NERVOUS SURGEONS

Mike Taylors Gasser Devon (now owned and run by Nervous Nick) photgraphed here by Custom Car for their photoshoot during 1982. The location was near the Skewjack Surf Village in Cornwall, how many of you attended this run which was so popular in the early 80's?

 

 

This is Mike Taylor's all steel Willys captured here resting in the pits at Shakespeare County Raceway. This is the cars third incarnation on these shores as originally when it arrived it was green with a Cal Custom fibreglass front end and running Halibrand wheels on the front and Daisy Mags on the back and under the ownwership of Duncan Pursell. Duncan rebuilt the car and painted it bright yellow and the car was featured in Custom Car along with Mike Keys Chevy. Mike purchased the Willys from Duncan and rather than drive it set about stripping it completly in preparation for a full on rebuild which culminated in the car you see before you now, an all steel Willys with Mike replacing the fibreglass front with the genuine article Steel Panels. Unlike most Willys of this genre this one is propelled by a small block of the Chevy variety and is right hand drive making this car quite unique and set apart from the crowd, if the attention to detail that Mike has pursued was not enough to do that already! News on the grapevine tells me that Mike is preparing another piece of unique steel for the Taylor experience, details and images to follow!

 

 Amazing what you can find lurking at the back of a workshop, you just need to know where to look.

This shot and the one below were taken back in 1983 and as far as I am aware the car is still yet to see the light of day. I have been asked not to reveal the owners identity or the cars location, but it is all steel and I hope it soon is pounding the streets, as that is where all Street Rods belong.

     

 

                                                                                                                    

 

                        

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

                                                                                                   

Its 1984 and you are walking around Billing, you are on the lookout for inspiration for your next project, you have a bundle of grubby but hard earned notes in your pocket.

Desperation is begining to set in, so much so that you are trying to decide between buying a T shirt, a dodgey burger or a set of old Custom Car mags from the 70's which incidentally have had the centrefolds removed (something to do with the naked women adorning the feature cars no doubt) when you spy an all steel 34 5 window body For Sale for under £4,000 and you will even get a 9" Ford and a set of Daisy Mags thrown in. Dreaming? Not in 84 if you were quick of the mark. I wonder how many of us just walked pass and who jumped in and built it?

 

 

It never ceases to amaze me what some people leave lying around at Rod runs, either that or it is one of the best looking barbecues that I have ever seen. Come to think of it  this shot was taken many years before that culture shock swept in across the Atlantic.

Hardly recognisable this is the 4 door 57 that Chris sold to finance the purchase of a Flat, the new owner has obviously spent a small fortune not only in money but also time in restoring her to better than new condition. Truly Classic Lines it is sad to reflect that he cannot enjoy them anymore!

These images kindly donated by Mike Taylor showing the early build up picture of the Devon. The car body is shown sitting on its new purpose built chassis following its construction by Mike and wearing Centerlines all round and if you look closely you can gain some idea of the period as in the background you can see an Austin Cambridge. (I wonder if that spent its last days pounding round a banger racing circuit?)

 

The 2 shots below detail the before and after paint process.

 

This paragraph is dedicated to Rods captured on the other side of the "Big Pond"

  

 

  

 

        

 

   

   

 

We all hope one day to discover Old Tin and often we return empty handed some of us are lucky enough to do it and this is a cautionary tale of the Nervous Surgeons Early Iron hunt! These may not be what you think, they are infact Model AA Ford trucks and there are infact 3 in this delapidated workshop. This picture is from 15 years ago but only last year I returned to the same yard where this workshop is and the trucks were still inside in almost identical condition. I returned to the Yard with Slingshot and despite the difficulty in gaining access to the workshop without forcing an entry (which would be illegal) and against the Hot Rod ethics associated with scrap yard hunts, we managed to get into the workshop. Our delight however was shsort lived as the owner of the trucks had spotted us snooping around and challenged us inside the workshop. We apologised and tried to leave but he blocked the exit and then like a scene from a really bad Horror film the sound of distant Chain saws grew louder and we quickly realised that they were rapidly closing in on the workshop. Chris tried to passify the man and should have thought before he opened his mouth. To my absolute disblief Chris said "we are looking for Model A bits"! The male was now livid, i realised we had to get out of here and quick, so I pushed past the imposing figure of the 60 year old male and we were greeted outside the workshop by 3 younger males 2 of which held chain saws now idling and awaiting iinstruction to attack! We protested our innocence but clearly this was not the firt time he had caught people in his old workshop, we kept moving and the Chain saw sounds faded as we exited the yard at a rapid rate of knots and fell about laughing once we were safetly back to our car, clearly a release of pent up fear! Chris even managed to get some blurred pictures of the trucks but not good enought to use here, so remember it is still out there but it is really down to luck if you find it and if you find it like we did you won't even get chance to ask if it is For Sale!