BACK TO THE FUTURE WITH SCOTT WILSON AND HIS TIME MACHINE

By Steven Justice

Page Two

In 1969 I ordered what would be my last race car. As was my practice, I started with a Lakewood Chassis Co. frame. It was 170’, and at the time, the longest wheelbase for any top fuel dragster. As you hope sometimes happens, this car was dead-on from the beginning; everything just fit perfectly. Although built to accommodate a SOHC Ford motor, we used the Ramcharger Dodge power plant as well. With the "Cammer" we ran 223.90, but with the hemi it was the first fueler over 230 with our 233.40 against Chuck Kurzawa and the Ramchargers. Heck, Drag News even gave us credit for the quickest time ever on seven cylinders: a 7.19 at the Drag News Invitational that year. Once we had a match race against the Ramchargers at the annual opening of Windsor Dragway. This was a big deal with lots of media on hand to cover the event. Chuck Kurzawa was their driver at the time, and on the first round, we ripped their heart out with that 6.85-233 mph pass. Though I didn’t know it at the time, Knapp would tell me later that it was the first pass over 230 mph ever! As we prepared for round two, I noticed a beautiful set of chrome header pipes in Knapp’s truck. The first and third and second and forth pipes both went together to form two huge four inch collectors on each bank. As I recall, I told him I would love to try those babies. He told me they were very experimental, but go ahead. We took off our headers and put on the new ones. When it was time to race, we fired up, and staged. We both left at the green, but halfway down the track it got so hot I had to get out of it, letting Chuck win the round. The experimental pipes had eaten the paint of the cowling of the car, melted the plastic windshield, and burned both of my shoulders. A little latter while we were taking his headers off our dragster, Knapp saunters over to our pit to see how we were doing. I told him it had been a terrible ride with everything getting crispy including me. "You know", he said, "The very same thing happened to us when we used those pipes". Just like I said; trial and error and find out for yourself. Actually, Don Knapp was a terrific guy and I really miss him today.

I can’t really remember why drag racing came to an end for me, but it did. After that, I ran super modifieds at Oswego, New York for five or six years and had lots of fun. I ran decent with these cars, but I never lost my love for top fuel dragsters. Some time later Alex and I decided we should find my last FED and restore it. We hunted and hunted, and amazingly, found it. Three or four years ago, I was inducted into the Canadian Motorsports Hall of Fame. The Time Machine spent three years in the museum, but now it’s back in my shop. I see that old car almost every day and there are always new recollections that seep out of the back roads of my mind. What’s most amazing to me is how many other people share these same memories, and what a great time we have bench racing and laughing about all the old times. It has been during times like these that I think about Fred (Farndon) and wished he were here to be part of it. Much of what our team accomplished during the hey day of The Time Machine can be traced back to the friendship and camaraderie developed between our team and the gang from Toronto. I never would have accomplished what I did in motorsports without him. In closing, it’s important to note that racing is not kind to wives. My wife Terry has had to endure so many sacrifices and hardships. But, without her, it would all be for naught. I want everyone to know what a terrific gal she’s been and how so much of this is due to her. Thanks Terry, now and always.

THE RESTORATION

The restoration was done by Alex Litt, my lifelong friend and crew chief in the days we raced The Time Machine. This is the original Lakewood Chassis built for the SOHC Ford. Today, it is outfitted with a 426 cid Dodge steel block, aluminum heads, Donovan valves, stage V rocker arms, and a stroker crank. Current displacement is 542 inches (!!) with an 8:71 supercharger, and Enderle injectors. Spark comes from a Mallory super mag, so when we light all the candles, this bad girl really cackles!

"Come inside and I’ll show you around the shop"

"Doc, I need a shot of nitro"

"My wife’s name is Terry and she’s an original as well"!

"Hey gang; let’s take the dragster for a walk" (Scott, Terry, and Dave Annen)

"No Charley, you can’t drive the dragster; your paws won’t reach the pedal"