Jesse's (WI) Track Goblin #400 - 06 SS/SC Donor

SmsDetroit

Goblin Guru
Welcome. I'm also one of the Wisconsin builders. I'm located in Hixton, east of Eau Claire. No build log yet, but my 2009 SS-TC is dismantled. I bought my kit nearly two years ago, and I plan to get it on the road this year. I've been gathering parts and planning some changes that require minor cutting and welding of the frame. If things go as planned, I'll be driving the completed car to the Goblinfest. I'm setting my car up for comfort street driving. I'll get a build log started when I get going in earnest.
You should definitely start a build log. Welcome
 
Could be the boost control solenoid. That’s the most common fault when it it flatlines at 4 psi. Mine did. Looks for codes
Disconnected the boost control solenoid and was able make 14psi at the peak and it got there pretty quickly. So I am guessing that is where I need to be?

Fun new issue popped up now. One of the bolts came out of the fuel rail. Car runs pretty bad like that..... I actually had cylinder pressure blowing out the injector hole.

Prior to that, I did have some issues with the engine breaking up at higher rpms, but I'm wondering if it's related to the fuel rail issue.

I'll need to figure out what size bolt that is and try some loctite and go from there.

Also did end up adding the F23 swap to the list. With the type of issues I am seeing on the car I have zero faith in the kid "fixing" the trans properly. Plus it's an excuse for a fresh clutch given the miles.
 

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Rttoys

Goblin Guru
Ya. Replace that boost control solenoid. Common failure

you should be able to find a matching bolt in your doner stash. At least something that will work. Get that all back together and see how it runs before diagnosing any further.
 

Bajakid1450

Well-Known Member
Disconnected the boost control solenoid and was able make 14psi at the peak and it got there pretty quickly. So I am guessing that is where I need to be?

Fun new issue popped up now. One of the bolts came out of the fuel rail. Car runs pretty bad like that..... I actually had cylinder pressure blowing out the injector hole.

Prior to that, I did have some issues with the engine breaking up at higher rpms, but I'm wondering if it's related to the fuel rail issue.

I'll need to figure out what size bolt that is and try some loctite and go from there.

Also did end up adding the F23 swap to the list. With the type of issues I am seeing on the car I have zero faith in the kid "fixing" the trans properly. Plus it's an excuse for a fresh clutch given the miles.
I’d definitely get the f23 trans from Adam it is totally worth it and the shipping is a great price too
 
It's been a long time since I posted.

Did receive everything though so I figured I would post an update. I can't say enough about how great Stewart Transport was to deal with, especially considering the cost to deliver.
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The donor car hasn't been touch yet. I need to start with stripping that down, and then attack the wiring harness.... The harness legitimately concerns me, which is why I have been procrastinating the tear down.

I am also trying to wrap up all of my other projects, so I can completely focus on the Goblin.

I managed to get my mower finished. May not sound like much but this has been almost a 2 year project. I ended taking 2 parts mowers to make one. I have about 8.5 acres to mow, and can now mow it all in about 2 hours.
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This is my current headache. I am trying to make it my daily so I can stop putting miles on my F150. It's been sitting for 10+ years, and has some gremlins. Once this is wrapped up, I can start on the Goblin
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Robinjo

Goblin Guru
I agree with you on Stewart Transportation, the delivery guy was super nice. He let us take all the photos we could during the unloading.
That shop looks great, so much room for activities.
 

SmsDetroit

Goblin Guru
I was terrified of doing my wiring but but the bullet and did it. I’m glad I did and had no issues. My advice would be take it slow. Label everything, if you cut a wire that needs to be left and lengthened later relabel it. Don’t skip around on videos. You will do fine
 
Well after 1 1/2 years I am back to the Goblin.

The old Dodge gave me a few curveballs I didn't expect, and then life happened and the Goblin sat on the backburner much more than I expected. At one point I was even trying to sell the Goblin to work on some other projects. But I am happy to say the Dodge is off of my to-do list now, and the Goblin is moving into the work bay. The Dodge was actually a good practice project. I had to completely redo the entire fuel system and rebuilt it with an electronic fuel pump. I also had to rebuild most of the wiring harness as it was hacked up quite a bit from the previous owner. But after almost 2 years of working on it, I was able to daily drive it almost every day this last summer. There is still a lot left to be done, but that can wait.
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I am finally ready to start the teardown on the donor car now. At this point I need to watch most of the videos over again and comb over the forum, to remember what I need to be doing.

