Some pictures of the late Darkstar

[Ranger Rick]

I wanted to share a few pictures of my Aerostar, even though I recently parted ways with it. These were taken in the summer of '08, when I drove it from NY to CA and back.

Somewhere in eastern NV

Colorado National Monument

Arches NP

Rhyolite, NV

Rhyolite, NV

Cadillac Ranch, TX

 

[1AJeremyD]

Nice looking rig! Pretty clean. What was the reason for splitting ties?

 

[Ranger Rick]

It was a combination of things, but the big one was that it developed a misfire that I couldn't solve. I tried a number of different things, from the simple to some fairly in-depth attempts at fixing it. I'm confident that I ruled out every likelihood that wasn't internal to the engine longblock. At that point, it just wasn't worth pursuing further or putting more money into it.

It looked good in those pictures, but it was damaged in collision a year later, and was never quite right afterward. It also started rusting a bit in a number of areas in the last year, including around windshield, which allowed water to stream into the cabin when it rained. It had a salvage title to start with, so it was never really worth that much.

Basically, I figure that I got my money out of it, but wasn't enough ahead with it to justify the cost (and time) of an engine rebuild. So it's been "retired".

 

[BrooklynBay]

When you said that it was retired, was it sold or junked? Do you have pictures of the 93 too? How did you make the lettering on the side? Those wheels aren't common. Did the van come with them or were they added later on?

 

[Ranger Rick]

I used the term "retired" like a parent might say "put to sleep" when telling a kid about their dog. I removed what I wanted to keep and took the rest to a junkyard... Yes, I had the "DarkStar" decals made by an online sticker company. The wheels actually are pretty common - they're '94-'95 Mustang GT 16" wheels. If you look close at the last photo, you can see the Mustang emblem on the center cap. I bought them when I had the '93 and transfered them to the '97 when I got that. Here's a picture of that van:

Aside from the wheels, the rear air deflector, the e-code headlights, the camper benches and a few other bits were used on the '93 originally. When I got rid of that, I kept all those items for future use, and put them on the '97 when I bought that. All of those things are now stashed in my garage attic until I get another Aerostar...

 

[Joe Dirt]

Those are Mustang wheels... I like it- stock, but with some slight tweaks...

 

[BrooklynBay]

Did you have any problems with the 16" wheels since the stock wheels are 14"? Did it affect the shifting pattern, cruise control, ABS, AWD or the speedometer? My 93 looks similar to your 93, but your vehicles look like new compared to mine.

 

[Ranger Rick]

The diameter of the wheel won't impact the things you're asking about. The diameter of the tire, maybe, but the wheel is simply a connection device. The tires I had were about a 1/2" larger in diameter than stock, so there was a slight difference in effective final drive - it was a touch slower accelerating, and the speedo read slightly slow. Neither was really noticeable if you weren't familiar with the vehicle. The AWD would only be impacted if the front and rear tires diameters were different from each other, and that wasn't the case.

The biggest issue was that the increased width of the wheels over the stock alloys combined with a slightly more negative offset put the inside lip of the rim in close contact with the lower control arm at full lock. I had to be careful not to crank the wheel all the way over, so it indirectly did increase my turn radius.

The photos make the vans look better than they really did. The '93 actually had a massive rust hole in the lower body side, but the shadowing of the picture makes almost blend in. The '97 did look pretty good at the time those were taken, but it did have several dents and scratches that I was careful to mostly keep out of the frame. It looked less favorable after a Honda Fit bounced off the front end and the lower body and roof started rusting. Unfortunately, the later is unavoidable on a vehicle used in the winter in western NY, what with all the salt they dump on the roads here...

 

[Ranger Rick]

Those are Mustang wheels... I like it- stock, but with some slight tweaks...

I agree - I think they were the perfect wheel for it, offset issue aside. The 16" is just big enough to be proportionate with the body, while still allowing enough sidewall to, um, round it out. I used the stock Mustang size, actually, the 225/60-16. A 215 section width would've been better for overall diameter, but the slightly wider and taller tire just looked better. And they were already on the wheels when I got them...

The stock 14's always looked too small on it. They also improved the steering response and overall body roll markedly. Whenever I switched back to my 14" snow tires, I was always impressed with how much more it seemed to lean over on an exit ramp...

 

[BrooklynBay]

Would wheel spacers solve the clearance issue?

 

[Ranger Rick]

I expect so, but you'd need longer lug studs to use them. I was never bothered enough by it to pull the front hubs in order to change them. I probably would have if I needed to replace the wheel bearings or something, but they were never an issue.

 

[FORDBOYpete]

DarkStar = Nice Ride Rick

Rick,
Nice Ride. I had two others with rust Issues. What I have now I could eat off the underpan if I wanted. It's always been here in the BiKiNi State and never been on a beach either. I told Mamma when I croak put silver handles on the sides & you can just bury me in it with the tunes on. LOL ;~)))
Do you miss your Aero now that it is gone ?

Also I concur Diameter is a non issue in FoMoCo with anything electronic if system is MAFS & OBD 1 based, or newer. It was an issue with CFI, SEFI & non MAFS Systems that relied on speed density logic tho. It's still an issue in some Brand X's in fact.

I'm running 225-75 -R15s on 88 Grand Marquis Turbine alloys for durability & brake system cooling they generate. Until I put Sensatracks up front it scuffed on hard dips & speed bumps, but the progressive nature of Sensatracks resolved the bottoming issue in front wheel wells. Rears are Loadlevelers on Sensatracks which I needed for pulling my trailer anyway. Tight, true tracking results and great control with big wheels, tires & good suspension.

I gotta learn how to post jpegs in an article like that.

CIAO
FBp