New here, got a few questions.

Gorillapanic

New Member
Hey guys I’ve been stalking this site and drooling all over myself for a Goblin for years now and I’m getting close to pulling the trigger. My wife told me that if I agree to not have anymore kids I can build race car/toy car, so here I am. I decided on the Goblin a long time ago and now it’s time to get after it. First of all I was wondering which donor to buy that will give me the ability to build it down the road. I know right off the bat the T/C SS is the best but if I can go with a base model now for cheaper and add a turbo/supercharger later, which engine would I want to get? Thanks you all ahead of time for all the great knowledge I know I’ll get.
 

JSATX

Goblin Guru
I would get the SS supercharged if doing it all over again. It’s the best bang for the buck. The SS turbo is too expensive and the base needs a lot of work to get over 300hp.
 

Briann1177

Goblin Guru
Matt from DemolitionRanch has 300+ WHP, and I don't think he had any traction issues when he drag raced Roman' s GTR. A great video BTW.
 

JSATX

Goblin Guru
More like not enough tire...I’m running potenza rz71r and at 175hp I can spin on launch
 

AleX1/9

Well-Known Member
Matt from DemolitionRanch has 300+ WHP, and I don't think he had any traction issues when he drag raced Roman' s GTR. A great video BTW.
Awesome video! One of very few videos of the goblin that are easy to find on the web.

Keep in mind, drag strips are solid rubber and glue. The type of use you have planned for the goblin will help you decide how much power to add. Anything over 300hp I think could be sketchy on public roads.

I also recommend the SS/SC for the already mentioned reasons. I got a good SC donor for under $2k, and I've seen better deals since. The factory supercharger is good for a bit over 250hp with some tuning, or can be replaced with a larger supercharger or a turbo for 350hp or more on a stockish longblock.

If you must build on the cheap, the base would save you thousands all said and done. You can re-use brakes, don't have to swap to 4 lug, and cheaper initial buy in. You could always do a motor swap later.

Good luck and keep updating!
 

BAR-AIR

Well-Known Member
Just for some numbers...
2008 donor with 70,000 miles $500 (complete engine/transmission rebuild with upgrade final drive) - probably could have bought an engine cheaper....
With a ZZPerformance supercharger running a 3.4 pulley ( largest they offer)

Dynoed at:
220 hp
195 ft lbs torque
Approx. 8 lbs of boost

I could wind the supercharger up quite a bit more with smaller pulleys but was looking for the proverbial sweet spot between power and engine longevity.
Bruce
 

ctuinstra

Goblin Guru
Just for some numbers...
2008 donor with 70,000 miles $500 (complete engine/transmission rebuild with upgrade final drive) - probably could have bought an engine cheaper....
With a ZZPerformance supercharger running a 3.4 pulley ( largest they offer)

Dynoed at:
220 hp
195 ft lbs torque
Approx. 8 lbs of boost

I could wind the supercharger up quite a bit more with smaller pulleys but was looking for the proverbial sweet spot between power and engine longevity.
Bruce
Do you know what size is of the OEM pulley? I was thinking that it was around 3.4, but I guess it's larger. Shoot, I have one, I should go measure it. I ended up getting a 2.9. I hope it's not too small! It's supposed to work well with the other mods that I have. Or are you referring to putting the charger on the 2.2 as far as the longevity?
 

BAR-AIR

Well-Known Member
The ZZPerformance supercharger kit comes stock with a 3.4 pulley on it from my understanding the kit is set up to be used on a stock L61 Ecotec 2.2 with cast internals that size pulley should give you about 8-10 lbs of boost bringing your engine hp up into the 200 - 220 range. You can change out the stock pulley for numerous smaller sized ones they offer (the smaller you go the higher the potential boost the more hp you produce - BUT the more stress on the engines internals). ZZPerformance recommended keeping the HP on a stock Ecotec with cast internal to under 250HP (The engine is more then willing and capable of higher HP but now you get into exceeding the individual capabilities of it components).
So now you open a can of worms... starting with what engine block (GEN 1,2 or 3), forged components, performance head etc... Actually was really surprised by the prices of parts for this engine it’s not like the old small block Chevy where everything was relatively cheap this thing can add up really quickly!!!!!!
 
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