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30th May 2007 The Screamin' Demon hemi FED is currently in a 1000 pieces, getting its winter rebuild. Some of the items needing repair resulted from the final run at the 31st March 2007 meeting where, for the first time, I experienced massive tyre shake. As it was the final, winning seemed more important than pedalling the car, but the result is a number of broken brackets including the fire bottle etc. managed to top qualify in Supercharged Outlaws with a 6.74 ET. Still, we won the final in a very close race, so that means we won two meetings out of the six ANDRA events we ran this season. Not a bad average. Thanks to our sponsor CononoPhillips Lubricants and my hard working crew, Annette, Mick, Anna, Daniel, Steve, Wayne and Thomas. 4th March 2007 Westernationals —Perth Motorplex Despite fuel system problems during the weekend, the Screamin' Demon hemi FED managed to top qualify in Supercharged Outlaws with a 6.74 ET. We then managed to sneak though the eliminations until the final, when we came up against Steve Raven. Unfortunately Steve's parachute popped during his burnout, handing us our first ever Westernationals win. I guess it has been a few years since a blown front engine dragster has won a class at a national championship event. To say the Time Warp team was excited is an understatement. Thanks to our new sponsors CononoPhillips Lubricants, all our supporters and of course the Time Warp crew. RIP Ken Smith - FED Driver 27th February 2007 ConocoPhillips Lubricants Joins the Time Racing Team
Time Warp Racing is pleased to announce that ConocoPhillips Lubricants are now supporters of the team's ongoing drag racing activities. ConocoPhillips Lubricants includes the Conoco premium range of products for mining and construction applications. These products cover the full range of diesel oils, transmission lubricants/fluids, gear lubricants, lubricating greases and hydraulic fluids. It also includes the range of Phillips 66 aviation oil and grease products. For further information on the range of ConocoPhillips quality products, please refer to the following :
17th February 2007 Cruzin Nostalgia Drags—Perth Motorplex Another interesting day at the races................. The day started out with rain until one in the afternoon, so a fair bit of time was spent sitting in the trailer drinking coffee and discussing whether we were going to get a run. The weather did clear so we rolled out the Screamin’ Demon hemi FED and tried our first run down the track to see what the conditions were like. By half track I was driving down the centre line so buttoned off but the car still did a 7.02. The next run was our best for the day, being a 6.45 which set the new fastest FED run ever in Australia. This still wasn’t a full power pass, with the hemi blowing the supercharger burst panel at the 1000 ft mark. The burst panel issue was traced back to a melted spark plug on No.5 cylinder which was, in turn, traced back to a blocked fuel nozzle due to fuel contamination. The 3rd pass looked a lot like the 1st, with the car going down the centre line at half track, this time removing a couple of the foam timing markers. Sorry to the Perth Motorplex for that but, given the resulting damage to the front wing, you can take as fact that this was not our plan. We then found more fuel contamination which was traced back to our fuel filling procedure. This required all the fuel system to be cleaned out, including tank, all lines, all nozzles etc before we could run again. Thanks to the crew for their efforts. So the final run was our last chance to set a Cruizin Nostalgia Drags record. We needed to try and back up the earlier run or at least get under 6.80 to set the record. By the time we got out for the final run it was 10pm and the track was as cold as ice. When the car was fired up there was massive fuel leak, however this was quickly resolved. At half track the car again spun the tyres so, rather than let it wander into the centre of the track, I peddled it (throttle off then back on) and managed a 6.78. This was enough to set the Australian AA/FD Nostalgia Drag Racing record at 6.78 and these were the first official 6 second FED passes at any Cruzin Nostalgia Drags ever. Some more firsts for the Time Warp team. Thanks to the crew for all their dedication and effort.
