Front suspension / 5 lug / 13" brake thread (long)

[giddyup306]

A while ago I did some extensive research on what would be the best combo for my application. But the way it goes is that I'm either way to busy to work on my 88 or I don't have the cash. My tax refund is supposed to be direct deposited on the 29th so I decided not to do what I did last year and invest some into my Mustang. So anyways I basically forgot everything that I had learned and have been spending the last few days on here doing some research.

So basically I'm doing the front suspension, upgrading to 5 lug, and upgrading to the 13" cobra brakes all at one time. I already have the QA1 K Member installed and the QA1 a arms that are designed to run SN95 spindles in an 87-93.

Here's the list of things that I think will work best. I just want to make sure 100% that what I have picked out will work. Nothing is worse than buying expensive parts that you can't use! This is mainly a drag car that can be driven on the street...

1) $150 - Caster / Camber plates

Are these really necessary? Your caster can be 1* off spec and still not wear the tires as long as they are close. Is there a cheaper alternative? Or are they because the tower isn't strong enough?

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/QA1-...r_Truck_Parts_Accessories?hash=item563685d56a


2) ~$175 - Coil-over kit

This is where I started to get confused. When I was shopping on Ebay there were a lot of listings that didn't give any description. So I'm just going to guess that this one is one that will work being that it is QA1.
http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/79-0...r_Truck_Parts_Accessories?hash=item27ae4261d1

3) $220 - Struts

This also confused me. I assumed since I'm running the 94+ spindles, these are the correct struts?

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/Lake...r_Truck_Parts_Accessories?hash=item5639031c80

4) ~$100 - 94-98 Spindles

I've seen these listed for $150, but if I can't find any cheaper I'll just go to a pick-n-pull.

5) $100 - 13" '98 Cobra rotors

50 bux each at Advance. I'm cool with that price.

6) $150 - '98 Cobra Calipers

Reman from the parts store ($45 + $30 core).

7) ??? - Caliper Brackets

I couldn't find these listed anywhere. I'll have to check and see if they are still available from Ford... Some guy has a set of calipers and pistons on ebay, but he wants $275 for them. That's way too much for used stuff.

8) $37 - Ceramic Pads

9) $165 - Manual Steering rack

10) $40-$80 Moog outer tie rod ends

I looked up two different tie rods. The ones for an 88 is ES2150RL and the ones for a 95 are ES3184RL. I'm not sure what the difference is between the two so what do I use?

That's basically my check list. I'm not worried about brake lines, boosters, proportioning valves, etc right now. After this I will be taking out the diffy to shorten it, put in a 4 link suspension, weld the torque boxes et cetera. I just want to make sure that I have everything so I can get my front end together and I can move it.

From my estimates it looks like I'm at $1,200.

 

[giddyup306]

***UPDATE***

I just got off the phone with Ford and you can still get the brackets. But they are a couple days out and $122 each!!! Yikes!

 

[Sicarius428]

What do you plan on doing with the car?
CC plates. Get maximum motorsports. They are the strongest... Especially if you are getting a coil over kit. All the pressure is on the shock tower instead of the kmember.
Coil over kit. What shocks are you running? I am not sure about the fitment on the Q1a stuff that you already have. I have Koni shocks with the MMR coil over kit and it fits great for me. Might want to stick with Q1a stuff since you have the rest of it.
Struts, depends on what you want it to do.
Spindles. Get the 94-95. The 96+ are wider
Calipers. Check out buyfordracing.com. They have complete brake kits which will take care of the brackets and such.
Kevin

 

[giddyup306]

What do you plan on doing with the car?
CC plates. Get maximum motorsports. They are the strongest... Especially if you are getting a coil over kit. All the pressure is on the shock tower instead of the kmember.
Coil over kit. What shocks are you running? I am not sure about the fitment on the Q1a stuff that you already have. I have Koni shocks with the MMR coil over kit and it fits great for me. Might want to stick with Q1a stuff since you have the rest of it.
Struts, depends on what you want it to do.
Spindles. Get the 94-95. The 96+ are wider
Calipers. Check out buyfordracing.com. They have complete brake kits which will take care of the brackets and such.
Kevin

Thanks for the reply! The mustang is mostly for drag racing. I will spend the extra $30 bux on the MM mounts. The previous setup was 100% stock so I have no idea where to even start with the shocks. As far as the brake and spindles go I think I found someone that will give me a package deal.

