I seriously thought I had an account on here but I couldn't for the life of me figure out my user name. Either way I've been creeping on this forum for well over 5 years, probably longer. My first Ecotec engine vehicle was a 2004 Olds Alero and I absolutely loved the car (I was 18 when I had it). In 2008 I purchased a brand new first in town 2008 Cobalt SS/TC. Had it for about 6 years when I sold it last year. I miss it more than anything but it was time to move on I guess. I currently have a 2013 Ford Mustang Boss 302 and a 2014 Ford Taurus SEL. Yes I'm a Ford guy, always have been but when you're 18 you get something affordable and reliable and I've been in love with Ecotec engines ever since. I'm actually in the process now of finding an 03-05 Cavalier that I'm going to build. Nobody in the city I live in knows what the Ecotec engines are capable of and when I had my Cobalt that was modded on 24lbs of boost I should numerous people what they could do. Don't really have any questions because I know a lot about the engine I'm trying to build it's just finding the right car that I like. Glad to "officially" be here!!!

My suggestion would be don't do this. Find an lsj cobalt (05-07) and build from that platform. They can be had stupid cheap now. The cavalier PCM is garbage and will never be able to do 5% of what your LNF cobalt's PCM did. No one knows how to tune them like they do cobalts and they're extremely lacking in adjustability. If you're planning a fun turbo build you'll be SORELY disappointed when you come to realize the limitations of the j-body PCM. That's why most people get fed up and dump this platform for almost anything else. If you're emissions exempt and plan to run a standalone PCM of some kind, then carry on.



"In Oldskool we trust"

Well technically there are quite a bit of Cavaliers and Sunfires that are making serious power from what I've seen. My LNF was seriously awesome but there was a lot of issues with tuning and dealing with the direct injection and VVT. The tune I had on my LNF was great, but it was one of the first companies to tune the LNF and it was locked. So basically to swap to HPT I had to find someone with a certain cable to use to get rid of the original tune. It was a big mess which is partly the reason I got rid of the car. I'm all about building a car, I've been helping my younger brother build his SRT-4 for the past year or so. Upgraded turbo, custom manifold, exhaust the whole works. I'm going to be modding my Mustang aswell but nothing spectacular since it was a 45k car. I thought about an 05-07 base model Cobalt, or like you said an LSJ with a turbo swap. The 2.4 Cobalt looks promising aswell but only an 06-07 model. And there is no emissions where I'm from either so that is not an issue. Thanks for the response.

So you went from a turbo cobalt to a mustang? What made you want to buy a car that gets spanked by almost anything?And which you probably beat a bunch of times in your cobalt. I mean the taurus can have the ecoboost which is not bad. But a mustang? Sorry if I sounds like an ass, but that doesn't make sense to me.

You're either a Chevy Fanboi, which is cool, or you don't know anything about the 2011+ Mustangs, specifically the new 5.0's. And on top of the basic 5.0 that makes 420hp (to the crank I know) my Boss makes 444hp. Simple bolt ons and a tune you're going to lay down 430-440whp with ease. Yeah my modded Cobalt on 24lbs of boost was pretty quick but stock for stock and mod for mod no Cobalt is going to beat a new 5.0 Mustang. I had my Mustang and Cobalt at the same time but it came to the point of modding my Cobalt to the point of not wanting to drive it everyday or taking it on road trips. And my Mustang is my weekend/nice weather car that doesn't go further than 2 or so hours away from home. It is a special edition Mustang where only 3000 were made and it cost 45k. I got rid of the Cobalt and got the Taurus which is not the Ecoboost because then I'd be in the same situation I was with the Cobalt and I would want to mod it. Thanks for the response.

Welcome to the forum "officially"

And that's right, the new 5.0's are no joke.

Bummer you got rid of the LNF tho - a lot of people drop Trifecta and go with ZZP or remote HPT tune.

Keep us posted on what you decide to do with your Ecotec project.

And in the meantime, post up some pics of that Boss 302!

96S1 wrote:Welcome to the forum "officially"

And that's right, the new 5.0's are no joke.

Bummer you got rid of the LNF tho - a lot of people drop Trifecta and go with ZZP or remote HPT tune.

Keep us posted on what you decide to do with your Ecotec project.

And in the meantime, post up some pics of that Boss 302!

