Chris's Track Goblin - 06 SS/SC Donor

[Chris Eggert]

Im Chris one of the three Goblin builders here in Tennessee. Team Tennessee now has all three builds going. Im retired/disabled from the U.S. Army after serving 13 years in the Infantry and EOD (Explosive Ordnance Disposal). If you ever see me running, just try to keep up!!!!

I just received Chassis #65 way earlier than I expected which is why I have not even started the disassembly of my Donor yet. Will be starting this month unless something happens.

I plan on mainly using my Goblin as a fun way to ride these twists and turns on the roads here in the Cumberland Plateau area of Tennessee. Plus it will be getting its fair share of the 1/4 mile runs down the drag strip. It will get taken to quite a few of the drag strips around the southeastern part of the country. I am also going to check into the SCCA or NASA down at Road Atlanta. See what they have going on that I could join in on...

 

[Waterdriver]

I just want to say Thank You! serving for our country and welcome to the journey of the build! And drive we get that point!

 

[Chris Eggert]

Lucked up on a powder coat guy in Chattanooga. He does a lot of work for a company my brother works for. He normally only does industrial machinery, but he loves the Goblin project and he wants to see her on the road. I think I will be going with Red for my frame, since he is cutting me a hell of a deal on the powder coating of the frame if I do go with the Red. So color scheme is going to be red with Matt grey unless something drastic happens. Not having heat in my garage is slowing everything down, but hopefully that is corrected this week. Heater is on order and gas lines are ran and ready. I cant get motivated when im freezing my rear end off.

 

[TheNuker]

Lucked up on a powder coat guy in Chattanooga. He does a lot of work for a company my brother works for. He normally only does industrial machinery, but he loves the Goblin project and he wants to see her on the road. I think I will be going with Red for my frame, since he is cutting me a hell of a deal on the powder coating of the frame if I do go with the Red. So color scheme is going to be red with Matt grey unless something drastic happens. Not having heat in my garage is slowing everything down, but hopefully that is corrected this week. Heater is on order and gas lines are ran and ready. I cant get motivated when im freezing my rear end off.

Hah, I had that same problem last winter building my Goblin. Garage was cold as hell, I bought one of those propane tube style heaters 100k btu I think. Turned in on for 30 minutes with garage cracked and **** if it wasn't 85deg in there!

Nothing worse then picking up freezing cold wrenches when your hands are already cold!

Nuker-

 

[Chris Eggert]

Hah, I had that same problem last winter building my Goblin. Garage was cold as hell, I bought one of those propane tube style heaters 100k btu I think. Turned in on for 30 minutes with garage cracked and **** if it wasn't 85deg in there!

Nothing worse then picking up freezing cold wrenches when your hands are already cold!

Nuker-

I have a 30k btu propane heater ordered. Its a thermostat controlled heater rated to heat up to 1,000 square feet. I have 3 ceiling fans in the garage so with them and the heater it should make things easier to deal with. Its just unbearable for my hands right now. Partial frostbite on them in Germany back in 1988 during Artic warfare training. That makes dealing with the cold even harder. Once you get frostbite you have a less tolerance to the cold to the area of the frostbite. Thumb and 3 fingers on each hand during a nice blizzard in the Bavarian Alps. Temps got as low as -20 with a wind chill of -65 and we had to hike/ski our way out. The couldnt fly the birds in to get us due to zero visibility. Two days of freezing before we got out and a week in the hospital after we did get out...
Fun times from my youth...lol

 

[SliderR1]

I'm supposed to get my frame from the PC guy next week. Mine is going to be red, too.

 

[Chris Eggert]

With the deal he cut me on Red I couldnt turn it down. Seems he had a whole bunch of red that was already paid for and hes doing a whole bunch of parts in the red this month. Im only paying for the sand blasting and labor to do my frame...

