like, thank you so much.

I still have that video on my phone.

Cheers me up. Yeah, because the other thing

too is I was, I was really fat at the time too.

I was like 230, you know, now I'm 1:30 and I lost most of that weight within a year. But you know, so it was like had

this disposition. Like no one likes me.

Physically, no one likes me, mentally no one wants me around, you know, but just always being able to give back some like I, I want to be, I just want to. Be somebody who's always like,

Nick's very nice, you know, like.

I'll, I'll take a bullet for everybody, you know, until I'm given a reason not to. And that's how I view life.

You know, there's so many people who's just like, again, you don't know what someone deals with.

You know, like I was working those crazy.

I was going through those treatments.

I get in my truck after my 9:00 to 5:00 and I would break down to have to pull myself together in less than 10 minutes, go to the next job, you know, do and those guys like, hey, how you doing cracking jokes? And I'm like that.

That would help give me a morale boost to get to the next thing.

And then same thing next day, next day, next day, next day, next day. And I'm like, OK, like, and I,

you know, do that. And that's what I try to get

back to people, you know, I'm. Like, hey, like, be careful.

Around this crowd, you know, they're egos are a big thing now, you know, it's like, OK, like, you know, horsepower is very jaded now. People think they need 2000

horsepower. They don't.

They don't know 100 modified horsepower fuels, you know, But it's like, hey, just because he likes civics and this guy likes challengers and this guy likes Kona sex, just be nice, you know, like, that's just it. People need to be more kind to

each other and it's we all like. Cars.

So we are already have one topic in common.

You know, that's just that's just me, Mr. Kingsley.

Thank you. Thank you.

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