What Mods to a donor will transfer to the Goblin?

PaulPerger

Well-Known Member
I will pick up my "donor" next week. I plan to drive it for a year or so until I can afford to order the kit.

What modifications can I do to a 2006 Cobalt SS SC that can be retained for the Goblin?

For example. I know there is no point in upgrading the exhaust, at least from the cat back, but I assume an upgraded exhaust manifold would be retained.

What about suspension, brakes, engine mods, etc? What would be good to modify and what would be a waste of money in the long term?

I do not want to spend money on something now that I won't use when I convert it.
 

95Blitz

Well-Known Member
The exhaust is set up for a shorty header or the stock manifold. With that being said you could use a mid-length header and make your own exhaust. Engine mods all but air intake should transfer over, other then a long tube header. Suspension nothing on the rear will move over. Brakes not sure...
 

Ross

Goblin Guru
Cobalt brakes are made for a car twice the weight of a Goblin. Those brakes are too much, and I have added a brake vacuum regulator to reduce the amount of brake assistance my Goblin has.
Stock seats or racing seats fit in both the Goblin and the Cobalt.
Almost all mods to the engine transfer. Our LSJ engines are weak in these 3 parts: (Do Dorman 917-954 Timing chain guide bolt, a timing chain tensioner, and probably the intercooler pump)
Front suspension transfer - I did a control arm bushing MOOG K201285, coil overs are a common upgrade.
I did HP Tuners, added a wide band O2 sensor, and learned tuning, that all will transfer.
Wheel bearings transfer.
Tires, wheels might transfer, depending on how wild you get. My 12" tires fit a Goblin and a Cobalt (sic), (well with the sawzall trim to the fender wells).
Dash gauges transfer. I'm adding an oil pressure gauge.
 
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Brian74

Goblin Guru
I would do a full leak-down check on the motor to ensure its health. I would consider buying a gauge/scanner to read IAT2 temps to establish a baseline. If the engine looks good and you decide to start tuning it, get familiar with a wide-band O2. Otherwise change all fluids and do proper maintenance in the meantime. Make all of your design/mod decisions once you start building the kit.
 

PaulPerger

Well-Known Member
Cobalt brakes are made for a car twice the weight of a Goblin. Those brakes are too much, and I have added a brake vacuum regulator to reduce the amount of brake assistance my Goblin has.
Thanks for the heads up... I was thinking about upgrading the brakes... Hadn't thought about the weight difference!

Stock seats or racing seats fit in both the Goblin and the Cobalt.
Got it. I am going to keep the Stock seats initially, as it will help with keeping initial costs down to make my wife happy! Plus my donor has the Recaros, so I imagine they are very good seats, and they are an easy swap after the build when I choose to put harnesses in.

Almost all mods to the engine transfer. Our LSJ engines are weak in these 3 parts: (Do Dorman 917-954 Timing chain guide bolt, a timing chain tensioner, and probably the intercooler pump)
Are any of these easy to do with the engine in the bay of the Cobalt? I have heard about timing chain issues and plan to do that work when I have the engine out of the car, as I feel it will be much simpler.

Front suspension transfer - I did a control arm bushing MOOG K201285, coil overs are a common upgrade.
Great! I want Coilovers, so this is good news. But leads me to another question. The front of the cobalt obviously becomes the rear of the Goblin. If I want matching Coilovers on all four corners of the Goblin, Do I ultimately buy two sets of Front Coilovers? Does the Goblin's Front geometry match the Cobalt's (i.e. front coilovers for the Cobalt would be used on the Goblin?

I did HP Tuners, added a wide band O2 sensor, and learned tuning, that all will transfer.
Wheel bearings transfer.
Tires, wheels might transfer, depending on how wild you get. My 12" tires fit a Goblin and a Cobalt (sic), (well with the sawzall trim to the fender wells).
I have already decided to wait on wheels and tires. I want to go wider in the rear and I will use the factory Cobalt wheels initially. Again, this will save on the initial cost and make the whole thing easier for my wife to agree with...

Dash gauges transfer. I'm adding an oil pressure gauge.
I am considering leaving the gauge cluster off completely and going with a custom gauge panel build. I have a dislike for gauges in the center of a dash. It's why I wouldn't every buy a Mini... Just a personal thing...

Thanks for the advice and insight!
 

Ark :D

Goblin Guru
On coilovers: the kit comes with coilovers for the front, and optionally for the back. The springs from the back of the donor do not work with the Goblin.

I would recommend just sticking with what comes in the kit. If you don't want to use the donor struts on the Goblin, just get the optional BC Racing coilovers. They aren't cheap but they fit the Goblin perfectly and allow a little extra freedom of choice for wheels and tires.
 

Ross

Goblin Guru
Ross said:
Almost all mods to the engine transfer. Our LSJ engines are weak in these 3 parts: (Do Dorman 917-954 Timing chain guide bolt, a timing chain tensioner, and probably the intercooler pump)
Are any of these easy to do with the engine in the bay of the Cobalt? I have heard about timing chain issues and plan to do that work when I have the engine out of the car, as I feel it will be much simpler.