 

[Chris Eggert]

I actually bought another 2006 Cobalt SS/SC the other evening. Its basically the same car I bought as a donor a couple months ago only with more miles on it. It has 181k on it, runs and drives grest. Couldnt turn it down for only $1,500.00. Mileage won't matter much since I will be rebuilding the engine, transmission and the supercharger after I get them pulled out. I have decided to keep the first one I bought as a cobalt so I have a car to run around in instead of my gas drinking Toyota or my Dodge. Toyota gets around 17 mpg and the Dodge gets around 12mpg on a good day. I am going to get the recall's done on the power steering and the ignition switch before it goes in the garage to get torn down. New parts for free is always nice...

 

[KJP]

Did you pick it up running and non salvaged for 1500? That's a great deal even with the high miles.

 

[Chris Eggert]

Did you pick it up running and non salvaged for 1500? That's a great deal even with the high miles.

Yes its running, driving and not a salvage car. The first one I bought is the same exact car, but it only had 115k on it and I paid $2500.00 for it. Both are 2006 SS/SC 5 speed cars red with the black and red interiors. Both cars have clean titles on them. I seem to run up on some great deals every now and then. I figure I will keep the low mileage car as a Cobalt and all the parts I take off the donor that arent used on the Goblin I can keep as spares. My garage has a full floored attic so I can just store them up there in case I ever need them...

 

[Brian74]

I have a 30k btu propane heater ordered. Its a thermostat controlled heater rated to heat up to 1,000 square feet. I have 3 ceiling fans in the garage so with them and the heater it should make things easier to deal with. Its just unbearable for my hands right now. Partial frostbite on them in Germany back in 1988 during Artic warfare training. That makes dealing with the cold even harder. Once you get frostbite you have a less tolerance to the cold to the area of the frostbite. Thumb and 3 fingers on each hand during a nice blizzard in the Bavarian Alps. Temps got as low as -20 with a wind chill of -65 and we had to hike/ski our way out. The couldnt fly the birds in to get us due to zero visibility. Two days of freezing before we got out and a week in the hospital after we did get out...
Fun times from my youth...lol

Lol, Arctic warfare training... I went through it in AK in 2009. Those 70’s era NATO metal skis and snowshoes they issued were horrible. I liked the vapor barrier boots, though.

 

[Chris Eggert]

Lol, Arctic warfare training... I went through it in AK in 2009. Those 70’s era NATO metal skis and snowshoes they issued were horrible. I liked the vapor barrier boots, though.

Yes it was just loads of fun. I still haven't figured out why so many people all over the world think it is a good idea to strap two slick sticks to the bottom of their feet and slide down a mountain...

It doesn't make sense if you want to live...lol

 

[Brian74]

Yes it was just loads of fun. I still haven't figured out why so many people all over the world think it is a good idea to strap two slick sticks to the bottom of their feet and slide down a mountain...

It doesn't make sense if you want to live...lol

Well, being stationed in AK for 2.5 years, skiing became a staple time killer during the weekends. I grew to enjoy it; even got really good at it. Its actually much more fun with modern, lightweight equipment. Now I live in the desert and haven’t skied in 5 years.

 

[Chris Eggert]

Well, being stationed in AK for 2.5 years, skiing became a staple time killer during the weekends. I grew to enjoy it; even got really good at it. Its actually much more fun with modern, lightweight equipment. Now I live in the desert and haven’t skied in 5 years.

I hate the cold, I would rather it be 110° with 100% humidity

 

[Chris Eggert]

Did you pick it up running and non salvaged for 1500? That's a great deal even with the high miles.

Ran up on another deal on a pair of 2007 Cobalt ss cars today... It must be something about how I have my search system set up on FB Markeyplace. I run up on a deal a week at least. I found 4 other 2006 and 2007 Cobalt SS cars within 150 miles of me for $3,000 Or less since Saturday...

 

[Chris Eggert]

December was a rough month and January has started off the same way. I did get the heat installed in my garage, but I have been fighting the flu again thanks to the VA. Went in for a regular doctors visit, I was just getting over the flu and actually had a high temp of over 100° when the nurse checked my vitals. Right before I was set to get out of there Im sitting on the exam table talking to my doctor when this other nuse sticks a needle in my arm and hits the plunger giving me an injection. I asked her what it was, yep a flu shot while I was already sick. So I have been sick really bad these past few weeks. Im finally starting to feel better now an I hope I continue getting better so I can get some work done.

