Newbie in Texas

JBINTX

Goblin Guru
Hey All!
Day one for me.
Bought a running donor.
Will be deciding the details for my Goblin kit order soon.
I have really enjoyed following the forum for a few months. Great community here.
I am in Houston, Texas.
I visited Lonnie and Adam a month or so ago. Sealed the deal when Lonnie gave me a test ride. Still got a grin on my face thinking about that.
So, my donor stripping and prepping will commence. My donor is a 2009 SS turbocharged. Really good shape.
I figured a Goblin build would be a fun follow up to the project my son and I just finished. I helped him install an Acura J32 V6 260 hp engine into a 1991 Mazda Miata. Interesting project.

Buckle up, baby!

Jason
 

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Desert Sasqwatch

Goblin Guru
Jason, welcome to the forum and the Goblin family. Great donor, how many miles? LSD trans (look for the G85 code on the trunk sticker)? Stripping the donor will be a great learning experience, was for many of us, and will be a great father and son project. Don't forget to start a build log when you start working on your donor.
 

JBINTX

Goblin Guru
82k miles
Unfortunately not LSD. I gave in there since the remainder of the car was in such great shape.
 

JSATX

Goblin Guru
We’re beginning to have quite a few goblins here in Texas. I hope to bring mine to MSR this year down south of Houston. Ever been there?
 

JBINTX

Goblin Guru
JSATX: We have not. But, we have met a guy who races spec Miatas who is there often. Circuit Of The Americas (COTA) over in San Antonio is also a target track for us.
 

JBINTX

Goblin Guru
I will ask my first question of the group.

What are some of the “must do’s”, or “I wish I would have done’s” while the engine and transmission are on the stand and accessible? I assume the list would contain things like replacing the timing chain, water pump, certain seals, clutch, throw out bearing etc. I would love to hear from some of the collective experience and your 20/20 hindsight. Obviously, the list will vary a little depending on the donor. Also, money is always an issue. So, some items may have the qualifier “if funds allow, do this”. If this list exists on the forum, I have not found it.
 

Parson Green

Well-Known Member
JSATX: We have not. But, we have met a guy who races spec Miatas who is there often. Circuit Of The Americas (COTA) over in San Antonio is also a target track for us.

COTA is within the ETJ of Austin, TX.

 

Murcielago311

Well-Known Member
My engine list:
Timing chain, water pump, and updated tensioner.
Dorman timing chain guide bolt.
Front main seal while doing timing.
AC delete for non-SC. Gut compressor for SC.
New header (oems are often cracked).
Dual-pass endplate for SC.
Phenolic spacer for SC.
Check function/age of intercooler pump for SC.
Remove purge valve/evap stuff.
Check clutch and flywheel.
Clean and paint. Powder coat valve cover.
Remove unneeded wiring harness bits.
 

Parson Green

Well-Known Member
I will ask my first question of the group.

What are some of the “must do’s”, or “I wish I would have done’s” while the engine and transmission are on the stand and accessible? I assume the list would contain things like replacing the timing chain, water pump, certain seals, clutch, throw out bearing etc. I would love to hear from some of the collective experience and your 20/20 hindsight. Obviously, the list will vary a little depending on the donor. Also, money is always an issue. So, some items may have the qualifier “if funds allow, do this”. If this list exists on the forum, I have not found it.
You might be happier with your project if you laid off any mods until you've got your goblin put together and in a drive-able condition.

With only 82k miles on the odo, the engine's probably in need of not much else than an oil change. That is, unless the prior owner drove it with a perpetual lead foot or never did maintenance.

Also, during disassembly of your donor it's a good idea to, in addition to labeling all the wiring-harness connections, also label all the vacuum lines, fuel lines, etc.

Good luck and happy motoring!
 

Ross

Goblin Guru
I agree with Parson... get it running, then debug what you have, then do modifications. This car is easy to do changes to the engine afterwards. That said, it is your project, so racing priorities, OCD, time constraints, do what you want and makes you happy.
 

Karter2026

Goblin Guru
Also, during disassembly of your donor it's a good idea to, in addition to labeling all the wiring-harness connections, also label all the vacuum lines, fuel lines, etc.

Good luck and happy motoring!
When he says label every harness connector he means every one Buy a label maker. Even if the plug is not connected to anything give it a label with a number. Then make a note of where it was located in the car what it was near. Example is my car is a 5spd. it had plugs for an automatic.

Good luck with the project.
 

TheNuker

Goblin Guru
I will ask my first question of the group.

What are some of the “must do’s”, or “I wish I would have done’s” while the engine and transmission are on the stand and accessible? I assume the list would contain things like replacing the timing chain, water pump, certain seals, clutch, throw out bearing etc. I would love to hear from some of the collective experience and your 20/20 hindsight. Obviously, the list will vary a little depending on the donor. Also, money is always an issue. So, some items may have the qualifier “if funds allow, do this”. If this list exists on the forum, I have not found it.
For me building Goblin #2 I'm using a brand new engine and transmission. I plan to keep this one for a long while and am going to use new parts everywhere I can.

But the first SS/SC Goblin with 82k ran strong. **** that was a lot of fun.

Nuker-
 

Rttoys

Goblin Guru
I saw your CL ad and figured you were building one. I bought my cobalt last week and ordered the kit right after, so it looks like there will be 2 at coffee and cars soon.
 
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