Great! I want Coilovers, so this is good news. But leads me to another question. The front of the cobalt obviously becomes the rear of the Goblin. If I want matching Coilovers on all four corners of the Goblin, Do I ultimately buy two sets of Front Coilovers? Does the Goblin's Front geometry match the Cobalt's (i.e. front coilovers for the Cobalt would be used on the Goblin?
I did those engine mods with the engine in the Goblin. It would be easier when the engine is out.
No, don't buy 2 sets of front coilovers, the geometry doesn't match. I just bought a coil over kit, and matching QA springs.
 

PaulPerger

Well-Known Member
The exhaust is set up for a shorty header or the stock manifold. With that being said you could use a mid-length header and make your own exhaust. Engine mods all but air intake should transfer over, other then a long tube header. Suspension nothing on the rear will move over. Brakes not sure...
What about the Downpipe? Is it retained? Or not used for the Goblin?
 

PaulPerger

Well-Known Member
17573


I got it home.

THE BAD: It isn't as "clean" as it looked in the auction photos. (or in this photo...) The orange color hides grime pretty well apparently. This car is filthy. The previous owner was a smoker so the interior smells horrendous. There are cigarette burns on the plastic door card by the Driver's window, and the shift boot has several burn holes in it.

There are several dents and dings which were not apparent in the lot photos. I have a feeling they may be "lot rash" as they are all very fresh.

I know the car was rear ended and that the damage was considered very minor, but the rear bumper was clearly painted and while close, it isn't an exact match. It was also clearly painted off the car and no blending was done.

The wheels are in mediocre to rough condition.

It has been sitting for a long time, so I expected stale smells, grime, etc. I expected some dry rot, and planned to replace the tires pretty much immediately, so it was no surprise that two of the tires are dry rotted to the point of barely holding air. Two brands and three tire models are present which surprised me considering this car was routinely maintained by the dealer from which it was purchased. Oh, well. They are being replaced by Kuhmo Ecstas tomorrow.

I purchased oil, oil filter, cabin filter, supercharger oil, transmission oil and new coolant. All will be replaced this weekend.

It has less than a quarter tank of fuel in it.

Should I...
  1. Drain it
  2. Fill the tank and dilute it
  3. Run it at idle to burn it, then fill with new fuel
I also bought an Ozone maker to run in it to remove the odors.

THE GOOD: It started right up and shifts very cleanly. I drove it off the trailer and up the driveway.
The seats are increadibly comfortable. I can not wait to actually be able to sit in it for more than a minute (the cigarette smell gives me a headache very quickly, so that has to be resolved before I do anything... Thus the ozone maker!)
Confirmed G85.
Engine bay actually looks better in person than the photos... Though in testament to how long it has been sitting, there are a few mud wasp nests under the hood...
 

Ross

Goblin Guru
If you own a 5 gallon gas can, then I would empty the gas using the method in the DF build videos, which is using the fuel pump in the car.
 

ctuinstra

Goblin Guru
My dad once had old gas in his corvette and it stuck the valves causing a head job. Instead of tossing the old gas, he ran it in his riding lawn mower and ended up doing the same thing! I never forgot that.

I'm sure your gas isn't as bad as that but if you don't want to run it in your car, don't try to run it in anything else. ;)
 

ctuinstra

Goblin Guru
Our car had an air freshener hanging in it and I HATED the smell of it! Everything smelled like it. Even the wiring harness smelled of this air freshener. I would never put one in my daily driver.
 

PaulPerger

Well-Known Member
Our car had an air freshener hanging in it and I HATED the smell of it! Everything smelled like it. Even the wiring harness smelled of this air freshener. I would never put one in my daily driver.
My mother used to use one of those trees that smelled like peppermint. I love peppermint, but not as an air freshener!! Some scents are hard to deal with, I agree. I like a subtle scent though. Something fresh, but not flowery, and not "manly" either. I don't want the car to smell like a horny 13 year old kid went on a date last night!

I like a subtle clean scent. like fresh linens, or a freshly cleaned carpet.
 

PaulPerger

Well-Known Member
New Tires being installed. The new ASAP Tire Installation service by Tire Rack is very nice. Tires were delivered to them, they came to the house and did the mounting & balancing in their van and installed them in my driveway. I was rather impressed! $25 per tire, so a little more than the $78 I paid last time, but I didn't even have to be there... ASAP had already done the tires on my wife's Escape before I got there.


Zelda's first "drive" in the Cobalt. Good look at how dirty the interior really is!!


Another photo of the dirt and grime on the interior...


And a shot of the ruined shift boot. Cigarette holes, tears, and grime...


The paint on the top of the car is worse than the hood... At least on the hood the clearcoat is gone... Up here it's just all bubbled up.


And then it was time to clean the car... I washed it FOUR times to get it "clean".


Engine Bay BEFORE Cleaning:


Engine Bay AFTER Cleaning... I didn't even realize the header cover was two different colors!


And the Headlights need some work. I wet sanded today. I'll polish tomorrow.
BEFORE:


AFTER:


Tomorrow, I'll Polish the lights and clean the interior. I ran the Ozone machine for an hour today and it smells much better already. I'll run it again after I clean the interior tomorrow. Also changing fluids and filters tomorrow.
 

Ark :D

Goblin Guru
I know you're going to drive the car for a while before Goblinizing it, but I still can't fathom putting the effort into a donor, like you are.

Then again, my donor was a wee bit less.... pretty than yours.

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