new to me 88 Tbird, pondering brake/wheel upgrades. Reply #15 – January 03, 2017, 05:40:56 PM Im confused as to why a 3.8 car would have 3.55's. Maybe 3.27 with the towing package? Does it have the smooth 10" drums? Quote Selected
new to me 88 Tbird, pondering brake/wheel upgrades. Reply #16 – January 03, 2017, 06:29:04 PM That is what I would recommend based on my experience. What you have to understand is that the measurement where the rims bolt up to the rear end between the 94-98 SN95 Mustang rear end versus the rear end in your T-Bird is that the SN95 rear end is 1/4" shorter on each side. Most folks just throw the SN95 rear under the car, bolt the rims up and go.Little history for you. The 86-93 Fox Mustang 8.8 housing is the same as the 94-98 SN95 8.8 housing in width. Where the SN95 cars get the additional length is in the axles themselves. This is due to these cars having ABS and needing the additional 3/4" per side to allow for the ABS exciter rings on the axles. If the rear end you get has the ABS exciters on the axles and you do not retrofit your car with ABS then you do not have to take the rings off as they tuck behind the rotor and are out of the way. Quote Selected
new to me 88 Tbird, pondering brake/wheel upgrades. Reply #17 – January 03, 2017, 07:18:53 PM So, im reading this info on Coolcats http://www.coolcats.net/modifying/4to5lug.htmlim seeing that they are saying to swap the tie rod ends to accommodate the 98 spindles?? so, do i need to just get new inners and outers, and they will mate up to my existing rack? or can i run the original 87 stuff??Also, I know Aerocoupe suggested stepping up to the 99- up calipers to get the dual piston setup, and obviously i would run the 99 pads, but can i run my 98 rotors, or do i need to get 99 rotors to go with that setup?Another thing that crossed my mind, do i need to nab the master cylinder off of the parts car as well to accommodate the 4 wheel disc? Quote Selected
new to me 88 Tbird, pondering brake/wheel upgrades. Reply #18 – January 03, 2017, 07:48:06 PM The 94-98 front rotors will work with the 99 calipers. You need the 93 Cobra MC and Booster. To utilize the SN95 spindles you will need longer outer tie rods. The SN95 stuff is all metric thread and the Fox cars (Mustangs, Birds, Cougars) are SAE thread. I believe there are Taurus outer tie rods that will work. Do a search on this for the Fox Mustangs swapping to the SN95 spindles and it will come up. Hell, do a search on here and you will probably find the answers this as it's been covered a couple of times. Quote Selected
new to me 88 Tbird, pondering brake/wheel upgrades. Reply #19 – January 03, 2017, 09:12:37 PM the more i look, the deeper down the rabbit's hole this project will seem to go. am i better off pressing new 98 mustang lower ball joints into my LCA? A front end rebuild was in the plans, and so maybe right now is the time to do so. it looks like otherwise i may be looking into putting a spacer in to get correct cotter key engagement.I have read plenty of fox body mustang threads, half the guys claim they use bumpsteer kits, the other half use stock fox body tie rods. I searched this forum and have not yet found a thread mentioning using any other tie rods. I guess i could just play it by feel, and when i get the spindles on, and the tie rods dont adjust out enough, maybe i will swap to the 98 inners and outers at that point.i donno. my heads starting to spin. maybe its time to go play some Donkey Kong. Quote Selected
new to me 88 Tbird, pondering brake/wheel upgrades. Reply #20 – January 03, 2017, 11:18:05 PM Lots of good reading on the swap in these threads:http://www.foxtbirdcougarforums.com/showthread.php?36678http://www.foxtbirdcougarforums.com/showthread.php?37339http://www.foxtbirdcougarforums.com/showthread.php?37031http://www.foxtbirdcougarforums.com/showthread.php?31122Info on the outer tie rods when using SN95 spindles:http://www.foxtbirdcougarforums.com/showthread.php?37200With regards to the ball joints that is covered in some of the threads above but just use the SN95 style ones in your Fox control arms. Avoids the spacer between the bottom of the SN95 spindle the and Fox ball joint. One other thing that I will point out is that Maximum Motorsports recommends that a person use 94-95 spindles on a Fox car with a stock K-member for geometry reasons. The 96+ spindles are to be used with aftermarket tubular K-members as most aftermarket ones were designed for the 96+ spindles due to the better geometry. With that said...I ran the 96+ spindles on my Coupe with a stock K-member and a taper style bump steer kit and did not notice any issues but it was 100% street driven at that point. Quote Selected
