Twisted

Yesterday, I nearly rear-ended somone in a quick-stop situation. I laid into the brakes pretty hard, but didn't get the stopping power I expected.I know my stock system is in good working order; the brakes just seem feeble relative to the size and power of the vehicle. What is an economicalway to improve my braking a bit? I know that a lot of folks convert to rear disk systems, but my back brakes lock up just fine as it is.The front brakes just seem weak. Is upgrading my front discs and calipers worthwile? Do people use braided brake lines to increase braking feel? Please share your thoughts. Thanks.

rmodel65

you can add a svo/lincoln mark 7 calipers in the front they are 73mm in stead of the stock brakes

or you can buy an aftermarket setup

Twisted

Thanks, rmodel. Would I also need bigger rotors, or just the calipers themselves. Is this a good improvement?

AdderMk2

*cough*
www.sn95brakes.com

rmodel65

yes but that would cause him to need 5 lug wheels also not necessarily cheap



73mm Front Brake Upgrade: This is written towards the 87-93 Mustang GTs and 5.0LXs. Be sure to read the entire procedure and information here
before ordering parts or embarking on this project. Tools: [ul][*] Lug wrench 13/16"[*] 17mm socket and wrench[*] 3/8" wrench[*] 10mm socket[*] 1/4" socket[*] 9/16" wrench[*] 7/16" flair wrench[*] 12mm flair wrench[*] Brake Fluid[/ul] Time: 1 hour for the calipers. M/C will take about half hour for the SVO master cylinder and conversion unit to be installed. 5-15 minutes to bleed brakes. You may need to bleed the brakes again after a test drive. Why?: Since the weight bias of the Mustang is towards the front of the motor, installing larger front calipers, 73mm vs the stock 60mm, will help decrease your braking distance. This installation assumes you have turned the rotors or installed new ones. Some other maintenance items that you can address while doing this installation is repacking/replacing wheel bearings and wheel seals. Grab a Haynes or Chilton manual for assistance and torque specs. Parts: [ul][*] 73mm Calipers, steel piston. I found reman Bendix calipers at Carparts.com for $14.05 each. Get them for a '91 Lincoln Mark VII for a direct bolt in (other 86-91 Lincolns should all have the 73mm calipers ,86+ Crown Victorias and 86 SVO 4cyl Turbo Mustangs). Also get the steel piston units, not the phonemic. The steel pistons work better and are usually denoted in the part numbers with a "S". Here are the part numbers from Carparts.com for the remanufactured Bendix parts:[ul][*] Left caliper : R55247S ($14.05)[*] Right caliper: R55246S ($14.05)
[/ul][*] New Pads - '91 Lincoln Mark VII (or get the calipers loaded). You could use your old pads if they are fairly new. For the 73mm calipers with the steel pistons, you will have to bend the forks on the inner pad OUT to fit. With the 73mm phonemic units you will have to bend them IN.[*] Brake fluid - (get more than you need just in case)[ul][*] optional parts that are recommended:[ul][*] Steel brake caliper bushings ($30 from Maximum Motorsports or Steeda) *HIGHLY RECOMMENDED[*] SS brake lines ($70-80 for front lines from MM, Jeggs or Summit. $110 for front + rear line from MM)[*] new Sn95 or 93 Cobra master cylinder[*] Adjustable proportioning valve (required for rear disc)[*] FMS M-2450-A Plug for the Stock Proportioning Valve. Required with rear disc and adjustable proportioning valve.[/ul][/ul][/ul] [ul]***Parts needed for 73mm calipers 87-93 (with stock master cylinder):[ul][*] 73mm calipers[*] Adjust the brake booster rod out 1.5 turns[/ul]
***Parts needed for 87-93, stock rear drums (with 2 port master cylinder conversion): [ul][*]Sn95 or 93 Cobra master cylinder[*] 3-2 Port Kit[*] 73mm calipers[*] Adjust the brake booster rod out 1.5 turns[/ul]
***Parts needed for 87-93 with rear disc brake upgrade (with 2 port master cylinder conversion): [ul][*]Sn95 or 93 Cobra master cylinder[*] adjustable proportioning valve.[*]Gut the stock proportioning valve, and replace the internals with this part from Ford Motorsports (FMS) p/n: M-2450-A[*] 3-2 Port Kit[*] 73mm calipers[*] Adjust the brake booster rod out 1.5 turns[*]Rear disc conversion kit
[/ul][/ul] [blockquote]Proportioning Valve: This will be required if you are also converting/installing rear disc brakes. You will have to gut the factory proportioning valve that is under the master cylinder: [ul][*]There will be cap at the front proportioning valve; towards the front of the car. Remove the cap with a 13/16" socket, take out what's inside, put the O-ring from the stock cap on the FMS one, and install the Ford p/n: M2450-A plug.[/ul]The reason you need to gut the factory valve is to defeat the proportioning action of the valve. You will use the manual unit to do this. You also have to install the FMS M-2450-A plug. The reason for the FMS plug is because the stock one has a hole in it filled with a rubber plug. If this falls out due to rot or pressure, you will lose your brakes! Cheap insurance for a $6 part!

