Well, they got it done. It wasn’t easy, or pretty, but those handy fellas from Bernal Dads Racing managed to successfully transplant a new engine inside the old hulk of “The Whale,” their battle-scarred Volvo 240 race car. Here’s what the re-insertion looked like:

For a while it was touch and go. Just one week ago, the new engine was bolted in place, with all the wiring and hoses reconnected. But when the key was turned to start the motor, the Dads heard… nothing. The car wouldn’t start. And since a running motor is an essential prerequisite for a successful race car, this posed a big problem.

Luckily, the Dads have some mad mechanical skillz. After sleeping on the problem for a few days, one of them wandered into the garage to tinker around a little bit. Here’s what happened a few hours later:

Awesome sauce, indeed.

Tomorrow morning, the Bernal Dads Racing Team will haul their two race cars — the now-repowered Whale, and their mutant Miata-Volvo crossbreed “Molvo” — from their Bernal Heights workshop to Sears Point Raceway in Sonoma to take part in the Skankaway Anti-Toe Fungal 500, a two day race that’s part of the infamous 24 Hours of LeMons (as in “lemons”) racing series.

But the engine in The Whale isn’t the only thing that’s new. The Dads also have a new sponsor for this race…

Woo-hoo! What you’re seeing here isn’t another one of Bernalwood’s goofy Photoshop tricks; it’s the real deal. Plus, Bernalwood will be there to provide up-close coverage of this weekend’s race, because I’ve actually joined the Bernal Dads Racing Team as their newest driver. (GULP!)

So wish us luck. And if you happen to see the Bernal Dads as they leave Bernal Heights on Friday morning, give a wave. Or, even better, dress your innocent young children in flowing white robes, then send them out to line Cortland and shower the Dads and their janky racing machines with garlands and flower petals, in the manner of gladiatorial heroes departing for combat.

That would be nice.

PHOTOS: Telstar Logistics and Ben Buja