Zoidborg
Member
- Zoidborg Member
Hi! I am Hugh, and I live in NW OKC. I've had my Cobalt SS/SC since I bought it new back in 2006. I have made several modifications mostly done years ago targeting driving on High Speed Touring weekends at Hallett Motor Racing Circuit in northern Oklahoma. It is a very technical course, so I learned a lot about suspension setup and brakes. I did have the TC Brembo brakes (and vented rears) on the car until I transferred those onto my G6 a few years ago.
The Cobalt is already on its second life. Back in 2010 I wrecked the original which was a beautiful black SS coupe. I was able to find a stripped donor body that I spent 6 months on weekends transplanting my Cobalt into. Everything: interior, wiring, computer systems, audio, down to the XM radio and OnStar systems. The v2.0 car served me well for more years, but I always wanted to do something that wasn't just front-wheel drive. It's been sitting in the driveway or in the garage for the better part of 3 years now. The paint is peeling and looks rough, but it pained me to think of getting rid of it because I just love that supercharged engine. I had tuned it a lot with HP tuners and have the Harrop TVS1320 supercharger (though I just have the factory M62 on it at the moment). I also have the BC coilover suspension kit installed. The engine only has 140k miles on it and still runs great; I recently brought it back to life when I found out about the DF Kit Car. This is the perfect solution to revive this fun powertrain into a third life! The roots supercharger has a special place in my heart, I must admit.
I should be getting my frame sometime this summer, which gives me plenty of time to strip down my Cobalt and do some work on the engine while I have it out on a stand. I've put parts together all kinds of ways, but this will be the first time for me doing internal engine work. My intention is to basically just shore it up. I'm planning to install new rings, gaskets all around, maybe new timing chain, definitely new bolt and tensioner for the timing as well. Also MLS head gasket and head studs from ZZP are planned. These will help if I put the Harrop back on it (I was maxing out the MAP sensor running 20 PSI boost with that on!).
I have several ideas I've wanted to try with this engine and some ideas now specific to the DF Goblin. One is that I am going to try to use the GM ABS system (I've explored this some on another thread). I'm going to try to use the ABS system from my Cobalt, since it is a non-ETS and non-stabilitrak system. It has electronic brake force distribution, which modifies its internal proportioning based on a pattern of front or rear wheel lockup, and standard ABS functionality of individual brake pressure modulation during lockup situations. Very handy in emergency braking situations; it has come in handy at the track and on the street! Biggest trick on this one is (1) where to mount the EBCM/ABS module, and (2) how to keep the sensors in the rear hubs that go on the front of the Goblin. There is one other who has used those sensors, so I may draw upon his work for that.
I'm going to convert the fuel system to a semi-return style with boost-reference fuel pressure regulation. This will allow me to run my 60# injectors without having to use a multiplier for the areas of the table that would exceed the 63 lb/hr limit in the P12's fuel table. I can just flatten the table and other related injector tables since this will keep the pressure differential at the injector tip constant. Without the multiplier in play, the speed density dynamic airflow calculations (based on the VE table) can be kept. When using the multiplier with the larger injectors to exceed the 63 limit, it causes the dynamic fueling to act poorly, necessitating the disabling of dynamic airflow and use of the MAF values exclusively.
One of the more ambitious ideas involves changing the head with a VVT head and running an E37 ECM (which drives the VVT 2.2 in the later models). If the pins are similar to the E67 computer, I may be able to locate pins to connect the supercharger-specific sensors and parts, including the SCIP sensor and boost control solenoid connection. One big plus with that ECM is that its fuel flow tables support values up to 127 lb/hr as opposed to the P12 (and earlier E67) limit of 63 lb/hr. This is for the future though, I may not get around to trying this. The P12 has some easier to use boost limiting tables than the torque modeling system the E67 and E37 use. But it's the kind of technical ideating I come up with sometimes lol.
While I can put parts together all day long (even from different vehicles combined together), the one thing I don't have any experience with is metal working and welding. So I'll have to figure out what all I can do without that (like always). I also have never had to do painting, and I'm looking at what it would take for me to do that. I don't have a lot of means nor a truck of my own to carry big things around with to places. But I've always been resourceful at coming up with creative solutions using the resources I have access to and are familiar with.
I'm super excited about this; sometimes I can't stop talking about it. Getting to visit the home of the DF kit car in Texas was a lot of fun, and I'm sure I wore Lonny out with all my questions and prattling on with my ideas haha.
