1. I began by uninstalling the throttle body (TB) from the engine and completely dismantling it. I wrapped all sensors in a piece of shop towel to protect them while removed. I also had a second throttle body on hand which I won on ebay some time ago which I used for this project. This was cheap insurance in case I would screw up.


2. I then machined the throttle body out to 53mm, including removing the horns and then had a friend blasting it for me. I made two new butterflies on my lathe from quality brass which I purchased from OnlineMetals.

I then re-installed the shaft, butterflies, and the rest of the components. In the picture to the right you can see the OEM throttle body all finished just waiting for the sensors and re-install.

3. Now I gasket matched the opening on the intake manifold using a Dremel tool with a stone grinder bit and afterwards 3M wet/dry 600 grid sand paper for the finish. I stuffed shop towels into the intake to prevent any debris to get into. After I was done I used a heavy duty shop vac to clean up.

My intake manifold currently on the Durango although looking stock, is a modified OEM barrel with longer runners and thus having a more on the low end. This is likely one of the reasons why I needed more air for it.

4. I purchased a new gasket from RockAuto and installed it between the manifold and the throttle body. I then began re-installing all cables and vacuum tubes and finally mounted my Mopar Performance air filter on top. This pretty much concluded the install and this mod.

Finishing up!
It's time to start the Durango up and listening for any vacuum leaks at the throttle body, but everything checks out and I don't hear any unusual noises.