Chris Wylie’s track Goblin- 09SS donor

[Chris wylie]

About 6 months ago I started getting serious about building an Exobusa or something similar. I have always been interested in kit cars but previously I had always just bought a motorcycle instead since it was cheaper and easier. Well last summer a close friend was hit and killed on a motorcycle so according to my wife my motorcycling days are behind me. If anyone needs a clean Ducati Diavell let me know...
In reading various kit car reviews I came across the Goblin. For the money I felt like it made more sense than a motorcycle engined car and I figured it’d be more reliable. I felt like support on the build would be very important regardless of what kit I did. With all of the build log info on here and the fact that Adam and Lonny are easy to get in touch with and seem to actually care about making customers happy it was an easy decision.
So in January I started searching for a donor. I wanted a turbo with less that 100k miles. Unfortunately I wasn’t patient enough to find a wreck that met my criteria. I found a 09 SS on eBay with 77k miles. The price wasn’t great and the car looked abused but since I wanted to rebuild the engine with forged components anyway and I couldn’t find anything else in the price range, I went ahead and bought it. The car came in even rougher than it looked in pictures however it ran well.
I employ a talented mechanic at my manufacturing plant so I have enlisted his help with the teardown and build as I am fairly inexperienced. So far it has gone well. We’re 6 hours of work in and getting close to finishing the teardown. My build will be very similar to dperkins build. I pick up the whole kit next Friday May 18th.

I plan to use the car both for street and track. I am hoping to achieve 400 hp+ yet retain decent manners on the street. To that end I’m using forget components, a Borg-Warner EFR turbo and an assortment of ZZP parts. Additionally I will upgrade the suspension where possible and possibly even the brakes. My donor came with a set of huge ZZP front brakes that are overkill but my mechanic is insisting he can add a dampener to modulate the braking so I’m going to try it.
I’d like to thank all of the prior builders and their incredibly helpful build logs. I will try to do my part.

 

[Briann1177]

Welcome. I don't see anything obviously wrong with the donor. Actually looks pretty good.

 

[JSATX]

welcome! My only advice up front is to not get carried away with power. An 09 SS can easily do 300hp with a good tune and that’s more than most tires out there can stand.

 

[RichRich]

I am going to agree with JSATX, being a horsepower guy I fully understand the desire for 400 horses. However, the power to weight ratio in these is already beyond supercar. The Lamborghini Aventador is 4,000 lbs with 700hp, puts it at 5.7lbs per horsepower.

These weigh in at 1,550lbs and with just a tune puts out 300hp, which equates to 5.16lbs per horsepower. I know that may sound fine but also keep in mind that the supercar is also all wheel drive and with 8 more inches of tire contacting the road in the rear alone. Now add another 100hp and I think all you will gain is less drivability and faster tire wear. Just be easy on the turbo upgrade, they get too big fast and then the fun goes away on daily driving. I just wanted to at least give you my 2 cents....man will do what a man wants to do. Will be awesome no matter which way you go. Your build is looking great man. Keep the updates coming!!

 

[JERMzSS]

Drive it stock first. Trust me you will not be disappointed with the performance.

 

[DanPerryy]

Ditto - drive it stock first!

 

[Chris wylie]

welcome! My only advice up front is to not get carried away with power. An 09 SS can easily do 300hp with a good tune and that’s more than most tires out there can stand.

I am going to agree with JSATX, being a horsepower guy I fully understand the desire for 400 horses. However, the power to weight ratio in these is already beyond supercar. The Lamborghini Aventador is 4,000 lbs with 700hp, puts it at 5.7lbs per horsepower.

These weigh in at 1,550lbs and with just a tune puts out 300hp, which equates to 5.16lbs per horsepower. I know that may sound fine but also keep in mind that the supercar is also all wheel drive and with 8 more inches of tire contacting the road in the rear alone. Now add another 100hp and I think all you will gain is less drivability and faster tire wear. Just be easy on the turbo upgrade, they get too big fast and then the fun goes away on daily driving. I just wanted to at least give you my 2 cents....man will do what a man wants to do. Will be awesome no matter which way you go. Your build is looking great man. Keep the updates coming!!

Drive it stock first. Trust me you will not be disappointed with the performance.

Ditto - drive it stock first!