In case anyone is wondering, the donor car makes a good storage location for the Goblin chassis for long term storage :D
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Gtstorey

Goblin Guru
I don’t know the current condition of your donor, but I would get it running well before the tear down. It’s a lot easier to troubleshoot when you get the Goblin running, knowing that it was running well before the tear down. Otherwise you want know if it was something you did wrong or something already broke.
 
I don’t know the current condition of your donor, but I would get it running well before the tear down. It’s a lot easier to troubleshoot when you get the Goblin running, knowing that it was running well before the tear down. Otherwise you want know if it was something you did wrong or something already broke.
I got it running and driving before storing it. The only running issue I have, is that it goes into limp mode under high boost. The car has an different pulley on the supercharger. My guess is that the previous owner pulled the tune/ecu before selling. The trans is also trash, but I have an F23 to swap in.
 
I would trouble shoot the issue before tear down. You are going to have to do it anyway and a lot easier now.
That's not going to be an option until spring. The donor is on worn out summer tires, I can't make it 10 feet down my driveway and it's 3/4 of a mile long.
 

ah.b.normal

Goblin Guru
Liked your movie Mr. Burbank, but I think the world is a better place with you on the loose.
Kidding aside, F35 is a tough trans. I'd bet your troubles are in the shifter or cables or where the cable stops are on the trans. The down sides on the F35 are parts/service availability.
If you are going the F23 route have you sourced a shifter? Best bet is probably the DF shifter which should shift either type, and maybe even the F40 trans? Ask DF or Desert Sasquatch, he knows for sure. As a guy who is having to build/modify his own shifter, I have tinkered with many designs! Fiero/Cavalier, MR2, both Cobalt types and the list goes on and on. I now know stuff about cable shifters I wish I didn't know, reversers, bell cranks, cable stops, throw, blah blah.
The forum is always open, there are no stupid questions, just some times they elicit snappy answers.:rolleyes:
 
When I bought the kit I bought the new F23 transmission from DF at the same time. It was cheap enough that it seemed like a no brainer at the time. I also ordered the DF shifter with the kit as well. It's a good thing I did as well, the transmission was completely dry when I pulled the drain plug.
 
Update.

I made a lot of progress last week on stripping the donor. Only thing I have left to do is drop the fuel tank. Overall the stripping process was surprisingly easy. Only surprise I had, was forgetting to discharge the low pressure side of the AC system. It was a bit shocking when I pulled the bolt on the condenser. Being that the car was from the Midwest, I encountered typical problems associated with the rust belt. Nothing too crazy except for the rear hub on the driver side. It was only held on by 2 bolts, one which broke as soon as I went to loosen it. So it's a good thing I didn't do much more testing. I also found out that there was no filter or lid on the airbox, so another good reason I didn't keep testing. I have said it before, but the previous owner did some questionable things with this car. When pulling the engine I could tell it had been removed previously, they even had mismatched hardware for the motor mount bolts. In the last picture you can see where they cut a random piece of sheet metal support in the trunk for some unknown reason. It's a good thing this car is off the road.

So after I pull the tank, the donor will be getting pushed outside. Then I will be tackling the wiring harness, which has always been my biggest concern with this build. When stripping the donor I did label every single electrical connector I came across, so hopefully that will make things a bit easier.

I will also be doing a leak down on the engine as it has 140,000 miles. Pending those results I'll either clean it up and swap the trans, or start rebuilding it.


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Rttoys

Goblin Guru
cut the fuel line anywhere on the metal part and keep it. I like the factory 45* elbow at the quick disconnect better than DF’s supplied 90* elbow. If you rather use the Df supplied lines, that little piece doesn’t take up much room on your shelf and you can toss it.
ACB808B9-98D1-4387-96F8-B16F288280AA.jpeg
 
cut the fuel line anywhere on the metal part and keep it. I like the factory 45* elbow at the quick disconnect better than DF’s supplied 90* elbow. If you rather use the Df supplied lines, that little piece doesn’t take up much room on your shelf and you can toss it.
Thanks for the tip.

Fuel line is set aside in case I want to use it.
 
Update.

The donor car is pushed out of the garage, and the Goblin chassis has been moved into the work bay. I have started working on the wiring harness. I have completed thinning out the harness, but I have a few left over connectors I am not sure about. I create a second post to address the wiring questions.
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Minus the drivetrain these are the parts not needed for Goblin. I will be keeping these until I finish the Goblin just in case I forgot something.
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These are parts going on the Goblin. Being that it's a rust belt car, I'll be replacing a lot of the exterior parts.
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Built the wiring table and got everything laid out.
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Wires stripped. Rubber gloves were a necessity for this step.
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Thinning of the harness complete, minus a few straggler connectors.
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