does anyone have any info on who makes headers, exhaust upgrades, etc..
for the 3.0 motor? my 94 van has the 3.0 and I know that the factory system is restrictive. looking to get more hp out of her. already added k&n, good tune-up and performance muffler. thanks

 

Unfortunately, no one makes a high flow header of any sort for the Aerostar. The closest you will come to is something for a Ranger which you will have to modify to fit.

 

thanks for the reply. do you have an idea or details on what you mean by "modify"? also any other tips on performance upgrades I can do? thanks

 

I'm not really sure what the differences are between the Ranger/Explorer and Aerostar, so I don't know what modifications will be needed. I am guessing some cutting and welding of pipes. I've sometimes wondered how difficult it would be to get an entire aftermarket exhaust system from something like a Ranger or Explorer and cut and weld to fit under an Aerostar. I want to keep it smog legal, so the catalytic converters and any associated plumbing must stay intact.

One of the members of this group has done a semi-custom exhaust system, leaving out the cats, and got significant increases in power output and fuel mileage. You can search the archives for it.

On the intake side, you can again look at any performance parts for the Ranger, such as the throttle body, intake manifold, and possibly even heads and cam.

 

I'm in a rural area where they don't check for smog, would there be any bad that comes with modding the exaust by cutting out the converter & maybe changing to a bigger exaust? Would it whack out any sensors?

I imagine greater flow would help at least in the gas mileage department, and I could look for a ranger intake at the local wrecking yards.

 

Just make damn sure you measure how far the OC senser is from the exhaust, It needs to go back the same distance.

 

hmm... what's the OC sensor & where do I find it now?

 

Here is what I would do if I had the time and a welder and money. Cut off the the driver side pipe and cut off the cat.Then I would get a high flow cat with 2 inputs and one out(both 2 inch).Next weld up new pipes to the cat input(2 inch) and out put 2 1/4 back to were the muffler is and install a round type Dynomax muffler and out.

 

I'm new here and bumping this up to see if anyone has tried the Gibson Performance Exhaust from Summit for the Ranger? It may not be tuned, but it lacks the quirky bends that the JBA 3.0 Ranger has. I downloaded the installation manual for this header, and it looks as if it may fit . The only "iffy" was the driver's side EGR hookup. I'll pop in the Summit link for reference, not affiliated in any way with any dealer mentioned. Thanks, Jerry. Gibson Performance Exhaust GP224 - Gibson Headers - Overview - SummitRacing.com

 

Ok, I've been gone a couple days.

I own enough Aerostars, all of which has custom exhaust.

Lets start at the top. The 3.0L is a dog of a motor. All of your restriction occurs in the head itself, a modified exhaust, even with headers will do little on this motor. The engine lacks low end torque and top end power. Before messing around with exhaust, I would run a ported head and intake. This is a big deal, but unless you do, you are not going to see any noticeable improvements.

The Gibsons are still not likely to fit without modifications.

Bear River Converters - Wholesale distributors of catalytic converters has the complete catback systems, they will fit perfectly. However, they are designed for the 4.0L, on a 3.0L it might sound different, and the droning that is absent on the 4.0L may be very noticeable on a 3.0L.

Pretty much any other performance muffler is going to create excessive interior droning at certain speeds, namely 45-55, and 65-75. In other words what I am saying is the van may actually be louder inside than out.

One other thing to consider, most high flow cats sold are not high flow cats, and are actually inferior in a number of ways to the stock cats. True high flow cats are always expensive and must actually have a design feature that makes them flow better than an ordinary cat.

 

So what you're saying is that by porting the heads and intake I'll get better exhaust flow? I see all of your mods are on the exhaust side. How can this be? Have you Done the porting already? I seem to be missing something here.

 

I don't have a gutless 3.0L either. The 4.0L flows better than a 3.0L especially at low RPM. The 3.0L is too small to make any real torque, and to restrictive to produce any real horsepower.

The 3.0L's biggest restriction is the head. The most power you can make with exhaust mods on the stock 3.0L, doing headers, cats, pipe, and mufflers is maybe 12 hp, which you probably couldn't even feel, you would go from 145 to 157 under ideal circumstances, certainly a poor return on investment. Modify the head, maybe a different but mild cam, you could see 30-40 hp, more if combined with exhaust mods.

 

OK, I'll make a few obvious observations here. I'm new to the forum, but this is not my first rodeo. Porting any head, and/or port matching the intake will raise the effective point at which the engine makes maximum torque, regardless of size. Period. You totally overlook the function of camshaft phasing in the production of torque. The engine does not care what "wrapper" it is in except to effect power to weight ratio. In these vans, you want to make torque down low, say at about 1800 - 2500 to get "off the dime". Want cheap lower end torque? Advance the camshaft in increments. I'll bet you the entire cost of your port and polish job that I can make way more than just a few ponies by improving exhaust flow, and moving the torque curve DOWN. As far as "cats" go these are a nonstarter for me, as they are not a legal requirement where I live, and will not be installed. I'm going to try these headers with an X crossover and side exit at the rear of the factory running boards.
Thanks for all of your input.

 

You will need some kind of adjustable cam or crank sprocket to advance the cam timing. I'm not sure such a thing is available, so you may have to play the game with changing chain link positions.

I would love to see an X pipe replace the stock Y pipe of the Aerostar. If you design or build something like that, please post pictures.

BTW, is "Boss 9" short for Boss 429?

 

Hi xlt4wd90. There are 2 possibilities for camshaft advancement. First, you can drill out the pin drive hole and use offset buttons on the cam gear, or second, use offset keys on the crank. The latter may be more costly as the key-way may need to be modified. I'll know soon. As for the x pipe, I'm well acquainted with the local exhaust shop owner, and he has some ideas for location, once again without the use of cats. If it can be done with reasonable cost, I'll post some pix. As for my moniker, it is strictly a "wishlist" reference to my "I want" Jon Kasse engine, and yes it is a large Boss 429.