FoMoFo

Is there such a thing as an aftermarket anti-lock break system? Any sort of traction control aftermarket parts that could be put into my '68 mustang? I'm putting a lot of power in and I want it to be safe.

fakesnakes

I'm sorry, but this post is an oxymoron. IMO, which many may disagree with, you need to be the ABS and traction control. You put a lot into making your car a high performance machine, but then want to put in devices that limit your ability to use it. I recommend a good high performance driving school as the best form of ABS/traction control.

If you still want it, try a google search. I know several people who have adapted late model Mustang ABS to their classic, but there may be other less expensive ways.

67mustang302

+1

ABS is for typical drivers who would normally panic and lock up, but actual ABS and traction control typically will slow a vehicle down, or make it take longer to stop. If you know how to control your car you'll stop faster without ABS and handle better without traction control.

FoMoFo

I was expecting plenty of "learn how to drive" replys. What I want is something that I can turn on and off.

I know plenty of excellent drivers, some who drive professionally, who have stories of how they have spun their car around accidentally and almost killed themselves or wrecked their classic. It happens to the best AND the worst of us.

kalli

what you should do is to put in a proportioning valve. a good lot of my friends' cars spin the rear out under heavy breaking. This is something that you should avoid.
If the brake system works correct and you lock up all wheels you just slide. and as mentioned above a trained driver handles this easy. if only the rears lock up you need to be skilled to bring the car back into control. Especially when wet as things happen _very_ quick then

Kalli

stangtjk

My understanding is that ABS only kicks in during lockup so if you are a skilled driver you should be able to stop the car in the same distance whether it has ABS or not because you don't lock up the brakes. Even if a non ABS car has the ability to outperform an ABS car I doubt it matters for a regularly street driven vehicle. If you are going for a dedicated track car it may hinder performance from what I've read but its based mainly on the driver.

I'm going to put abs on my 68 but only because I'm using the complete drive train and suspension from an abs car so for me its just a matter of hooking up the abs unit. I don't think there are any aftermarket ABS systems available and if you were able to find one I wouldn't trust it. I wouldn't imagine retrofitting an abs system from a modern car would be an easy task. I know the ABS sensor on my car are built into the hubs so I have no idea how you would get that to work on an old mustang without using the whole suspension.

JMD

Well, I thought I had seen an add on ABS brake setup in a car magizine, but actually ABS was a brand name.

Anyway, I went to their website to look for the ABS setup, they did not have one, but they do have a lot of trick brake parts, replacement push rods, ELECTRIC power brakes...

Kinda cool so I thought I might share... No prices so if you check things out and pricing is out of control,,, sorry...

http://www.abspowerbrake.com/maincat...ameset010.html

cprstreetmachines

I'd look into it. I am thinking about it. I an doing an AJE kit, and using stock spindles and the have the ABS exciters on them. I don't care if your Mario Andretti. Someone dart out in front of and you jab the pedal just getting the foot to the pedal, it locks up. If you have time to think about how hard to press before your foot hits the pedal, then it wasn't really a close call.

67mustang302

The problem with ABS is if you do get even a minor lockup, the ABS system starts modulating brake system pressure, and the brake pedal motion makes it VERY difficult to modulate the system yourself to regain full braking potential. With a non ABS car you just ease of the brake pedal, on an ABS car the pedal oscillates rather violently and you have to completely let off and then get back on. Plus ABS valves can be a pain to deal with after you change pads or try to bleed the system, and if they're not maintained properly can result in highly unpredictable braking, or no braking at all.

Yeah, a good driver with ABS will most of the time never be into the ABS, but on the occasion you get a minor lockup, even one wheel, it can be a problem. Remember too that ABS was developed to account for idiot drivers who couldn't operate their vehicle correctly in the first place, not as an assist to an already good driver.

JMD

Like everything, ABS has it's pros and cons.

I have had the **** scared out of me twice by ABS, both times were when the technology was closer to being "new". Once in a mid 90s Ford pickup when aproaching a stop sign on a gravel road the system prevented the lockup is WAS COUNTING on to stop me.... I was half way in the thankfully empty intersection by the time I stopped.

I remember a similar but less pronounced effect another time while driving the same vehicle on a wet road..

I have not had any other "bad" experiences with ABS, and I drive a lot.

I can say for sure that ABS has it's place, AND it is more effective if the driver alters his or her style to acomidate the system....

I like the idea of ABS on cars my wife and kids drive... I can't say that ABS has kept ME out of any trouble, but maybe it helped me once and I didn't even know it.... (but I don't think so!)