BUILDING THE BEAST, Part 8 - By Bill Moore While the Street Beasts 2x4-inch, 10-gauge steel frame has been designed to accept either a 350 Chevy or a small-block Ford, we chose the Ford for our '34 Coupe. Before we go forward with this installment, let's go backward for a moment to the fact that you should carefully consider what engine - and year of engine - that you put into your Street Beast. If you'd like to avoid the ugly canisters and hoses connected with a smogged engine, you should consider using an engine manufactured before 1974 because most states have "grandfathered" their use into the legislative law books. But, to be on the safe side, you must contact your state's Department of Motor Vehicles and see what rules you'll have to meet. If you insist on using a newer engine, you'll probably have to remove all of the anti-smog equipment from a possible donor car and install it on your Street Beast. But, honestly, the most recent batch of engines from Detroit all burn cleanly and provide a potent burst of horsepower. Still, the choice is yours! In preparation for mounting the engine, we had to build it. Cameron McCrary, our head of R&D, got himself a '68 Ford 302 from NAPA and went to work. You can check the photos and see for yourself. Gradually, he added a bit of chrome here and there, and after using a beat up old 302 block for test fitting purposes, we dropped the engine into place. We provide you with engine mount brackets for either small-block Ford or Chevy engines, and our transmission mount is designed to accept a wide variety of units. Working in conjunction with the engines are the transmissions, and you can use any of the following five types. For use with the small-block Ford engine, you can use C4 or C6, or an AOD (automatic overdrive transmission). All are easily adapted to the Ford, although the flywheels do not interchange. It is recommended that you acquire engine/transmission units as a mated pair so you can eliminate that problem. For the Chevy engine, you can use the TurboHydromatic 350 or the TurboHydromatic 400 transmission. The Street Beasts assembly package is specifically designed for these five types of Chevy and Ford components. If you decide on going the remanufactured engine route, the manufacturer can either recommend a transmission to go with their remanufactured engine, or provide you with a compatible transmission. Before you can actually mount the engine you must first install the motor mount brackets, which are supplied in your Street Beasts package. Each bracket is mounted to the frame with four 3/8 x 3-inch hex head bolts of at least Grade 5 steel, and the front mounting holes have been drilled for you. Being certain that you have the right hand bracket on the right, position the bracket and then drill the rear holes through the frame. The tube for the motor mount bolt should be angled up slightly at the front. While you may have the factory mounts on your engine/transmission assembly, it is recommended that you replace them with new units. At the same time, install the transmission mounting support in its proper position between the frame rail crossmember mounts. Because we're using a C4 transmission with our Ford 302, the center mounting plate is facing forward. It's secured in place using four 7/16 x 1-inch Grade 5 hex head bolts, flat-washers and locknuts. Now, it's time for some muscle! You should have at least a couple of your buddies on hand to carefully maneuver the engine and transmission into the frame. It's recommended that you have all the engine accessories attached when you mount the engine &endash; but if you're using a water pump engine fan, that should not be installed until afterwards because proper radiator clearance is essential. First, be sure that the engine hoist is supported by one of your buddies, and that a hydraulic jack is used to help support the transmission as it is positioned into place. Once that's done, install the original Ford motor mount clevis bolt. If it is not available, replace it with a comparable unit or one with equal or greater rating. Of course, just because the engine and transmission are in place, it doesn't mean you're done. Oh no, you've got to hook up fuel lines and a wealth of other details, including throttle pedal and various other connections. And, in our case, we wanted to get our Coupe, affectionately known as Little Car, to a series of Goodguys Rod & Custom Association and National Street Rod Association street rod events around the country - so having it run on and off a trailer was a true back-saving exercise. But it's here that we have to wiggle-woggle just a bit because &endash; while the engine was in place &endash; it wasn't ready to be fired up until after the body . . . and the radiator were in position. So, instead of dealing with putting the body in position, let's skip right ahead to getting the engine fired up. We'll deal with several aspects of the body in our very next chapter. With the body in place, the radiator was installed (We'll attend to those details in a later installment.) and the hoses were all run. A combination of water and coolant were added. A battery was also located just behind the right front wheel and enough wire was run from the supplied wiring harness to the starter so we could get ignition. Cameron fiddled with this, and fiddled with that. He checked to see if the starter had spark. It did. Then, with a bit of gasoline, lots of ventilation, and a fire extinguisher nearby, he fired the engine. The 302 cubic-inch engine turned over instantly and made wonderful, unmuffled booming sounds because the exhaust system was still cluttering the floor beneath this Street Beast. Cameron's hands were busy, making minor adjustments to the Edelbrock carburetor, adding water to the radiator, checking his jury-rigged gauges . . . and he was listening. We all listened! The chromed headers turned from white to blue, and when the engine was shut off, the electric fan whirled to life - just as it was supposed to do. Even when it was quiet, a warm glow still rose from the engine. It's on a day like this when you think . . . well, you know . . . I CAN eat a huge old pizza if I just eat it one slice at a time! Building a Street Beast is just as easy as eating one slice at a time. Don't worry, you won't bite off more than you can chew! And, it's at a point like this when you must fully understand that because, in the coming weeks, you'll be moving onto something new, something that requires you to be just a bit patient & endash; working with the fiberglass body. But, once again, you have to remember that we are waiting at the far end of the tech line to help whenever there's a question. But for right now, just come along for the ride by simply following the captions and photographs.       This is what we started with, a 1968 Ford short-block that we bought from NAPA.         And, here, Cameron McCrary, the Director of Street Beasts R&D, adjusts the valves.         Here, you can see the engine is really taking shape.         Our garage is just like your garage, a busy place!         Here the engine is mounted on our engine hoist, ready for installation.         This is one of the engine mounts.         And here's the engine mounted in the 2x4-inch Street Beasts frame.         This is a good view of the engine and engine mount.         We went with an Edelbrock carburetor.         Before the engine was placed in the frame, this is a view of the transmission support. It can be adapted for a wide range of your favorite transmissions.         Here's a good view of the transmission and how it sits on the mount.         In this view, you can see how it sits in the frame and how the body is positioned around it.         And, one final view. Note the bracket in the frame in the upper left. This is where the steering column and the brake master cylinder will be permanently mounted.         Of course, if you've got an engine, you'll want a means of using it. Here, the throttle pedal assembly is placed in the car.         Between the throttle pedal and the throttle you'll need to determine the length of the throttle cable. Here we use one of Cameron's tips on cutting the cable with a cutting wheel.         And we did the same for the braided covering for the cable.         Here's a view of the final result.         Next, Cameron capped the braided line.         To end up with this!         Inside the body, this is the mount for the throttle cable.         This is what it looks like on the engine side of the firewall.         Here, we stretch the throttle cable towards the carburetor.         This is what it looks like on the pedal end.         Here's another view.         This is where the throttle cable ends up.         Here, the throttle cable has been attached, and a return spring put in place.         In this view you can see that the radiator has been mounted as we continue preparation for starting the engine.         And, of course, we added the appropriate amount of coolant.         In preparation for starting the engine for the first time, the battery was positioned behind the right wheel well, and the starter was mounted.         Here's another view of the gauges.         Then, sitting on the running board, Cameron turned the key and pumped the gas pedal.         And, suddenly, the engine was running. It was an important day for us - and it will be for you, too!