When the covid thing started I was put on furlough with my employer, and found myself with not much to do. I have always been a fan of the VW and the MGTD kit. I had been researching the Goblin, and after cleaning the garage three times and pacing the house,my wife said "Find something to do!" I found a Cobalt in a yard in Virginia that had been wrecked on the drivers front, and sight unseen (not recommended) I purchased it for $1150 plus shipping. When it arrived I immediately put it in the garage and commenced the tear-down. I am currently (12-26-20) just a little beyond the last of the videos, about half-way through the build, and have learned more about cars than I ever wanted to, and have had more fun than I thought I would. I am not a mechanic, I have no fancy tools, just common hand tools, and for anyone doing this for a hobby, this is all you need. I will organize the log as I go through in what I consider the main things I have learned on this venture.
I. The Tear-down. I pretty much followed the D. F. Goblin videos on Youtube, which made the disassembly very simple. however there are three (maybe more) key things I learned in the process.
A. When taking apart the front struts, I thought I needed the spring compressors for removing from the donor. Wrong. To remove the struts it is just the three bolts at the top and the bolts at the bottom. I got the unit out and returned the borrowed spring compressors, and could not remove the main nut at the top. I took the struts to a friend who had air tools (and knew what he was doing). He cautioned about parts flying everywhere, put the struts on a work table, and sent the shocks about 20 feet across the room. Use the compressors at the right time, and the job is much easier.
B. In preparing for the engine removal I looked around for a hoist to rent or borrow, and could not find one. When I finally understood that, after the subfame is removed, the engine is 'suspended' by three bolts on each side. I already had a heavy-duty furniture dolly, so I lowered the engine onto the dolly, removed the bolts, and, with the help of a couple of friends, raised the car over the engine and wheeled the engine out of the way.Sometimes the easy way is the best way.
C. For the life of me, I could not get the dashboard to budge. I had followed all the steps in the videos, but no amount of effort had any affect. A young friend of mine was a wrestler in high school, and he called a friend of his and they tried, to no avail, to pull the dash out. Someone later suggested that there were more bolts holding the dash, and I thought, no, I've gotten them all. But I did look through the windshield (after removing the dashpad) and there they were. But I could not get to them to remove them, and finally had to go to the auto store and get a flexible adapter for the socket set and a long extender. The bolts came right out, and I pulled on the dash and it fell out. The dash was still quite heavy, and I had to have some help just to carry it out of the donor.
II. The build. Again I followed the Youtube videos for the build. There were enough differences in the actual disassembly and the videos that I figured either the videos were based on a different model/year than mine, or there had been some updates, so I went into the build a little slower and a little more flexible. Again a few key things I learned on the way.
A. Paint or powder coat? My father gave me some great advice when I started the build. He said "Don't get in a hurry." But I've got my kit, I can't wait! I had bought some spray paint during the disassembly, and cleaned and painted a lot of the donor parts. That seemed to work well. But the floorpans and some of the panels for the kit were begging for a nice flat black, and so I rattle-canned them. It took four coats and still did not look all that good, but I thought they would be hidden enough it wouldn't matter. Wrong. Any time I bumped them with a tool it left a small mark. Powder coating is the way to go. I had been to a recommended paint shop in Trenton, GA, about 15 miles from my house in Chattanooga, TN., to get an estimate to paint the frame, and showed him pictures from the Goblin website, and he gave me a rough estimate of $800. When I took the bare frame to him the gentleman who ran the shop advised that with the round tubes in the frame I would get a dripping effect on the bottom of them, and further advised that I would be much happier and much better off with a powder coating. He suggested a coating shop about 4 blocks away, and said it may be as much as $1500. I went there with the bare frame, met the gentleman that ran that shop, who highly complemented the workmanship on the frame (kudos to D. F. Goblin!). I told him the color I wanted, and he said no problem, but he drew in a breath and said, "I may have to charge you as much as $750." I then asked, "Can I go ahead and leave it with you?" before he changed his mind. He did an excellent job, and I have since taken other parts and will be taking more parts to him. When I told him I would like a gloss black, he advised that a matte or satin black would be much better because the gloss will show smudges and fingerprints. If anyone needs a good powder coater please feel free to contact me and I will be happy to give a recommendation. I got the body panels and fenders with my kit, and I will be taking them to the paint shop in Trenton at a later date. I have not had any work done by this gentleman yet, but I have seen some of his work, and since he turned down my business for what turned out to be my benefit I will happily use him.
