SCOTTY is starting yet another build for Carnage, but this one is quite special to him.

It’s a 1968 VE Valiant ute, formerly owned by his dad, who passed away from cancer nine years ago. Scotty has held on to the ute since then, and is about to undertake a massive five-week thrash to get it ready to drive from Melbourne to Willowbank Raceway in Queensland for Mopar Sunday on 25 July.

That will be quite a job, because while on the surface the car looks fairly complete, there’s no engine or transmission, and there hasn’t been for a long time.

But never fear! Being a Mopar nut for decades, Scotty already has most of the gear ready to get this thing running again. It’ll be getting a 318ci small-block Chrysler that he has had sitting around for a while, along with an A999 automatic ’box.

In this episode, Scotty gets to work test-fitting the engine and trans into the car with a set of Tuff Mounts engine mounts. After a bit of poking and prodding, the 318 slid into the VE nicely, which cuts a big chunk of time out of the build.

With the engine a confirmed fit for the Valiant, the next episode will see Scotty pull the 318 back out and tear it down. He has no real idea of the mill’s history, and with the goal of completing a mammoth road trip and running 12s at Willowbank, he needs to make sure the engine is in tip-top shape.

Part of that will include throwing on a whole bunch of Edelbrock gear, including cylinder heads, water pump, intake manifold and a nice new set of valve covers. Stay tuned for the engine teardown episode coming soon!