Easy Front Brake Upgrade

Topic: Easy Front Brake Upgrade (Read 1845 times) previous topic - next topic

Easy Front Brake Upgrade

August 22, 2010, 11:39:07 PM

I was hoping someone could suggest a relatively cost effective and easy front brake upgrade. Basically I was hoping that I could upgrade my rotors, calipers and pads without replacing spindles or having to convert to 5-lug. I own an '83 Heritage Edition without ABS.

Easy Front Brake Upgrade

Reply #1 – August 23, 2010, 10:49:07 AM

the spindle hub sets what size dia rotor you can run. so if you are not willing to change those, the most you can do is get a set of cross drilled/sloted rotors and maybe find a caliper upgrade.

Easy Front Brake Upgrade

Reply #2 – August 23, 2010, 10:55:24 AM

Stay with the std rotors, anything else is just a waste of time on the stock 10" stuff.

If you don't want to upgrade to at least the 11" stuff, then your options are pretty limited.

Get a decent set of pads and perhaps upgrade your brake hoses to the braided stainless steel versions. A set for a similar year Mustang will work, but you'll need an adapter fitting for the connection to the hardline as they will be different (Mustang 7/16-24 INF v Tbird 3/8-24 INF).

That's about all you can do.

Easy Front Brake Upgrade

Reply #3 – August 23, 2010, 12:32:03 PM

'87-93 V8 Mustang spindles aren't that hard to find, and definitely worth it over the smaller brakes.

If you can find a parts car, grab the caliper and rotors as well. If the rotors pass a visual test and aren't hot spotted, I'd reuse them. Calipers probably would better to use for a core on new units.
And if you get the adapter fittings, get those in steel, brass fittings will leak.

If you any kind of spirited driving, I wouldn't even consider the stock 10" brakes.

Easy Front Brake Upgrade

Reply #4 – August 23, 2010, 12:36:46 PM

i upgraded to dimpled and slotted rotors this year.. they maek a noticeable difference in stopping power and distance. I got both sides with a set of brakes for $170. Not a bad time to go ahead and change the front hub/wheel bearing assembly while your doin a rotor swap.

Easy Front Brake Upgrade

Reply #5 – August 23, 2010, 01:20:31 PM

Quote from: merccougar93;333145

Not a bad time to go ahead and change the front hub/wheel bearing assembly while your doin a rotor swap.

The hubs and bearings are part of the rotors on Fox bodys.:D

Easy Front Brake Upgrade

Reply #6 – August 23, 2010, 05:54:52 PM

well, whenever you take the rotor off, the hub pulls off right behind it, no biggie, but that for the foxes makes for more $$$ for them

Easy Front Brake Upgrade

Reply #7 – August 26, 2010, 02:18:24 AM

Spindles off 88 mustang. New rotars/barings/seals/master cylinder NAPA. New break pads/refurb caliper O'Rileys. Steal braded break lines from Jegs. ( Tie rod ends from NAPA too, but optional ) 17' rims and rubber from American Muscle. Size fitting for break line Auto Zone. Also used about 1/2 can of anti-seize to get the spindles off the mustang and cougar. ( New strutes from NAPA as well while I had them off. Note use cougar size struts, the mustnage struts are different size and will not work. ) Also I needed the spacers from the mustang struts from NAPA. The spot where the spindle mounts to the strut was thicker on the cougar than the mustang. So when mounting the cougar size strut to the mustang spingle it needed spacers to compinsate.

I did have to use Dremel to modify the tab where the solid and steal braded break line join at. Seems the steal braded break line needed a bigger hole to fit threw to where the clamp could get on the other side to hold it in. I did have to be cut the open corretly as not not allow the break line to move around in the tab hole.

No noticable breaking differance. This might be becuase the mater master cyclinder isn't pushing enough break fluid to the bigger calipers, OR i still have air in the lines, but I will figure that out when I rebuild the back breaks and reblead the entire break lines.

Managed to keep it 4 lug.

Easy Front Brake Upgrade

Reply #8 – August 26, 2010, 10:15:52 AM

Miah,
I thought about the same thing about not moving enough fluid,
the stock 85 TC MC is a 7/8 bore piston, I went and installed a 1984 Mustang SVO w/power brakes MC , that has 1 1/8 piston bore, it moves about 2.77 more fluid in the same stroke..

I bought mine at advance auto for about $25 for a reman

Easy Front Brake Upgrade

Reply #9 – August 27, 2010, 01:41:32 AM

Quote from: BogusSVO;333555

Miah,
I thought about the same thing about not moving enough fluid,
the stock 85 TC MC is a 7/8 bore piston, I went and installed a 1984 Mustang SVO w/power brakes MC , that has 1 1/8 piston bore, it moves about 2.77 more fluid in the same stroke..

I bought mine at advance auto for about $25 for a reman

Did you notice a differance in breaking between the the two MC ?

Easy Front Brake Upgrade

Reply #10 – August 27, 2010, 10:37:01 AM

oh yeah!!

at this point you can just rest your foot on the peddle and you can feel the brakes grab.

if you step on them, well have your seat belt on or your goinn thu the windsheild!

Easy Front Brake Upgrade

Reply #11 – August 27, 2010, 10:47:31 AM

That SVO MC is WAAAYYY to big for the stock disk/drum set-up. You get a rock-hard pedal, and the modulation is .

I would ONLY use that MC if you are using the 73mm Lincoln/SVO front calipers with rear discs. It is too much for any other application.

There is a 1" bore MC (80 Lincoln Mk6), that is a much more reasonable choice IF you are upgrading brakes from the stock stuff. Otherwise use the stock-sized MC.

Easy Front Brake Upgrade

Reply #12 – August 27, 2010, 10:50:20 AM

I should add that I have the stock 87/88 TC brakes all the way around...