Jm12
Active Member
Whereas many journeys here begin with a donor and a deposit, mine begins with a flight itinerary and some crossed fingers.
I live in TN, the car is in UT. Being that the industry is in peak season and trying to make up for lost revenue during the pandemic, transport costs are insane right now- what would've cost around $800 is now $2K. At some point I decided that if I was going to spend that kind of money to get the car back home I was going to have some fun doing it, so a a brave co-driver/dedicated friend and I will be flying out, seeing the sights for a couple of days, then driving the new (to me) car the 25 hours and 1700+ miles back home- hopefully in 2 days. I've got a very accommodating seller that's helping us get prepped for the journey. We'll be installing a cargo box up top, a 12v adapter for gps/radar/etc, resistor for cruise control, and maybe some other odds and ends. We're hoping that the car and the weather cooperates during our very narrow window of travel. We don't have a plan B. We need some luck.
So why a Goblin? In short, I wanted something stupidly overpowered and beyond my abilities as a driver. Something that I could grow into and customize to my preferences and skill level over time. I think I've made a good choice.
The slightly longer version of how I landed on a Goblin: I started with motorcycles before moving to cars- more out of necessity than want. As life got busier and responsibilities stacked up I just wasn't finding the time to ride anymore despite living less than an hour from US-129, tons of other great roads, and a variety of tracks within a few hours' drive. In the last couple of years I've picked up AutoX and done pretty well from a competitive standpoint in Street. I really enjoy it as it scratches an itch that I have for competition, but it doesn't fully fill the void that sportbikes left behind. I miss the sensation of being just barely in control of the machine I'm operating and so I started looking for something affordable that could replace that feeling, only in 4 wheeled form. I looked at a handful of options including other kit cars and swapped Miatas. Most were underpowered or overpriced. Once I started looking into the DFG it felt like I'd found what I was looking for.
Building my own seemed like a good idea at first until I thought it through. Realistically I just lack the time, tools, and space to pull it off. I knew pretty much exactly what I was after and it wasn't long before I saw that Ben had put his up for sale. He was selling his for a very competitive price and I'd always wanted to spend some time in Moab. Despite initial threats of bodily harm if I purchased an adult go kart, my wife eventually encouraged me to fly out to pick up the car. She's a good one. Also, we're getting a new fridge and stove.
So what are the goals with this car? First and foremost it will be a competition machine for AutoX. I know I would have been better off starting with a SS/SC if money were no object, but money definitely is an object and I know that I can make more power for a lower investment with a SS/TC before the car turns into a money pit. It's street legal so it'll see action in the mountains as well. Comfort is clearly a tertiary concern- I want it to move fast through tight twisty stuff and that's it. In general, I'm looking for something to replace the bike and I think this thing can do it.
What do I want to change when I get it? The list has already started, roughly in the following order. I welcome discussion and/or feedback on anything that is or isn't mentioned:
I live in TN, the car is in UT. Being that the industry is in peak season and trying to make up for lost revenue during the pandemic, transport costs are insane right now- what would've cost around $800 is now $2K. At some point I decided that if I was going to spend that kind of money to get the car back home I was going to have some fun doing it, so a a brave co-driver/dedicated friend and I will be flying out, seeing the sights for a couple of days, then driving the new (to me) car the 25 hours and 1700+ miles back home- hopefully in 2 days. I've got a very accommodating seller that's helping us get prepped for the journey. We'll be installing a cargo box up top, a 12v adapter for gps/radar/etc, resistor for cruise control, and maybe some other odds and ends. We're hoping that the car and the weather cooperates during our very narrow window of travel. We don't have a plan B. We need some luck.
So why a Goblin? In short, I wanted something stupidly overpowered and beyond my abilities as a driver. Something that I could grow into and customize to my preferences and skill level over time. I think I've made a good choice.
The slightly longer version of how I landed on a Goblin: I started with motorcycles before moving to cars- more out of necessity than want. As life got busier and responsibilities stacked up I just wasn't finding the time to ride anymore despite living less than an hour from US-129, tons of other great roads, and a variety of tracks within a few hours' drive. In the last couple of years I've picked up AutoX and done pretty well from a competitive standpoint in Street. I really enjoy it as it scratches an itch that I have for competition, but it doesn't fully fill the void that sportbikes left behind. I miss the sensation of being just barely in control of the machine I'm operating and so I started looking for something affordable that could replace that feeling, only in 4 wheeled form. I looked at a handful of options including other kit cars and swapped Miatas. Most were underpowered or overpriced. Once I started looking into the DFG it felt like I'd found what I was looking for.
Building my own seemed like a good idea at first until I thought it through. Realistically I just lack the time, tools, and space to pull it off. I knew pretty much exactly what I was after and it wasn't long before I saw that Ben had put his up for sale. He was selling his for a very competitive price and I'd always wanted to spend some time in Moab. Despite initial threats of bodily harm if I purchased an adult go kart, my wife eventually encouraged me to fly out to pick up the car. She's a good one. Also, we're getting a new fridge and stove.
So what are the goals with this car? First and foremost it will be a competition machine for AutoX. I know I would have been better off starting with a SS/SC if money were no object, but money definitely is an object and I know that I can make more power for a lower investment with a SS/TC before the car turns into a money pit. It's street legal so it'll see action in the mountains as well. Comfort is clearly a tertiary concern- I want it to move fast through tight twisty stuff and that's it. In general, I'm looking for something to replace the bike and I think this thing can do it.
What do I want to change when I get it? The list has already started, roughly in the following order. I welcome discussion and/or feedback on anything that is or isn't mentioned:
- Flash tune - Biggest bang for the buck to my knowledge. Currently leaning towards RPM-Motorsports. I've spoken with them, I like their numbers, and I like an underdog.
- Suspension - Still a lot to read and learn in this department. Looks like Lonny is testing some prototype retrofits right now so I'm not sure how that will affect my decisions.
- LSD - Oof... I'd just assumed that this would be present on the TC'd models but it looks like it's not. Obviously not a deal breaker, but after reading about the time and money that goes into swapping an open diff for an lsd I'm sort of dreading this.
- Front sway bar - Related to suspension but appears that there are no off the shelf options in this department. Seems like the biggest bang for the buck custom fabbed component.
- Aero - For what I'm doing I think this can wait, although it looks awfully nice. Also hoping that there are some developments in the front aero package arena between now and when I'm ready to move forward.
