SwerveMonkey's Street Goblin #197 - 08 Donor

SwerveMonkey

Well-Known Member
I'm sometimes such an idiot... caught it though finally...
12066


BIG THANK YOU to BradR and Ross... who provided tools to verify that the connector I am looking for would have gone to the BCM X1 connector
have to update the separate electrical query over on the other forum board


EDIT: current electrical issues at the moment can be found over in the electrical forum, link is here....
 
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SwerveMonkey

Well-Known Member
ok... with things the way they are, pandemic included, i thought now would be the time to strike and get my place in line for my kit...
order # 1165 placed and i have a place in line... have to do freight at the moment with no business address to accept things right now here in long island.
 

SwerveMonkey

Well-Known Member
further fodder to fuel the dream... confirmed to be chassis #197
still have a couple hurdles to jump before assembly begins...
The wiring harness needs to be cleaned up and finalized
the donor parts need to be cleaned up [ warm weather pending;) ]
 

SwerveMonkey

Well-Known Member
been a hot minute for sure... but given the situation this was not a top priority to press forward until settling into the new norm.... sigh

since the last post, was able to finalize the body harness prep work... there are still a few things to complete once the assembly begins, but for now I believe i have gotten as much done as i can with the harness on the "work bench."

I've been able to give the donor parts an initial wash with a power-washer after soaking in degreaser in the driveway. although I don't think they are ready for primer, still want to wire brush each part to be certain that any rust or loose particles are removed.
doing research now to make sure i have the right knowledge on application... so much on youtube, not going to post anything here.
 

SwerveMonkey

Well-Known Member
Still prepping the pedals has proven to be a bad time, lol.
I broke the bolt holding the clutch sensor, there was thread lock was on the bolt & snapped with use of an impact driver.... Took some time to grind a slot into it and i think heating up the bolt is what actually help it come out... verified later by some web searches on blue residue on bolts, D'Oh!

still need to pull the springs of "front" struts... need appropriate tools for the job though... just ordered some ACTUAL compressors because wood clamps are just a disaster waiting to happen

In the Meantime while waiting on the amazon shipment I have re-taped the engine harness with the remaining TESA that i had lying around.

and a bit of a laugh for you guys, I got cuaght unawares pulling the axels out. I didnt realize that the manual transmission fluid would leak right out after pulling the axels... had a huge puddle in the garage for a second, lol.

moving forward with brushing off the old parts and prepping them for primer paint and a clear coat
 

Desert Sasqwatch

Goblin Guru
Still prepping the pedals has proven to be a bad time, lol.
I broke the bolt holding the clutch sensor, there was thread lock was on the bolt & snapped with use of an impact driver.... Took some time to grind a slot into it and i think heating up the bolt is what actually help it come out... verified later by some web searches on blue residue on bolts, D'Oh!

still need to pull the springs of "front" struts... need appropriate tools for the job though... just ordered some ACTUAL compressors because wood clamps are just a disaster waiting to happen

In the Meantime while waiting on the amazon shipment I have re-taped the engine harness with the remaining TESA that i had lying around.

and a bit of a laugh for you guys, I got cuaght unawares pulling the axels out. I didnt realize that the manual transmission fluid would leak right out after pulling the axels... had a huge puddle in the garage for a second, lol.

moving forward with brushing off the old parts and prepping them for primer paint and a clear coat
I believe most everyone did the same thing, pulled the axles and were rewarded with a puddle of trans fluid on the floor. Like I stated earlier today in another thread, anytime you are working on a car something will get spilled - as long as it isn't your cold beverage. :D
 

SwerveMonkey

Well-Known Member
Alright! got some traction on the project again during what was a rare glimpse of Long Island warm spring weather... skies 've been sort of erratic as of late. never the less, I got a few pieces with the rattle can their first coats...
i was shocked how much a wire brush can clean up some parts... but i think for now this is " good enough for government work" clean...

I had a bit of trouble initially with the strut assembly
i pulled the whole thing off in one go per the video instructions, but went back and studied up on the ol' youtube on how to get this bolt off... fortunately for me i was able to pop it right off without having to resort to purchasing the pass-thru ratchet set just yet...
And I will soon be cleaning and spraying these down too...

I'll use the next post to show which cans I am using for later paint matching should i need to respray anything.
 