Dealer did the same 3 recalls that were done to my first Cobalt to the replacement donor. New power steering system, a new ignition switch with two new keys and I got all new airbags (driver, passenger and the side curtain airbags 1st and 2nd row)....

Free parts are free parts! New Airbags should sell pretty fast especially since they are the replacement ones for the recall to be completed....

 

[Chris Eggert]

This flu bug/stomach virus combo is a really horrible thing to deal with. I am finally feeling a little better than I have been. Got in the garage yesterday and put the cover on the bass boat so I could get it out of the garage. By the time I was finished getting the cover on and tied down I just wanted to lay down. I have no energy at all because of this bug Ive had. I was going to pull the boat outside today, but It seems mother nature is sending a snow storm this direction. So today Im going to see if I can get my engine stand and cherry picker put back together and maybe start straightening out my big toolboxes that got dumped over in the floor while I was trying to move them.
The powder coat guy was supposed to have picked up the frame, firewall, floorpan and the fuel tank last week. He didnt come by, didnt call and I had a time getting in touch with him. I was beginning to wonder if something had happened to him, he isnt a young guy he is getting close to 70 years old. I was starting to worry that something had happened and that I might be needing to find a new guy. Then I finally got a call back from his wife. She said he had a mild heart attack and ended up having 3 stints put in. She said that the Doctor told him he can go back to work in a week or two and that he should be fine. He told her to tell me that he would come pick up everything the evening before he goes back to work or the morning he is going in to work. He said he needs to get my stuff done so he can go for a ride with me this summer.
My entry room coming into my house now has two of the 5 shelf racks in it. They are slowly but surely filling up with new parts for my Goblin build. Everything from Engine parts/ headers to lights even the Oh **** handle for the passenger side. I went with the ZZP shorty headers for the Goblin. I will be bead blasting the header hopefully on friday so I can start getting the ceramic coat sprayed on then baked on over the weekend. Its going to be interesting to see how they come out. Ive never ceramic coated anything my self, but I am now. A bunch of first time things for me during this build.
UPS and FEDEX are almost on a continuous drop off cycle here. Im getting things a couple of small orders at a time and staying on my budget, so far...lol
Im not sure how long I will stay on budget, but at least im trying too...lol

 

[Chris Eggert]

Got both sets of headers blasted and ceramic coated inside and out then baked on. I installed the one set on the cobalt I drive and the temperature difference between the inside of the tube and outside of the tube is just wild. Well worth the effort and they look outstanding too.
I got started on disassembly and have been just going slow marking all wires trying to prevent the damage of anything I will be re-using on my Goblin or on my cobalt. I havent been exactly follow ing along with the videos like I should be its more like strip an entire area then move on to the next.i have quite a few pics to upload and a bunch of video to edit. Now I have somehow pulled the muscles in my ribcage its like having broken ribs without the broken bones. So im on a couple weeks of dont do anything so I can heal. I will get progress pictures posted soon

 

[Silverback]

...Now I have somehow pulled the muscles in my ribcage its like having broken ribs without the broken bones.../QUOTE]

Been there, done that. I ruptured the intracostal muscles on the right lower side of my rib cage while removing the subframe bolts. Six weeks plus to heal. Still hurts to think about it.

 

[Chris Eggert]

The Doctor said he wanted me doing nothing for at least 2 weeks. I learned something on the cradle bolts, use Seafoam penetrating oil on the exposed threads on the top. Spray them 2 or 3 times and wait until it starts coming out around the heads of the bolts. I took one out and I was braced in there real good with a 3 foot 1/2" drive breaker bar. When it finally came loose I thought I had busted a blood vessel in my head I strained so hard. The ones I sprayed with the Seafoam came out fairly easy. .