So with that being said I still don't know what I'm going to do about the shock/strut. I might have to call up some of these companies and see what they say. I have a link to the shock that I thought might work...

 

[fivespeedsteed]

A while ago I did some extensive research on what would be the best combo for my application. But the way it goes is that I'm either way to busy to work on my 88 or I don't have the cash. My tax refund is supposed to be direct deposited on the 29th so I decided not to do what I did last year and invest some into my Mustang. So anyways I basically forgot everything that I had learned and have been spending the last few days on here doing some research.

So basically I'm doing the front suspension, upgrading to 5 lug, and upgrading to the 13" cobra brakes all at one time. I already have the QA1 K Member installed and the QA1 a arms that are designed to run SN95 spindles in an 87-93.

Here's the list of things that I think will work best. I just want to make sure 100% that what I have picked out will work. Nothing is worse than buying expensive parts that you can't use! This is mainly a drag car that can be driven on the street...

1) $150 - Caster / Camber plates

Are these really necessary? Your caster can be 1* off spec and still not wear the tires as long as they are close. Is there a cheaper alternative? Or are they because the tower isn't strong enough?

they start wearing weird even if the camber is off just a little. for jsut drag racing its not a big deal, as long as you can get it to track straight.

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/QA1-...r_Truck_Parts_Accessories?hash=item563685d56a


2) ~$175 - Coil-over kit

This is where I started to get confused. When I was shopping on Ebay there were a lot of listings that didn't give any description. So I'm just going to guess that this one is one that will work being that it is QA1.
http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/79-0...r_Truck_Parts_Accessories?hash=item27ae4261d1

no idea how the qa1 stuff works but im pretty sure any coil over conversion will work. check out maximum motorsports and give them a call they can help out more than youd imagine

3) $220 - Struts

This also confused me. I assumed since I'm running the 94+ spindles, these are the correct struts?

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/Lake...r_Truck_Parts_Accessories?hash=item5639031c80

the sn shocks (95+) are better than fox shocks, they have a little more travel to them. so any shock or strut you find for a mustang thats not a s197 or older than 87 shoudl work fine

4) ~$100 - 94-98 Spindles

I've seen these listed for $150, but if I can't find any cheaper I'll just go to a pick-n-pull.

pick and pull is the way to go. i got spindles and hubs for under 75 dollars for both. plus then it will come with the dust shield and stuff which is a pain to attach yourself

5) $100 - 13" '98 Cobra rotors

50 bux each at Advance. I'm cool with that price.

make sure you get them with the mounting bracket, and your gonna need the hoses too. Mustang 79-93 Brake Line Adapter Fitting by 50resto at LRS - Same Day Shipping! and that fitting to fit the sn lines to your fox hardline in the front

6) $150 - '98 Cobra Calipers

Reman from the parts store ($45 + $30 core).

7) ??? - Caliper Brackets

I couldn't find these listed anywhere. I'll have to check and see if they are still available from Ford... Some guy has a set of calipers and pistons on ebay, but he wants $275 for them. That's way too much for used stuff.

what kind of rear axle are you using, ranger fox length or sn length? if you do the ranger length you can use north racecar brackets and get their kit, it comes with all you need to do 4 wheel disc swap

8) $37 - Ceramic Pads

9) $165 - Manual Steering rack

10) $40-$80 Moog outer tie rod ends

I looked up two different tie rods. The ones for an 88 is ES2150RL and the ones for a 95 are ES3184RL. I'm not sure what the difference is between the two so what do I use?

id call whoever makes the manual steering rack and find out. they should give you a part # that you can cross reference for the outter tie rods.

That's basically my check list. I'm not worried about brake lines, boosters, proportioning valves, etc right now. After this I will be taking out the diffy to shorten it, put in a 4 link suspension, weld the torque boxes et cetera. I just want to make sure that I have everything so I can get my front end together and I can move it.

From my estimates it looks like I'm at $1,200.

im no drag racer, but i try to help.