B. I am not a plumber. I had a friend help me pull the coolant hoses through the frame rails. He knew of my project and watched the videos, came to me and said when I get to that point let him know and he would help me. That is definitely not a one-man job. We wound up using a come-along attached to a trailer hitch to get the pipe through. The donor's coolant overflow bottle was damaged beyond use in the wreck, so I got a new one and could not figure out how to attach it to the bracket on the frame. I was looking through the hardware supplied by D. F. Goblin and stumbled upon a bag marked 'Coolant tank hardware', and there was a small bracket included in that hardware. This was one of those times when the kit had been updated and I was unaware, but the bottle went in with no problems after that. When I filled the system with coolant there were about 10-12 small leaks in the joints, so all the hose clamps had to be retightened. I really want to get the engine started so I will know if I got all the leaks.
C. I am not an electrician. I was leery about redoing the wiring harness. I started and got about 1/4 of the way through when the video indicated that a particular wire had to be cut and that wire was nowhere to be found. I sent the harness to Lonny who did a marvelous job on the harness, because when I got it back it fit perfectly. I had a lot of learning to do, because I did not know what an ECM, TCM, BCM,etc. were or even what the letters stood for. The video got to the point where it was time to start the engine for the first time. Everything was hooked up, there were some lights on the dash, but nothing happened when the key was turned to start. I found a few plugs and a ground that had been missed, got some additional lights on the dash, but still no start. Lonny advised that I go ahead and work on some other things and keep a close eye out for any plugs, etc. that had been missed, which one of our forum members echoed and said if Lonny did the harness, then that is not the problem. I have gone on to other assemblies on the kit and waiting to see if there are any more errors that I may have made.
D. The rear hub bearings are used at the front of the kit, but the ABS sensor plug bumps up against the arm across the back of the front uprights. I was informed (not by anyone here) that in the local pick-your-parts place I could search for a Cobalt that did not have ABS. Wrong. All Cobalts have ABS, and all the hubs have the sensor plug. Trial and error led me to know that the Malibu of that era (maybe a little earlier) did not have ABS, so I ordered the Malibu hubs and they fit perfectly. I bought brake pads for the front and rear of the kit. The rear (front from the donor) pads fit fine (but they are not installed yet so that may change), but when I installed the front calipers and pads they were so tight I could not get the wheels to turn at all. Further research on the forum taught me the pads for the front are '09 Solstice(? don't remember which car) and they fit perfectly. I am at a point now where I am waiting to get the rear tie rod bar and the front fender brackets coated. Then I can go back and take apart the front brakes to install the brackets. I have done more unbuilding and rebuilding than I want to.
E. I am now at a place where I am having to research building the rear suspension. In one of the threads named 'What are these parts?' I had no clue what parts were needed to build the rear. I took pictures of the parts supplied by Goblin and found out they were seat brackets, headlight brackets, rear tie rod bracket, and front and rear fender brackets. Not an intuitive mechanic here. I did not remove what I would call the rear swing arm and let it go as scrap with the rest of the donor, and still don't know if I need that part or not.
F. This is my build up to this point. From here I will be giving updates as they happen. Many thanks to all the forum members (too many to mention individually) that have helped me keep what little sanity I have. If you are laughing at me please don't let me know. I am very sensitive ;D (Sarcasm does not come across in print. That was sarcasm.)
As to point II. C. above, I installed the button panels a few days ago, and on a lark I hooked up the battery, turned the key, and I have a starter turning over! Don't know what I did other than the button panel, but I am excited about this. I still have the brake filler bottle to install, the steering to finish up, and all the body work to do. May have the kit finished by warm weather.
