I plan on making over my Aerostar, I need some tips/advice.

1. Stereo, what should I do? How should I do it? And what, if any, things snagged you on the way of installing your stereo.

2. Tires/Rims. I hate the stock rims of the Star, 14" who makes those? Really. Could I upgrade to 15's without looking tacky? What tires do you suggest? I live in North Alabama, no snow. Rain, and sun are all we get here. I really want to cut down on body roll, and increase highway stability.

3. Airbags/Springs/Sway bar. Which, if any should I get? I hate the whole, "I'm about to roll over" feeling I get when turning. I don't tow anything, although I will occasionally load the back with several hundred pounds of people. 5 or 6 grown people, so we're talking 1000lbs sometimes. And it likes to sag when we do that.

4. Windows, the front windows will NOT ROLL UP. They sorta do but I like have to pull them up, that's a pain. I don't mind replacing them or w/e.

5. Transmission, OMG stutters at 40 or so, real pain when entering highway. What's the problem there...I could get the whole thing repaired...(how much)? Transmission cooler? Should I invest in one?

6. Paint, nothing gay or Rice. Just like another blue, or just the same blue only newer. Maybe not?

7. Exhaust, what kind of exhaust can I do to it? I don't want it to be loud, i'd like to have 5 more hp if I could get it.

8. Spark plug/Wires, someone tell me how to get the boots off those damn things. What spark plugs should I replace them with? And what wires/distributer?

9. And finally, what if anything, did I miss?

 

Ok, I'll try to tackle each of these as best I can.

1: On the stereo, use a harness adapter, but don't reuse the factory speaker wires, just run new ones, and new speakers. Stay with good brand name stuff, I used Kenwood Excelon for the speakers, great sound.

2: I use LT rated tires ont he stock 14" rims, however choices are limited in the 14" size. 15" opens more options. Any rim that will fit an Ranger or Explorer will work, as will those snazzy looking Crown Vic rims. I like sticking with the 14" rim because more rubber means more cushion and a smoother ride, even with a firmer tire. If you go with 15" rims, use an LT rated tire as well, longer tread life, more even wear, better handling. Only downside is a rougher ride.

3: Good firm truck rated tires fix most of the body roll, but new Cargo springs help. I have found that only the Motorcraft springs give good results. I have Motorcraft cargos on the front, but Moog on the back, the Moogs are way to soft, and they look wimpier right out of the box. Use Motorcraft cargo springs. Air rides are nice, I need to get mine installed.

4: Try lubricating the window tracks with silicone or lithium grease. The motors are probably weak, or something may be out of alignment.

5: Change the fluid using the method outlined in the sticky. The best transmission is the ones sold here A4LD Performance Transmission and Parts from PATC, A4LD. These trannies are beefed up performance units, great for towing and increased longevity. Get a tranny cooler, I recommend the B&M plate coolers, they are exceptionally good.

6: I can't really comment on paint. The rocker panels are the only things that come to mind. They are the rust weak spot. Drill some drainage holes and spray in some rust inhibitor. Since you don't have snow, you will probably have little or not rust there yet.

7: Get our Fullbown 50 series muffler, the part number is 2452. On mine I also ran a 2.5" tailpipe and ended it with a Wickedflow 070 stainless steel tip, also available through our website. The system I am using is a 2.25" from the cat to the muffler, with a 2.25" double braid flex. It definitely gave me more power, I can really tell pulling loads up grades. Our site is Bear River Converters - Wholesale distributors of catalytic converters. The 3.0L will not respond as favorably to exhaust upgrades as the 4.0L. To get the most of the 3.0L use a 2.00" catback system and a 2.25" tailpipe.

8: Use Autolite plugs, Motorcraft wires. If you have a distributor based system use a Motorcraft cap and rotor. I you have the 4.0L you have a coil pack ignition, no cap or rotor. If you have the 4.0L you need the Autolite double platinum plugs.

