I saw a Ford Aerostar Yesterday

"lonestranger" (lonestranger)
10/17/2014 at 20:00 • Filed to: Tags, separated by commas (max 30)

Not this one, though. Still, when's the last time you saw an Aerostar driving on the road?

DISCUSSION (42)

GeorgeyBoy > lonestranger
10/17/2014 at 20:03

Used to see a ton. Keeps getting less and less. I'm sure I could find one if I looked hard enough.

Zipppy, Mazdurp builder, Probeski owner and former ricerboy > lonestranger
10/17/2014 at 20:03

last time I saw one, it was just about ready to have its engine removed.

PERMANENTLY.

Alex B > lonestranger
10/17/2014 at 20:04

like, never.

TheVancen- In Pursuit of a Greater Payday and Car Parts > lonestranger
10/17/2014 at 20:06

I can't help but think an Aerostar would make a bitchin' sleeper. RWD, sometimes manual, and the V6 was a Cologne 2.8 like my fathers JPS! Maybe I should live up to my moniker and put a SHO in one. Not like Aerostars are expensive, if you can find one.

ly2v8-Brian > lonestranger
10/17/2014 at 20:06

I never saw these when new. Massive piles of crap from what I heard.

shop-teacher > lonestranger
10/17/2014 at 20:10

I actually saw one recently. Totally crapped out rust-bucket. Before that, it'd been years.

V8Demon - Prefers Autos for drag racing. Fite me! > lonestranger
10/17/2014 at 20:10

I work in a financially depressed zip code so...... weekly.

gmctavish needs more space > lonestranger
10/17/2014 at 20:15

Surprisingly, I see them pretty regularly. One of them lives a couple blocks from me, and another is my friend's dads work van. I think they managed to last longer than windstars...

WhiskeyGolf > lonestranger
10/17/2014 at 20:17

My family had one in the 90s so they stand out every time I see one now. I'm amazed every time one appears because they stopped making them in 96 which means it's at least 18 years old...

lonestranger > TheVancen- In Pursuit of a Greater Payday and Car Parts
10/17/2014 at 20:18

The all-wheel drive ones even had the Cologne 4.0.

Kinja'd!!!

T5Killer > lonestranger
10/17/2014 at 20:18

In the very poor state of NM I see one weekly. I used to see them almost daily. I wonder if a 302 would fit in one.

lonestranger > ly2v8-Brian
10/17/2014 at 20:20

Yeah, I never owned one, but I've driven plenty. Unless you're a Ford die-hard, I can't fathom why anyone would choose one over a contemporary Caravan or Astro.

thebigbossyboss > lonestranger
10/17/2014 at 20:21

I saw one this summer...thought it had been a while since I saw one....then I saw another!

ly2v8-Brian > lonestranger
10/17/2014 at 20:22

Thought as much.

OPPOsaurus WRX > lonestranger
10/17/2014 at 20:23

its been a while. I saw a Windstar the other day. I thought all their axles had rusted thru or sumthin

lonestranger > T5Killer
10/17/2014 at 20:25

Wonder no more! I'd never seen one before. It's actually pretty sweet .

TheVancen- In Pursuit of a Greater Payday and Car Parts > lonestranger
10/17/2014 at 20:28

The awd would be cool but the 4 litre was a pig. Too heavy and prone to eating intake and head gaskets. I'd want the 2.8. Basically the same as the Capri engine, except the heads, which can be swapped for the Siamese German heads, and there's a triple duece intake for one in the garage.

T5Killer > lonestranger
10/17/2014 at 20:30

Wow that is cool I would love to see how cramped the engine compartment is.

sm70- why not Duesenberg? > lonestranger
10/17/2014 at 20:31

Today.

Svend > lonestranger
10/17/2014 at 20:32

There is actually an Aerostar about two miles from where I live and I'm in the U.K. in the back of beyond.

DoYouEvenShift > lonestranger
10/17/2014 at 20:33

I see no Aerostar in the pic, however my parents had one when I was in HS. It was lame, but it was rwd too. Peg leg burnouts!!

lonestranger > TheVancen- In Pursuit of a Greater Payday and Car Parts
10/17/2014 at 20:36

How'd the 4.0 be heavier than the 2.8? If anything, I'd guess the bigger bore would make it lighter.

lonestranger > Svend
10/17/2014 at 20:38

Wow. Did they even sell them there when new?

