goblin

Hello All,

If this is the wrong place for this please move to correct location. It seemed the best fit??

I am building a DF Goblin as the title says. I recommend you guys go to the site and check them out. they are very affordable and with the Ecotech they are hell to deal with at the track/street. I figured I would document my build here along with asking questions about the 2008 cobalt in general. My plans are to build this thing as a stock SS TC and document performance. Then I will build a Engine for it and see what this thing can really do. I see no reason why the Goblin should not de-thrown the Ariel Atom with the right work done to it.

Basic info- I have ordered the City frame as I want to complete the roll cage/windshield myself. The base SS TC Kit cost $8,500. you can then add a roll cage (I did not like the style they offer for entry reasons) and you can get the frame stretched ( if your over 6'2") which I am not. The final step is to add in all the optional accessories. I got the body parts, the lights, the seats, the wing, and that was about it. total from DF is just under 11k. Add $1,000 if you want them to powder coat the frame and odds and ends. I decided to powder coat myself as I want to modify the frame a little.

I bought my donor off of Copart for $1,000 and had it delivered. total bill after taxes and everything was $2,300, not too bad.

Damaged parts - so far the only things I have had to order is a MAP sensor, heater hose, and bushings for the control arms.

goblin

Here are some tear down pics.

goblin

You can pay DF to combine the cobalt wire harness, it cost $700 and if you are not good with wires and soldering then I would recommend the purchase. I decided to do this myself, they have very good videos and the only issue I had was that the video is for a base Cobalt and the SS TC has a few differences. DF has a very good Forum and the people were very helpful both on the forum and on phone calls. Here are a few pics documenting the progression. I will finish taping the harness after test fitting it in the Kit.

zeeky420

Nice your going to have fun with that

goblin

I am thinking about changing the clutch while I have the engine on the ground. what clutch is the best bang for the buck?

colodude18

iTrader: (4)

Subbed. Welcome and good luck with your project!!

zeeky420

If you stocking with stock turbo I would just go with a gmpp clutch upgrade that would be best bang for buck clutch option which has more holding power

goblin

Thank you! is there a preferred vendor for such things? I like supporting the vendors that support the community.

Here are some pics after cleaning the engine with supper clean first then aluminium etching MAG 1.

Sharkey

iTrader: (1)

Crate Engine Depot - Chevrolet Performance Parts and Engines is the best place for the gmpp clutch.

06cobaltss/ss

I 2nd this. i have the gmpp in my 2010 ss and been running it hard for 7k so far at 368 ftlbs to the wheels. its a very underated clutch.

zeeky420

Do you have a lsd trans if not I would suggest going ahead and putting one in while your at it

Snail_SS

iTrader: (3)

Welcome I want a goblin maybe one day I'll pull the trigger

zeeky420

When you replace your control arm bushings go with Powell racing solid CABS worth every penny also I would upgrade to 3bar maps

63 Nova SS

iTrader: (3)

What everyone else has suggested- LSD, gmpp, and Powell. I've looked at them and they would be a lot of fun. Like that you went with the kit with the panels cause I'm not interested just a framed vehicle. Awaiting your results.

goblin

I actually asked the people on the Goblin forum about the LSD as I have one out of my old Redline I used to have. They seem to prefer the non LSD due to the LSD making the car drift too much on road courses. I guess I can try it both ways and decide then. I really wish I would have gotten on here before buying the MAP sensor, I got the stock MAP already. is there a problem with the stock MAP? If I get the 3 bar is there a tune for it out there? I have HP Tuners already as I used to tune the Ions When they first came out but it has been many years and I have drank a few beers since then. lol

I already got the upgraded bushings for the FE5 arms and with any luck they will get pressed in today. What other obvious items am I missing?

goblin

Next big problem I have is that I don't know of anyone building one of these up yet. I don't know what power level will become unusable, and this stock engine has 150K miles on it so I don't expect it to last an overly long time.

The Ariel atom has a 500HP version so I guess I could try to reach for that level for the build. What are you guys making with the LNF these days? I assume ZZP is still the go to place for built engines? Guess I should call them and see what they offer these days.

goblin

Just got off the phone with DF and my frame will be done this week. If things work out, I may go pick it up this weekend!!! the guys at DF are great to work with. They are very informative and don't mind spending time with you on the phone if you have questions. I ended up purchasing the solid trans mounts from them as they say with the SC and TC cars they really help out.

colodude18

iTrader: (4)

To get to 500whp reliably you'll need a bigger turbo and build the engine. Probably not worth doing if it's got 150K on it already. My numbers are in my signature. I run the Clutchmasters Stage 4.

Sharkey

iTrader: (1)

imo id stick the car together with the engine stock and go from there, a car that light is gonna be pretty decent with stock lnf power, at least to shake the car down and learn to drive it. later on adding the gm stage 1 sensors and having it tuned can take the thing well over 300hp. i dont know if the goblin uses the factory charge pipes/intercooler, if it does thats something your going to want to upgrade as the higher boost levels when tunes will create issues there.

one thing to keep in mind comparing the goblin to the atom is the atom is engineered from the start to be what it is, the goblin is designed to make existing parts work. the suspension design of the atom will be much more refined. sure you can stick 500hp in the goblin, and it will be stupid fast in a straight line, but dont expect it to be as useable around a corner as a 500hp atom.

goblin

I plan to go stock first as I build the new engine. The stock engine has 150K miles on it so I don't see it lasting too much longer. I don't want to go through all the stages of building this thing up (stage 1, 2 ,3 ETC.), been there and done that with my Ion Redline. I even used to make parts for them for a few years (Torque Forward) was our company. I want to build it for the high horsepower and refine from there. If it only holds 450 then
that is what we will tune to but if it can be refined to use 550 then that is where I want to take it. On a project like this the tweaking is just as fun as driving it.

The pipes and inter-cooler are all custom. the inter-cooler is air to water similar to the SC LSJ, much more efficient, and it allows for an ice box to further cool the charge air. the front suspension on the goblin is designed and provided by DF, on the rear you can use the old front suspension (strut with a cut down spring) or their purpose designed suspension for an added cost. Still no doubt that the Atom is more refined but as I said that is half the fun, not to mention you can build 5 of these for what the atom cost and not be very far off the performance.

Henry3959

If you now want to coat those clean aluminum parts, this color is so spot on that you can't tell what you have coated unless you have the white corrosion to go by.

Henry3959

I have enough street vehicles, the Areal Nomad would be my choice for off road.

Sharkey

iTrader: (1)

with the lnf "stage 1" is nothing more than a pair of 3 bar map sensors and a reflash. when you start upping the boost on the lnf you need to change out the sensors no matter what you do. zzp has the gm "stage 1" map sensor kit for $115. like i said, get the sensors and have a tune done and itll be well over 300hp.

if your going to build an engine, rods, pistons, cams and valve springs will support 500whp, if you want more your going to want a girdled block, then sky is the limit. well, the direct injection is the limit, but those barriers are slowly being worked through without having to go with a port fueler. ill let the lnf guys take it from here, i have no direct knowledge of them, just what i read on this site.

and yea, half the fun of a project car is working on it. i spend way more time tinkering with my 944 than i do driving it.

goblin

Awesome, thank you!

goblin

Ok, so stage 1 it is then. do these engines still drop cylinder #4 due to the non return style fuel line setup and fuel starvation? Are most people running lines back with regulators? This was just becoming a big problem when I left the community and stopped building my Redline. I put in duel 255 walbro's and 80 LB injectors and still kept popping that #4 cylinder. I do miss that car though, had a lot of good times along with the bad.