4 Lug Rear Disk Brakes

Xterminator03

Member
Sep 23, 2004
157
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NEW YORK
Hey guys I have not been around for some time but I really need help in this. I am intrested in replacing my rear drum brakes with disk brakes my dilema is that I do not want to go 5 lug. I have an 89 GT with nice 1993 Cobra Rims (4Lug). Does anybody know where or how I can get this.
 
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mondos90lx said:
i bought my stang with 4 lug 4 wheel disc brakes and i just get cobra replacement rear rotors cause thats what they are, but i just have to switch rotors, i didnt have to set it up for 4 wheel disc brakes...no what i mean


I know what you mean but is got nothing to do with the original question.
 
Been there and done that! With success! :nice:

Do the T-Bird Turbo coupe rear end swap. You get gears & disk brakes all in one package that is designed to work and not be a piece & patch together operation. The rear ends are running $125-$300 depending on what's available in your area.


Auto trans 87-88 Tbird Turbo Coupes come with 3.73 gears and manual Turbo Coupes come with 3.55 gears. I choose 3.55 since I do more highway driving. Both ratios have 10.5 disk brakes with vented rotors as standard equipment.

It takes 2 guys the first day to get the old rear end out and the new one bolted in place. It takes 1 guy another whole day to do the brakes.

You will need a several sets of fittings, I recommend that you get them from Matt90GT's website, http://www.svo73mm.cjb.net/. Read Matt's instructions thoroughly, everything you need to know about the brakes is all there. You need to be patient and follow all the internal links, and there are many of them.. You will need 2 fittings in the rear to adapt your old brake tubing to the TC disk brakes. The fittings go between the steel tube and the caliper brake hose. You will need another set of fittings to make a 2 port to 3 port adapter. To make life simpler, just buy the kits from Matt. You could piece them together, but it's not worth the time unless you work at an auto parts store with all the fittings ever made.

You will need to drill the quad shock mounting holes 2” below the holes drilled for the Turbo Coupe mounting points. The bolts are metric, so don’t loose them or the nuts. A 15/32” drill should be about the right size unless you have access to metric sized drill bits. Going without quad shocks is not an option unless you have aftermarket parts to soak up the wheel hop.

You will need a proportioning valve, Summit has one for $40 + shipping.

You will need a kit (FMS makes the part) to gut the stock proportioning valve, Summit also has that, about $10.

You will need a new master cylinder, see Matt's site and make you choice. I used a 94-95 Mustang master cylinder. Note that rebuilt 94-95 Mustang master cylinders do not come with a reservoir. That means a trip to the junkyard and some more money spent.

Your brake pedal may be very hard and almost impossible to lock up the brakes. I had to replace the front calipers with 73 mm calipers from a 91 Lincoln Mark VII to get the braking performance up to par.

Bleeding the brakes will require 2 people and some coordinated effort. I don’t recommend using you wife or girlfriend to pump the pedal – they get offended when you yell at them. I used a homemade power brake bleeder constructed from a garden sprayer and some fittings from Home Depot. It cost about $25 and was worth every penny.

See http://www.mustangcentral.net/tech/brake.html for help with the emergency brake - the stock setup tends to lock up and not release properly.

All in all I have been very pleased with the results.
 
That 50resto price isn't bad for everything. Of course there are probably better deals and 50resto is typically kind of high, but they sell good stuff and thier customer service rocks. That kit is a good kit though, especially if you have wheels you want to keep.

Tim
 
The TC rear axle is the same axle as used in the 93 Cobra, so it's a sure thing in terms of fit. The calipers are the only thing I would worry about from the junkyard. I spent like $30 a side & got reman calipers with new pads.

For more ideas, see http://www.svo73mm.cjb.net/
 
SemperFIGOD said:
jrichker

About how much did you spend in total. And what level of difficulty would you give it. I don't have much experince dealing with brakes
Most of it was muscle since it really isn't high tech. Matt90Gt's website is very good, but it takes some patience to navagate all the places you should read. You need a good helper to bleed the brakes if you don't do the garden sprayer pressure bleeder.

I don't remember the dollar amounts, but this is what I got:

2 each reman TC rear calipers with new pads (core charge is like $85 if you don't return the old ones)

2 each 91 lincoln MK VII 73 mm front calipers, complete with brake pads.

1 each proportitioning valve from Summit (about $40)

1 each FMS brake valve kit (Summit cost about $10)

1 each reman 94 Mustang master cylinder (no reservoir). The parts house took my old MC for the core, you may not be so blessed.

1 each 94 Mustang brake reservoir $5 at the junkyard.

About 3 quarts of brake fluid to do the pressure bleeder thing.

I really like the feel of the brakes, there is just enough boost from the stock booster that you don't have to stand on the brakes to slow down, and not so much boost that they lock up when you tap them hard.