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  Mustangsandmore Forum Archive
  '79 to '93 -- The Fox Mustang
  Better FOX brakes?

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Author Topic:   Better FOX brakes?
Rory McNeil
Gearhead

Posts: 1889
From: Surrey, B.C. Canada
Registered: Nov 2000

posted 08-22-2002 03:42 AM     Click Here to See the Profile for Rory McNeil        Reply w/Quote
Does anybody know if the larger 11"? front disc brakes from a later Mustang will fit my 78 Fairmont? With the car normally running 130 MPH at the 1/4 mile mark, the original 10 inchers seem a little overwelmed now. I have 11x2" 69 LTD rear drums on my Dana 60, & that combined with the stock 10" fronts seemed totally adequate back when the car ran 125mph, but that extra 5 mph puts it over the edge. I had the front brakes apart the other day for a look-see, & I was suprised to see the rotors badly heat cracked (like a stick flywheel), & the pads cracking.I don`t want to spend a bunch of $$$$ on fancy as$ whiz bang brakes, but an afordable OE upgrade would be nice. I have 5 lug rotors already on the car, it would be nice if the 94 & newer stuff would bolt up.

------------------
78 Fairmont 428 4 speed 10.20@130mph
80 Fairmont 302 5 speed 12.8@105mph
85 Mustang NHRA Stocker under construction, 302 5 speed

futurattraction
Gearhead

Posts: 108
From: Iowa City, IA
Registered: Oct 2001

posted 08-23-2002 11:27 PM     Click Here to See the Profile for futurattraction        Reply w/Quote
Rory,
I've got SN95 spindles/PBR calipers, and rotors on my 79 Fairmont. I think I'm going to have to upgrade the MC on the car to really take advantage of the larger brakes, but I can hopefully at least give you some pointers.

1) The SN spindles have narrower strut mounting bosses than the 79 pieces, so they're not a direct bolt in. You need to get a spacer made (around .1" thick x 4" long with appropriate hole spacing).

2) SN brakes utilize a separate rotor and hub assembly rather than the integral rotor/hub assembly of the Fairmont units.

3) You're going to have a challenge on your hands to get your 15x3.5 skinny wheels to clear the caliper mounts without getting the cast "bar" that ties the front of the mount to the rear. It needs to be thinned to about 1/3 it's original thickness. What I ended up doing was getting some 15x5 wheels with 1.5" rear spacing, which pulled the outer sidewall of the tires inboard about 5/8", otherwise you're tightrope walking between having sufficient wheel/caliper clearance and rubbing on the inner edge of the front fender opening. Oh, you also should plan to run at least a 1/4" spacer to space the wheels outboard to ensure safe wheel/caliper clearances.

There are differences between the 94-95 spindles and the 96-up pieces re steering arm inclination and inboard/outboard position.

It ain't a straight forward swap. I can vouch for that.

Here's a URL that will provide some more info for you...

http://svo73mm.cjb.net/ There's a 94-01 V6/GT Upgrade link that you'll need to use.

Also, here's a URL for a pic of what my car looks like with the 15x5 wheels:
http://www.avalon.net/~spopham/fairmont_gt.htm

Hope this all helps (or at least answers some of your questions) in some way.
Scott

futurattraction
Gearhead

Posts: 108
From: Iowa City, IA
Registered: Oct 2001

posted 08-23-2002 11:31 PM     Click Here to See the Profile for futurattraction        Reply w/Quote
I made a typo in my previous post. I should have said the 15x5 wheels have a 3.5" rear spacing, which helps move the centerline of the tire inboard (thus sidewall) as compared to the 15x3.5 wheels with 1.75 rs.

jsracingbbf
unregistered
posted 08-23-2002 11:35 PM              Reply w/Quote
Rory, You could opt for the $500.00 Wilwoods or just go with an eleven inch setup like I bought from ECI
http://www.ecihotrodbrakes.com/mustang_pinto_discbrake_conversions.html
hope this helps

------------------
Jerry Smith
69 Mustang Pro ET Drag
"Even a blind hog can find an acorn every now and then "

jsracingbbf
unregistered
posted 08-23-2002 11:37 PM              Reply w/Quote
They fit my front runners just fine. ( 15 x 3.5 ) I also run a 11 inch set up on the rear of my car from these folks. Everything is bolt on and pads are easy to find. You can even buy the "better" quality pads which helps. Just my .02
Jerry

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