3rd December 2006 We finally did it !!! . We have finally got the Screamin' Demon hemi powered front engine dragster to do the first 6 second FED pass in Australia. After 2 1/2 years of challenges and problems, it all finally came together at the Goldenstates held at the Perth Motorplex on the 1st & 2nd December 2006. Our weekend did not start out so well, with the dragster throwing a blower belt at half track in the first qualifier on Friday night. Unfortunately it damaged various bits and pieces on the front of the engine including all the mag and logger wiring. It took us until lunch time on Saturday to get it all fixed and ready to go again. Then, with a fairly conservative tune up, we did the first 6 second FED pass in Australia with a : 6.478 Second ET at 207.37 MPH (333.72 kph) Unfortunately, to run in Super Charged Outlaws we must run slower than a 6.5 second ET. So we had to SLOW the dragster down to qualify. I never thought we would have that problem. I guess the excitement of the 6.47 pass got to everybody, because on the next run the cap came off the fuel tank in the burn out, then I managed to do the whole run in 2nd gear only. Interestingly, it still did a 7.278 at 200mph with only 2nd gear, but the main bearings didn't appreciate it and required changing before the next qualifier. So after a quick bearing change by the crew, this was followed up with a qualifying run just inside the 6.50 cutoff to top qualify in Super Charged Outlaws with : 6.530 Second ET at 214.28 MPH (344.84 kph) I guess this pass set a new SC/O track record as well. With the air getting better, we had to slow the car down further to keep it slower than 6.5 for the first eliminator, however my 0.127 reaction time was not good enough to get the win. The eliminator time was : 6.573 Second ET at 213.77 MPH (344.02 kph) What a day ! We were hoping for a high 6 second pass. Maybe a 6.9 or even a 6.8, as we have never got the dragster to run faster than 7.1 ET at 190mph before. However I was beginning to wonder whether we were ever going to manage it. Up until now, this car has been a long, sad story since we imported it from the USA 2 1/2 years ago. Due to the poor shape of what we received, it has been plagued by problems from day 1, starting with a cracked engine block and getting worse from there. By now, everything has been replaced on the car except the chassis & diff. I guess, because of all the drama we have had, it means so much more to the whole crew that we have finally done the 6, and the first one in Australia. We considered Saturday as our last chance to get the first 6 as a few serious racers on the east coast were out to set the first FED 6, possibly the next day at Cruzin Magazine's nostalgia meeting at WSID in Sydney. I have to give so much thanks to : - Annie the long suffering wife, who has
never once complained about the money, time, sweat and tears that have gone into
this car What's next ? I guess we need to sit down and work out what the next goal is for this car. Stay tuned, this could get really interesting. Steven
27th March 2006 Finally time to update everyone on the news : FATHEAD EXPRESS (Was Flathead Express) In December 2005 we broke 2 blown flathead motors in a month. Our new "spare" only survived 8 runs before expiring with a cracked block, with our number 1 reverse port flathead motor expiring at the next race meeting. Sigh....... Being the middle of our racing season and with all our attention on getting the Screamin' Demon dragster going, we decided to put an injected small block Chev in the car so we could continue to race through to the end of the season when we should have enough time to put another flathead together. I know, I can hear all the flathead lovers saying we have gone over to the dark side etc etc ......... we have heard it all from the Ford guys. I have to say that the car is going very well with the very mild SBC in it (built by Hank Robertson) and PB'ed at the weekend with an 8.86. We are currently ahead on points in the Modified class at the Kwinana Motorplex with one race meeting to go, but with Mark MacKay and Jeremy Ball very close on the points table, the final meeting is going to be very exciting. I still think some handicapping advantage should be given, based on age, with these young racers such as Mark and Jeremy having their dial -in/reaction time package made worse by, say 0.1 second, to help the older racers like me. Maybe I should put a rule submission in to ANDRA get this happening ? We also managed to win the final in Junior Fuel against Darrel Horley at the Cruzin Magazine Nostalgia Drags held at Kwinana in February. SCREAMIN' DEMON The hemi powered front engine dragster has continued to give us challenges, mostly related to the configuration of the heads. It has certainly tested our patience and resolve, with problem after problem delaying the car getting to the track. We have ended up changing to