Ark's City Goblin #187 (2008 SS/TC donor)

Ark :D

Ark :D

Goblin Guru
I'm already running the same size and don't have that problem. I'll keep my eye on it though and get the steering limiters if I need to.

*edit* I'm using the steering rack out of a 2007 LSJ, maybe that's why.
 
Ark :D

Ark :D

Goblin Guru
Bump.

(Sorry!!)

It's that time again. I've done a bunch of small upgrades/changes to the Goblin and now I am here to refresh my build log with the changes.

First, I'll attach a pair of finished pics from last year for reference:

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And now, the refreshed car:

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Changes list:

  • New shoes, all around. I went with Firestone Firehawk Indy 500's, 255/18 and 275/18. VERY pleased with them, so far. I had to do something here ... the wheels I bought used, with partially-worn tires. I figured I would just stick with those until I was sure my alignment was good, and while driving it last spring, I basically wore the used tires out the rest of the way while tweaking my alignment. Good to go now, with nice new summer tires to keep the car on the road.
  • New standard-height windscreen from DF. I originally bought an extended-height windscreen, with my reasoning being, maybe it would help me extend my driving time in the fall a little bit. I've since come to the realization that a taller windscreen isn't going to help when it's 30 degrees outside. I know I could have trimmed down the original, but a while back, my wife managed to put a long scratch in it, so ... what the heck, right?
  • New "paint" job. Originally, the finished car was Snow White with a pair of Lava Red SS stripes down the middle, products courtesy of DipYourCar.com. I was so happy with their products, I went to them again. Now the car is Wicked Wine with a pair of Shadow Black SS stripes. I LOVE how it turned out.
  • New exhaust color. Along with the new body color, I bought some Krylon High-Heat Satin Black to redo the exhaust. I love Krylon paint ... best stuff you can get in a can, in my opinion.
  • Changed out the side mirrors. I didn't love the originals, especially when I decided on LED headlights last year. With LED headlights and taillights, the standard bulbs in the mirrors looked sluggish while the blinkers were on. So I replaced the mirrors with THESE ones instead. They don't have running lights any more, but now the turn signals are LED's and light immediately, with the rest of the signal lights. There's also little blue arrows in the mirror side, which is kind of cool.
  • Removed the light bar and replaced it with something else. I installed the old light bar with the greatest of intentions, but it ended up virtually useless because of the huge glare it created on the inside of the windscreen. So, I removed it, and replaced it with a pair of smaller "light bars", mounted on the front bottom control arms. They're almost as bright, and I don't have the glare problem. Excellent!
  • Full-time rear-facing camera. Originally, I had a front-mounted camera and a rear-mounted camera. The front camera was on full-time, with the rear camera taking over my monitor when in Reverse. This wasn't bad per se, but the front camera (which I originally thought would be a cool addition) ended up being pointless. I never even looked at it... but I found over time, I'd like to have the rear camera on much more often than when I am in Reverse. And so, it is done. I removed the front-facing camera and rewired the rear camera, so it has ignition-on power.
  • Rear-channel audio added. A while back, I installed a Bluetooth audio system with a pair of nice component speakers, mounted in the front. I wasn't sure if I would want to add rear channels ... but I decided a long time ago that yes, I was going to during the off-season. So I did ... I cut holes in my engine cover for 5 1/4's and mounted them with a pair of dampeners behind them, just like I did the fronts. The rears are full-range 3-ways only, but they really fill out the sound and now it sounds like a concert hall ... a bassless concert hall! Maybe next year will see the addition of a sub, maybe not.
  • Covered the EGR opening ... finally. Last year, @Brett was kind enough to send me an EGR plate so I could remove my sensor and plate over the opening. I finally did it, while the car was up on jack stands. A little gasket maker and 10 minutes later, the plate was installed.
  • Installed camber bolts on the rear coilovers.
  • Cleaned and oiled the air filter. I bought a K&N "recharge" set from Amazon. It came with a cleaning solution and a red filter oil. My filter wasn't dirty, but it did clean up a little bit. It seemed like the right time to do this sort of thing, so...
  • New steering bearing ... I finally replaced the stock "open" bearing on the steering column with a sealed one, purchased from DF a while back.
  • Full synthetic oil change. I did an oil change back when I was building the car, but I used cheap stuff. I figured this time around, I'd get the good stuff. One nice detail: the old oil was perfectly clean, not a bit of trash or anything else in it.
  • Installed the upgraded DF steering arms that they sent out for free, a while back. Thank you for the continued support DF, love you guys. Your customer support is amazing. Never change!
Future:

  • Powder-coat the wheels flat black. Not positive on this one; I guess it depends on if I stick with the color I have now. I probably should have already done this, but....
  • New seats and new 5-point harnesses. I like the seats I have now, but they haven't worn super-well. I'm going to replace them next year with Braum's, I think. And I'm going to go with cam-lock harnesses, while I have the seats out.
  • Add a sub to the audio solution? Maybe, maybe not.
Whew, that's it. At least, until I remember something I forgot. Lol!
 
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Ark :D

Ark :D

Goblin Guru
WYGoblin said:
How bad was the plastidip to pull off? I always wondered about that.
Click to expand...
It wasn't too bad. You just have to follow their advice, and put plenty of coats of the base color down. The more coats of base, the easier it is to peel off. It took about an hour to peel the hood, no problemo.

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Brett

Brett

Well-Known Member
Looking great. Your dip job is making me really consider it as an option.

I like the rear view mirrors, got a link?
 
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Ark :D

Ark :D

Goblin Guru
Brett said:
Looking great. Your dip job is making me really consider it a an option.

I like the rear view mirrors, got a link?
Click to expand...
Certainly do. Right here. Initially I regretted the purchase because they feel like Chinese garbage, but they actually worked out better than the originals in terms of visibility. Just be ready to add shims to the mirror ears though, these mirrors have a smaller base.
 
PaulPerger

PaulPerger

Well-Known Member
Ark :D said:
It's a no-name 57" off eBay. This is what shows up in my purchase history, but mine has different endcaps (I don't like the ones in the listing now). https://www.ebay.com/itm/332008063278
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Thanks for the Link... I found the one with the same end caps as yours in the "People also viewed this item" section. I have the same question as SmsDetroit, How did you mount it? It looks like you used the DF supports. Pics of your mounting would be awesome if you don't mind!

SmsDetroit said:
That is the same one I purchased. Can you send me close up pictures of how you mounted it. I’m not sure if I like the way I came up with.
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Ark :D

Ark :D

Goblin Guru
Sure thing guys. I did use the DF uprights, and went to the local hardware store to pick up some hardware to adapt them to the wing's mounts. I'm pretty happy with it, though I may shoot a coat or two of satin black paint over it all. See attached.

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