9550

obviously car hasnt moved in quite some time.
my biggest concern is the brake lines, then the calipers, then that shock (or is it the strut??).
i assume all 4 wheels look like this
is this bad or ?
how to i go about taking care of this mess?
if need be, can i replace brake lines myself or is it a huge pain in the ***?

Duncan_GT

New brake rotors for sure. I would recommend swapping out your entire front brake assembly and picking up a pbr set off a 99+ v6, GT, etc. they are a better two piston design. The brakes that came on our cars are horrendous

9550

would they be a direct replacement, or would modifications be needed?
whats pbr?

Duncan_GT

They should be a direct replacement, although I've heard of people having to grind a tiny bit on the caliper bracket.

Pbr is just the company that supplied the brakes for those mustangs.

petrock

You don’t need new rotors. Its just surface rust. The rust on the rotors will probably come off the first time you press the brake pedal to stop the car. If its pitted, you can take them to a local shop to have them turned on a lathe to smooth them out. Should cost around $15/rotor.

As for the calipers, I’d remove the top of the caliper (that houses the piston) and make sure the slide pins are well lubed and not rusted. Maybe press the brake pedal once or twice to make sure the piston inside still moves. Then put it all back together, adding brake grease to the slide points (e.g. slide pins, part of brake pad that slides on caliper frame but not the brake pad material itself). A little dab will do ya.

As for the brake lines, if the flexible sections are cracked, ballooned or damaged then replace them. Otherwise, they should be fine.

If the car hasn’t moved in a few years, then I would also replace the brake fluid.

Good luck...

88 orangepeel notch

I'm going to agree with petrock, except for the rotors, if you look close at them, the internal cooling fins are almost non-existent. I'm a cheap basterd but even I would pony up for new ones. They're not that much.

petrock

I think thats just the angle of the picture. Most rotor manufacturers don’t coat the fins with rust preventative stuff, so they tend to get rusty but that doesn’t significantly effect their cooling abilities. If the cooling fins are clogged with rust or other junk then you can try to clear them with a screw driver or something and some penetrating fluid or heat.


Good ones can be expensive. I wouldn’t put the crap rotors from auto zone or similar auto parts stores on my worst enemies ride. You get what you pay for with rotors.

88 orangepeel notch

+1 ^^^

Yeah, I didn't mean to buy the $12.00 ones Rock Auto, they warp with your first hard stop. Spend at least $20 lol.

Seriously thou, get the best you can afford, you'll be glad you did.