a set of near new Brad Anderson fuel heads, manifold, ProMag44 ignition system etc which means we have now replaced everything on the motor. We continued licencing on the dragster on the weekend after more than a year of not being able to get it to the track and managed to finally get a full track pass in the car. Our first ! It was a 7.26 at 190mph. Thanks to all the Time Warp crew for their hardwork leading up to the race meeting and on the day. Competing with two race cars at a meeting is a bit of a challenge, especially when one is a bit of a hand full like the hemi FED. Thanks also to Graeme Jones for his expert guidance, Gary Gracie for machining the final bits so quick, Hank Robertson for helping with other bits and pieces, the other Super Charged Outlaws who gave us moral support on Saturday and all the other people who come to visit us in the pits and give us so much of encouragement. We plan to take both cars to the final meeting of the season. MY39COUPE We have removed the electronic fuel injection off Annette's coupe and replaced it with a carb in preparation for her to start racing in Super Street next year. She has been doing a bit of racing lately, including a runner up position in the recent "ladies training" day held at Kwinana. 1st September 2005 First I must apologise for the fact that the website has not been updated for some time. Life has been very hectic with work commitments and the fact that we have spent what would normal have been the "off season" competing in the Cruizin Magazine nostalgia series on the east coast of Australia. WHAT'S BEEN HAPPENING We have competed with the Flathead Express FED at Western Sydney International Dragway in June and the nostalgia nationals at Willowbank Raceway, Queensland on the 22nd August. The dragster was shipped to the events in a shipping container and we flew to each event. The event at Sydney was great, although plagued with battery problems and lack of traction with the old slicks we had on the FED. The batteries failing resulted in us missing a round, however Annie's quick thinking meant we managed to complete the event with the dragster starting off our generator and charger loaded into the back of the rental car. Thanks to Annie, Adam and Hank and Nola Robertson for crewing at this event. For the Willowbank, Queensland event we fitted new batteries and a new set of slicks, however a series of problems kept us on our toes. It started on the Saturday, when we found the shipping had somehow caused the parachute release cable to break, This was repaired and a couple of practice runs were carried out at the Saturday night test & tune. Things turned ugly on Sunday morning, with the starter motor refusing to engage properly. It took 6 hours to identify and finally fix the problem which required some quick modifications to the starter ( Thanks to Jeff ). This left just 20 minutes before the start of competition so we missed any chance of practice runs. Anyway, the competition racing was great with some very close racing, however we managed to sneak through in the final against Peter Duffy to win the event. Thanks to Annie, Adam, Daniel Filer and Prue for crewing at this event and thanks to the help given by the track staff at Willowbank.
We finally got Screamin Demon going for the final meeting at the Quit Motorplex
in April with an almost completely new KB hemi, including new block, crank, cam,
rods, pistons ......... however teething problems meant we only got to the
position of completing half passes. Thanks to Annie (the wife), Mick and Anna
Katarski, Wayne Spence and Daniel Filer for crewing on the big car. 2005-06 PLANS We plan to start the 05-06 season by running Flathead Express at the October Test & Tune with the new "spare" flathead motor currently being built by Bob St Lawrence. This will enable us to test the spare setup we will be taking east for the nostalgia series. We will continue licencing with the Screamin' Demon hemi FED at the first national meeting at the Quit Motorplex and will continue running this dragster at Motorplex national meetings through to at least the Westernationals in March. After competing in nostalgia drags at the Quit Motorplex in February 2006, the current plan is to send the Flathead Express FED to the eastern states of Australia so we can complete in the rest of the 05-06 nostalgia series including events in Melbourne, Sydney, McKay and the nostalgia nationals in Brisbane in August 2006. I have to say that 2 years ago I would never have believed such a great national nostalgia series would be up and running in Australia by now. Thanks to the Cruizin Magazine guys for making this happen and I recommend that if anyone gets an opportunity to get one of these events, they should jump at it. Catch you later. March 16th 2005 I can safely say that the Westernationals held at the Kwinana Motorplex is a meeting the team would prefer to forget. On the