 

[Sicarius428]

Maybe I am wrong but you probably don't need super serious brakes on the car... Honestly some dual pistons from any 99+ should be a great improvement as it is. Cobra's are bigger and heavier seeing that weight from the rotors and such. I would look into those first. And a whole lot cheaper...
Kevin

 

[giddyup306]

they start wearing weird even if the camber is off just a little. for jsut drag racing its not a big deal, as long as you can get it to track straight.
The argument is moot since I will be getting the MM plates... but I've seen a lot of vehicles on the machine that are 1* off and don't wear the tires. Reason being is that your tires will flex enough to compensate.

no idea how the qa1 stuff works but im pretty sure any coil over conversion will work. check out maximum motorsports and give them a call they can help out more than youd imagine

Yeah I'll have to give them a call.

the sn shocks (95+) are better than fox shocks, they have a little more travel to them. so any shock or strut you find for a mustang thats not a s197 or older than 87 shoudl work fine

Thanks for the clarification! This was my biggest concern.

pick and pull is the way to go. i got spindles and hubs for under 75 dollars for both. plus then it will come with the dust shield and stuff which is a pain to attach yourself

Yeah I know, but it is too damn cold here in Nebraska, and there is lots of snow on the ground.

make sure you get them with the mounting bracket, and your gonna need the hoses too. Mustang 79-93 Brake Line Adapter Fitting by 50resto at LRS - Same Day Shipping! and that fitting to fit the sn lines to your fox hardline in the front
I found a deal where I get the bracket, calipers, rotors, and pads. I just decided that it's best to buy a kit rather than nickle and dime myself to death. Plus I'll save on shipping. I'm not worried about the lines at this point because that stage is down the road. But I'll check out 5.0 resto when I get to that point.

what kind of rear axle are you using, ranger fox length or sn length? if you do the ranger length you can use north racecar brackets and get their kit, it comes with all you need to do 4 wheel disc swap


Moser 31 spline, and I already have the brackets and 11.65" rotors for the rear.

id call whoever makes the manual steering rack and find out. they should give you a part # that you can cross reference for the outter tie rods.

I was thinking I'd just take the rack into the parts store and have them pull out both of the outers and see what fits.

 

[Sicarius428]

Is your car going to be lowered? The sn95 shocks are longer but a lot of sn95 people use fox shocks on their lowered cars. The reasoning behind that is because the shock will be in its full optimal range of travel. I wouldn't recommend putting sn95 shocks on a lowered fox.
Kevin

 

[giddyup306]

Maybe I am wrong but you probably don't need super serious brakes on the car... Honestly some dual pistons from any 99+ should be a great improvement as it is. Cobra's are bigger and heavier seeing that weight from the rotors and such. I would look into those first. And a whole lot cheaper...
Kevin

Well I already have 11.65" Cobras for the rear. That'd be messed up having bigger rotors on the rear. lol My 347 isn't your typical 347. Post porting my Edelbrocks flowed well over 260 CFM on the intake side, so I don't see why I can't make 550+ on motor alone. Plus I built the internals tough enough to handle a 300 shot. With that being said I have the potential of trapping 130-140 MPH. I'd rather have the big brakes.

 

[Sicarius428]

Is your fox going to be lowered? The SN95 shocks are going to be longer than the fox shocks. A lot of SN95 people use fox length shocks on their lowered cars to keep the shock in its optimal range of motion. I personally would stick with fox length shocks.
Kevin

 

[giddyup306]

Is your fox going to be lowered? The SN95 shocks are going to be longer than the fox shocks. A lot of SN95 people use fox length shocks on their lowered cars to keep the shock in its optimal range of motion. I personally would stick with fox length shocks.
Kevin

I was thinking about either getting the 14/150 or the 14/175. So I guess my ride height will be 2" higher.

 

[Mustang5L5]

Well I already have 11.65" Cobras for the rear. That'd be messed up having bigger rotors on the rear. lol My 347 isn't your typical 347. Post porting my Edelbrocks flowed well over 260 CFM on the intake side, so I don't see why I can't make 550+ on motor alone. Plus I built the internals tough enough to handle a 300 shot. With that being said I have the potential of trapping 130-140 MPH. I'd rather have the big brakes.

You can still run the 99-04 GT dual piston PBR's. They may only be 10.8" brakes, but the calipers have the biggest claming piston area of any Mustang caliper out there. With an aggressive pad they can easily handle one stop at the end of the drag strip. The time when the 13" brakes will begin to outshine them is in repeated stops (ie road course racing).