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SwerveMonkey

Well-Known Member
For what it's worth, it's been a VERY busy summer... glad to see so many other builds going and a lot of info for me to take in from other's experiences. I had to put aside the Goblin build for a bit to work other things [house, jobs schedule, WRX mods].
Was able to get all the donor parts spray painted and I think I am settling on a build color combination scheme [Blue w/ White accents]

I checked local Powder Coating shops and most of the qoutes are WAAAYYY outside my budget for this project ( which honestly i planned for a full Rattle Can job ) .... So I found that the donor parts are pretty much all coated in this stuff...

I found that the fuel filler neck has a baffle which i dont think will bother me... but if anyone has more info as to why I should definetly replace it then I will. I suppose that a fast fuel fill up is not a priority for me during this build process...

I found that the lower control arm bushings were shot to hell and absolutely unacceptable... still considering the cost difference between trying to simply replace the bushings or getting upgraded lower control arms that cobalt drivers prefer to replace OEM with

a full shot of the setup for spraying the parts down, not entirely satisfied with the final outcome but as they say... " Good 'nuff for gov'ment work"
I figured that as time goes on I would be upgrading and replacing as the opportunity presents itself for many of the donor parts

while I am waiting on the logistics to get the frame shipped (yay!) I figured I would take the heat sheild off from the exhaust header... but stuff was in the way, thank goodness the Mechanics Manual had the steps to remove the exhaust. but i was unaware what a secondary air injection system was and how prevalent it was in modern cars... I'm chekcing to see if this is something I can easily delete or if it is actually beneficial to the goblin build.

Stolen image from https://www.autocodes.com/qa/?qa=blob&qa_blobid=6121101915323646739

the frame itself should be in by the end of the month and I am hoping to start a youtube vlog (non monetized, not for general consumption) to go along and help me document the process further... I can already see myself getting carried away with assembly and getting too into the zone :- )

EDIT: have been doing a bit of research related to the 2.2 ecotec L61
-found out about the chain tensioner fails and should be upgraded
-gutting ing the AC might be desired over removing it altogether... I'm still undecided on this subject
-forced induction add-ons for later after the thing is built... only supercharging makes sense for this engine
-playing around with the idea of a 2.4 intake manifold swap, not sure if this is feasible
 
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Mayor West

Goblin Guru
I broke my clutch pedal switch as well. It got very tight and hard to tighten and it just sheared right off with basic hand tools.

Sucks, but not too bad since I already had to replace it anyway and do a clutch relearn.
 

Rttoys

Goblin Guru
Buying the whole control arm makes life a lot easier. A steel direct replacement is not much more than all the parts separately. Upgrading to the aluminum cost a little more than that, but looks a hell of a lot cooler (There’s performance gains too, somewhere).
 

SwerveMonkey

Well-Known Member
The frame is in and Stage one is all but ready to go... asked for a bare frame so I am in the process of painting at the moment.
[edit : have yet to upload pics and now ] I even have video I will be posting to my YouTube channel... for my eyes only right now, LoL.

since getting the bare chassis i have given a few passes on the firewall and floor pan of the rubberized coating for undercarriage. seems to be tough enough as of now and I can always give it another coat later on down the line if need be. for reference I ran through five cans of the rustoleum rubberized undercoat, that stuff goes quick when treating it like a normal rattle can spray.

With the chassis sitting upside down now, I plan to prime as much as I can and flip over for a third primer coat. honestly I can see myself doing that primer coat then starting the color coat and flipping it upside down again to finish the color coat & a clear coat. then stage one can begin with the floor pan and riveting.
 
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SwerveMonkey

Well-Known Member
finally onto the sheetmetal, sterring and whatnot...
finding a few of the same hurdles others have had.


intermediate steering shaft will need some work done
My steering shaft was the same way. It is basically rusted together. It took me about two hours of work to get them apart and fully cleaned out. Use penetrating fluid and heat (torch). You'll need to rig up a way to pull the two pieces apart at the same time your heating the stuck area. Once apart, you'll need to work the two ends back and forth until it bottoms out and they move freely. Once finished you'll want to use anti-seize before final installation.
but i did get the steering rack in no problem.


along with the power steering unit... although i have to admit, i did put the bracket on backwards initially, D'Oh


had a tiny panic attack when i realized the guide videos call for a 8 mm bolt and nut... which I have none of, only 10 mm and 7 mm donor bolts/nuts...
then realized that it is not that critical... ad went with a donor hood bolt sized 13 mm instead

of some concern is that my donor brake booster did not come with a spacer and I will worry until i find evidence not to... but it fits, for now.

i also see that the rear brake extension line will need some finagling to make it work


now i just have to find that clutch pedal install post i saw some time ago....
 
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