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V1 How much risk is too much risk?

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ToxikFlame

Member
T
Hey, My name's Logan and I'm on the hunt for a donor. I have been limiting my search to running/driving donors for the most part. I have limited mechanical automotive experience (worked in collision repair 10 years ago) and don't want to get too far in over my head with this project. That said, I have read through a few of the build logs, and the community support on this forum is phenomenal! The support of this forum has me considering some options that I might otherwise have chucked.

My question is, should I be willing to take on a little more risk with the donor (and rely more heavily on the forum and Google to help straighten me out) or should I limit my risk by getting a "clean" donor because I will have enough challenges from other sources?

The link is to the donor that got me started thinking down this path. Appreciate your help!

Facebook

www.facebook.com www.facebook.com
 
jennam
Welcome to the forum.

That’s a hard question to answer. If you want a (mostly) short path to finishing a goblin, then a well maintained, running donor will get you to the finish line faster. It will also cost a lot more.

A wrecked donor will most likely require more work, but it will also give you to opportunity to learn more about how your car works.

At the end of the day, the risk is yours and only you can determine how much is too much. The folks here and very friendly and happy to help as much as we can.
 
ctuinstra
That's a good question. He said that it's burning coolant and then goes on to talk about the laminova tubes; that's not necessarily coolant in the common sense. Coolant would be engine coolant and that could be a head gasket most likely or a crack in the block. Now if its loosing heat exchanger coolant, yes, it could be the intercooler, that's an easy fix.

The car has a lot of goodies on it for sure, that's a plus. That also means that he probably run the piss out of it, that's not so good. It's also got 180K on it and it's probably ready for a refresh of a lot of things.

Be prepared to do a head gasket, timing chain and all of the adjusters and bolts. We can help a lot but can't do the work for you. You have to determine if you can do the engine work, or have someone do it for you. If you do bodywork, your used to working with you hands and can build a Goblin for sure.

Welcome to the forum!
 
Desert Sasqwatch
Welcome. One thing to keep in mind is a wrecked donor was a running car before the accident, whereas a 'hopped up' donor with lots of fast-and-furious bolt ons may not be the best mechanical choice. Granted the wrecked donor may have the Racer Boi treatment too, but anything except a hard front impact is probably a lower risk.

Be patient and look for the best deal that suits your ideal for your build. Sometimes it can take a while - and a little luck - to find your donor.
 
Ark :D
The biggest risk, in my opinion, is a non-running, non-wrecked car. That was my first donor. Ended up having significant engine damage and I sold the engine off as a project to a "racer boi".

I think it was supposed to happen that way though, because the very week I moved the first engine out of my garage, my second donor came available... 2008 SS/TC, totaled in the front driver side, but ran like a dream.

I would personally go the wrecked-but-running route if I were buying another donor. You do assume some (minimal) risk, but the cost savings is significant. The uglier the car is, the better, unless you're counting on getting as much money back on selling used parts as possible.

Just don't cannibalize a 2008 or newer SS sedan. They're SUPER RARE and are worth 5 digits used!!!!
 
R
That’s sarcasm in the last line. The Cobalt bros lit another member up on Facebook, using that exact comment.

I will add that even a running, non wrecked donor poses a risk. I bought mine for $2200 and it had a slipping clutch, but was still drivable. Even had it doing 60 down the road with no issues besides the slip under boost. Pulled the engine and trans (was doing a rebuild anyways) and found massive corrosion in the bell housing and all over the flywheel and clutch. Photos in my build log in signature. Thankfully, it stayed in the bell housing and didn’t go into the trans or engine.

I echo @Ark :D and highly suggest a wrecked but running donor, or a donor that has absolutely no problems (gonna cost you though).
 
T
Where were you able to find wrecked cars?

I looked on iaai and copart, but was assume (maybe incorrectly) that the cost of a car would likely end up near $2k once fees are paid to the site, the brokers, and shipping/towing.

If you did buy through iaai/copart, did you use a broker and if so, which one?

I have primarily been looking on facebook because they seem to have the largest selection, but haven't come across any wrecked Cobalts in the last ~6 weeks. (within 250 miles of central IN)
 
jennam
I bought my donors from Facebook. I overpaid for one and got a great deal on another.

If you want an SC or TC, it will take some patience and consistent searching to find a donor. They are getting fewer and further between and the prices keep going up on them.
 
Brett
I went through IAAI. Delivered to my house for an 09 SS/TC was 2400. I was shooting for 2k but justified the extra spend based on the fact that they are getting harder to find.
 
CaptFrank2001
Last June I bought my 2006 Cobalt SS running and driving for $1,900 from a small used car dealer in Tampa,FL. Parted out a few things including the high mileage engine (208K) & had about $1,300 in the car. Bought a guaranteed (87K) engine on Ebay for $550, I think you get more "peace of mind" in a running car.
 
Waterdriver
Craigslist, OfferUp any of those types of for sale sites. Check every couple of days if not daily.
I've seen Cobalts for free, just come get it outta here.
 
T
Well... The good news is I now have a donor? bad news is, it might have just been a money sink and a first attempt at a donor. Currently it's just dumping fuel into the cylinders and won't start/run. (It will start briefly if you clear the cylinders before it floods itself.) I need to pick up a scanner to see what codes it's showing. Any tips/areas to look first would be appreciated.
 
ctuinstra
Sounds like you have a leaky injector. Take the injectors out and see if you can blow 60PSI if air through them. You should NOT be able to blow anything thought them. It’s an easy job to do.
 
Desert Sasqwatch
ToxikFlame said:
Well... The good news is I now have a donor? bad news is, it might have just been a money sink and a first attempt at a donor. Currently it's just dumping fuel into the cylinders and won't start/run. (It will start briefly if you clear the cylinders before it floods itself.) I need to pick up a scanner to see what codes it's showing. Any tips/areas to look first would be appreciated.
Click to expand...
What is your donor, NA, SC, TC? It will make a difference if you are having injector problems. The NA and SC injectors can be removed and checked as @ctuinstra indicated. If TC that will not be as readily doable and involve a lot more mechanical disassembly.
 
T
Desert Sasqwatch said:
What is your donor, NA, SC, TC? It will make a difference if you are having injector problems. The NA and SC injectors can be removed and checked as @ctuinstra indicated. If TC that will not be as readily doable and involve a lot more mechanical disassembly.
Click to expand...
I purchased an '06 SC with quite a few mods already. The link in the original post is the donor I picked up.

What is a good way to run that test? I looked online to see how others have gotten that set up and haven't come across anything yet.
 
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