JS City Goblin - 2010 LS

TomsGarage

Active Member
And for future reference for anyone else, I was unable to get the steering wheel off by beating the back of it ala first stage assembly instructions. So I hooked a slide hammer and bearing puller to the steering wheel bracket immediately below the shaft. It took several hard hits before it let loose. View attachment 460
I just borrowed a steering wheel puller from autozone for free, took about 10 seconds to pop off
 

JSATX

Goblin Guru
Can anyone ID this connection? It's at one end of the main harness next to a ground lug.
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EDIT: Apparently it is a digital radio receiver connection
 
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JSATX

Goblin Guru
Started by installing the radiator tubes in the frame. It really is a very tight fit. Tried the paint roller method but just couldn't get enough tire wet into the frame, and ended up having the pull rope break off several times. Tried a slightly different method, cut a shop towl into about a 7" square and then folded it around a nut in the middle so I could tie a rope and have a swab type setup. Then completely soaked the rag in tire wet. Blew the rope though the frame and attached it to a drill on the other side. Spun the rope until it was very tight and started spinning the towl swab and slowly pulled it through the frame rails with drill. Hoses went in pretty quickly after that.

Installed brake lines, radiator, brake booster, pedals, clutch MC, instrument gauge, steering rack and motor, and fuel tank/filler neck. Had planned on installing the engine but I took it off the transmission to pressure wash everything and found out my clutch was at the wear limit indicators so unfortunately had to stop early and order parts.
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BAR-AIR

Well-Known Member
Sorry was going to post this a earlier. Had the same issue, ended up attaching an additional roller right in front of the 3/4" radiator hose soaking that right before pulling the roller and the hose through the frame. Worked great just once you start to pull it through just don't stop.
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DanPerryy

Well-Known Member
You did as much work in a day??? as I did in 3 days. GOOD job!!!

My radiator hoses went through pretty easy, just a person on the infeed end putting tire wet on the hose while I pulled on the outfeed.
 

JSATX

Goblin Guru
Sorry was going to post this a earlier. Had the same issue, ended up attaching an additional roller right in front of the 3/4" radiator hose soaking that right before pulling the roller and the hose through the frame. Worked great just once you start to pull it through just don't stop
That's a good idea. You're right about not stopping once you start pulling. Two people are crucial, one pulling and one oiling in the back.

And Dan I don't get up here as often as id like so my days are 12-14+ hours long. Also I did no wiring at all, your harness looks really nice.

I just could not get the engine as clean as I wanted. Lots of mineral spirits and pressure washing knocked the junk off but did nothing for the brownish dirt/oil discoloration on everything. When I install the turbo I'll go ahead and strip everything completely and recoat the engine components individually, but for now it'll have to do.
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JSATX

Goblin Guru
I was totally unable to collapse or expand my steering shaft. No amount of hammering would free it up. So very carefully I compressed it in a hydraulic press and checked fit. Did this several times, creeping up to the final length until the cross bolts would drop in and then stopped there. It appears the Chevy factory installed these shafts then punched a divot into them so they wouldn't move.
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Now I looked at a few of the shafts at the DF shop, and they all had it, but none appeared as deeply dimpled as mine. I could have probably drilled it out or something but I was too worried about damaging the inner shaft and making it worse so left it alone. Works fine, can't see any reason it would need to move while rotating.

Just a matter of not shortening it too much as extending it back would probably be much more difficult than compressing.
 

Johvans

Well-Known Member
I was totally unable to collapse or expand my steering shaft. No amount of hammering would free it up. So very carefully I compressed it in a hydraulic press and checked fit. Did this several times, creeping up to the final length until the cross bolts would drop in and then stopped there. It appears the Chevy factory installed these shafts then punched a divot into them so they wouldn't move. View attachment 526

Now I looked at a few of the shafts at the DF shop, and they all had it, but none appeared as deeply dimpled as mine. I could have probably drilled it out or something but I was too worried about damaging the inner shaft and making it worse so left it alone. Works fine, can't see any reason it would need to move while rotating.

Just a matter of not shortening it too much as extending it back would probably be much more difficult than compressing.
Very good to know!
 

JSATX

Goblin Guru
Ive been thinking of making a little bit different windshield/deflector. Not so much something you would actually look though, really just something to get your head out of the windstream like on a motorcycle. A few of the earlier Atoms had two independent wind deflectors, smaller bubble shaped things and I really like the look of that. So been playing around with different shapes. I have a bunch of carbon fiber left over from a project a long time ago, thinking I should be able to vacuum form it over a mold.
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I also kinda like the look of only having one...on the drivers side like the old Jag race cars. Kinda being an ass to the passenger haha. Maybe have a little snap/slide/hook system so they pop on and off.
 

JSATX

Goblin Guru
Ran and hooked up all the wires. Instrument panel lights up and shows mileage.

No power to fuel pump or starter solenoid. Accelerator pedal operates the throttle so it's talking.

The first stage instructions say to keep the grey, purple, and tan wires which I did. But the fuel pump plug also has a black wire. Does that need to be grounded?
 

Lonny

Administrator
Staff member
Yes, it needs to be grounded.
That will probably make the fuel pump run.

The starter is a different problem. Make sure you have wires plugged into the clutch pedal and it is fully depressed while trying the starter.
 