G. I have figured out the rear suspension, in theory. I tried placing the spacer for the strut on top of the D F supplied bracket, but could not get it to fit. I had seen a picture, don't remember where, that looked like that was where it went. I went on the forum and found out the spacer goes under the bracket. It's amazing how well things fit when they are in the right place. The front suspension had gone together fairly easy, but the D F supplied tie rod ends were too short and the front tires were way out of line (\ / huge toe-out!). I used the original tie rod ends, got a simple alignment tool, and the alignment was very close to specs from the forum. I have since learned that the intention was for the tie rods from the front be moved to the back, and the D F supplied tie rods used in the front, but I am so far along in the build, and have test fit the D F rods and ends to the rear, and just with eye-balling it appears that the set-up may work. One problem I do have is that the axles do not look as if they have seated properly into the transmission, especially the right one, and when I jacked up the left side of the car I had a fluid leak on the right. I will be going to the forum soon with pics and questions.
H. I did not realize that the turn signal switch came out of the housing, so I was trying to build the steering column with that big piece of plastic that just would not fit. The steering works great, even without power to the steering. I got the mirrors and headlights installed and wired in, nice easy job. The tail lights were a bit confusing because there were two pigtails, one with a red wire and a white wire, and one with a red wire, a white wire and a black wire and the harness had four wires on each side. The left had a yellow wire, the right had a dark green wire, and both sides had a light green, a brown, and a black wire. The knowledgeable and patient people on the forum walked me through how to find which wires to connect, and I now have headlights, mirror lights and tail and turn signal lights. The reverse lights are not functioning yet. I have plugged in the shifter, so I am not sure what the problem is there, but that is so minor compared to where I am.
I. The starter turns over, but I have not put gas in the tank yet. I have ordered the rear braided brake lines and am waiting for them to arrive. I get an error message on the dash that says 'low brake fluid' and 'engine power reduced', which is as it should be, so I am waiting to fill and bleed the brake lines before going any further in that direction.
J. I test-fit the fender mounts, both front and rear, and have discovered that the stock Cobalt tires are much too big. I will probably do the shake-down runs without fenders when the time comes. I am thinking about using eight-spoke wheels that look like ones on a Bugatti 35. I talked to Lonny a while back, and he said the stock tires and wheels would be too big, and I have always liked the Bugatti wheels.
K. Again, this is my build up to this point. I will have the fiberglass body parts painted soon, and the interior is about the only major thing I have left. The goal still is to be finished by warm weather.
I. The Tear-down. I pretty much followed the D. F. Goblin videos on Youtube, which made the disassembly very simple. however there are three (maybe more) key things I learned in the process.
A. When taking apart the front struts, I thought I needed the spring compressors for removing from the donor. Wrong. To remove the struts it is just the three bolts at the top and the bolts at the bottom. I got the unit out and returned the borrowed spring compressors, and could not remove the main nut at the top. I took the struts to a friend who had air tools (and knew what he was doing). He cautioned about parts flying everywhere, put the struts on a work table, and sent the shocks about 20 feet across the room. Use the compressors at the right time, and the job is much easier.
B. In preparing for the engine removal I looked around for a hoist to rent or borrow, and could not find one. When I finally understood that, after the subfame is removed, the engine is 'suspended' by three bolts on each side. I already had a heavy-duty furniture dolly, so I lowered the engine onto the dolly, removed the bolts, and, with the help of a couple of friends, raised the car over the engine and wheeled the engine out of the way.Sometimes the easy way is the best way.
C. For the life of me, I could not get the dashboard to budge. I had followed all the steps in the videos, but no amount of effort had any affect. A young friend of mine was a wrestler in high school, and he called a friend of his and they tried, to no avail, to pull the dash out. Someone later suggested that there were more bolts holding the dash, and I thought, no, I've gotten them all. But I did look through the windshield (after removing the dashpad) and there they were. But I could not get to them to remove them, and finally had to go to the auto store and get a flexible adapter for the socket set and a long extender. The bolts came right out, and I pulled on the dash and it fell out. The dash was still quite heavy, and I had to have some help just to carry it out of the donor.
