Hey folks,
With all of this TB modification talk going on, I've decided to offer a
blueprinted, high precision CNC machined throttle body at a fair price
without the large waiting period.
The main focus we had when prototyping these throttle bodies was quality, as
with any other of our products. Several extra steps were taken to increase
the quality and airflow capabilities of the throttle body that you won't find
anywhere else without really paying for it.
Here's how it works;
We start with a stock throttle body and disassemble it.
Everything is then cleaned and prepped, and then the unit is placed in one of
our CNC controlled verticle machining centers (mill). The unit is then given
a large enough overbore to clean up the factory back bore and open the entire
throttle body to that diameter all the way through. This is one of the most
important steps in our TBs, as it completely removes the large "step" in the
throat of the throttle body that causes a big restriction. It also completely
corrects the factory's messy machine work. You won't get this from a throttle
body that uses the factory diameter bore. It does take extra time, it does
cost more, but rather than making this an option or upgrade, we included it
in the base price.
The next step is to machine a 7 degree taper to remove the factory's rough
casting job and blend to the throttle body's new intake diameter. This step
opens up the stacks on the top of the throttle body and smooths the
transition to the new, larger air intake bores.
Now that the bores of the throttle body are done, new throttle plates are
essential as the stock ones won't fit. Rather than using a cheap, stamped
aluminum throttle plate that would fit so-so in the bore, we created a
special fixture that holds the new throttle plates (constructed of 303
stainless steel) in the machine at the position they would be at when the
throttle is closed. To understand what I'm saying, you would probably have to
take a look at one off the truck, but the plates sit at a slight angle when
your foot is off the gas, not flat. With the new SS plates held at this
angle, they are then milled to perfectly match the throttle body's new bore
and sit at that perfect angle. The stainless plates actually increase the
strength of the shaft assembly over using aluminum plates, and usually, angle
milling the throttle plates is overlooked by most hot rodders that would
rather use already made stamped aluminum pieces (much easier, more cost
effective), but this is just another one of the features you'll find in this
unit.
The next step is to address the throttle shaft. The stock shaft is bulky,
very thick, and not the best design for a high flow application. There will
be a new stainless shaft option here that will cost slightly extra, but we do
modify the stock shafts as well for the budget minded. The stock shaft is
counter bored & tapped for socket flat head stainless steel screws. This
means that the screws are "sunk" into the shafts diameter and do not protrude
into the throttle bore. The shaft is then equally cut on both sides for a
thinner cross section in the bore. The result is even more air flow.
The bores and blades are then hand polished to a high luster and assembled,
and the screws in the shaft are tig welded in place for your engine's
absolute security. The stock shaft also receives a special coating to prevent
the corrosion on bare steel.
The results? Impressive. We're very confident with our throttle body
modifications that we'll back them with a satisfaction guarentee. I seriously
doubt this scenerio will ever pop up, but, if you are unhappy with the
performance increases as a result of these modifications, just return the
unit and you'll receive your money back... it's that easy.
The next step is to finish testing new shaft designs... This should happen
very soon, but I'm not sure how this will effect the pricing of the just yet.
Pricing is still up in the air, but I expect to offer everything I've listed
(and possibly more) in the mid-high $200 range. I'm looking for your input on
what you all think.
As for production status, I only need to find a better source of throttle
bodies so I can do this on an exchange basis more efficiently. Maybe someone
on the list could point me in the right direction? Large back order times due
to the lack of machine time shouldn't be a worry. The programs are written,
the product is ready, and I can start taking orders as soon as I get a
pricing structure set up.
I'll have a page available at http://members.aol.com/rdperform/tbimod.html
within the next few days.
Look foward to hearing from those that are interested...
ttyl
Patrick
surf.to/rdperformance
This archive was generated by hypermail 2b29 : Fri Jun 20 2003 - 12:13:48 EDT