Also, the 11.65" rear brakes may pose a prob with mounting drag rims. The smallest rim you'll be able to fit is a 16" rim out back. If you went with the GT brakes, you could get a 15" rim.

Just stuff to think about, not trying to dissuade you in your choices.

Oh and you can adjust the rear brake bias down with an Adjustable PV...so no need to worry about having the 11.65"s out back with the GT 10.8's up front. CHances are you'll have big sticky rear tires anyway and won't be driving in the rain...so traction out back shouldn't be an issue in terms of locking up the rears

 

[giddyup306]

I always love when I see your replies. The girl in your avitar is gorgeous. Who is she?

Anyways what was I saying? Oh yeah...

You can still run the 99-04 GT dual piston PBR's. They may only be 10.8" brakes, but the calipers have the biggest claming piston area of any Mustang caliper out there. With an aggressive pad they can easily handle one stop at the end of the drag strip. The time when the 13" brakes will begin to outshine them is in repeated stops (ie road course racing).

I might do that. I've seen the 99-04 setups go pretty cheap on ebay. I'm already $90 over what my budget is. I have a couple days to think about it.

Also, the 11.65" rear brakes may pose a prob with mounting drag rims. The smallest rim you'll be able to fit is a 16" rim out back. If you went with the GT brakes, you could get a 15" rim.


Just stuff to think about, not trying to dissuade you in your choices.

The guy that made my brackets claimed that their was a 15" rim that would clear them. I don't remember which one he said because that was about a year ago... I sent him a message asking him about the deal. I hope they fit. If not see what I mean about buying stuff that you can't use?

But here are the brackets I bought.

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/Must...ryZ33564QQssPageNameZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem

Oh and you can adjust the rear brake bias down with an Adjustable PV...so no need to worry about having the 11.65"s out back with the GT 10.8's up front. CHances are you'll have big sticky rear tires anyway and won't be driving in the rain...so traction out back shouldn't be an issue in terms of locking up the rears

Yeah I wouldn't even think about driving it in the rain. Besides the tires I don't even have wipers on it.

 

[giddyup306]

I guess I have my mind made up on the brakes. A guy I know offered to give me some calipers, rotors, and brackets for FREE! He says that he knows the rotors are the cobra rotors but not sure of the calipers. Here's what he told me.

anyway these calipers have these #'s on them, let me know. here goes --- on top in back - #'s4112 on bottom #'s 842L, other side 4112, on bottom 841 R, is that it?

These don't look like ford part numbers to me. Anyone? Even if they are the standard GT brakes the price is right.

 

[Mustang5L5]

Sounds right. The calipers are made by PBR...no Ford part numbers at all on them.

If you run 94/95 spindles you will need to clearance them slightly for the pistons.


BTW, the chick is Denise Milani...a non-nude model

 

[giddyup306]

Sounds right. The calipers are made by PBR...no Ford part numbers at all on them.

If you run 94/95 spindles you will need to clearance them slightly for the pistons.


BTW, the chick is Denise Milani...a non-nude model

That's fine I have a really nice set of carbide cutters to clear the spindles.

And the guy sent me a message on ebay. Welds will clear them.

Mike,

Welds clear them; frmo Greg Krahn (I made him some custon 9"-ended small bearing brackets): "Im running weld draglites in a 15x8 with 5 1/2" of b.s and also a 28x10.5 slick"

He sent me a couple of pictures, if you are interested in seeing them...

Chris

Works out great because I need a 5.5" b/s to clear the 1" shortened axles and fit a 325/50/15 in there.

 

[Mustang5L5]

I would like to see because i have the 11.65" rears and want to pick up a set of 15" wheels and mount DR's to them.

 

[giddyup306]

No problem. I'll post them as soon as he sends them. He's really cool about answering questions in a timely manner.

 

[giddyup306]

Snug as bugs in rugs...

Looks like he has the same cheap rotors that I do. lol

 

[JamesD]

I would like to see because i have the 11.65" rears and want to pick up a set of 15" wheels and mount DR's to them.

I used stock V6 15" rims off a 95 Mustang. I have the rear Cobra brakes on my 90 and it just barely misses with the V6 rims I used to put my DR's on.

James