[02ztsian]

Focus man, Focus.,Mar 28 2006, 06:35 AM Wrote:How dificult was this to do?  Did you replace the gaskets after you finished?  What bits did you use on your dremel?  This seems like an easy Mod to do yourself.  Any tips or pointers you can provide would be great.

Thanks, Kevin.
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Well I wish I had pics; anyway, first thing remove your TB. Look into the top. You will see how the opening kinda dips in where the mouth is larger than the throat. You will need to get some JB weld or other two-part plastic steel, and build up under the pinch point elsewise you will bore through. Rough up the surface with sandpaper to give the putty something to grab onto. Grind away until all the little tabs are gone and you are happy with how the TB "flows", visualizing the airflow. I used a carbide tip as opposed to sandpaper which can melt the TB.
Secondly, and this is the part I have never seen done by anyone else. Go to the junkyard. Find a Ford Aerostar minivan with a large TB; it will have a brass butterfly ab. 2 1/4" wide with a hole in it. Steal it. This will replace your old wedge butterfly. This is the real key to improved airflow. Measure and kinda approximate the middle of the Aerostar butterfly. Hot glue a screwdriver bit holder to the butterfly, the kind that you can run in a drill and change tips. Stick it in a variable speed drill and spin it to see if you have it centered and square. Once it looks true use lots of hot glue to hold it in place, You are going to "machine" the brass piece by SLOWLY spinning it in a drill and using your dremel with a coarse sanding drum to grind down the diameter to match that of the stock butterfly (do this by removing the wedge and comparing sizes). It helps to have an assistant for this bit but I did two by myself. Sounds kinda ghetto but it works. Once you are real close in matching the diameter remove all the hot glue, smooth all the edges with a file and test fit in the TB. You will find the thickness is not the same so you will need two washers to shim it. Also, the holes are in different places so you will need to re-drill and/or open up the existing holes in the brass butterfly. Re-grind as necesarry to fit. You want the TB to just close as the bracket touches the stopper (looks like an adjusting screw) with out binding. Next, get a propane torch and some solder and fill the hole on the brass butterfly. A soldering iron does not have enough heat. File smooth, wet sand to make things shiny, install and enjoy. BTW, do not overtighten the TPS or it will crack, idle too high or too low and you will blame me for everything. :lol:
Give yourself one whole day to complete.