II. The build. Again I followed the Youtube videos for the build. There were enough differences in the actual disassembly and the videos that I figured either the videos were based on a different model/year than mine, or there had been some updates, so I went into the build a little slower and a little more flexible. Again a few key things I learned on the way.
A. Paint or powder coat? My father gave me some great advice when I started the build. He said "Don't get in a hurry." But I've got my kit, I can't wait! I had bought some spray paint during the disassembly, and cleaned and painted a lot of the donor parts. That seemed to work well. But the floorpans and some of the panels for the kit were begging for a nice flat black, and so I rattle-canned them. It took four coats and still did not look all that good, but I thought they would be hidden enough it wouldn't matter. Wrong. Any time I bumped them with a tool it left a small mark. Powder coating is the way to go. I had been to a recommended paint shop in Trenton, GA, about 15 miles from my house in Chattanooga, TN., to get an estimate to paint the frame, and showed him pictures from the Goblin website, and he gave me a rough estimate of $800. When I took the bare frame to him the gentleman who ran the shop advised that with the round tubes in the frame I would get a dripping effect on the bottom of them, and further advised that I would be much happier and much better off with a powder coating. He suggested a coating shop about 4 blocks away, and said it may be as much as $1500. I went there with the bare frame, met the gentleman that ran that shop, who highly complemented the workmanship on the frame (kudos to D. F. Goblin!). I told him the color I wanted, and he said no problem, but he drew in a breath and said, "I may have to charge you as much as $750." I then asked, "Can I go ahead and leave it with you?" before he changed his mind. He did an excellent job, and I have since taken other parts and will be taking more parts to him. When I told him I would like a gloss black, he advised that a matte or satin black would be much better because the gloss will show smudges and fingerprints. If anyone needs a good powder coater please feel free to contact me and I will be happy to give a recommendation. I got the body panels and fenders with my kit, and I will be taking them to the paint shop in Trenton at a later date. I have not had any work done by this gentleman yet, but I have seen some of his work, and since he turned down my business for what turned out to be my benefit I will happily use him.
B. I am not a plumber. I had a friend help me pull the coolant hoses through the frame rails. He knew of my project and watched the videos, came to me and said when I get to that point let him know and he would help me. That is definitely not a one-man job. We wound up using a come-along attached to a trailer hitch to get the pipe through. The donor's coolant overflow bottle was damaged beyond use in the wreck, so I got a new one and could not figure out how to attach it to the bracket on the frame. I was looking through the hardware supplied by D. F. Goblin and stumbled upon a bag marked 'Coolant tank hardware', and there was a small bracket included in that hardware. This was one of those times when the kit had been updated and I was unaware, but the bottle went in with no problems after that. When I filled the system with coolant there were about 10-12 small leaks in the joints, so all the hose clamps had to be retightened. I really want to get the engine started so I will know if I got all the leaks.
C. I am not an electrician. I was leery about redoing the wiring harness. I started and got about 1/4 of the way through when the video indicated that a particular wire had to be cut and that wire was nowhere to be found. I sent the harness to Lonny who did a marvelous job on the harness, because when I got it back it fit perfectly. I had a lot of learning to do, because I did not know what an ECM, TCM, BCM,etc. were or even what the letters stood for. The video got to the point where it was time to start the engine for the first time. Everything was hooked up, there were some lights on the dash, but nothing happened when the key was turned to start. I found a few plugs and a ground that had been missed, got some additional lights on the dash, but still no start. Lonny advised that I go ahead and work on some other things and keep a close eye out for any plugs, etc. that had been missed, which one of our forum members echoed and said if Lonny did the harness, then that is not the problem. I have gone on to other assemblies on the kit and waiting to see if there are any more errors that I may have made.
