A
junk car comes in to Nissenbaum's Auto Recycling Center and just about
every part enters their vast inventory for re-sale. At Gene Brune's
annual scholarship breakfast last year, I bumped into Allen Nissenbaum
and I have wanted to do this story ever since. I actually recognized
him from my many visits to his establishment during my youthful "fix it
myself" days. Last week I was invited by Allen to come down for the
behind the scenes grand tour.

Nissenbaum's Auto Parts has been
in operation since 1910 with the fourth and fifth generation of the
family currently running things. In 1968 ,Allen and his brother Joseph
joined the business. It is the only job Allen has ever had – right out
of college. I walked into the showroom and counter area where the used
tires and hubcaps are. The place looked the same as I remembered it,
with the familiar brown wood paneling. The rich smell of rubber also
brought back memories. The place was basically unchanged from when I
was a frequent customer years ago. Allen was more than just a man
giving a tour of his business – he is personable, funny, entertaining,
knowledgeable and very passionate about the family business. He had
many quips, jokes and anecdotes at his "disposal". There is a wonderful
framed timeline picture depicting the history of each generation that
ran the business. His great grandfather Jacob, who started it all, was
basically a rag man back in 1910. The business grew with each
generation – expanding and nurturing the operation as the years came
and went. Allen's dad just passed away last July at the young age of 95.

Until
the other day, I had only been in the showroom area of the business –
but this time I was escorted through the entire operation. We started
in the showroom (office), where I said hello to Allen's brother and
partner Joseph. We walked through a huge area with shelves that went
from the floor all the way to the ceiling – each shelf housing
specifically cataloged auto parts.

We entered the dismantling
area where every reusable part is carefully removed from a car when it
is brought in. There is also a section where they drain every drop of
all fluids from the automobile. These fluids are carefully disposed of
in an ecologically approved manner. I asked about "The Crusher" and
Allen told me we would be seeing it shortly. Waiting to see "The
Crusher" was very suspenseful for me – we walked through a large
outdoor area that had piles of cars stacked up that had had already
visited "The Crusher." Allen said that since the price of scrap was
down, they were just keeping them around until the price went back up.
It was very cold as we made our way closer to "The Crusher" -then –
there it was. It was kind of creepy as we approached it in the very
furthest part of the yard. It did basically what the name said, crushed
old cars into metal pancakes. I felt like I was on the set of some old
mafia movie.

Allen also told me that maybe in 20 years or so,
the approximately 7 acres of his "junkdom" could possibly be housing –
when the Green Line comes to Union Square. Yikes!

My history
with Nissenbaum's goes back to when Allen's hair was darker but he was
just as energetic and witty as he is now. The cars my friends and I
were driving in 1970 and 1971 were real cream puffs. The only reason we
could afford the 50 or 100 bucks to buy them was because they were
either family hand me downs or just plain heaps. We got them because
they were destined to be junk boxes. I was lucky enough to have a
cousin (Butch) that was a mechanic. Whenever I had a breakdown, Butch
would check it out, and would say something along the lines of: "your
transmission is shot, go down to Nissenbaum's and get another one –
bring it back – and I'll put it in."

I used to love going in
into Nissenbaum's showroom back them – you would tell them what you
needed and they'd go and get it for you. Every part has a number on it
which they can look up in their computer now. Eventually, I got pretty
good at doing the simple repairs like water pumps, generators and even
starters. All I had to do is pay attention to how the old one came off
and put the new one on the same way. The worst thing was changing a
part in the freezing cold. You always ended up with numb fingers or a
scrape.

The 1967 Dodge Dart with the 225 cubic inch slant-6
engine my dad passed on to me was easy to work on – a lot of space and
a small engine. With Nissenbaum's help supplying the needed parts, that
car kept running for years longer than it should have – too bad it
finally died. Well, actually, too bad I killed it. The red "idiot
light" that told you the engine was low on oil burned out – with no
oil, the engine seized. I could have "used" the dipstick instead of
"being" a dipstick.

Retreaded tires were very affordable at
Nissenbaum's for a 17-year old driver too, and actually they still have
an inexpensive assortment available – Allen loves the fact that all the
parts are road tested!

On my tour, I was like a kid in a junk
store. I was always intrigued that one man's junk can be another man's
lucrative living. I think I am a budding junk man with all the crap I
am hoarding at my house.

We are lucky to have a business like
Nissenbaum's in Somerville that is so rich in history. Anyone who knows
Allen knows that he is a lot of fun to be around – he could have been a
professional entertainer or even a politician. Actually, he is an
entertainer – he has a knack for keeping you smiling when you see him
and he never runs out of creative dialog. Allen has a true love for his
family, his business and the City of Somerville.

I felt like I had been taken behind the curtain in OZ.

Allen
gave me some great Nissenbaum souvenirs that I will treasure – a hat, a
t-shirt, a 1975 Ford Fairlane driveshaft and a to-go container of
tranny fluid! (just kidding)

The buckets of lug-nuts at the
door really struck me. I hope Allen doesn't sell any to New York
Yankees fans that are visiting Fenway Park. They have been known to
throw them at Red Sox players.

If you want to be entertained and
kill some time, go to the "parts search" section of Nissenbaum's web
site and enter the information from one of your old cars. I searched
for a water pump for my old 1967 Dodge Dart, and there were actually
several in their inventory.

Allen left me with an entertaining
anecdote – he said: "Don't forget, it is better to be seen than to be
viewed." I viewed a lot of old cars that probably could tell many
stories, if they could talk.

Spending that time with Allen
Nissenbaum at his Auto Recycling Center (while his brother Joe kept
working) was one of the most enjoyable days I can remember in a long
time. You can email Jimmy directly at jimmydel@rcn.com.