Grayson M Full Cage Goblin #488 - 07 SS/SC donor

[Grayson]

So what all is done to this thing to make it "350 wheel horsepower" like you said in the one short you posted?

It has a ported supercharger and a tune with larger injectors with a couple of other minor tweaks. My 350 estimate might have been a slight high where it was probably closer to 310-325. Sadly however I didn't get a chance to get it on the dyno before the motor knocked. Im building a new motor and tuning it so we will see if we can get back to that power number or better.

 

[Rttoys]

Unless “other minor tweaks” is head work, cams and probably e85, 350 at the wheels is a stretch. 300 might be had with a tvs,large injectors and very aggressive tune. if you are running the same mods as the rest of us with smaller pulley, larger injectors and a tune, you‘ll be around the 250 range. That’s 250 engine hp, not at the wheel.

 

[Rttoys]

Stock LSJ is 205 engine hp
GM stage 2 kit is 241hp
zzp stage 2 kits should be around 250-270 depending on how aggressive you get.

250hp in a goblin is a ton of power. Don’t underestimate it.

 

[Desert Sasqwatch]

Pushing for higher HP also requires a logarithmic increase in charge cooling capacity, which the stock laminova tubes - even with a dual port - may run out of capacity to provide. Goals north of 300 HP almost always involve a turbo conversion on the LSJ (or dual charging as some on the forum have done) with the requisite injectors, cams, porting, etc. Dreams of big HP can be achieved, but plan to spend increasing amounts of $$$ to reach those goals, far more than a few tuning tweaks will achieve. This post is not to discourage your efforts, but to advise how to get there based on the experience of the builders here in the forum. As @Rttoys has stated, 250 HP in a Goblin at 1650 lbs is an insane ride - and a lot more than can be achieved in almost all other cars in this price range.

 

[ah.b.normal]

As My dearly departed motor Guru once admonished me, "How fast do you want to go? How much money do you have?" Let's just say in fast, money is a prime ingredient. Plus you must get all that HP goodness to the ground. Watching closely, always hoping to witness greater success!

 

[Robinjo]

250hp in a goblin is a ton of power. Don’t underestimate it.

I'm guessing mine is somewhere in the 220-240 hrsprs range as I have the 2.8"pulley and supporting items (from the previous owner) and it's F@#$% fast. It'll take you a couple months to be able to get comfortable with it. Like, so fast that when you just take off from a stop 'slowly' it still leaves everything else behind.

 

[LLBenJ]

I think 300 with a TVS, or 300 with tiny pulley M62 and a lot of breathing mods/fuel changes can happen. 350...just start planning on a entry level, or up, turbo swap through ZZP. This will be the most cost effective way of approaching those numbers.

HP tuners is arriving today so anxious to see what can be done with my current set up. Recent dyno, Mustang Dyno, rendered 247 RWHP so I'm probably around 280 at the crank? I'm shooting for 300 RWHP but I may have to pulley down, swap out...my new injectors...or push the octane numbers up to get there. As others have stated, 250 RWHP in a 1,600lb car is a riot.

- 2.0 LSJ
- Harrop TVS 1320 with stock 3.1" pulley
- Dual pass cooling
- #60 injectors
- 1.0 ZZP tune
- Shorty headers/exhaust
- 91 Octane pump gas

 

[Grayson]

Ok, wanted to update my build log. We have got it started with a rod knock scare. I say scare because when we put the new trans on we forgot to bleed the clutch so when we fired her up it sounded like rod knock in the cyl next to the trans. Luckily I figured that out right after I bought a new engine lol (didnt put it in, just have a backup engine now)

Had a few issues here and there that I will probably fully detail in a video soon. But most have been solved.

We are facing a couple of bigger issues now. One is a P2229 code for a Baro sensor. Probably just need to replace the sensor but with how this build has been going I wouldn't be surprised if it was something else.

The car has been starting and running fine except for we replaced the throttle body so I need to do a relearn procedure for it. Right now it idles at 2000ish rpm. Should be a "simple" fix.

However, when I went to start it today it wouldn't start. I would have the clutch in and when i went to start the anti theft llight pops up for 5 seconds and goes away.

The heat exchanger fan also doesn't seem to turn on with the key which is weird because it used to. My knee jerk reaction is a ground wire but we just checked all of the grounds recently and they all seem clean.

Other than that the build is going well! Just waiting on a couple parts from DF.

 

[Gtstorey]

I've said it before and I'm sure I'll say it again.

All of these oem connectors are not made to be taken apart and messed with as much as we have to get this wired. Add in 15-20 years of age (and often crappy wiring rework) and loose connections are just an issue. Often it just takes a wiggle in the right spot to get it going again. Every now and then I have to kick the plate above the BCM to get mine to start. Unfortunately, a lot of these circuits run all of the way through the car with multiple connection points so no one can really say exactly where to look.

