bairdandrew77
Well-Known Member
Finally have a worthwhile update. The Skunk2 full size aluminum radiator came in the mail maybe 3 days after my last post. Cost a total of $180, very reasonable price in my opinion. Other than grinding down a small tab where the AC fan would have been, it was a direct fit and the quality seems pretty good.
As for the air leak, that turned out to be the TB gasket. I tried using a spare F23 gasket from my old Accord, which apparently has an opening for the FITV, causing a massive vacuum leak on the bottom, very hard to find with carb cleaner. I bought a thermal gasket from "torque solutions" for $22+shipping, a total of $28ish. Quite a lot of money for a gasket but I decided to help out a lesser known company.
Quick review of the gasket: very happy with shipping time, only a few days. I've never had another thermal throttle body so I can't do any comparisons, but I feel like it was a bit "plasticky" considering the price. I'm sure it will last a long time though. On the flip side, fitment was perfect. I like the clear-ish white color. They make gaskets for a huge variety of cars, and have a wide range or TB sizes that most companies offer. I don't like the price very much and feel they should drop it a little, but it's overall a good product.
Anyways, my right front brake caliper took a crap on me and started leaking so I took the front brakes from the parts car. The calipers are slightly different and don't work quite as good with the DX prop valve and rear drums, but it still works and will save me in an emergency stop (tested on an empty street).
So my car's finally still needs a bit of work, but I'm happy to take a break from DDing my Aerostar. Here's a couple pics, got too dark to take any more.
Comparison of the 2 radiators. Huge upgrade.
Oh yeah, I picked up another personal project shown above... 1972 Honda CL350 motorcycle. 8k original miles, not running. Not sure yet if I'm going to make a thread on it.
As for the air leak, that turned out to be the TB gasket. I tried using a spare F23 gasket from my old Accord, which apparently has an opening for the FITV, causing a massive vacuum leak on the bottom, very hard to find with carb cleaner. I bought a thermal gasket from "torque solutions" for $22+shipping, a total of $28ish. Quite a lot of money for a gasket but I decided to help out a lesser known company.
Quick review of the gasket: very happy with shipping time, only a few days. I've never had another thermal throttle body so I can't do any comparisons, but I feel like it was a bit "plasticky" considering the price. I'm sure it will last a long time though. On the flip side, fitment was perfect. I like the clear-ish white color. They make gaskets for a huge variety of cars, and have a wide range or TB sizes that most companies offer. I don't like the price very much and feel they should drop it a little, but it's overall a good product.
Anyways, my right front brake caliper took a crap on me and started leaking so I took the front brakes from the parts car. The calipers are slightly different and don't work quite as good with the DX prop valve and rear drums, but it still works and will save me in an emergency stop (tested on an empty street).
So my car's finally still needs a bit of work, but I'm happy to take a break from DDing my Aerostar. Here's a couple pics, got too dark to take any more.
Comparison of the 2 radiators. Huge upgrade.


Oh yeah, I picked up another personal project shown above... 1972 Honda CL350 motorcycle. 8k original miles, not running. Not sure yet if I'm going to make a thread on it.