new to me 88 Tbird, pondering brake/wheel upgrades. Reply #21 – January 03, 2017, 11:34:58 PM Aero, thanks again, your searching skills seem to be way above mine. Quote Selected
new to me 88 Tbird, pondering brake/wheel upgrades. Reply #22 – January 04, 2017, 12:02:37 PM Meh, I've learned to manipulate the search engine on here over time. Keep at it and you will learn the ways of the dark side as well. Quote Selected
new to me 88 Tbird, pondering brake/wheel upgrades. Reply #23 – January 04, 2017, 11:09:25 PM i have seen several mentions of the Taurus outer tie rod ends being used, but i have not actually seen what year of taurus to get them off of. or for, mind you, as i'll be ordering new.i think my plan will be to run 98 inner tie rod ends on my stock rack, and then run taurus outer tie rod ends. I know some have complained about bumpsteer, but i worry how well the bumpseer kits will work daily driving the car on worn out Iowa two lanes. Quote Selected
new to me 88 Tbird, pondering brake/wheel upgrades. Reply #24 – January 05, 2017, 02:19:19 PM I believe it is 1993 Taurus tie rod ends that you want to use in conjunction with the SN95 inner tie rods. Here is how it breaks down:Inner Tie LengthFox Mustang, Bird, Cougar - 11.50"SN95 Mustang - 13.327"Outer Tie Rod LengthFox Mustang, Bird, Cougar - 5.85"SN95 Mustang - 5.45"1993 Taurus - 4.30"Fox inner and outer = 17.35"SN95 Inner & Outer = 18.777"SN95 Inner & Taurus Outer = 17.627"With all of that doing the SN95 Inner and Taurus Outer nets you about 9/32" additional length over the Fox Inner & Outer. This seems to be the additional length needed to get enough thread engagement for the additional distance the tie rod attachment point is moved outward with the SN95 spindles. Another option is to use SN95 Inner & Outer and cut the Outer to length if you are comfortable with doing that. The reason you have to cut the outer is that fully threaded in it is too long on most cars and you need some adjustment for the alignment shop.There is another solution which is keep the Fox Inner tie rod and use the Maximum Motorsports tapered style bumpsteer kit which is what I used on my Mustang with SN95 spindles prior to switching to their full suspension up front.http://www.maximummotorsports.com/Bumpsteer-kit-1979-93-Mustang-tapered-stud-style-P449.aspxMe personally I would get the bumpsteer kit as new inner and outer tie rods will cost you about the same and you have the advantage of setting the bumpsteer. You do not need the bumpsteer gauge for a street car as you can eyeball it and get it close like I did. Setting them up with the gauge is better but not worth the effort for a street car that will not be on a track if you ask me. Also, bumpsteer is more noticeable on roads with crowns and potholes than smooth surfaces on a street car. So with that I would be way more concerned with bumpsteer on your worn out Iowa two lanes than a new four lane. Quote Selected
new to me 88 Tbird, pondering brake/wheel upgrades. Reply #25 – January 05, 2017, 11:34:25 PM my intentions were to replace the ball joints and all tie rods ends at the time of the swap, as everything had a very slight amount of play in it, so i cant really figure on one tie rod setup being overly cost effective over another. however, the bumpsteer kit is quite nice, and reasonably priced, considering. did the bumpsteer kit show any wear under regular street driving? Quote Selected
new to me 88 Tbird, pondering brake/wheel upgrades. Reply #26 – January 06, 2017, 12:10:27 AM Put over 20,000 miles on the one set and sold it when I converted to the bolt through style so yeah I'd say they held up. Quote Selected
new to me 88 Tbird, pondering brake/wheel upgrades. Reply #27 – January 06, 2017, 03:30:15 AM related question: what size wheels are needed to clear sn95 cobra brakes? 16in? 17in?-Kyle Quote Selected
new to me 88 Tbird, pondering brake/wheel upgrades. Reply #28 – January 06, 2017, 07:47:30 AM 17" minimum. All Cobras came with this size. Quote Selected
new to me 88 Tbird, pondering brake/wheel upgrades. Reply #29 – January 07, 2017, 04:39:58 AM Thank you! Quote Selected
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