Status Report
Sorry it has taken so long for us to give you guys an update. We're really trying to get this right the first time unlike when we rushed out our first parking/spot brake brackets.
Just like with many projects, this project has expanded in scope way more than we had predicted and a lot of hours have gone into it. Here's a rundown of the project so far:
- We did a very rough mock up on the floor. The transmission looked like it could fit but was going to be tight.
- We took an old chassis, cut off the old trans and engine mounts and welded on a new engine mount.
- We pulled that chassis from the jig and attempted to fit the F40 into it. We tried it in the stock location, 1 step forward and then 5/8 lower. It wouldn't fit. We put that chassis back in the jig and welded on the regular driver side mount and that chassis will become a shop Goblin A/T since it looks a little butchered where we cut the old mounts off.
- We welded out KLM's chassis the same as any other except for the new lower cage tube and driver side mount. We then made a new lower cage tube with a slight bend right where the transmission would hit. This moved the vertical strut tube out on the bottom so that needed a little work as well. We put heavy tacks on these new tubes to hold them in place for a test fit.
- We pulled KLM's chassis from the jig and bolted the engine and subframe to it.
- We were able to install our regular solid rear transmission mount but when we went to install the front mount we found that it wouldn't work.
Next Steps
Upcoming steps for just this one chassis include the following (at least this is what we can predict but you never know what you are going to run into):
- Modify an old driver side transmission mount upright to match the height of the F40 transmission.
- Use the upright and the F40 aluminum mount to design a new top plate.
- CNC machine the top plate on the mill.
- Test fit the top plate and weld it in if it looks okay.
- Figure out where to attach the front mount to the transmission and then design the mount. Our old mount was a simple plate with a tube welded to it. We aren't sure yet what this mount is going to look like for this particular F40.
- CNC out the new mount and give it a shot. The way it is going to have to mount there is a chance there will be a couple of revisions.
- Design a mount to relocate or eliminate the F40 shifter cable mount. It won't work for us the way it mounts up now because our custom cables mount further from the shifter arms than the Cobalt and Buick cables.
- Test fit the shifter to our tunnel cap and try to connect all of the linkages. Looking at it, there is a chance the hardware will have to change. We might also have to change where the bellcranks and cable mounts are on the tunnel cap.
- Once we get the shifter to where it can be installed we'll then find out if our current shifter cables will work. This is based off the distance between the bellcranks at the front and the cable mount on the transmission. We think it'll only be a problem if we have to move the bellcranks forward.
Where we see this going
When the F40 conversion looked to be possible with the same Goblin chassis with a different driver side transmission mount it seemed possible to offer it as an option. We would only have added a single item to the order database and to our chassis build sheets that Ray uses to build each chassis. We would have added 1 new driver side transmission mount upright and 1 new transmission mount top plate.
Now it appears that we will have to keep track of the option to go with an F40 and also which F40 is being used so that we know which mount to use up front. It is a small change but our databases and paperwork have to track the new configuration somehow so that the correct chassis and parts are pulled.
We also have to add the two new driver side trans mount pieces along with a new driver side lower cage tube, strut upright tube, upper gusset and front mount (which could be made out of up to 4 pieces). Every new piece comes with some development time and up front cost getting the pieces plasma cut, laser cut, welded, etc. There is also a cost to adding new pieces to our manufacturing lists, packing lists and shelves.
(Also keep in mind that we haven't got to the cable mount, tunnel, shifter and cables yet)
The up front development cost wouldn't be a big deal if we thought every fifth Goblin would ship with the F40 option but we are thinking it will be more like 3 to 4 F40s a year (we think the up front cost of the trans and kit from ZPP + our cost will keep most people away). At that rate we would have to charge over $2,500 just to break even over a two year period.
So what we are thinking is that the F40 kit will be a special order item that ends up being more "hand-made" than our normal products. We're not going to alter the ordering process or database. The special order will just be a note that is manually added. We aren't going to spend time up front making batches of parts and organizing them on the shelves. We'll just make those special pieces as they are ordered.
We will have a final price after completely finishing KLM's mock up but so far the price will be at least $1,600 for the F40 conversion. This does not include the $3,200 transmission and kit from ZZP. If you are piecing the parts together you might be able to save some money but based on the ZZP kit, you will need a new shifter assembly, ZZP's rear trans mount adapter, flywheel, clutch, pressure plate, intermediate shaft with reluctor wheel, speed sensor bracket and axle(s).
Short version of all of that: The F40 conversion will be a special order item at a price of at least $1,600 plus you'll need ZZP's F40 kit for $3,200.
Many of the things you have done to your car I hope to use as a basis for things I will hope to do to my car when it gets built. I hope to meet with you some day so we can compare builds and have good stories to share. I will try to 'thicken up' in the future. 
