Basic Brake Change

[FoxyNate]

Hi all, mechanical newbie here with 89 GT with 4lug brakes (I think)

I am wondering what parts I need to fix my squishy no good brakes?
Not sure how to tell if just rotors or pads need changing too, and if that last sentence didn't make sense you can see why I'm having trouble figuring it out.

Also where is a good place to get the parts I need? Most info online is about swaps/upgrades, I just need basic maintenance.

Thank you!

 

[Shakerhood]

Your description of "Squishy" to me means you have air in the system and it needs bled. It would'nt hurt to do a full brake inspection to see which parts need replaced.

 

[General karthief]

Some advice for a young jedi I will give:
Get a Ford Assembly Manual, not a chilton or haynes. Googlefu it
Let me elaborate, without asking any questions first, my first guess would be a master cylinder problem.
That's not saying run right out a buy a master cylinder and slap it on, won't hurt but let's remember this is a thirty year old car so it would be smart to inspect the brake system as a whole. The manual will show pics and explain procedures, if you can change a tire you can do brake work with proper instructions, of course you youngsters may prefer digital media.
There are a lot of info on brakes here too but like you've found it's mostly upgrades which can be a good thing.
Oh, and Rockauto hangs out around here so get a membership or subscribe or whatever you call it and get the discounts with the ability to choose from multiple manufacturers.
You can use this thread to document your work and ask questions.

 

[FoxyNate]

Some advice for a young jedi I will give:
Get a Ford Assembly Manual, not a chilton or haynes. Googlefu it

Been working off a chilton, didn't know Ford Assembly Manual was a thing, Thank you so much!
Sometimes google fu just gets me to modification guides which aren't helpful for my simple stock baby

 

[FoxyNate]

Some advice for a young jedi I will give:
Get a Ford Assembly Manual, not a chilton or haynes. Googlefu it

1989 Ford Mustang Shop Service Repair Manual CD Engine Drivetrain Electrical OEM | eBay

Body, Chassis, Engine, Drivetrain & Electrical. Loaded with diagrams & illustrations to help disassemble, repair & reassemble various components. Searchable CD. Uses Adobe Acrobat Reader 7.0 and higher to view the manual.

www.ebay.com

Is this what you are talking about?

 

[nickyb]

That will help you for sure, now a good place I use for rotors,pads,shoes,and calipers is Amazon. The company on there is called Callahan brake parts.
They'll have everything you'll need .

 

[General karthief]

That's good to know Nicky, I will check that out too.
And yes, Foxy, can I call you Foxy? That is it, I have the book form, well used I must say.

 

[FoxyNate]

That's good to know Nicky, I will check that out too.
And yes, Foxy, can I call you Foxy? That is it, I have the book form, well used I must say.

Call me whatever you'd like. I'm going to convince my wife to let me buy a $100 auto repair book lol

 

[General karthief]

Tell her she can use it too

 

[limp]

That will help you for sure, now a good place I use for rotors,pads,shoes,and calipers is Amazon. The company on there is called Callahan brake parts.
They'll have everything you'll need .

I have been using Callahan from Amazon also.... GREAT deals and the parts are nice....

 

[foxbodybill89]

If you try bleeding and they're still spongy, might want to throw some new lines on there. The rubber flex lines at the front calipers and middle of the rear axle get old and soft causing a spongy feeling. If you can put up a little more cash look at J&M braided stainless lines

 

[deathb4dismount]

MM 4 lug brake upgrade with Hawk Pads and Stop Tech rotors. The only solution (more of a band aid) for 4 lug brakes.

 

[7991LXnSHO]

@FoxyNate your avatar looks a bit threadbare. How about these for better head shots?

 

[KRUISR]

Get a Ford Assembly Manual, not a chilton or haynes.

I have both Chilton and Haynes. I have not used Ford Assembly Manual for the Mustang but all my DD's I get the Factory Manuals.

I used these manuals back in the day to do a complete interior swap (full '88 interior into an '83). More recently I used the Chilton almost exclusively for my rebuilt/reassemble/resto mod of my '90 GT. I find they have fewer pictures, better diagrams and closer in info and style to factory manuals.

 

[FoxyNate]

MM 4 lug brake upgrade with Hawk Pads and Stop Tech rotors. The only solution (more of a band aid) for 4 lug brakes.

Will look into this!
Previous owner put on some pretty cool 4 lug weld racing wheels that might be the most valuable thing on this rusty bucket aside from working engine, so I want to keep 4lug until I do a full body swap in a few years

 

[FoxyNate]

@FoxyNate your avatar looks a bit threadbare. How about these for better head shots?

I think my avatar reflects my foxbody pretty well

 

[FoxyNate]

MM 4 lug brake upgrade with Hawk Pads and Stop Tech rotors. The only solution (more of a band aid) for 4 lug brakes.

Brake Upgrade Package, 1987-93

Is this what you are talking about?

 

[deathb4dismount]

Brake Upgrade Package, 1987-93

Is this what you are talking about?

That's the one. Add the rotors of your choosing and new install hardware and you will see a significant improvement. If you are going to stay with 4 lug for awhile that should keep you happy. Do you have skinnies up front?

 

[FoxyNate]

That's the one. Add the rotors of your choosing and new install hardware and you will see a significant improvement. If you are going to stay with 4 lug for awhile that should keep you happy. Do you have skinnies up front?

Ok let's get really basic, where do I buy rotors/what do I need exactly, and what install hardware do I need?
This is the sort of info that is so basic I think guides skip over it

Also is there a difference between front and rear brakes on these cars?

 

[7991LXnSHO]

I think my avatar reflects my foxbody pretty well

I had a band member, (a really great guy), whose last name was German for Fox, Fúchs. His nickname was Foxy, and he said his name was pronounced Fox. I wondered if you had the same issue.
I understand now. Welcome to StangNet.

Les