I know I miss my Cobalt more and more everyday. It shocks me how many actual car guys don't have a clue of what the LNF can do. I was one of the first to get a tune for the LNF from Trifecta and to get rid of it I needed a certain cable to override the current tune just so I could start tuning with HPT. Trust me man I was at the point where I was about to buy an aftermarket head/cams combo from ZZP with the upgraded fuel lobe to run e85. But like I said in my previous post it would have been drive the modded Cobalt on road trips and vacations or drive the Boss. I didn't wanna drive either so that's ultimately why I got rid of the Cobalt and got the Taurus, which is perfect for what it's for. I'll have another Ecotec vehicle soon just not sure what I want yet. I'll try and get some pics up soon. Thanks for the response.

ive been wanting to pick up a rear end totaled ss cobalt gut it and transplant it into a cavalier body, you could have the sleek body of the cavy with the power and ease of the cobalt. it would still take quite a bit of fab work and eletrical trick wiring, but still pretty cool.

Travis Baker wrote:You're either a Chevy Fanboi, which is cool, or you don't know anything about the 2011+ Mustangs, specifically the new 5.0's. And on top of the basic 5.0 that makes 420hp (to the crank I know) my Boss makes 444hp. Simple bolt ons and a tune you're going to lay down 430-440whp with ease. Yeah my modded Cobalt on 24lbs of boost was pretty quick but stock for stock and mod for mod no Cobalt is going to beat a new 5.0 Mustang. I had my Mustang and Cobalt at the same time but it came to the point of modding my Cobalt to the point of not wanting to drive it everyday or taking it on road trips. And my Mustang is my weekend/nice weather car that doesn't go further than 2 or so hours away from home. It is a special edition Mustang where only 3000 were made and it cost 45k. I got rid of the Cobalt and got the Taurus which is not the Ecoboost because then I'd be in the same situation I was with the Cobalt and I would want to mod it. Thanks for the response.

I am a chevy fanboy, but I know my main targets haha. Yes mustangs have got a few more ponies over the years. But they are getting real close to the NA power limitations of the 5L. Like they already have DOHC, CNC ported aluminum heads, aluminum motor, forged internals, TI-VCT, and roller valvetrains. Not to mention that you have to be at 7500 RPM to get the 444hp. From what i've seen 460-480Whp is the max you will get with any kind of bolt ons. Any more and you will need spray, or boost. The big problem is that at high RPM you start to lose torque. and being a 3600lbs car, that is not a good thing. Since power to weight is the main calculation for acceleration. 12.4's are a decent 1/4 mile time for a factory car. But to say no cobalt is going to touch it mod for mod is pretty funny since most guys on this forum with turbo Jbody's run a lot faster then that. Not because they have more power, but they have over 1000lbs less weight. And to say "well they built there engines to handle that, where as mine is stock" Your engine is damn near fully built to potential already.

Yes a v8 will make more reliable power numbers, but if you want a really fun car, reliability and fuel mileage and how many were made will not be in the brochure. I bet you any money, that whatever ecotec you are building, will be way faster then your mustang.

I hope you realize I'm in no way hating on the Cobalt? Upgrade the turbo and you'll have an easy 400whp if not more pretty easily and like you said with the weight it would be a beast. But the fact remains if you boost a new 5.0 (especially my Boss) it would run all over the Cobalt. Hell a nice little 100 shot and good tires you'd be in the mid 11's with ease at probably 125mph. Either way I love my Boss and hope to build a quality Ecotec powered car.

Yeah I know you aren't hating on the cobalt. But even with a boosted mustang you will still be having a run for your money.
My friend has built a z-24 turbo cavalier to 560wheel. He also built a 6.1 srt8 jeep with twin turbo's. with about 800 wheel. He says that the cavalier still pulls away from the jeep.
Weight+aero is a killer man.
I totally agree that v8's can make way more power for cheaper then most 4 bangers. Hell a forged stroker crankshaft for my BBC is cheaper then a camshaft set for the ecotec. But being that your engine is brand new, they don't have a whole lot of cheap parts yet. and you will probably end up paying way more. like 6g just for a supercharger kit, let alone the tune or install cost. But even then you are limited to just over 725hp before the cylinder walls start cracking.
Anyway, hope your build goes better this time around.

Nicholas Reilly wrote:
My friend has built a z-24 turbo cavalier to 560wheel. He also built a 6.1 srt8 jeep with twin turbo's. with about 800 wheel. He says that the cavalier still pulls away from the jeep.

^More info on the 560whp Z24 please . . .