jpr's City Goblin - 07/08 LT donor

jpr

Well-Known Member
Not terribly soon, winter is just getting started - and I can certainly fit mine temporarily if I get to the point of doing an engine start.
 

IDRVSLO

Goblin Guru
Not terribly soon, winter is just getting started - and I can certainly fit mine temporarily if I get to the point of doing an engine start.
You won't need them for an engine start, so you should be good for a little while.
 
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jpr

Well-Known Member
Wiring harness is done. On to blasting off a bunch of Ohio rust and painting parts. Slow going (due 100% to my not spending enough time out there), but thought I'd give a shout-out to Eastwood. I'm using their Pre Painting Prep, Self Etch Primer, and Chassis Black Satin, and it's excellent. Can't wait to see it all mounted up.

IMG_1406.jpg
 

lksohm

Well-Known Member
I am looking at placing an order through them today or tomorrow. About how much of the chassis paint does it take to do the subframe? Also, I'm sure that the quart of ceramic engine paint will be more than sufficient, correct?

Just trying to stay on budget with this build.
 

ctuinstra

Goblin Guru
I am looking at placing an order through them today or tomorrow. About how much of the chassis paint does it take to do the subframe? Also, I'm sure that the quart of ceramic engine paint will be more than sufficient, correct?

Just trying to stay on budget with this build.
The quart of engine paint is enough to do 3 or more engines. I was worried about it also, and may have sprayed mine a bit thin but gave it 3-4 coats and ended up only using about a 25% of the quart can.

One can of the chassis paint did all of my pieces that needed paint. I would say two should do it for the subframe.
 

jpr

Well-Known Member
Only have the subframe left to tackle at this point. Going to wait on a second rattlecan of Chassis Black since this one's getting a little too light for me.

IMG_1432.jpg

Before/after a half-assed sandblasting job. The difference is subtle, but I think it's there.

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I removed the valve cover to paint it and it looks nice under there. The donor had around 70k on it and according to the owner was carefully maintained. I certainly believe him!

IMG_1470.jpg

Wish I'd gotten a "before" pic with all the crust. I took easily an hour blasting this thing, after taping off all the oil channels and stuff underneath.

Almost to the point of rolling in the chassis and running radiator lines...
 

ctuinstra

Goblin Guru
I'm sure you already know this, but really take care to make sure there is no media left behind on the valve cover. A couple of the shops that I took mine to refused to blast it for fear of media getting stuck in the ports and other areas only to come loose later down in to the engine. We ended up cleaning and baking it a couple of times before powder coating.
 

jpr

Well-Known Member
I'm sure you already know this, but really take care to make sure there is no media left behind on the valve cover. A couple of the shops that I took mine to refused to blast it for fear of media getting stuck in the ports and other areas only to come loose later down in to the engine. We ended up cleaning and baking it a couple of times before powder coating.
Yeah, I tried to seal up all the channels inside and will be giving it a good cleaning before reinstallation. I plan to change the oil after a couple engine runs too.
 

jpr

Well-Known Member
So an autocross-minded friend is trying to sway me away from finishing this build off as an automatic... I'm sort of inclined to agree, since autocross is one of the reasons I wanted to have something sportier than a Camry. It looks like the manual trans should bolt right up to my 2.2L (and assuming DF still has some from their classified, getting one shouldn't be too hard). Apart from that what else would I need to do the swap? Off top of my head:

-pedal box from a manual (3rd pedal)
-clutch master cylinder (and lines)
-shifter
-shift cables

What I don't know is what kind of wiring hijinks I'd need to do, if any. Or is it better to just start from scratch with a manual car? I guess the other question - does the manual trans mount up to the same subframe/Goblin frame, or am I pretty much locked in at this point? Comparing my frame to the manual build logs here, it looks like the clutch master bracket is there regardless.
 

ctuinstra

Goblin Guru
What I don't know is what kind of wiring hijinks I'd need to do, if any. Or is it better to just start from scratch with a manual car? I guess the other question - does the manual trans mount up to the same subframe/Goblin frame, or am I pretty much locked in at this point? Comparing my frame to the manual build logs here, it looks like the clutch master bracket is there regardless.
The Goblin frame engine/transmission mounts should accommodate either. I'm not sure about the clutch mount pedal mount, you should be able to tell by looking at your frame it to see if it's there.

Not sure about the wiring, but obviously you would need the appropriate wiring for the clutch switches, etc. The BCM and ECM would have to be changed or modified so that it knows there is a manual and not an automatic. Could be a lot of work.
 

jpr

Well-Known Member
Yeah, think I'm just gonna commit to the bit and stick with automatic. I wanna drive. Maybe I'll make the next one a manual :)

What are people using for heater hose? I'm about ready to pull the chassis into the shop and start running hoses and can't find a 1" ID hose that lists the OD. Has anyone used the Gates 28420?
 
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