JSATX

Goblin Guru
Yes, it needs to be grounded.
That will probably make the fuel pump run.

The starter is a different problem. Make sure you have wires plugged into the clutch pedal and it is fully depressed while trying the starter.
It's grounded now and I can jump the relay to make both the fuel pump and starter run. To rephrase that, I have 12v on the hot side of the relay, and can close the switch with a jump wire and everything works.

But the key will not fire the electromagnet to close the switch.

I have the clutch switch plugged in and taped down.
 

JSATX

Goblin Guru
Now I'm thinking it's the clutch pedal switch. With my continuity meter it doesn't do anything when I open and close that clutch pedal switch.

Edit: Never mind. The clutch switch is a potentiometer per Lonny. It works fine.
 
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JSATX

Goblin Guru
IT RUNS!

Long post warning:

Turns out there's a tan/black and tan twisted wire pair that run though the entire car. It's a serial communications wire of some sort. Basically it starts at the OBD2 port, goes to the power stearing, comes out of the power steering (as brown/white and brown twisted pair) then goes from there into a blue and white connector on the BCM.

It then exits the BCM out the same connector as tan/black & tan twisted pair...
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(The wires with the stripped ends)

...into the main connector, which is the one that has a white lever and gets cut out and the 7.5' extension. I did not cut my connector out, just extended one side.

Here's the important part: from that main connector the tan twisted pair goes into a "Continental" transceiver of some sort which is located in the center of the back deck below the rear glass.

Knowing I wouldn't be using this Continental box I cut it out.

As it turns out, the tan twisted pair (that I cut out) goes from the Continental box to the ECU. By removing that those wires I disrupted communication from the BCM to the ECU, hence the no start.

You can test this by checking pins 43 & 44 of the #1 ECU connector plug. They should have continuity with the original tan twisted pair at the OBD2 DLC plug.
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Mine did not. So I ran a jumper wire from the BCM blue and white connector (see first photo) to the main-harness-to-engine-harness plug, which is where the continental transceiver wire was originally cut out from.

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(Two cut wires bottom of photo)

This reestabilshed communications, and it started. As a quick check for anyone else, my fuel gauge now works and it didn't before.

One final note: the clutch position switch is a potentiometer. The car will not start if it is fully open OR CLOSED. I thought I was being smart by popping the switch off the clutch pedal and taping it closed so I wouldn't have to deal with the pedal, but this does not work. The switch must be in just the right position to allow the car to start.

The question is now how should future builders deal with this. I think, (but can't confirm) that one could cut the plug off the continental box and simply connect the four wires together, tan to tan and tan/blk to tan/blk, obviously, and everything should then work.

Special thanks to Lonny who provided spectacular support, staying up late and sending me pictures from their factory service manual. He's the one that suggested the problem was with the communication wire pair and saved me a lot of time.
 
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JSATX

Goblin Guru
Another build weekend wrapped up. Everything of stage one complete the only thing I didn't do was extend the radiator fan wires to the front.

May end up dropping the engine and painting it. It just looks rough compared to everything else that's been freshly painted.
 

JSATX

Goblin Guru
I don't like the stock shift knob. At all. And I was a little bored today. 3D printer to the rescue. Still playing around with designs and dimensions but I kinda like this one.
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DanPerryy

Well-Known Member
IT RUNS!

Long post warning:

Turns out there's a tan/black and tan twisted wire pair that run though the entire car. It's a serial communications wire of some sort. Basically it starts at the OBD2 port, goes to the power stearing, comes out of the power steering (as brown/white and brown twisted pair) then goes from there into a blue and white connector on the BCM.

It then exits the BCM out the same connector as tan/black & tan twisted pair...
View attachment 556
(The wires with the stripped ends)

...into the main connector, which is the one that has a white lever and gets cut out and the 7.5' extension. I did not cut my connector out, just extended one side.

Here's the important part: from that main connector the tan twisted pair goes into a "Continental" transceiver of some sort which is located in the center of the back deck below the rear glass.

Knowing I wouldn't be using this Continental box I cut it out.

As it turns out, the tan twisted pair (that I cut out) goes from the Continental box to the ECU. By removing that those wires I disrupted communication from the BCM to the ECU, hence the no start.

You can test this by checking pins 43 & 44 of the #1 ECU connector plug. They should have continuity with the original tan twisted pair at the OBD2 DLC plug. View attachment 557

Mine did not. So I ran a jumper wire from the BCM blue and white connector (see first photo) to the main-harness-to-engine-harness plug, which is where the continental transceiver wire was originally cut out from.

View attachment 558
(Two cut wires bottom of photo)

This reestabilshed communications, and it started. As a quick check for anyone else, my fuel gauge now works and it didn't before.

One final note: the clutch position switch is a potentiometer. The car will not start if it is fully open OR CLOSED. I thought I was being smart by popping the switch off the clutch pedal and taping it closed so I wouldn't have to deal with the pedal, but this does not work. The switch must be in just the right position to allow the car to start.

The question is now how should future builders deal with this. I think, (but can't confirm) that one could cut the plug off the continental box and simply connect the four wires together, tan to tan and tan/blk to tan/blk, obviously, and everything should then work.

Special thanks to Lonny who provided spectacular support, staying up late and sending me pictures from their factory service manual. He's the one that suggested the problem was with the communication wire pair and saved me a lot of time.[/QUOTE
 
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