Devo's Extended Track #381 - 06 SS/SC Donor

Devo

Member
Intro:
I'm an engineer by trade and have always been a car fanatic. I stumbled on the DF site a couple years ago and was intrigued. After considering other cool cars, this was a no brainer. From the time I made up my mind to go for it, it took about 10 months to find a reasonable donor. For those looking to do the same, don’t get discouraged. I placed my order 12/6/2021, and Steward Transport dropped it off on 5/14/2022. I’m hoping to get the family involved in the build. Let the fun begin .

Donor car:
Being in western South Dakota, the pool of available Cobalts is smaller than a lot of areas. I scoured the web and local classifieds for months but came up empty. Even increasing the search area to around a 400+ mile radius, pickings were slim. I ended up going the Copart route and picked up a 2006 SS/SC with just over 60k miles on the odometer from the South Denver yard. It was hit somewhat squarely on the passenger side of the vehicle, and the listing noted that it did run and drive. After fees, taxes, and diesel, it was more than I wanted to spend but was exactly what I was looking for. Disassembly occurred over the winter, and Cobalt parts now cover every spare inch of space in my garage.

Buildout:
For chassis #381, I went with the extended track frame and double door bar option. It will be primary street driven and used as a canyon carver through the Black Hills. I don’t know if the Goblin will see any track time, but you never know what the future holds. The frame will go to a local powder coating company later this month – Chameleon Teal is the tentative color.
 

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Devo

Member
Rivnut tool is in the mail, and I plan to dry fit the side panels before the frame goes out for powder coating. As I unpacked everything, I came across the white PVC pipes with barbed fittings in the tunnel - see picture. Can anyone comment on their purpose? Also, with the tunnel, the lid is a tight friction fit. Do you need to adjust fitment prior to paint/powder?
 

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Rauq

Goblin Guru
For me, the difference between needing a hammer or not was just squeezing the sides of the tunnel cap with my hand.
 

Devo

Member
Picked up the frame and corresponding parts from the powder coating shop yesterday. Pictures don't do it justice - the chameleon teal color is gorgeous!

I'm planning on going with Raptor undercoating for the floor pan, bulkhead, & firewall. Hopefully it provides a little noise dampening as it claims. The summer is already way too busy, but maybe I can get the radiator hose tool built this week and operational for the weekend.
 

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Sparvy

Active Member
Picked up the frame and corresponding parts from the powder coating shop yesterday. Pictures don't do it justice - the chameleon teal color is gorgeous!

I'm planning on going with Raptor undercoating for the floor pan, bulkhead, & firewall. Hopefully it provides a little noise dampening as it claims. The summer is already way too busy, but maybe I can get the radiator hose tool built this week and operational for the weekend.
Awesome color...looks like black from a distance and then pops when you get close.
 

Devo

Member
Hoses pulled through the frame and floor pans dry fit. Huge kudos to DF for the updated pulling method. I read all the horror stories in previous build logs. With less than a can of silicone spray consumed, both sides pulled very easily.

For the pans, I cannot recommend the Raptor underbody coating. Even with 3 coats, it still has a streaky appearance to me. If I had to do it again, I'd either leave the raw aluminum or have them powder coated - clear or color match.
 

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Devo

Member
Steering rack is in and the chassis flipped back upright. My collapsible steering shaft won’t budge without major force. Any recommendations to get the action freed up?
 

Ross

Goblin Guru
A bit of heat, propane torch or heat gun. Penetrating oil. Vise, and a big hammer. Repeat. If that fails, buy a new one... there not that expensive.
 
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