I know you guys are all correct and 400hp will be gross overkill though the possibility of having too much power is something I’ve never had before on 4 wheels and it has a strong allure. That said I will take yall’s advice and run it with the stock turbo first. I do want to take the opportunity to replace the engine internals while the engine is on the bench.

 

[Chris wylie]

Finished with the donor today. Will start prepping parts now and anxiously awaiting picking up everything next Friday. I’m going to go ahead and replace the hubs since they have nearly 80k hard miles on them. Has anyone found 5 lug hubs with 114 mm spacing that fit a Cobalt SS? I’m not having any luck.

 

[Briann1177]

About your only option is to get them redrilled. Another option is to use SC drive axles. I know it's easier to get to 4x100 with those, but I'm not sure about 5x114.3.

 

[dperkins]

Welcome! I’m glad you like my build and might do something similar. If I were to build again I would do the same exact thing Im doing now, but I do see why my power output will be much greater than I will probably ever need. I am used to driving around cars with tons of power, so this build I wanted to make something to beat them all. If you eventually do end up upgrading the turbo, it’s super easy and will give you extreme performance for less than $2k.

Finished with the donor today. Will start prepping parts now and anxiously awaiting picking up everything next Friday. I’m going to go ahead and replace the hubs since they have nearly 80k hard miles on them. Has anyone found 5 lug hubs with 114 mm spacing that fit a Cobalt SS? I’m not having any luck.

What I did was buy a new set of cobalt hubs from Moog and ship it to DF to have them re drilled and it worked out great. If you are ever thinking of doing a 400 hp build, I would redrill them because I couldn’t find many 5x110 wheels I liked and absolutely none wide enough to support my power. Even if you’re not going overkill for the hell of it, I would still do 5x114.3 and find the widest rear tires and rims you can get at 16 or 17 inches. I went 18 inches in diameter to have a really wide tire, and I might still, in the future, custom order massive rims.

If I may ask, why are you employing a mechanic to build parts of the car for you? No offense meant.

 

[Chris wylie]

Welcome! I’m glad you like my build and might do something similar. If I were to build again I would do the same exact thing Im doing now, but I do see why my power output will be much greater than I will probably ever need. I am used to driving around cars with tons of power, so this build I wanted to make something to beat them all. If you eventually do end up upgrading the turbo, it’s super easy and will give you extreme performance for less than $2k.


What I did was buy a new set of cobalt hubs from Moog and ship it to DF to have them re drilled and it worked out great. If you are ever thinking of doing a 400 hp build, I would redrill them because I couldn’t find many 5x110 wheels I liked and absolutely none wide enough to support my power. Even if you’re not going overkill for the hell of it, I would still do 5x114.3 and find the widest rear tires and rims you can get at 16 or 17 inches. I went 18 inches in diameter to have a really wide tire, and I might still, in the future, custom order massive rims.

If I may ask, why are you employing a mechanic to build parts of the car for you? No offense meant.

My thinking on power is very similar to yours. I have driven several fast cars and own a couple of fast ones now. But I figure this is the only chance I’ll have for a car with a power to weight ratio that exceeds most commercially available exotics. So I am going to prep the engine to handle a larger turbo.
When I read through your build I noticed that you are using the ZZP Z54 turbo. I am trying to decide between that and the Borg-Warner EFR that ZZP sells as a ZFR 6758. Any particular reason you went with the Z54? I was hoping that the Borg-Warner EFR would spool a little earlier as it’s ball bearing but don’t know if the larger size will offset any gain. I know that both are capable of making more than enough power.
I ordered new hubs today and will have them redrilled to 5x114.3 as well. I was planning to run 15” up front and 17” in the rear but may go to 16” and 18” if I can’t find the 17” as wide as I need.
As to the mechanic (Henry) ; no offense taken at all. While I love building all sorts of things I am short two things, time and patience. So I decided that I would let Henry lead the teardown and prepping the wiring harness, both of which I wasn’t looking forward to anyway. Then I would do most of the build with his help where needed such as the engine rebuild. Also I am going to do most of the build at my plant and Henry is a true car nut and couldn’t keep his hands off it regardless of if I involved him or not lol. He is a talented engine builder so I am hoping he can teach me a thing or two.