 

1. Stereo, what should I do? How should I do it? And what, if any, things snagged you on the way of installing your stereo.

- as i told you before, you have to run new speaker wire to the dash speakers and the rear 6x9's if you want to run a cd player. you can tap into the existing speaker wire's for the hatch 3.5's. for dash speakers you can use 5.25's, however crutchfield offers adapter plates to fit the ford 3 hole dash setup w 4" speakers. i also reccomend running a new ground and power wire to the battery. if you're up to it, a new ignition wire too. it's easy if you know what you're doing.

2. Tires/Rims. I hate the stock rims of the Star, 14" who makes those? Really. Could I upgrade to 15's without looking tacky? What tires do you suggest? I live in North Alabama, no snow. Rain, and sun are all we get here. I really want to cut down on body roll, and increase highway stability.

- Ford 15" rims from ranger/explorer fit pretty good. you just need to get a size smaller tires (like instead of 215 75 r14 get 215 65 r15)

3. Airbags/Springs/Sway bar. Which, if any should I get? I hate the whole, "I'm about to roll over" feeling I get when turning. I don't tow anything, although I will occasionally load the back with several hundred pounds of people. 5 or 6 grown people, so we're talking 1000lbs sometimes. And it likes to sag when we do that.

- Sent you pix of the air bags my dad has on his van, they are 3/4" springs, beefy shocks, and stiffening air bags. you inflate it when you have more weight in the van, and deflate the bags when you have less weight, unless you want a stiff ride. also, you can get more ply tires (like instead of 2 ply, get 4 ply or 6 ply or 10 ply

4. Windows, the front windows will NOT ROLL UP. They sorta do but I like have to pull them up, that's a pain. I don't mind replacing them or w/e.

- You can buy some silicone spray in a can that fixes the problem instantly. costs about 4 bux

5. Transmission, OMG stutters at 40 or so, real pain when entering highway. What's the problem there...I could get the whole thing repaired...(how much)? Transmission cooler? Should I invest in one?

I put a tranny cool on my van, but it helps more w towing than anything, however since you live in the south i'd reccomend it any ways, cuz of the heat. but yeah take your van to a reputable tranny shop and have the fluid flushed or drained, and have your filter replaced, unless you wanna do it yourself. the link on how to do it is at the top of the forums page

6. Paint, nothing gay or Rice. Just like another blue, or just the same blue only newer. Maybe not?

go for it. it's your car, do what you like. i have an underglow neon kit on mine.

7. Exhaust, what kind of exhaust can I do to it? I don't want it to be loud, i'd like to have 5 more hp if I could get it.

gut your stock air box, replace the flex pipe if it's blown/torn, and get a high flow muffler. i have a cherry bomb muffler on mine, sounds nice and it's the stock size. DON'T go to midas if they give you weird looks. i had a bad experience, and don't let any one take off the flex pipe and replace it w a solid pipe.

8. Spark plug/Wires, someone tell me how to get the boots off those damn things. What spark plugs should I replace them with? And what wires/distributer?

perhaps if you can wait, soak them in PB blaster, or you can use a wrench to ply them out. use only motorcraft spark plugs and wires or motorcraft equivelent for good results. can't help ya on dizzy tho... probly motorcraft?

9. And finally, what if anything, did I miss?

the search feature? lol

 

Yeah, I searched, but I just wanted to have it all right here, so I could look back at it.

Thanks for taking your time.

The transmission, is it broken? Or do they just do that sometimes?

 

Most often a shudder does mean that something is broken or worn. You really need to have a shop inspect and diagnose it on that one. There are other things that can cause your issues with the trans.

 

Body roll comes from the suspension geometry and springs and sway bars. Different tires will not change that.

