Video: Crossing off the jobs list on dad’s ute

In this episode of Carnage, Scotty kits out the Valiant with a trans cooler and wires up the thermo fans

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Photographers: Matt Hull
Videographers: Matt Hull


It’s plumbing day in the Carnage workshop, as Scotty edges closer to firing up the 318 small-block Chrysler that’s been freshly plonked into his VE Valiant ute.

Last episode, Scotty installed the super-nice custom-made radiator he commissioned from Aussie Desert Cooler for this project. The big unit also came with a pair of thermo fans, so the first job on Scotty’s list was to wire in a fan controller kit to make sure this old Val runs ice-cool when we’re out cruising it this summer.

Other than needing to re-pin a plug and extend some wiring, the controller kit was fairly easy to install, with plenty of room under the Valiant’s dash to play with. The fans use a temp sensor that screws into the Edelbrock intake manifold, so no need to drill and tap new threads – happy days!

While he was under the dash mounting the controller kit, Scotty also opted to install a pair of oil and water gauges. The oil pressure gauge in particular will prove crucial when Scotty’s ready to hit the key on this freshly built 318, as we’ll be able to ensure we have proper oil pressure when we prime the system.

The A999 gearbox Scotty has chosen to run behind the mill also needs to be kept cool, so a remote-mounted trans cooler was in order. We had a spare unit left over from the original Mr Dodgey build, so we decided to recycle it. The holesaw did have to come out to make way for the lines at the front of the car, but sometimes that’s just how it goes in this game.

Scotty’s just waiting on a few more parts to arrive (we all know the pain of waiting for delayed car parts right now), and then in the next episode he fully intends to fire this 318 up. So get excited Carnage fans, we’re nearly there!

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