Tony's City Goblin - 2010 SS/TC

Tony

Well-Known Member
Well, I'm officially an idiot. After straining nearly to the point of aneurism trying to get the front tie rod ends separated, I realized that the paint I applied covered up the seam between the outer and the **** JAM NUT. If I had used my brain, I would have known it was there, but my eyes said it was one piece. So after reversing my efforts, I got the outer end and now unusable nut off. Went to install front and rear outers and discovered I have 2 different sets sent by DF, neither of which match the donor's. In the image, the top and bottom were from DF, middle from the donor. Which ones am I supposed to use where? It seems like the shorter ones won't be long enough either place, but with the car in the air (and sitting at a weird angle in the shop), it's hard to judge if I'm even close on alignment.

 
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ctuinstra

Goblin Guru
The shorter tie rod goes in the front and the original donor tie rod goes on the rear. Not sure why you don't have two of the same from DF. I'll bet they got mixed up at the supplier. I noticed my brake calipers weren't all the exact same. One of them came powder coated black, lucky for me I was planning on doing that.
 

Lonny

Administrator
Staff member
I think he has a set of short and a set of long. The new steering arms need shorter tie rods.
 

Tony

Well-Known Member
Awesome, thanks guys. I'll get those put on as soon as I can find a spare M14 nut. Also need to locate a 35mm socket for the axle nut, I'm not sure how I got it off... maybe my roommate had a proper socket. Unrelated note - Lonny, any update on the parts that I'm still waiting on? I've sent a few emails over the last 2 months or so with no response.
 

Briann1177

Goblin Guru
I purchased a Dorman 615-095 Spindle Nut. It looks a bit different than the stock one, but hopefully it should work.

I'm pretty sure I have a 35 mm socket that I can send you. I don't think I'll need it any more. When you don't have much room to begin with, it takes up a lot of space in the tool box.
 

Tony

Well-Known Member
That would be awesome, I can send a few bucks to cover shipping or whatever. I don't need a new spindle nut, I've got those, just need a new M14 jam nut since I completely ruined the old one with vise grips. Shouldn't be hard to find.
 

Briann1177

Goblin Guru
Let me double check when I get home to make sure it's the right size. It shouldn't cost but a few bucks to send it so I'm not too worried about it. Shoot me your address, and I'll get it in the mail tomorrow.
 

Briann1177

Goblin Guru
Just out of curiosity, what parts are you still waiting for? I need to go get my stage 2 parts one day so I'm just wondering what still might be "back ordered".
 

Tony

Well-Known Member
Off the top of my head, I'm missing the intercooler bracket, exhaust, modified compressor outlet, new design MAF tube, and maybe some other intake piping, along with the MCO/serial number plate. I'm pretty sure all of that stuff is available, as Adam told me he was going to be shipping it the week of Jan 3, as soon as they got the exhaust flange from the laser cutter. That was the last time I heard from anyone there.
 

Tony

Well-Known Member
Unrelated to what I'm currently working on, I found a source for a headlight that is almost identical to what I was planning. A company in the UK called Furore is converting what look to me like Dominator 2.0 housings to a Hi/Low solenoid projector, capable of using either standard halogen or HID bulbs. A little pricey at ~$180 each (plus a bit more for the mounting bracket), but thought I'd share. I'm still hoping to print out my design and save some money, since I already have the projectors, I just haven't gotten around to setting up/learning/testing my printer yet.

On a separate note, I've been sidetracked again by having to swap a new transmission into my brother's car this week (and probably into next), so the Goblin is once again set aside. :(
 

Tony

Well-Known Member
Took a break from my brother's car and made some time for the goblin. Got the main power wire run, trimmed, and terminated, then pulled out the starter-fuse box cable. I remembered that there was a ground cable with it, but now I can't remember where it goes. Engine to chassis? Where on the chassis should it attach?
 

ctuinstra

Goblin Guru
I left the large ground connector in the engine harness with the starter cable also. However I cleaned all the powder coating from the underside of the frame-to-engine mount so the engine would have a good ground against the frame. At this moment the large ground cable is not even connected, but I will connect it to the frame just to do something with it and for an extra grounding. So in other words, you can connect it anywhere to the frame you feel.
 

JSATX

Goblin Guru
Unrelated to what I'm currently working on, I found a source for a headlight that is almost identical to what I was planning. A company in the UK called Furore is converting what look to me like Dominator 2.0 housings to a Hi/Low solenoid projector, capable of using either standard halogen or HID bulbs. A little pricey at ~$180 each (plus a bit more for the mounting bracket), but thought I'd share. I'm still hoping to print out my design and save some money, since I already have the projectors, I just haven't gotten around to setting up/learning/testing my printer yet.

On a separate note, I've been sidetracked again by having to swap a new transmission into my brother's car this week (and probably into next), so the Goblin is once again set aside. :(
That’s about the same price of the Exocet lights and they work really well
 

Tony

Well-Known Member
I left the large ground connector in the engine harness with the starter cable also. However I cleaned all the powder coating from the underside of the frame-to-engine mount so the engine would have a good ground against the frame. At this moment the large ground cable is not even connected, but I will connect it to the frame just to do something with it and for an extra grounding. So in other words, you can connect it anywhere to the frame you feel.
Thanks for the confirmation. Here's where I ended up putting it (the far end is on the existing engine harness ground stud).
 

Briann1177

Goblin Guru
Like Chad, I also removed the powder coating from underneath the engine mount to have direct contact for a ground. I didn't even bother hooking up the negative cable. You could more than likely replace that painted up bolt with a nice shiny new one and call it good.

It's really a matter of what makes you feel good at night. I didn't want that additional clutter so I went without it.
 

Tony

Well-Known Member
I didn't think to grind off the powdercoat before installing the engine, but this was virtually no added effort, so nbd. This won't be too noticeable since it's under the fuse box, but I'm planning to replace a good portion of the visible bolts once everything is together anyway. A lot of them are either painted, old and ugly, or rusty in the case of the trans mount bolts in that picture.
 

Briann1177

Goblin Guru
You don't necessarily have to grind it out from underneath. I just did it that way to make it a little less noticeable. As long as the head of the bolt is in good electrical contact with the frame and the threads are in good contact with the engine mount, then you're good.

*Edit* I just realized your engine is painted. So yeah, instead of grinding off other areas it's probably just easier to leave the ground wire on like you have it. Didn't notice that at first.
 

Tony

Well-Known Member
Let there be light! Over the last couple days, I've gone through the harness and connected the loose ends (data pairs, fuel pump, tail lights, etc) and tidied up in preparation for wrapping. However, before I do that, it's time to troubleshoot. Hooked everything up, attached the grounds at the tunnel and pedal box, then connected the battery. Nice surprise, the dash lit up first try, and I was able to turn on the rear lights. Turn signals, hazards, and brake lights (including CHMSL) all work, but I couldn't get the reverse lights to come on - does the car need to be running for that or anything? Then the big issue - I knew the car wouldn't start, but I was hoping to be able to crank. Unfortunately, I've got the security light, and no fuel pump or crank. I went back and double checked grounds and connections, but still nothing. The OBD port is still toasted and the wires are bare/touching, so that may be an issue - I got a new connector, so I'll try fixing that first. Near that in the dash harness though, there's a really small 2-pin connector - I can't remember what it's for, but I'm wondering if maybe it was a security device of some sort? I searched around the garage and couldn't find anything to plug into it, so I'm not sure.
 
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