For selection, a new adjustable proportioning valve at Summit cost $40 (house brand but from the description it sounds like a Wildwood unit). Jeggs has the Wildwood unit for $40 and the SSBC unit for $39. This is installed in the brake line that runs along the firewall on the passenger side. You will see a female connector that you you will replace with the adjustable proportioning valve.[/blockquote] Caliper Install: First, break the nuts on the front wheels loose. Now jack the car up and support it with stands. Remove the front wheels. [ul][*] Unbolt the caliper bolts with the 17mm socket[*] Remove the caliper and the Banjo bolt - 10mm- from the caliper, this holds the brake line to the caliper. Be sure to have a pan below to catch the brake fluid.[*] If you are already using steel caliper bushings in your stock calipers, you will need to transfer them from the old calipers to the new 73mm ones. If you have new bushings, install them in the new 73mm calipers. Be sure to lubricate them with anti-sieze for easier installation.[*] Now install the new pads in the new calipers. You can cut the pads (and rear shoes) with perpendicular cuts in them to the direction of the rotor or drum. Use a hacksaw to cut these grooves to a depth of about 2/3 of the way through the friction material. Space these grooves 1.5" apart. This will help braking marginally.[*] Install the new washers on the banjo bolt and attach the brake line to the new caliper. Tighten the banjo bolt to spec:[ul][*] 87-92: 17 to 25 ft-lbs[*] 93: 26-44ft-lbs[/ul][*] Install the caliper bolts, torque to 40 to 60 ft-lbs. Repeat for the other side[*] If you are only doing the calipers, then proceed with adjusting the brake booster rod and bleeding the brakes. Otherwise, skip to the master cylinder installation.[ul][*]Once you have removed as much brake fluid from the master cylinder reservoir, you now have to unbolt the brake lines from the master cylinder. Next remove the nuts holding the master cylinder to the brake booster and remove. You now have access to the brake booster rod to adjust it out 1 1/2 turns via the little nut which looks like a tiny acorn --hence the name. [ul]****A tip here is to get some whiteout and mark from the acorn nut all the way back with a thin line. This will give you a reference for how far you ha

Twisted

Wow. Way to come with the info, fellas. Great stuff. I'm thinking I may go with some type of aftermarket kit, as my rotors are on their last turning, and will need to be replaced eventually anyway. Thanks a lot for presenting so many options.

tmajikman

I thought the svo set up was a 5 lug conversion also?

rmodel65

it is but the rotors are the same as a 5.0 stangs four lug in this swap you arent changing the rotors

tmajikman

So the only thing needed is the new calipers and a different m/c.

93 LX FiveO

just get the SVO calipers. with new slotted/drilled rotors and a nice set of pads.

u would be amazed at the difference.