Svend > lonestranger
10/17/2014 at 20:44

No, it was imported about 15 years ago I believe. I used to pass it every day or other day.

ghosty - electric space wizard > lonestranger
10/17/2014 at 20:46

It just so happens that a 1995 Aerostar XLT is the greatest car ever so all I can answer with is "not recently enough."

Jordan and the Slowrunner, Boomer Intensifies > lonestranger
10/17/2014 at 20:59

A couple of weeks ago in an Arby's parking lot.

TheVancen- In Pursuit of a Greater Payday and Car Parts > lonestranger
10/17/2014 at 21:32

I could be wrong here, but if its the same as the 4 litre in a 96 Exploder, it was crazy heavy. As for the block, there is no way a standard 2.8 cologne block could go up to 4 litres. The JPS engine is out .060 over with a mild stroke and its probably not much more than 3 litres. Feel free to math it out, because I'm not entirely sure.

They probably had to use a larger block, but still a Cologne design.

Once again, just speculation, not trying to be a dink.

I Do It For Miatas, NC Owner > lonestranger
10/17/2014 at 22:04

My school uses them as work trucks so I actually see them often!

lonestranger > TheVancen- In Pursuit of a Greater Payday and Car Parts
10/17/2014 at 22:21

Yep, the Aerostar's 4.0 is the same pushrod V6 as in a '9os Exploder, Ranger, B4000, Navajo, etc. I'm not a machinist or a FoMoCo expert, so I don't know all of the differences, but I do know the 4.0 was another variation of the Cologne V6 mostly known for the 2.8L in the Capri. They even were all made in Cologne and shipped over, often mated to Japanese-made Mazda trannies, and put into trucks in the States.

I imagine there are quite a few differences besides displacement, and thus the blocks likely aren't all that similar. Heck, they even adapted them to SOHC in '01-up Explorer/Rangers.

A buddy of mine has a Ranger that originally had a 4-banger. He swapped in a 2.8 from a Bronco II, with tubular exhaust manifolds from an Aerostar 2.8, I think a Capri's distributor and who-knows how many wiring harnesses, intakes, carbs, and other crap from various junkyard cars. His never-finished project was (is) a non-runnig Ranger 2.9 that was to receive an engine transplant of a 2.3 turbo four from a T-bird Turbo Coupe. His dad once had a Ranger 4.0 which he sold to me, and my buddy now has a newer Ranger with the SOHC 4.0.

TheVancen- In Pursuit of a Greater Payday and Car Parts > lonestranger
10/17/2014 at 22:47

I still want to find another SHO v6 to put in my Capri.

If only EssExTee could be so grossly incandescent > lonestranger
10/17/2014 at 23:41

You know what I saw today? A Honda Passport.

...Yeah, you just had to go Google that, didn't you?

Jordaneer, The Mountaineer Man > lonestranger
10/18/2014 at 00:13

quite often, there is a guy who lives down the road from me who has a ford aerostar that is driven quite often.

Jordaneer, The Mountaineer Man > TheVancen- In Pursuit of a Greater Payday and Car Parts
10/18/2014 at 00:15

its also extremely underpowered, I have the 4 liter V6 cologne in my 2000 mercury mountianneer and it is REALLY slow.

Jordaneer, The Mountaineer Man > If only EssExTee could be so grossly incandescent
10/18/2014 at 00:19

I didn't google it! I saw one for the first time in quite a while on Wednesday, it was red.

TheVancen- In Pursuit of a Greater Payday and Car Parts > Jordaneer, The Mountaineer Man
10/18/2014 at 00:37

Its funny, it was so underpowered in the Exploder, the V8 actually got better fuel milage because it wasnt struggling so hard.

Bad72AMX > lonestranger
10/18/2014 at 01:19

Big ass wagon, available in brown with RWD or AWD and a stick. Could it be had with a diesel, because if so that's a 9.6 on the Jalopter scale.

