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- Michael Taylor project car details ,
Michael Taylor project car details ,
Micheal Taylor nova project
This project was a bit of a labour of love ,
these are before and after pictures the one with the crowd around is a completed picture at the unveiling at Michaels memorial race at Alamo city motorplex .
It belongs to some friends I made at the local race track where we test the super street engines we developed
The Taylor’s were at the track a lot with their race cars and Micheal had just recently started racing this nova and had big plans for it ,
I got to be friends with his grandfather duke ran the staging lanes most nights and kept the run orders organized , they were a tight knit race family that were always so pleasant and helpful to those around them
The night Michael died I had wandered over to talk with them while at their trailer waiting on some oil to turn up for a new car we had just finished
I watched how young Michael interacted with people and thought to myself if there are young men like this still society is gonna be ok ,
That night After the racing was over and people were leaving I was sitting on the wall at the starting line talking to him and some other track friends and saw just how big of an exiting day Michael was having he had got his car running really fast and lined up against some really tough competition and did great , his joy was infectious and I was so happy for this young man and he had a way of spreading that to those around him like some invisible light that some folks just give off ,
The next morning I got the news a drunk driver had crossed the centerline at high speed and crashed head on into Michaels truck and car trailer killing him , his grandfather duke and father Perry and some friends were following along with their race cars but were unable to save him .
The crash was so violent that the race car broke loose and came off the trailer hitting the back of the truck , it bent the front of the car almost 3” out of square
The news ran me over emotionally really hard I had lost a son years before and to think of my friends dealing with that terrible knowing anguish that comes with loosing a child was horrible just imagining what they were feeling brought it all back
It made me sick to my stomach every time I thought about it
After you have lived through that loss you would not wish it upon anyone not even a worst enemy
I didn’t know what to say or do I just wished there was something to ease what they were going through.
At the funeral I found that thing ,
Duke mentioned that Michaels race car was the last thing they had of him and they would like to fix it so I offered to fix it hoping the distraction would take their mind off their pain even for a little bit ,
I went to pick up the car from the impound yard and walked past micheals truck it was horrific, I caught a glimpse and that was enough ! the whole front of the truck drivers side was pushed into to Michael’s seat , I couldn’t even bring myself to take an actual look i just imagined what trauma duke and Perry were feeling having that in their memory and it made me even more determined to try and make something out of the car and try something to take their mind off that pain
It did and Michaels grandfather duke worked along side me while we straightened the car on our frame machine and fitted a new lighter front frame ,
The car was really bent and we ended up cutting and replacing some of the roll cage out and replacing and upgrading it at the same time ,
Duke and I loved working on it and got a tad carried away instead of just repairing it we got the “well while we are here anyway bug “ it got some major upgrades including all new chromoly long travel strut front end with bigger willwood brakes new engine motor plates custom built headers , we even freshened up the engine and found some more power in the combination and new fiberglass front end and doors , when we finished it the car was straighter stronger and lighter than it had ever been .
we got it about finished before the memorial race and a family friend of the Taylor’s put the pretty paint on it.
vfn fiberglass gave us a great deal on the fiberglass panels and smith race craft helped us out with a deal on there beautiful suspension system .
then Perry and duke finished up the tuning and wiring .
i was glad to be a part of keeping one small part around for the family .
I think it came out great .
When think back to loosing my son and if given the choice ahead of time if I could avoid the pain of loosing him to not have him the few years I did , the answer is always the same ,
if I could do it over and knew going in I would only have him around a few years and that terrible pain were coming at the end of it would I still have have him
YES , YES YES , I would just cherish the time with him more .
Folks try and enjoy your family and friends every day you can , don’t let little stuff or even big stuff get between you , tell them you love them often like it’s the last time you might see them , one day it will be
I hope the car always makes Michaels family smile and reminds them of how special their son was and how lucky we are to have our children even for a short while .