Has anyone built a Goblin yet?

In reply to ProDarwin :

Goblin certainly is based on an extremely common and available car. GM built a million of them.

z31maniac said:

ProDarwin said:

Ok, but that's silly.

He wants something that works out of the box and that is a perfectly reasonable position.

 

My question is, how does this compare to the Exocet?  The exocet is mostly Miata components aside from the chassis, so everything that can be modded has been modded, and everything that can be fixed has been fixed.  Every part that can be stress tested has been.

Is there any advantage to the Goblin other that the lower buy in for hp?  Is classing for it different anywhere?

Exactly. Who knows because of engine size and transmission if that would require changing the wheelbase so the engine can fit, and on and on.


The only real advantage I see is front:rear weight ratio since it's mid-engine.

Highly unlikely, most FWD 4-cylinder drivetrains are roughly similar size and shape, but if you can't see for the forest for the trees, I'll stop trying to show it to you.

I really hope the Goblin or whatever direction you go in works well for you.  I look forward to seeing the build thread!

In reply to Stefan (Forum Supporter) :

You're proposing buying a kit car, then highly modifying or fabricating new drivetrain mounts, brakes and hubs, shifter mechanisms, etc.

It's not missing the forest for the trees, it doesn't make since to buy a kit designed around a certain drivetrain setup and then turn around and modify/fab a bunch of parts to use a different drivetrain.

At least to me that doesn't make a lot of sense.

We will see how much I actually use the NC for motorsports type activities through the end of next year to see if I'll want to build a hardcore HPDE car like these kits.

z31maniac said:

In reply to Stefan (Forum Supporter) :

You're proposing buying a kit car, then highly modifying or fabricating new drivetrain mounts, brakes and hubs, shifter mechanisms, etc.

It's not missing the forest for the trees, it doesn't make since to buy a kit designed around a certain drivetrain setup and then turn around and modify/fab a bunch of parts to use a different drivetrain.

 

At least to me that doesn't make a lot of sense.

To each their own.  I view it as a MidLana I don't have to do ALL of the welding on and a faster way to get to a completed car.  You're over thinking it (which seems to be your style after watching all of your car threads over the years).  That said, to each their own, there's a butt for every seat and I mean it when I say I look forward to your build thread(s) and the Goblin seems like a great solution for many.  For others the Exocet, Catfish or even the MidLana are all better options.

In reply to Stefan (Forum Supporter) :

I think re-engineering a kit is "overthinking it."

The Midlana is awesome. But I just don't have the desire to do something like that, or the cash to pay someone to.

A bolt together kit, I can do that.

That's why the S52 swap in my E30 was such a piece of cake 11 years ago. Everything was already documented and proven combination of parts to use. I didn't have to fabricate a thing.

I think maybe z31 is seeing the amount of detail work that would be involved and Stefan is looking at the big picture. Neither are wrong here - the drivetrains may be about the same size so there wouldn't be a fundamental chassis redesign. But that doesn't mean that you just need a couple of engine mounts to make it work!

Exocet builders do seem to be quite willing to put in alternative powerplants, including ones that have never been in the donor Miata. There's at least one five cylinder Volvo build.

In my opinion the goblin is a good easy building option if you are planning to use the GM power train and suspension subframe. The down side to it is McPherson struts in the rear, rather than adjustable double wishbones. If you have the skills to make major changes to the chassis to swap in a different power train andtand suspension then you have the skills to build a Midlana.

In reply to bgkast (Forum Supporter) :

How much do rear struts matter?  Many auto cross reports are glowing but that could be biased 

This seems like the easy button for 300 hp 1500 lb cart.  

I like the side protection but I wonder about frontal impact vs the Exocet.

bgkast (Forum Supporter) said:

In my opinion the goblin is a good easy building option if you are planning to use the GM power train and suspension subframe. The down side to it is McPherson struts in the rear, rather than adjustable double wishbones. If you have the skills to make major changes to the chassis to swap in a different power train andtand suspension then you have the skills to build a Midlana.

There is a "new" car considered one of the best handling available at the moment, it has struts at all 4 corners. 

That car is a GT86/BRZ.

If it makes you feel better, call it a Chapman Strut rear suspension. Good enough for Lotus.

z31maniac said:

bgkast (Forum Supporter) said:

In my opinion the goblin is a good easy building option if you are planning to use the GM power train and suspension subframe. The down side to it is McPherson struts in the rear, rather than adjustable double wishbones. If you have the skills to make major changes to the chassis to swap in a different power train andtand suspension then you have the skills to build a Midlana.

There is a "new" car considered one of the best handling available at the moment, it has struts at all 4 corners. 

That car is a GT86/BRZ.

Struts are still a compromise and generally used because they are cheaper and use less room.  They inherently have bumpsteer issues on top bad camber curves.  They can be made to work within a narrow range of movement and generally require more agressive alignment settings and tires more suited to for static negative camber.

The X-1/9 was similar with struts all around, no sway bars and was considered one of the best handling cars of its time.

In both cases, jacking up the spring and damper rates to reduce suspension movement, stuffing large amounts of tire under it made them work that much better and post very quick times.  Then again that's the basic model for Karts as well.

So it isn't a death sentence or the worst thing in the world, certainly.  Personally, I'd want SLA on something like a Goblin, MidLana, Exocet, etc. because you aren't limited by the packaging of a passenger car.  I do understand why they used the struts on the Goblin and that's fine for the initial build as that can be changed down the road by those of whom are fabrication minded.

z31maniac said:

There is a "new" car considered one of the best handling available at the moment, it has struts at all 4 corners. 

That car is a GT86/BRZ.

The 86 has a multilink rear.  But your argument is still valid.  A Cayman GT4 is all struts.  And numerous others.

ProDarwin said:

z31maniac said:

There is a "new" car considered one of the best handling available at the moment, it has struts at all 4 corners. 

That car is a GT86/BRZ.

The 86 has a multilink rear.  But your argument is still valid.  A Cayman GT4 is all struts.  And numerous others.

Correct. It's been awhile since I did the GC setup when I had mine. So I had forgotten the exact rear setup. 

That install was almost 5.5 years ago. 

Haven't even hit 40 yet and the memory is failing on me.

After a quick copart search it looks like there are a lot more low mileage LFX donors versus supercharged or turbo Cobalts.  The few Cobalts tend to be older high mileage and modded (which indicates a hard life).

You could start with an NA Cobalt and turbo later but then you are losing the single donor OEM simplicity.   At that point an LFX or turbo Exocet becomes compelling unless you really want rear engine.

Im not too familair with the Goblin, i guess they want you to use the suspension as well as the drivetrain? The Saab 9-3 uses a turbo Ecotec. Any reason one couldnt just use one of those instead?