Jordaneer, The Mountaineer Man > TheVancen- In Pursuit of a Greater Payday and Car Parts
10/18/2014 at 02:01

mine doesn't struggle to move the thing, its just freakin slow, its the 4 liter SOHC model, the torque is okay, I have the 4WD model, and I can spin the back tires when its in 2wd mode. and the mileage I get is okay, the little trip computer says about 12-14 mpg, which seems normal considering i do mostly in town driving, I did do a 0-60 time and got a time of 24.6 sec which seems REAALLY slow. I must say its pretty quiet in the cabin, my moms 2005 ford escape xlt, HOLY CRAP is that thing loud, when your driving down a concrete road, especially if its a freeway, you have to basically yell to have a conversation. Being used to that car, I often have to check to make sure mine is still on, its that much quieter. I just need to do a chevy LS swap, then that thing would be a total sleeper :).

lonestranger > If only EssExTee could be so grossly incandescent
10/18/2014 at 03:26

No Google required. I know it's a rebadged Isuzu Rodeo, and I live in Canada where they weren't even sold.

Put it in with the Suzuki Equator and the Mazda Navajo on my list of weird rebadges that are more attractive to me than the original.

lonestranger > Bad72AMX
10/18/2014 at 03:37

I imagine all the AWDs were autos, and there was no diesel that I know of . Apparently they exist in Chile, thought since some have Hyundai engines and this one has a Toyota mill , I'm guessing it's a popular retrofit. Brown rwd manual diesel wagon .

TheVancen- In Pursuit of a Greater Payday and Car Parts > Jordaneer, The Mountaineer Man
10/18/2014 at 03:39

First off, LS swap? Blasphemy. Even if its only an Exploder. Put a Ford mill in there be someone, be original. Get a Windsor small block with Kaase P38 heads and a couple other odds and ends, a built T5, ditch the T case and find a Nine inch.

I'm sick of people just going 'just put an LS in it bro, itll be dope and totally original, bro.' Do you really want to open the hood and see people go, "oh its just another LS swap. In a Ford no less." I try not to be irritated by small block Chevies in old Ford hotrods because that was the norm for years, but that doesn't make it any less of a cop out, oh just put a small block in there.

End rant. Phew I need a cigarette.

I'm not making a good case for me not being a stereo typical Keyboard Commando. It just irratates me when there are so many more interesting, and often just as, if not more, inexpensive than a milque toast LS or small block. Look at the SHO I'm putting in my Capri. Donor car for $400, and I can even use the factory Capri transmission.

Sorry again for the rant, its one of those pet peeve things. Have a thing.

Kinja'd!!!

Also, my Exploder was a '96 pre SOHC. It made a whopping 140 HP. In an SUV that felt like it weighed as much as a house. I will say, that thing never left us stranded even once. It was the one thing we knew would always start and be ready to go.

DoYouEvenShift > TheVancen- In Pursuit of a Greater Payday and Car Parts
10/18/2014 at 09:34

Im always first in line when it comes to saying LS all the things. I, and all the other people that LS everything dont care about originality. We care about making a lot of power, doing it super cheap, we like the huge aftermarket, availability, itll fit damn near anywhere, blah blah, I could go on.

Originality is cool, theres nothing wrong with that at all. But, thats why we do it. And, IMO, anytime you open a hood, no matter what it is. If its an LS, its cool.

Bunsandroses > lonestranger
10/18/2014 at 11:44

I still see one or two occasionally around Warsaw, IN. My parents had a 1988 5-speed when I was growing up. Yes, it was brown, which was great once it started rusting out— you hardly noticed.

We had bench middle and rear seats. Nice thing about how the Aerostar was laid out is that you could swap the middle and rear seats for whatever reason. So you could have a 5-seater with lots of room in the back.

My dad says he should have just taken out the rear seats and turned it into a truck instead of selling it. But it was nearly rusted out before it turned 10. Thankfully, that's one area where Detroit has made huge amounts of progress.

Part of me thinks it might be cool to own one of these again, but then I look at the fuel economy figures and then I'm like "Nope, I'll stick with my Saturn SW2."