 

[dperkins]

My thinking on power is very similar to yours. I have driven several fast cars and own a couple of fast ones now. But I figure this is the only chance I’ll have for a car with a power to weight ratio that exceeds most commercially available exotics. So I am going to prep the engine to handle a larger turbo.
When I read through your build I noticed that you are using the ZZP Z54 turbo. I am trying to decide between that and the Borg-Warner EFR that ZZP sells as a ZFR 6758. Any particular reason you went with the Z54? I was hoping that the Borg-Warner EFR would spool a little earlier as it’s ball bearing but don’t know if the larger size will offset any gain. I know that both are capable of making more than enough power.
I ordered new hubs today and will have them redrilled to 5x114.3 as well. I was planning to run 15” up front and 17” in the rear but may go to 16” and 18” if I can’t find the 17” as wide as I need.
As to the mechanic (Henry) ; no offense taken at all. While I love building all sorts of things I am short two things, time and patience. So I decided that I would let Henry lead the teardown and prepping the wiring harness, both of which I wasn’t looking forward to anyway. Then I would do most of the build with his help where needed such as the engine rebuild. Also I am going to do most of the build at my plant and Henry is a true car nut and couldn’t keep his hands off it regardless of if I involved him or not lol. He is a talented engine builder so I am hoping he can teach me a thing or two.

I went with the Z54 because it was a direct bolt on for just under 500 WHP. Also, its only $1200 compared to nearly $2000 for the ZFR for no real downsides on the goblin. Its the same turbo without special bearings and titanium wheels, which only add a few dozen HPs. I doubt the ball bearing will spool much faster than the journal. It's probably barely noticeable.
I went with 18s, and I think they look good on the car. It would look good with the 17s as well.
I love that you are giving Henry the most boring part haha. If I had someone like that to do it I would have, but I just ended up sending the harness to DF. Probably going to need him for your rebuild, I'm guessing I did something wrong on mine from just looking at youtube tutorials and repeating exactly what they did

 

[Silverback]

...I ordered new hubs today and will have them redrilled to 5x114.3 as well. I was planning to run 15” up front and 17” in the rear but may go to 16” and 18” if I can’t find the 17” as wide as I need...

If you are willing to run 15" 4x100 up front and 17" 5x114.3 rear, the Enkei RPF1's can give you 8" front & 10" rear widths. The 18mm inset available on the 17" might just clear the struts without having to resort to spacers.

 

[JSATX]

If you haven’t read the GM build guide I highly recommend it.

Here’s a page I reference all the time. Sure it’s basic, but it’s good information.

 

[BAR-AIR]

I really like the look of the 4x100 hubs and 15” wheels on my build “BLUE” but with all the interference issues with the front brake calipers I would not recommend them. Nate’s car we still are using 4x100 hubs but 16” wheels on the front (bolted right up no issues whatsoever.

15” Rota rim and wheel on my build. That is after re shaping the calipers and adding a spacer.

Nate’s 16” no where even close to hitting the calipers.

 

[Chris wylie]

If you are willing to run 15" 4x100 up front and 17" 5x114.3 rear, the Enkei RPF1's can give you 8" front & 10" rear widths. The 18mm inset available on the 17" might just clear the struts without having to resort to spacers.

Ill take a look at them. Thanks!

 

[Chris wylie]

If you haven’t read the GM build guide I highly recommend it.

Here’s a page I reference all the time. Sure it’s basic, but it’s good information. View attachment 3698

That is a good basic guide. Thanks! Looks like I need to find some iron cylinder liners.

 

[dperkins]

That is a good basic guide. Thanks! Looks like I need to find some iron cylinder liners.

I'm pretty sure the stock LNF block doesnt need that. At least that's what ZZP told me.

 

[Chris wylie]

Picked up the frame and all parts! Anxious to get started with the build. Enjoyed meeting Adam and Lonny. They were very knowledgeable and clearly have spent an incredible amount of time developing and refining the design.

On another note I’m pretty sure I am now the record holder for worst fuel mileage while towing a Goblin

 

[redline]

If you haven’t read the GM build guide I highly recommend it.

Here’s a page I reference all the time. Sure it’s basic, but it’s good information. View attachment 3698

Wow! I haven't seen this in forever. Makes me wonder how Wes and Wop are doing these days.