way to the track, the transporter had an argument with a weighbridge, resulting in the microwave in the trailer landing on the nose cone of the Flathead Express front engine dragster, taking a chunk out of the nose. Besides missing out on one of the qualifying runs on Saturday due to a bit of rain, the dragster ran fine in the other two Saturday qualifying runs, including a PB for this combination of 9.77 ET. It was the final qualifying run on Sunday afternoon that did not go so well. As the dragster went though the traps under power, the crank shaft snapped, throwing a couple of rods out through the pan and collapsing a few of the front cylinders. Luckily the front of the motor locked up, immediately stopping the fuel pump and supercharger and the engine nappy/diaper contained all the oil so the dragster came to a safe stop. Unfortunately that was the end of our spare No.2 engine and the end of our racing weekend. Since the race meeting we have replaced the engine in Flathead Express with our No.1 flathead engine and will take it to the next race meeting in one week. Our new Keith Black hemi engine should be finished in the next week or so, enabling us to run the hemi powered Screamin' Demon front engine dragster at the final meeting of the season in April. Another reminder to those living in Perth, only 2 months to the Nostalgia Drags at the Motorplex on the 15th of May. Catch you later. December 5th 2004 Some great racing news ! After a shaky start to the season with a red light loss in round one at the 27th October season opener at the Kwinana Quit Motorplex, the Time Warp team has gone on to win the Modified class with the Flathead Express front engine dragster at the next two meetings on the 20th November and 4th December. This change in fortune seems directly related to the swapping of the original front wire wheels for the the Weld wheels off the Screamin' Demon FED. This has finally resolved the unusual staging light problems that have been happening, with the staging beams sneaking through between the wheel rim and beam blocking plate attached to the rim. I guess the fact that the 20th November final was against Ian Forrest's 6 cylinder front engine dragster makes it the first Australian national race meeting final in a number of years that featured two front engine dragsters and it must be even longer since a flathead powered vehicle has won a final at a national meeting in Australia. The final on the 4th December was a close one against Hank Robertson (who built Flathead Express) in his '34 Ford Coupe. Flathead Express is currently running the number 2 motor built by Bob St Lawrence which features a conventional flathead block, mercury crank and 4-71 blower. It does very consistent 9.8 second ETs which is perfect for the Modified class which is a DYO class for dragsters and altereds. As for the Screamin' Demon hemi, we are still waiting for the new block, crank, cam, rollers and valves. The aim is to start testing at the end of January. I would like to thank my wife Annette for her endless encouragement and assistance, and the rest of the Time Warp crew, Mick, Anna and Wayne for putting in so much effort and making drag racing so much fun. Also thanks to all those people that have supported us in our racing and the recent challenges we have had with the hemi. Catch you later. P.S. It seems Cruizing Magazine and Drive Publishing are putting together a nostalgia drag racing series for next year. For those of you in Perth, mark the 15th May on you calendar and get your pre '75 front engine dragster, altered, street rod or street machine ready. Its more than 5 months away so there are no excuses. October 28th 2004 Well, it has been an interesting time for the team. A lot of time has been put into preparing the Screamin' Demon FED for its first test runs, with the first taking place on the 12th September and the 2nd on the 9th October. From the beginning, both test sessions were plagued with timing cover problems, with the locating dowel pins for the timing cover coming adrift immediately in both cases. A strip down of the Keith Black hemi engine during the last week has identified the cause as being serious cracks across the front of the engine block resulting in the block being unusable. This is a serious blow to our racing plans for this season and is likely to result in a delay of at least 3 to 4 months before we will be able to restart the testing process while a new block is sourced from Keith Black . Disappointed ? You bet ! Without the hemi FED being operational, the Flathead Express FED will be dusted off and run in the Modified class at the Motorplex for most of this season. The little dragster is actually running our original flathead with the conventional port configuration while our reverse port motor is getting some well deserved maintenance. On a positive note, Annie's 1939 Ford Deluxe Coupe hot rod is ready to go. With some