D. The rear hub bearings are used at the front of the kit, but the ABS sensor plug bumps up against the arm across the back of the front uprights. I was informed (not by anyone here) that in the local pick-your-parts place I could search for a Cobalt that did not have ABS. Wrong. All Cobalts have ABS, and all the hubs have the sensor plug. Trial and error led me to know that the Malibu of that era (maybe a little earlier) did not have ABS, so I ordered the Malibu hubs and they fit perfectly. I bought brake pads for the front and rear of the kit. The rear (front from the donor) pads fit fine (but they are not installed yet so that may change), but when I installed the front calipers and pads they were so tight I could not get the wheels to turn at all. Further research on the forum taught me the pads for the front are '09 Solstice(? don't remember which car) and they fit perfectly. I am at a point now where I am waiting to get the rear tie rod bar and the front fender brackets coated. Then I can go back and take apart the front brakes to install the brackets. I have done more unbuilding and rebuilding than I want to.
E. I am now at a place where I am having to research building the rear suspension. In one of the threads named 'What are these parts?' I had no clue what parts were needed to build the rear. I took pictures of the parts supplied by Goblin and found out they were seat brackets, headlight brackets, rear tie rod bracket, and front and rear fender brackets. Not an intuitive mechanic here. I did not remove what I would call the rear swing arm and let it go as scrap with the rest of the donor, and still don't know if I need that part or not.
F. This is my build up to this point. From here I will be giving updates as they happen. Many thanks to all the forum members (too many to mention individually) that have helped me keep what little sanity I have. If you are laughing at me please don't let me know. I am very sensitive ;D (Sarcasm does not come across in print. That was sarcasm.)
As to point II. C. above, I installed the button panels a few days ago, and on a lark I hooked up the battery, turned the key, and I have a starter turning over! Don't know what I did other than the button panel, but I am excited about this. I still have the brake filler bottle to install, the steering to finish up, and all the body work to do. May have the kit finished by warm weather.
G. I have figured out the rear suspension, in theory. I tried placing the spacer for the strut on top of the D F supplied bracket, but could not get it to fit. I had seen a picture, don't remember where, that looked like that was where it went. I went on the forum and found out the spacer goes under the bracket. It's amazing how well things fit when they are in the right place. The front suspension had gone together fairly easy, but the D F supplied tie rod ends were too short and the front tires were way out of line (\ / huge toe-out!). I used the original tie rod ends, got a simple alignment tool, and the alignment was very close to specs from the forum. I have since learned that the intention was for the tie rods from the front be moved to the back, and the D F supplied tie rods used in the front, but I am so far along in the build, and have test fit the D F rods and ends to the rear, and just with eye-balling it appears that the set-up may work. One problem I do have is that the axles do not look as if they have seated properly into the transmission, especially the right one, and when I jacked up the left side of the car I had a fluid leak on the right. I will be going to the forum soon with pics and questions.
H. I did not realize that the turn signal switch came out of the housing, so I was trying to build the steering column with that big piece of plastic that just would not fit. The steering works great, even without power to the steering. I got the mirrors and headlights installed and wired in, nice easy job. The tail lights were a bit confusing because there were two pigtails, one with a red wire and a white wire, and one with a red wire, a white wire and a black wire and the harness had four wires on each side. The left had a yellow wire, the right had a dark green wire, and both sides had a light green, a brown, and a black wire. The knowledgeable and patient people on the forum walked me through how to find which wires to connect, and I now have headlights, mirror lights and tail and turn signal lights. The reverse lights are not functioning yet. I have plugged in the shifter, so I am not sure what the problem is there, but that is so minor compared to where I am.
I. The starter turns over, but I have not put gas in the tank yet. I have ordered the rear braided brake lines and am waiting for them to arrive. I get an error message on the dash that says 'low brake fluid' and 'engine power reduced', which is as it should be, so I am waiting to fill and bleed the brake lines before going any further in that direction.
J. I test-fit the fender mounts, both front and rear, and have discovered that the stock Cobalt tires are much too big. I will probably do the shake-down runs without fenders when the time comes. I am thinking about using eight-spoke wheels that look like ones on a Bugatti 35. I talked to Lonny a while back, and he said the stock tires and wheels would be too big, and I have always liked the Bugatti wheels.
K. Again, this is my build up to this point. I will have the fiberglass body parts painted soon, and the interior is about the only major thing I have left. The goal still is to be finished by warm weather.
Last edited:
