V1 Robinjo #405 Full Cage - 2006 SS/SC Build "Drago"

[Robinjo]

Well, all progress is being reversed. The powder coating is chipping easily and has to be reworked. Not excited about this, but better at just a couple days of assembly instead of after completion. I did drill all the holes that I plan to install the rivnuts in. Pulling the hoses was easy, hit me up if you need my method.

 

[PaulPerger]

Day 20 7/07/2022
Hours Worked: 2.0
Total Hours: 66.0
(Assembly Hours: 4.0)
Pulled the hoses through the frame, been dreading this part. Shouldn’t have though, it pulled through easily. Also got the floor pans ready to install. My son gets back in a few days, so setting up for him to rivet and bolt the floor in.
View attachment 34370

I see a winch cable and hook on the floor... I assume you built the manual boat winch for pulling the tubes???

 

[Corey]

6/24/2022 - Powder Coating Adventure. My son picked a pretty rad color, Lollipop Red (UPS-1506) over Crushed Silver (PMB-1544), if anyone has seen the Soul Red Metallic from Mazda, it looks a lot like that. I personally love that color, so it worked out great. I made sure that the clear going on it will also have UV protectant in it, based off others recommendations.
Oh, before it went to the coater we put a seat in the thing just to get a feel for it. It's going to take a little getting used to getting in/out. It's wee bit tight!

Also, stopped by to meet GTStory and picked up a set of seatbelts without seized bolts. Thanks you for those units!
View attachment 33980

I literally looked at the Mazda red today, $1300.00 per gallon, but it it beautiful!

6/24/2022 - Powder Coating Adventure. My son picked a pretty rad color, Lollipop Red (UPS-1506) over Crushed Silver (PMB-1544), if anyone has seen the Soul Red Metallic from Mazda, it looks a lot like that. I personally love that color, so it worked out great. I made sure that the clear going on it will also have UV protectant in it, based off others recommendations.
Oh, before it went to the coater we put a seat in the thing just to get a feel for it. It's going to take a little getting used to getting in/out. It's wee bit tight!

Also, stopped by to meet GTStory and picked up a set of seatbelts without seized bolts. Thanks you for those units!
View attachment 33980

 

[Robinjo]

I see a winch cable and hook on the floor... I assume you built the manual boat winch for pulling the tubes???

Yes, per the new videos I did the Harbour Freight winch to make the pulling tool. It worked really well. It even worked for pulling the hoses out of the frame, except on a 12ft board. I’m not dreading re-pulling the hoses as it was sooooo easy this way.

 

[Robinjo]

Day 21 8/06/2022
Hours Worked: 2.0
Total Hours: 68.0
(Assembly Hours: 6.0)
Finally got the frame back from the powder coating company and the color looks just about identical as before. Hopefully it'll hold up to installing parts better. Spent some time trying to rerun the hoses, but broke the first one. This hosing is very hard compared to the DF supplied hoses that are easy to manipulate. The zip ties did nothing to compress the hose down and even with Silicone spray it was rough. Spent time pulling out the broken hose and hunting for options.
Hose Found: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B002R6SLK6/ref=cm_sw_r_apa_i_DRGXP17Q3F7FJVY047MB_1

Day 22 8/07/2022
Hours Worked: 2.0
Total Hours: 70.0
(Assembly Hours: 8.0)
Reinstalled the floor pan, front 'firewall' and the steering rack. Things go a lot smoother the second time installing items! Flipped the frame over and kept working. I believe I can mount the hose pulling tool upside down and still pull easily. On the steering rack install, the two washers go on the rubber parts of the rack and bolt everything down as described in the build videos.
Insert photos of steering rack.


Issues to deal with:
Pull hoses through frame
EPB unit to steering wheel - how is it held in. Look through other builds. Looks like a unit is in the 2nd stage box per the pictures.
Heat Exchanger elbows - re-Teflon the threads.
Ordered plug connector to make HX fan removal easier. These plugs will also be for the lighting connectors.
Extend clutch sensor plug wires
Extend passenger mirror wires

 

[Robinjo]

Day 23 8/08/2022
Hours Worked: 2.5
Total Hours: 72.5
(Assembly Hours: 10.5)
We got the EPS bracket, EPS unit and collapsible steering shaft in. From there, the brake pedal, clutch pedal, booster/master cylinder and clutch cylinder are back installed. Back to the point of the initial assembly! Also bolted in the heat exchanger as it seems easier now than later. The radiator and hoses will eat up this real estate. I do need to pull out the HX and re-Teflon the elbow thread. I only did two rounds of Teflon and could possibly need more.
Next, started with the wiring. Everything was rolling fine, one clutch sensor wire needs to be extended along with the passenger mirror wires. Not sure how these two were short. The clutch plug will go into the sensor, but it's much to tight for my liking. Lastly, went to hook up the horn and found the connector was missing. A new one ins on the way from GM Parts Direct.
Insert other photos from building.

Issues to deal with:
Pull hoses through frame
EPB unit to steering wheel - how is it held in. Look through other builds. Looks like a unit is in the 2nd stage box per the pictures.
Heat Exchanger elbows - re-Teflon the threads.
Ordered plug connector to make HX fan removal easier. These plugs will also be for the lighting connectors.
Extend clutch sensor plug wires
Extend passenger mirror wires

Steering Shaft Installed- Note: I had to cut my hole around the bottom shaft more. I found this out when the bolt joints hit the firewall. It was already riveted in place, so had to get creative with the jig saw.


EPS Unit Installed - Note: When installing the collapsible shaft (CS) I had to add a little Teflon Dry Lube onto the steering units male shaft and the EPS Male shaft to allow the CS to slip on. This was very tight.


Brake Booster Installed - Note: I had to leave the bottom right bolt loose on the pedal assembly to allow my booster to go into place. The bolt holes on the frame were slightly misaligned. Once the booster was installed, I could still tighten this bolt/nut down tightly.


Ignition Installed - Note: Had to drill the powder coating on the frame mounting holes to allow the 7mm bolt to thread in.

 

[Robinjo]

Day 24 8/10/2022
Hours Worked: 2.5
Total Hours: 75.0
(Assembly Hours: 13.0)
This session consisted of trying and failing to pull the hoses (again) and doing miscellaneous stuff. The original DF supplied hoses slipped right through, but that day was 100 oF, so I'm going to leave the hoses in the sun all day before the next attempt. I will note the Gates hoses I ordered (posts mentioned previously) pulled out of the frame easily by hand, so that is a lot better than the AutoZone hoses that required reverse winching. There will not be any audio of this session as many obesities were thrown about when the hoses got stuck yet again.
Other items that got accomplished, reapplied the Teflon tape to the heat exchanger unit, extended the upper clutch sensor and chased the holes in the front A-arms. I do recommend getting the taps mentioned in other posts. A lot of debris (mostly paint) came out of the threads. I had all but three start roughly with 1 not wanting to start at all. After clearing the threads, all 4 threaded into place by hand easily. Take the extra 30 minutes and save yourself the headache. In the photos, disregard the wires being everywhere. They are loosely installed for now. I'll clean this all up once it's all in and best routing can be determined.

Issues to deal with:
Pull hoses through frame - STILL!!!!!!
Heat Exchanger elbows - re-Teflon the threads Done
Ordered plug connector to make HX fan removal easier. These plugs will also be for the lighting connectors. - Ordered https://www.amazon.com/dp/B092PL9W7K?psc=1&ref=ppx_yo2ov_dt_b_product_details
Extend clutch sensor plug wires Done
Extend passenger mirror wires - Decided to wait until install to see how long the mirror wires are, may not need to extend.

Threads - Note: This side is 3/4-16 NF and the smaller side is 1/2-20 NF. I believe this smaller one gets used again for the headlight mounts. Headlight bungs are 3/8-16

Chasing Threads.

Little tech tip. It's a good idea to "Chase" all the threads on your Goblin before you build. The front A Arms are a real good example. The "spuds" that are threaded are machined before the are welded and the welding can cause some distortion in the threads when the arm is fabricated. There may...

dfkitcar.com

Heat Exchanger - Note: Teflon wrap a lot more than you think. $-5 passes around still threaded in. Tightly, but it went. Also, make sure your fan feet are in place before tightening down the hold disks (other side of HX). It was super hard to set them into place when they moved out of the slots on the fan housing.


Clutch/Brake Units Installed and Wiring

 

[Desert Sasqwatch]

Did you get the brake booster bolt at the pedal box tightened up? Keep in mind when you step on the brake pedal with 30 ft lbs of force, you are applying roughly 180 ft lbs of force to the rod on the brake booster. Your force is multiplied by about X6 times so it's important that everything is torqued in place. Don't want to have things coming apart when you need your brakes the most!

 

[k.rollin]

Threads - Note: This side is 3/4-16 NF and the smaller side is 1/2-20 NF. I believe this smaller one gets used again for the headlight mounts.

Chasing Threads.

Little tech tip. It's a good idea to "Chase" all the threads on your Goblin before you build. The front A Arms are a real good example. The "spuds" that are threaded are machined before the are welded and the welding can cause some distortion in the threads when the arm is fabricated. There may...

dfkitcar.com

Headlight bungs are 3/8-16

 

[Robinjo]

Did you get the brake booster bolt at the pedal box tightened up?

Yes, it did tighten up.

Headlight bungs are 3/8-16

Thanks, I updated my post with that information.

 

[Robinjo]

Just did a sanity check as mentioned in other posts I checked the OBD-2 port this morning (instead of doing cardio/lifting like I'm supposed to). I do not have continuity on the OBD-2 port between #1 and #2 positions. So, does that mean I avoided that common LSJ wiring mistake?

 

[Robinjo]

Day 25 8/12/2022
Hours Worked: 2.5
Total Hours: 77.5
(Assembly Hours: 15.5)
We worked on the front suspension components tonight since we are currently struggling with the hoses through the frame. Just followed the archived videos for assembly, the upper A-arms didn't mate up with the frame, they were off about 3 inches. I just forced them as close as possible and then let the cordless driver do it's job. I had seen this in previous builds of others, so no concern here. Before anyone posts it, I know I'm missing a bolt on the upper arm. It Got stripped and I need to get another one from Fastenal. I also started a little wiring for the turn signal mirrors and headlights. One of the headlights bolts was cross threaded, so I'll need to get a new one.

Issues to deal with:
Pull hoses through frame
Headlight (order new set)
Suspension Bolt

Front Suspension Installed

 

[Robinjo]

Day 26 8/12/2022
Hours Worked: 3.0
Total Hours: 80.5
(Assembly Hours: 18.5)
Today we installed the brakes and got the wheels on the front end. Throwing those on the chassis gave us a huge boost of confidence. It's great to finally see it coming together. Also, we got the hoses pulled, FINALLY. A combination of laying the hoses out all day and getting better zip-ties did the trick. We had been using silicone spray the whole time, but applied it very, very heavily. Still just followed the archive videos for front brake installation, went very smoothly. After all that, I started on the button panel wiring and got stuck. The schematic may make sense to most, not to me. I've posted this in the electrical system and will provide a link once it's all wrapped up.

Issues to deal with:
Pull hoses through frame - DONE
Headlight (order new set)
Suspension Bolt
Button Panel Wiring

Son Working on Brakes!


Caliper Bracket Installed


Brakes Installed


Hose Tool


Wheels On

 

[Robinjo]

Day 27 8/13/2022
Hours Worked: 2.0
Total Hours: 82.5
(Assembly Hours: 20.5)
We installed the radiator support and radiator following the build videos. Everything we together ok-ish, the heat exchanger hit the radiator fan, so had to move it more towards the body. The upper radiator studs needed a little convincing to go into place.

Issues to deal with:
Pull hoses through frame - DONE
Headlight (order new set)
Suspension Bolt
Button Panel Wiring
Fan Wire Connections
Horn (arriving Monday)

Radiator Installed - Note: I had to tap the top of the radiator with a rubber mallet to get the upper mounts through the frame location.


Heat Exchanger Note: use the locations on the mount seen for the heat exchanger mounts or the radiator fan will hit it.

 

[Joebob]

Caliper Bracket Installed
View attachment 34989

Brakes Installed
View attachment 34990


Wheels On
View attachment 34993
[/QUOTE]

One thing I noticed was that your passenger tie rod is not threaded in very much and your diver side is very much threaded in. There is not a lot of "extra" thread on the tie rods, especially if the helm joints are unthreaded from the A-arms. Now might be a good time to soft install the steering wheel to center the steering rack and eyeball the toe to more centralize the system while everything is open and available.

I do wish I painted my calipers before installing. Got too excited seeing the front go together.

Joe

 

[Robinjo]

One thing I noticed was that your passenger tie rod is not threaded in very much and your diver side is very much threaded in. There is not a lot of "extra" thread on the tie rods, especially if the helm joints are unthreaded from the A-arms. Now might be a good time to soft install the steering wheel to center the steering rack and eyeball the toe to more centralize the system while everything is open and available.

I do wish I painted my calipers before installing. Got too excited seeing the front go together.

Joe

That's not the finished version of the alignment by any means. We just got it close for now so we could see the wheels on the chassis.

I'm glad I painted my calipers, even if it's just aluminum coloring. I figured it was worth a little time at the very beginning to break the units down. If we did it later, they would be dirty and full of fluids.

 

[Robinjo]

Day 28 8/15/2022
Hours Worked: 1.0
Total Hours: 83.5
(Assembly Hours: 21.5)
Not a lot happened in this installment. Crimped in and connected the radiator fan connectors along with the ground. Installed the new horn unit as it arrived as well. Last item was finishing connecting the wires from the body harness to the button panel harness, then connecting all the colors to their spots. From the photos you can't tell, but the harness got wrapped just about to the point you can see the wires. I broke it off into two branches, depending on what side the buttons went on. I've provided my hand drawn schematic for reference to those that have trouble with assembly sheet (link below). I tried to source a new suspension bolt, but it looks like Fastenal has gone to online ordering only in my area. I'm going to Loogle the information and see what I can find, may have to buy a new one from DF if unsuccessful.

Issues to deal with:
Headlight (order new set)
Suspension Bolt
Button Panel Wiring
Fan Wire Connections
Horn

Schematic for Early Model: http://dfkitcar.com/forum/index.php?threads/button-panel-wiring.2679/post-57089


Cluster/Buttons Installed: Nothing to note here.

 

[Robinjo]

Day 29 8/17/2022
Hours Worked: 1.0
Total Hours: 84.5
(Assembly Hours: 22.5)
Installed the fuel tank, hoses and fuel pump. The tank is a little hard to get into place, my tape isn't quite as strong as Lonnie's to hold the unit into place. Other than that, everything else went into place fine. My new pump came with a new gasket, but I reused the old one as it was a little thicker and that's what the video said to do. It did require a little force (not a lot) to press the pump all the way down. I left a 1/4 gap by using an Allen wrench as a feeler gage. Next up for Friday is to starting putting the engine in the ass of this thing. Hopefully it all goes smoothly, with any luck I could be attempting a 1st start Friday night or Saturday.

Also measured the intake arm that came with the car versus the DF supplied one. The old unit is a true 3-0/8" wide opening and the DF is 2-7/8". I'm hoping an 1/8" isn't going to mess things up. I may try to see if the old intake arm can be utilized so I can have a CAI kit on my open air frame (humor). At some point I'll install the 'Stage 3' components that I have been accumulating and go in for a proper tune.

Issues to deal with:
Headlight (order new set)
Suspension Bolt

Fuel Tank Installed -


Fuel Pump Installed - Note: the fuel pump did sit on the bottom of the tank a little and need to be firmly pressed down/held down while the aluminum ring was tightened down. I gently went around the 5 nuts in a star pattern, making sure not to tighten one side a lot more than the others. The studs of the fuel tank did help hold the gasket into place.
Need photo

 

[Gtstorey]

The critical diameter on the intake tube is where the maf is placed. Not sure if you meant 3-78 or 3-1/8. 1/8 probably will be close enough to run ok. 7/8 will make a difference. Either way it will probably benefit to tune the maf.

 

[Robinjo]

The critical diameter on the intake tube is where the maf is placed. Not sure if you meant 3-78 or 3-1/8. 1/8 probably will be close enough to run ok. 7/8 will make a difference. Either way it will probably benefit to tune the maf.

Sorry, old intake 3.0" even and the DF is 2.875" (2-7/8). It's 1/8 inch difference.
I fixed my previous post as well to fix the discrepancy.