Jakkerus
New Member
Hey everyone!
Figured it was finally time to stop lurking and actually start a build thread.
I’ve been hanging around these forums for probably five years now, following along with everyone’s builds and learning as much as I could. As soon as the V2 GTI Goblin was announced, I put my deposit down, and it’s hard to believe I’m finally at the point where this thing is getting started.
A little about me: by day I’m an IT manager, so I’m probably guilty of overthinking projects and documenting everything. Outside of work I’ve always enjoyed turning wrenches. I’ve done plenty of maintenance, suspension work, aftermarket stereo installs, and other bolt-on projects over the years. I even pulled an engine once on another project before life got in the way and derailed it. This will definitely be my first complete vehicle build though, so I’m equal parts excited and intimidated.
The goal is pretty simple: build an incredibly fun weekend toy. My daily driver is a Tesla Model Y, so I’m already used to a car that’s quick in a straight line. What I’m really after with the Goblin is something that feels more engaging and makes me grin every time I get behind the wheel. Once it’s built and I’ve had some time to enjoy it, I’m sure I’ll end up adding a few performance upgrades, but first things first—I just want to build a solid, reliable Goblin.
For the donor, I ended up with a black 2017 manual GTI with right around 75,000 miles. It was involved in a front-end collision, but the drivetrain appears to have come through it just fine. It fired right up, drove itself off the trailer, and into my driveway, which was a pretty encouraging start.
One of the really exciting parts is that I’ll be sending my donor to Adam since the manual version of the V2 is still being finalized. It’s pretty awesome to know my car will help validate the manual GTI version of the kit before I get started on the build.
I’ll try to keep this thread updated as the project moves along—the good, the bad, and probably a few moments where I realize I should have listened to someone on here.
Even though I’ve spent years working on my own vehicles, I know this is a completely different level of project. If anyone notices me heading down the wrong path, knows of parts that are worth replacing while everything is apart, has best practices, or just wants to save me from making a rookie mistake, please don’t hesitate to jump in. One of the things that’s impressed me over the years is how helpful this community has been, and I’m looking forward to learning from all of you.
Thanks for having me. Looking forward to finally being able to contribute instead of just reading everyone else’s threads.
Here’s the donor the day it made it home. Hopefully the next pictures will involve a lot fewer body panels and a lot more progress!
Figured it was finally time to stop lurking and actually start a build thread.
I’ve been hanging around these forums for probably five years now, following along with everyone’s builds and learning as much as I could. As soon as the V2 GTI Goblin was announced, I put my deposit down, and it’s hard to believe I’m finally at the point where this thing is getting started.
A little about me: by day I’m an IT manager, so I’m probably guilty of overthinking projects and documenting everything. Outside of work I’ve always enjoyed turning wrenches. I’ve done plenty of maintenance, suspension work, aftermarket stereo installs, and other bolt-on projects over the years. I even pulled an engine once on another project before life got in the way and derailed it. This will definitely be my first complete vehicle build though, so I’m equal parts excited and intimidated.
The goal is pretty simple: build an incredibly fun weekend toy. My daily driver is a Tesla Model Y, so I’m already used to a car that’s quick in a straight line. What I’m really after with the Goblin is something that feels more engaging and makes me grin every time I get behind the wheel. Once it’s built and I’ve had some time to enjoy it, I’m sure I’ll end up adding a few performance upgrades, but first things first—I just want to build a solid, reliable Goblin.
For the donor, I ended up with a black 2017 manual GTI with right around 75,000 miles. It was involved in a front-end collision, but the drivetrain appears to have come through it just fine. It fired right up, drove itself off the trailer, and into my driveway, which was a pretty encouraging start.
One of the really exciting parts is that I’ll be sending my donor to Adam since the manual version of the V2 is still being finalized. It’s pretty awesome to know my car will help validate the manual GTI version of the kit before I get started on the build.
I’ll try to keep this thread updated as the project moves along—the good, the bad, and probably a few moments where I realize I should have listened to someone on here.
Even though I’ve spent years working on my own vehicles, I know this is a completely different level of project. If anyone notices me heading down the wrong path, knows of parts that are worth replacing while everything is apart, has best practices, or just wants to save me from making a rookie mistake, please don’t hesitate to jump in. One of the things that’s impressed me over the years is how helpful this community has been, and I’m looking forward to learning from all of you.
Thanks for having me. Looking forward to finally being able to contribute instead of just reading everyone else’s threads.
Here’s the donor the day it made it home. Hopefully the next pictures will involve a lot fewer body panels and a lot more progress!