I will try to dig up some pics of the original black car, but attached are some pics of the car as of just a few days ago. The black trunk lid and rear bumper are all that remains of the exterior of the original car. I've already spent time looking through the forums and hopefully will be able to learn a lot from what everyone else has done. Maybe I can even add something to the community knowledge base myself! Thanks!
The Cobalt is already on its second life. Back in 2010 I wrecked the original which was a beautiful black SS coupe. I was able to find a stripped donor body that I spent 6 months on weekends transplanting my Cobalt into. Everything: interior, wiring, computer systems, audio, down to the XM radio and OnStar systems. The v2.0 car served me well for more years, but I always wanted to do something that wasn't just front-wheel drive. It's been sitting in the driveway or in the garage for the better part of 3 years now. The paint is peeling and looks rough, but it pained me to think of getting rid of it because I just love that supercharged engine. I had tuned it a lot with HP tuners and have the Harrop TVS1320 supercharger (though I just have the factory M62 on it at the moment). I also have the BC coilover suspension kit installed. The engine only has 140k miles on it and still runs great; I recently brought it back to life when I found out about the DF Kit Car. This is the perfect solution to revive this fun powertrain into a third life! The roots supercharger has a special place in my heart, I must admit.
I should be getting my frame sometime this summer, which gives me plenty of time to strip down my Cobalt and do some work on the engine while I have it out on a stand. I've put parts together all kinds of ways, but this will be the first time for me doing internal engine work. My intention is to basically just shore it up. I'm planning to install new rings, gaskets all around, maybe new timing chain, definitely new bolt and tensioner for the timing as well. Also MLS head gasket and head studs from ZZP are planned. These will help if I put the Harrop back on it (I was maxing out the MAP sensor running 20 PSI boost with that on!).
I have several ideas I've wanted to try with this engine and some ideas now specific to the DF Goblin. One is that I am going to try to use the GM ABS system (I've explored this some on another thread). I'm going to try to use the ABS system from my Cobalt, since it is a non-ETS and non-stabilitrak system. It has electronic brake force distribution, which modifies its internal proportioning based on a pattern of front or rear wheel lockup, and standard ABS functionality of individual brake pressure modulation during lockup situations. Very handy in emergency braking situations; it has come in handy at the track and on the street! Biggest trick on this one is (1) where to mount the EBCM/ABS module, and (2) how to keep the sensors in the rear hubs that go on the front of the Goblin. There is one other who has used those sensors, so I may draw upon his work for that.
I'm going to convert the fuel system to a semi-return style with boost-reference fuel pressure regulation. This will allow me to run my 60# injectors without having to use a multiplier for the areas of the table that would exceed the 63 lb/hr limit in the P12's fuel table. I can just flatten the table and other related injector tables since this will keep the pressure differential at the injector tip constant. Without the multiplier in play, the speed density dynamic airflow calculations (based on the VE table) can be kept. When using the multiplier with the larger injectors to exceed the 63 limit, it causes the dynamic fueling to act poorly, necessitating the disabling of dynamic airflow and use of the MAF values exclusively.
One of the more ambitious ideas involves changing the head with a VVT head and running an E37 ECM (which drives the VVT 2.2 in the later models). If the pins are similar to the E67 computer, I may be able to locate pins to connect the supercharger-specific sensors and parts, including the SCIP sensor and boost control solenoid connection. One big plus with that ECM is that its fuel flow tables support values up to 127 lb/hr as opposed to the P12 (and earlier E67) limit of 63 lb/hr. This is for the future though, I may not get around to trying this. The P12 has some easier to use boost limiting tables than the torque modeling system the E67 and E37 use. But it's the kind of technical ideating I come up with sometimes lol.
While I can put parts together all day long (even from different vehicles combined together), the one thing I don't have any experience with is metal working and welding. So I'll have to figure out what all I can do without that (like always). I also have never had to do painting, and I'm looking at what it would take for me to do that. I don't have a lot of means nor a truck of my own to carry big things around with to places. But I've always been resourceful at coming up with creative solutions using the resources I have access to and are familiar with.
I'm super excited about this; sometimes I can't stop talking about it. Getting to visit the home of the DF kit car in Texas was a lot of fun, and I'm sure I wore Lonny out with all my questions and prattling on with my ideas haha.
I will try to dig up some pics of the original black car, but attached are some pics of the car as of just a few days ago. The black trunk lid and rear bumper are all that remains of the exterior of the original car. I've already spent time looking through the forums and hopefully will be able to learn a lot from what everyone else has done. Maybe I can even add something to the community knowledge base myself!
Thanks!
Although that’s on a bike, I’m sure it’s different in a car.
