Seeing as how everyone on here just loves the Cobalt… I figured I’d post up about my project.
I have a 2006 Chevy Cobalt SS with the 2.4L n/a motor. Starting this weekend, the engine bay will be torn apart and a Turbonetics T3/T04E 50 trim will be fit behind the little Ecotec motor sitting in there. I’ll be running a blow through MAF setup so the GReddy Type RS BOV can vent to atmosphere. A TiAL 38mm wastegate coupled with a Forge boost controller will keep the boost at 10psi max. The whole system will breathe through custom 2.5" intake and charge piping (with a 21"x9"x2.5" FMIC) as well as a full 3" cat-less exhaust with a Magnaflow muffler. Motor is stock internally and has been proven to hold up to 14psi before needing modification. The plan is to drop some Wiseco 8.8:1 CR forged pistons in by August. Valves/springs and possibly cams will go in at the same time… but that’s still a few months off.
Tuning for the car will be done through HPTuners by a few friends and myself. Coupled with a 4T45E transmission with light modification, the car will shift firm and fast. After the motor build later this summer, the tranny will undergo a full rebuild and will handle up to 500HP. At that point, I’ll test boost levels higher than 10psi. Fully custom gauges will help monitor the important basics… wideband AFR, oil pressure, trans temp, and of course, boost.
And to help set the car off from any normal looking SS, the Import Trenz BC2 body kit is on order as of this week. Before calls of “rice” plague the thread, the BC2 kit is rather tame looking. It simply lowers the body lines a little and provides that aggressive lower look. The car is already running on Eibach Sportline springs, so it will have a very nice looking stance after the kit is installed. Wheels will follow sometime this summer (most likely Enkei Evo5).
Turbo install should be done by sometime next week. Body work won’t be done for a few weeks.
I know some of you have some really bad opinions of Cobalts and Cobalt owners… but I hope you’ll at least appreciate this project for what it is.
Haha… I read your thread about racing an SS. I’m sorry that he was a douche. Generally, people with the SS model are more mature than that.
How quick do you run in that Tibby? The base model (2.2L) Cobalts run 16’s, maybe high 15’s. The 2.4L SS runs high to low 15s depending on mods. The 2.0L SS/SC runs high 14s to mid 13s depending on mods. That’s all assuming decent drivers. There’s no telling what kind of Cobalt you might have run unless I know what your car is actually capable of. I’m assuming you run at least 14’s and that you actually ran a real SS on the street.
Well, after some bent intake valves after a camshaft install gone wrong. I have a new head coming in tomorrow that will be put on, hopefully finished for the test and tune for Wed. Then I will know, goodluck on your turbo ambitions, I’m eager to see what you can put down.
Good luck with the motor as well. My buddy has a newer V6 Tibburon. They’re nice looking cars… I’ve just never had the pleasure of seeing one that’s been built.
I’ll keep this thread updated with progress and results.
yeah but i still have the return fuel system adjustability for fine tuning so now it wont bother me as much as it would have without the adjustability.
That’s a very shaky way of ‘fine tuning’ a setup. It’s very old-school. But if you’re not going to change much on the car after this, then it’s perfectly fine for that setup.
I’ll be going to 1st Try tomorrow for a downpipe, assuming my damn wastegate arrives today. I don’t know what I’ll do if the wastegate doesn’t get here today.
Running. We have a rough tune on it good for the 7-8psi we’re limiting it to for now. Runs VERY strong. Needs larger injectors as I suspected. I’ll take care of that today. No major mechanical issues except for maybe a tiny trickle of oil from the oil feed on the block.
Now it’s time for tuning… then I’ll really get to run her and see how she stacks up against some competition.
For now, quick video of the car from this morning:
Thanks, but I took care of it. I have GM Stage II 42.5# injectors in the car now.
After swapping injectors, we were able to run until redline with no problems. We did a little bit of MAF tuning yesterday evening out on rt 60. Car felt great after some other tweaks as well.
Then we had a problem… something popped on the oil feed line near the block I think. The car is back at 1st Try and Jeff is going to get a new oil line that’s shorter anyway. With a 45 or 90 degree angle fitting, the line should fit a lot better and that won’t happen again.
There’s also a slight exhaust leak coming from the manifold. That should be no problem to fix today when Jeff is putting on the new oil line. After that, she’ll sound and run a lot better. With a few more days of tuning, it’ll be dialed in and ready to go to the dyno and the track. I’m aiming for PRP on the 11th. Hopefully I’ll get some dyno time in before then.
maybe i can hit prp with you on the 11th and we can do the turbo 2.4 side by side comparison. might be interesting. thats if both cars can stay away from the shops that long lol.
