Ah, finally…the engine is hanging from the hoist, dangling above the chasm of an engine bay, ready to be placed in for the final time. There’s a great deal of satisfaction in that moment. You are nowhere near done by any means but seeing the engine fill the engine bay is a mental positive note that can make your whole week. It’s in. That’s done. Everything from here on is all about getting it running. And once it’s running, you can drive it. See the snowball effect? Dropping the engine in is a huge morale boost and validates all of the hard work that you’ve put in so far.

And if there is anybody who has put in some hours, it’s Dylan McCool. He’s been spinning wrenches on his 1973 Challenger for a while now, turning it from yard art into a machine any of us would be proud to call our own. The 5.7L Hemi sourced from a Jeep is painted up, pretty and ready to go into the car. A Milodon oil pan finishes off the block, the transmission input shaft has to be trimmed to fit properly, and after an incident involving the cherry picker and a subsequent inspection, it’s time to wheel the Challenger out for the fitting. Spoiler alert: it didn’t work. What happened? Hit play and find out!