The Explorer TB could have been real simple if I had a gas welding torch or taken the TB to a welding shop. Just grind the mushroomed part of the TB shafts so that you can pry the linkage arms off. Then swap the stock Mustang arm onto the Explorer TB and braze it onto the shaft. It Takes about 3 minutes or less worth of work with the torch, so it shouldn't cost much. Just watch out that you don't heat up the return spring, or it will lose its tension.
The stock Explorer linkage didn't come anywhere near fitting, so I made an adapter plate for the throttle linkage so I could use the 65 MM throttle body.
This is what I did:
Make a drawing of the position of the old throttle body linkage arm and its angular position relative to the centerline of the throttle body. Remove the ball stud off the explorer TB to make way for the adapter plate. Drill and tap a 10-32 hole in the linkage parallel to the TB shaft. Make an angle bracket out of 1" angle iron 3/8", drill a 3/16” hole in the center of each one of the legs. Then bolt it on where the hole was drilled & tapped. Then make a circular adapter plate out of 1/4" thick aluminum to bolt the two linkage arms together. Then bolt the aluminum plate to the existing linkage, and the angle bracket. Next mount the arm with the ball stud off the old throttle body on the adapter plate using the drawing to get the angle correct. You will need an aircraft type countersink for one of the bolts that secures the plate to the explorer linkage arm. It ends up being under the arm with the ball stud for the linkage. It works great and looks neat.
I am looking at doing this and what I don't get is how there is two throttle body balls. Can't you just cut the linkage off the stock throttle body and off the Explorer and swap them?
I just did one,it had the air intake elbow already just had to turn it and the TPS screws were spaced correctly for an easy swap.All you have to do is use the throttle shaft from your fox t-body,the screw spacing is the same,piece of cake.
Okay so just remove the linkage from the stock throttle body, remove the linkage from the Explorer throttle body and then put the Mustang linkage on? How did you attach it?
So just cut off the piece with the little ball on it for the throttle cable and weld it to the explorer linkage so that it is in the same place it would be on the stock linkage?