Since the suspension geometry is fixed, the only things you can change are the springs and sway bars. If you can find stiffer versions of both, they will reduce body roll. But you will also need stiffer dampers (shocks) to damp out their higher rates of motion. I doubt you will be able to find someone who makes much stiffer springs and dampers specifically for the Aerostar, as it was just not a very popular vehicle for modification. So you will have to find something made for another vehicle, like a Ranger, that will fit. Otherwise, you will have to take measurements of your springs and dampers and look up the specs in the catalogs of manufacturers who publish them for a match.

The easiest thing you can do now is to install a rear anti-roll (sway) bar. There are two brands that keep showing up; Addco and Helwig. I forgot which one I have on mine, but it definitely reduces the roll in the rear, and kind of counteracts the severely understeering front end.

I don't know if anyone makes a stiffer front sway bar, but that's not the real solution either. In theory, the front suspension geometry can be fixed a little if you remount the upper ball joint below the control arm instead of above, as it is stock. This will improve the camber curve, and make your existing tires more effective in turns. But there is a danger of pushing the upper ball joint past its travel limit, causing breakage. I think Aerocolorado was going to try this, but I don't know how far he got.

But you do need to be careful with making the suspension too stiff. Too much roll resistance will cause weight jacking; essentially the weight from inside of a turn will be transferred to the outside. In the worst case, the inside wheel can become completely unloaded while the outside wheel becomes overloaded. This almost always results in a net loss of traction, and in extreme cases, will cause a tall vehicle to tip over. With the stock soft suspension, the body will roll in a turn, but at least the suspension will keep all 4 tires on the ground.

 

I'm going to have to disagree with you on this one. My moms van had a great deal of body roll going on, everything was stock. Then we went and put on Cooper Revengers, LT rated 55 psi 6 ply tires, and its like driving a whole new vehicle. The handling becomes more responsive, the body roll is reduced significantly, overall, it made a lot of difference. If you see how much the properly inflated 35 psi passenger tires deform as the vans weight shifts, you would be amazed. They are just too soft of a vehicle that heavy. They are amplifying changes in the suspension geometry.

The tire size I am using is 27x8.50R14LT. I am really impressed by this tire. Not the cheapest tire however, and many tire places do not stock them. But they work really well, and they will also last a long time if your alignment is correct. I ran 25,000 on my last set, and had to replace them prematurely due to a blowout (we neglected to do a 5 wheel rotation on an AWD). They had more than half their tread life left. The previous tires were new when I bought the vehicle, they were shot (worn bald) after just 20,000 miles.

 

You can install incompressible solid rubber tires on your van, but its body is still going to roll in turns as a result of suspension geometry, roll stiffness, and center of mass. What really hurts handling in the Aerostar is the poor camber curve of the front suspension, which causes the TIRE to roll under with suspension compression. It definitely does not help to use wimpy passenger car tires on a van weighing around 4000 pounds. It really has the worst combination of softly sprung suspensions and soft tires. So installing stiffer tires will help somewhat, but does not change the roll characteristics of the suspension.

 

Air rides on the back help body roll a lot., and since you can adjust the pressure, you can use the exact amount of pressure you need, or if you don't want to add any stiffness to the rear, an anti-sway bar on the rear would help.

 

Definitely go with the anti-roll bar in the back. It's like $150, and it will help a lot with the uneven roll stiffness between the front and back.

 

I think most my roll is a result of the crappy tires on it.

Now just to get an price on the transmission.

 

well unfortunately it's not just tires. you could have the best tires in the world but still get body roll based on several things, including center of gravity, body stiffness, how stiff the suspension is, ride height.... look up info on cars that do things such as autox, rally, drift, stuff like that... they go as far as stitch welding every seam on the frame/body to help

 

When I used to have the Airlift air rides on my van, which were only removed because they would not come out of the old springs, they made a difference in controlling the body roll, however they did not make as big a difference as the six ply tires from that standpoint. I still need to get my new set of air rides installed, largely because of the amount of weight I often find myself loading. I have loaded in excess of 2200 lbs, and it just about bottoms out the suspension.

 

I've got 2ply I think on it now. I'm going to get some 6 or more and see how that goes.