|
Last Updated: 6/1/2010
Resources
Throttle Body Mod
Harbor Freight
Address: Harbor Freight Customer Service, 3491 Mission Oaks Blvd., Camarillo, CA 93011-5034.
PHONE: 1-800-444-3353
Mo- Fri, 5:00 am to 6:30 pm PST
Technical product questions, please call 1-888-866-5797, Monday thru Friday, 5:00 am to 7:00 pm PST.
FAX: 1-800-905-5215 or
1-805-445-4912
Email: cs@harborfreight.com
Click here to visit their website. |
|
Disclaimer
| The fabrication, modifications and designs you see on this web site are completed by myself. If you duplicate these modifications you do so at your own risk. I do not endorse or make any claims to their safety, performance, On-road or off-road worthiness. Any "Product Reviews" are my sole and personal opinion. These reviews are on items purchased from or provided by reputable aftermarket suppliers. All registered trademarks belong to their respective owners. |
|
|
Unrelated
Keep this site alive!
If you find the material on this site useful, please
consider making a small PayPal donation to support my work and to
keep this site alive. Thank You!
|
Visit the Photo Gallery
The "Photo Gallery"
has some of my favorite pictures of my Durango, our family trips,
and others of interest.
|
 |
Contact
Me
|
If you would like to email me or leave feedback
about the SnowDigger website please Click
here Thanks!
|
|
|
My Magnum engine needed more air and I got the answer to that problem by modifying the OEM stock throttle body. The mod is quite simple, it involves opening the TB intake from 49mm to 53mm, making two new butterflies and mount them to the OEM shaft. I also will flatten the top because the original horns have will be to thin and could brake off.
It's an easy mod for me because I have a small machining setup utilizing a MiniMill and a 9x20 Lathe which I purchased quite some time ago from Harbor Freight Tools.
This equipment is not really expensive itself, but the required tools and tooling can end up to quite a bit of money one has to spent to get it all going. Luckily, I have all that already accumulated over the years. I may purchase at a later point a fully machined aluminum throttle body from Hughes Engines or BBK, but for now this mod will give my magnum some breathing room ;-)
|
|
My small Machine Shop setup
|
Installation
The basic procedure of this project is to remove the old throttle body from my vehicles Magnum engine, modify it, and reinstall it.
1. I went ahead and uninstalled the throttle body (TB) from the engine and completely dismantled it. I wrapped all sensors in a piece of shop towel to protect them while removed. I also had a second throttle body on hand which I won on ebay some time ago which I used for this project. This was cheap insurance in case I would screw up.
In the picture to the right you can see my old OEM throttle body before the disassembly, although the sensors have already been taken out. |
|
 |
2. I then machined the throttle body out to 53mm, including removing the horns and then had a friend blasting it for me. I made two new butterflies on my lathe from quality brass which I purchased from OnlineMetals.
I then re-installed the shaft, butterflies, and the rest of the components.
In the picture to the right you can see the OEM throttle body all finished just waiting for the sensors and re-install. |
|
 |
3. Now I gasket matched the opening on the intake manifold using a Dremel tool with a stone grinder bit and afterwards 3M wet/dry 600 grid sand paper for the finish. I stuffed shop towels into the intake to prevent any debris to get into. After I was done I used a heavy duty shop vac to clean up.
My intake manifold although looking stock, isn't stock at all. This is a modified barrel with longer runners and thus having a bit more on the low end. This is also one of the reasons why I needed more air for it.
|
|
 |
|
|
|
4. I purchased a new gasket from RockAuto and installed it between the manifold and the throttle body. I then began re-installing all cables and vacuum tubes and finally mounted my Mopar Performance air filter on top. This pretty much concluded the install and this mod.
Finishing up!
It's time to start the Durango up and listening for any vacuum leaks at the throttle body, but everything checks out and I don't hear any unusual noises.
This project has been successful completed. |
|
 |
This mod was a lot of fun and for the cost of about $10.00 on material definitely one of the more affordable ones.
The entire project took about 10 hours and thus was accomplished on a single day. If I had a small Portable Soda Blaster like the one my friend uses and had purchased from Harbor Freight Tools for about 100 bucks, it would have taking even less time. Definitely on my wishlist though ;-)
This project was completed on 06-10-2008
Follow up July 2008
I can definitely tell that there is a lot more power after modding the throttle body. The truck loves now to rev up and it feels as she's responding to throttle commands a lot faster.
I am more than happy with the outcome and I would do it again without hesitations with the nice bonus of being one of the cheaper mods I have done.
This is a must do performance mod for this engine!
This mod gets my stamp of approval!
|
|
 |
|
