Japan obviously doesn’t celebrate the same Thanksgiving Day as the US, but there’s a very similar holiday in Japan that occurs on November 23 each year. Labor Thanksgiving Day, or Kinrōkanshanohi, has its roots in a harvest festival, but in modern times honors workers and their role in society. Though many JNCers are do-it-yourselfers, there are always things we need help with, whether it’s from a tradesman, a good buddy, or the creator of some obscure part with which your project would otherwise be incomplete.
What job well done are you thankful for?
The most entertaining comment by next Monday will receive a prize. Scroll down to see the winner of last week’s QotW, “What should be inducted into the Japan Automotive Hall of Fame next?”
There are some glaring omissions in the Japan Automotive Hall of Fame, as many of you have pointed out. From newer machines like the Z32 Twin Turbo that art derix suggested to tried-and-true workhorses like the Toyota HiLux recommended by Teddy. Angelo‘s nomination of the Toyota Crown Comfort came close to securing victory, but in the end it was My_Fairlady_ZFG‘s inspirational answer that won our hearts.
The Datsun S30 Chassis should be inducted into the JAHFA. I don’t know the impact the 240Z, 260Z, and 280Z had on the Japanese domestic market, but I do know the S30 was monumental in America. A fuel efficient, fun sports car that anyone could afford was something that was totally new here. It opened up the opportunity of motoring adventure to the Everyman and changed thousands of lives as a result. Now, I don’t know these things for a fact because I was not alive at the time, but I am beginning to see it for myself as I restore my own 240Z. The joy I get when 50 year old technologies and parts still work as well as they did, or near as well as they did, the day they rolled off the assembly line, is a unique thing. The S30 chassis is dynamically influential, in that it continues to be revolutionary, even today. My generation can tear one apart and see how cars used to be made. They can learn about points and condensers and all the other analog technology that isn’t used in newer cars, and see the brilliance in it. I know points and such are not unique by any means to the S30, but it is a valuable lesson that needs to be learned My young car enthusiasts, that stage III chips and computers and self driving cars And even power steering are not needed for fun. The S30 serves just fine.
Omedetou, your comment has earned you a set of decals from the JNC Shop!
Cheap used Lexus LSeses. I buy them at a rate of about once every 36 months. My friends buy old 7-series and S-classes. I put in gas and do oil changes, they replace actuators, hoses, ECUs, step motors, display screens, control boards…
I’m really grateful for the classic car repair shop resolving the rust issues on my JDM Trueno AE8! I really wanted this to be fixed properly as the car was, apart from these two hidden rust holes in the rear inner fenders, entirely rust free. So I went to a classic car repair shop because:
1. It’s a job that I’m not able to do myself as I suck at welding
2. It’s a double skinned inner fender, so very difficult to weld properly with the right angles and curvature
3. Any normal repairshop would just cut the grot out and weld in a thick piece of sheet metal in its place
4. The repair is invisible from the outside, on the inside it is visible but only clearly visible because of the colour difference. But it’s below/behind the rear seat and panels so not visible in plain sight…
I’m really grateful for their craftsmanship and being open to fix up something else than their usual Jaguar E-type, Lancia Flavia or 1970s Porsche 911s!
KE70 Toyota’s bi-level climate control.
I have driven plenty cars from old to new and all i can say is, every time i put the lever in the “bi-level” position, my mind gets blown each time and wonder why many other cars could not get this right.
And i am a miserable human when my feet is cold but i hate having my face warm…and I feel Toyota sat in the board room and said:
” there are people in this world who love their feet to be warm but their faces to be cool”
They knew we existed and I love them for that… i dont see many cars with this and some cars offer this, however its warm at the feet and warmer at the face.
To me this makes driving so much more enjoyable and i have become that guy who cant stop bragging about the latest gadget… even though im 40 years late to the party.
” there are people in this world who love their feet to be warm but their faces to be cool”
This made me spit my yerba mate all over my keyboard. It is funnier than it should be by a factor of 10. Perhaps because I too like my face to by cool and my feet to be toasty.
Wiring harness, to avoid any mess and fire due old / messed up electrical installation.
I think I would be thankful for the fact that me, you, and everybody had the fighting spirit to run, maintain, heck even just buy what others would think is a rusty piece of transportation.
This is because if you think about it, without our will and itch, we might have just moved on and bought newer cars. Without us falling in love with our cars’ quirks, we might have just sold it to another person. Add to the fact that we tend to oversearch for parts everywhere, whether it be the rare stuff or just NOS parts that would keep the cars running.
That’s why I tell you, we, who always work our butts off just to see the old girl start up in the morning, should be thankful for ourselves.
Oh yeah, I forgot to add the people who keep on insisting why we haven’t let go of the box of bolts yet.