time on our hands due to the hemi's demise, Annie should get the opportunity to get some track time in the coupe over the next few months. July 22nd 2004 We are currently preparing the Screamin' Demon FED to run in the new Supercharged Outlaws class starting at the Quit Motorplex this season. This class will run our car against similar supercharged vehicles so we expect some exciting racing as we learn to get the car down the track. We are currently going over the car checking all components and installing a datalogger. The expectation is to fire up the car for the first time in approximately two weeks. The first appearance for the dragster should be the Test & Tune at the Quit Motorplex on the 12th September when we will start the licencing process required for both the vehicle and the driver. It will be interesting ! Annette's 1939 Ford coupe street rod is now on the road and registered. Thanks to Hank Robertson for a fantastic job on it. Annette is looking forward to giving it a few runs down the strip. Steven
March 22nd 2004 Team Update Well it has been a very interesting month or two for the team. From a racing point of view we have won a few rounds, getting through to the semi-finals at the Westernationals and through to the semi-finals at the 20th March meeting at the Motorplex. This has not been without incident, with the flathead continually ripping teeth off the blower belt at the Westernationals causing us to detune it to get through the meeting after we got down to our last blower belt. That problem has been solved by going to a 3" wide blower belt. However a new torque convertor put in for the 20th March meeting did not even get the car off the line for the 1st qualifier. After concluding the torque converter was dead, the team ripped in to it, taking out the motor, putting in our original torque converter and throwing the motor back in time for us go out for the 3rd and final qualifier. A job well done by the team, Annette (the wife), Mick Katarski, Anna Katarski & Tim Katarski. Thanks also to all the modified racers for the offers of assistance and all the spectators who have given us a huge amount of encouragement. From a performance point of view, we managed a 9.33 second ET at 151mph at the February test and tune and Flathead Express's performance is generally hovering around the 9.4s. The car is still running with a very safe setup so there is certainly some further performance gains to be had. Next season ? Well, as you may have noticed on our home
page, Screamin' Demon is arriving soon. Catch you later January 12 2004 Team Update I suppose I had better come clean and confess that we are selling up the top fuel equipment we have. After a lot of thought we have come to the conclusion that this is not the appropriate direction for the Time Warp team to be heading. When we got back into drag racing a few years ago it was based on having fun and enjoying our racing. This has been the case until now (besides a couple of red lights lately) however this was starting to appear less likely to be the case with the fuel project. This is also based on a number of issues including, but not limited to, licensing requirements, licensing opportunities, the cost versus racing opportunities, business commitments…….. the list goes on. Our plan is to stick with the nostalgia racing format, with a new car possibly ready for the 2004-2005 season. In the interim our new trailer will not go to waste. It has been designed to carry the Flathead Express dragster and Annette’s Super Street 1939 Ford Coupe at the same time, allowing both to be raced at national events. Annette’s coupe is currently being painted by Sam Rhodes of Vulcan Paint and Panel and will return to Hank Robertson at Street Rod Services to be completed in the next few months. Flathead Express Update For first two meetings of the season we have been wrestling with launching problems where Flathead Express either went left or right but never straight off the line. This would be ok except the front wheels were off the ground when it was doing it which made it hard to avoid the wall or the centre line unless the car was pedalled. In Modified, if you take your foot off you have lost the race as the competition is so strong. After the second race meeting Hank Robertson updated the wheelie bar to a dual wheel configuration and did a bit of chassis tuning however it did not get a good test as at the next meeting our number 1 reverse port motor leaned out on one cylinder requiring valve replacement . This occurred after the second qualifier of the day but, not wanting to miss out on the opportunity to race, we went home, got our spare motor and changed them over at the track. Both Flathead Express engines are currently receiving an overhaul by Bob St Lawrence. Our spare motor has done more than 8 race meeting without any major work so is well overdue for a freshen up. Catch you later. Steven |