A good diagnostic scanner can help narrow it down. If you can handle the aggravation, you might consider a tech2 clone. Otherwise, you just have to start tracing out wiring diagrams until you find the problem.

 

[mike_sno]

I think 300 with a TVS, or 300 with tiny pulley M62 and a lot of breathing mods/fuel changes can happen. 350...just start planning on a entry level, or up, turbo swap through ZZP. This will be the most cost effective way of approaching those numbers.

HP tuners is arriving today so anxious to see what can be done with my current set up. Recent dyno, Mustang Dyno, rendered 247 RWHP so I'm probably around 280 at the crank? I'm shooting for 300 RWHP but I may have to pulley down, swap out...my new injectors...or push the octane numbers up to get there. As others have stated, 250 RWHP in a 1,600lb car is a riot.

- 2.0 LSJ
- Harrop TVS 1320 with stock 3.1" pulley
- Dual pass cooling
- #60 injectors
- 1.0 ZZP tune
- Shorty headers/exhaust
- 91 Octane pump gas

How you all find tvs blowers for a reasonable price. Everytime I'm looking it costs as much as a turbo swap.

 

[Grayson]

I've said it before and I'm sure I'll say it again.

All of these oem connectors are not made to be taken apart and messed with as much as we have to get this wired. Add in 15-20 years of age (and often crappy wiring rework) and loose connections are just an issue. Often it just takes a wiggle in the right spot to get it going again. Every now and then I have to kick the plate above the BCM to get mine to start. Unfortunately, a lot of these circuits run all of the way through the car with multiple connection points so no one can really say exactly where to look.

A good diagnostic scanner can help narrow it down. If you can handle the aggravation, you might consider a tech2 clone. Otherwise, you just have to start tracing out wiring diagrams until you find the problem.

So i figured it out, it was a fuze on the BCM that was blown. Was an easy fix to get it restarted but still dealing with a weird check engine light. a P2229 light but it might be an easy fix to just replace a sensor but seems to be an issue for a lot of others as well.

 

[Gtstorey]

Read the description in the service manual, it can help lead you to whether a failed sensor will trigger the code. Often high voltage codes are not triggered by failed sensors, but sometimes they can be.

 

[Grayson]

Ok we got it figured out. Turns out I had switched the connectors on the SC and the Barro sensor.
I want to say this because its a dumb thing that everyone told me to check and I checked it multiple times.
The key thing is that initially it throws more codes when you switch the sensors. If you clear them they don't come back. The thing that tipped me off what when doing diag with the service manuals it stated the color of the wires to each plug and that showed I had them flipped.

This is a really easy mistake to make but its really easy to get confused when it throws codes at first! So if anyone else gets a P2229 code, Flip the connectors and clear the codes. It should work.

 

[Grayson]

Also, Major update on my build!

We have it on its wheels and its running super well!

We do have a weird transmission rattle that we are still working on. I made another thread in the transmission forum which I will link to here:

F23 Transmission Rattle

Hey everyone, I got my Goblin driving yesterday and it all runs great! However I am getting a weird rattle for the transmission when I let the clutch out all the way. This happens in both neutral and in gear. I figured I would make a thread as I didn't really find a thread that might address...

dfkitcar.com

 

[Goblinfanclub1234]

nice build...been watching the youtube videos

 

[ah.b.normal]

Also, Major update on my build!

We have it on its wheels and its running super well!

We do have a weird transmission rattle that we are still working on. I made another thread in the transmission forum which I will link to here:

F23 Transmission Rattle

Hey everyone, I got my Goblin driving yesterday and it all runs great! However I am getting a weird rattle for the transmission when I let the clutch out all the way. This happens in both neutral and in gear. I figured I would make a thread as I didn't really find a thread that might address...

dfkitcar.com

You swapped from a F35 to an F23, correct? The F35 used a bellhousing spacer that is not used on an F23. If you kept that spacer in place it could result in too much distance between the T/O bearing and the clutch fingers. Either way I am curious to see what your noise turns out to be and how you cured it. M/T Low fluid and funny noises go together like PB&J.

 

[Rauq]

I and at least two other builders have swapped from an F35 to an F23 and kept that spacer plate for what it's worth.

 

[Scott #321]

I and at least two other builders have swapped from an F35 to an F23 and kept that spacer plate for what it's worth.

I,m going on 1.5 years since the swap with the spacer in place.

 

[Grayson]

I did end up keeping the plate and it seems that others have too. If the fluid fixes it then Ill leave it at that but if it doesn't Ill try removing the plate.

 

[Grayson]

So we got the car Driving! Made a couple of videos since then showing off the Goblin. Here are those videos for anyone interested.
Also, I am going to work on a list of Goblin compatible parts and parts that I used on my build as I've been getting a lot of questions about it. It will probably be a google docs or sheets that I will post here for people to reference as needed.