How To: Front FRPP 13" Brakes
Figured I'd do a little writeup on how to install the FRPP "Bullit" or "Cobra" brake upgrade.
Preface The FRPP brake upgrade kit is one of the best things you can do for your performance. Too many times, people are obsessed with making thier car go as fast as possible, but don't pay any attention to the fact that you need to be able to stop all that speed at the end of the track, or when those pesky moose run out in front of the car on a lonely back road. This how to covers only the installation of the front brakes, but I'm sure someone has done the full upgrade. I did not do the rears, as the disc sizes are the same, but the calipers are different. I full upgrade is best for maximum performance, the the fronts still make most of the difference Things you need to know -The Cobra and Bullit brake upgrades are identical mechanically, with the difference being that the Cobra calipers are black powdercoat with the word "COBRA" on them. The Bullit version is Red powdercoat, with a polished Mustang logo on it...these pics are the Bullit style. http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y88...g/100_0759.jpg http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y88...g/100_0773.jpg -I also installed stainless steel braided lines with mine. The stock rubber hoses had seen better days with 105,000 miles on them. Braided hoses will give your brake pedal a MUCH firmer feel than the stockers. They look good to boot, but you won't really see them unless your wheels are off. -The banjo bolts/ crush washers are different on the Upgraded calipers than the GT stockers. Make sure that you have the correct bolts. Ford lists the part number as W709298-S901. When you order the kit, it should come with them, but there have been problems with some places not shipping them. I wouldn't get them until you know if you have them with the kit. You will also need new crush washers. Same situation...it should come with the kit. -Working on brakes is something that you can absolutely take NO shortcuts on. It could mean your life if your brakes fail at an inoppurtune time. I highly suggest having a knowledgeable friend help you if you are at all apprehensive about doing this. -The fronts are 13" rotors, and as such, you need at least 17" rims to clear them. Sorry V6 guys with stock rims, or GTs with 16" or less. The rears don't have this requirement, so those of you that run 15" rims for slicks or DR's need not worry. Just don't expect to run skinnies up front. The Weld Prostar XP's are reported to be able to clear the brakes with the addition of a spacer, but don't quote that -In related news, don't expect to run the stock spare tire either. You need either a cobra spare, which is pretty pricey @ around $100, even used, or you will need an extra 17" rim. You should NOT, under any circumstances, put any baby spare on the rear axle just to put a full size rim on the front. It will ruin the trac-loc diff. I bought two extra rims that match the 17's that I already had for $50 a piece used. I run my DRs on them, but in a pinch, I could use one as a spare to get home. What sucks is that they wont fit in the stock spare tire well. I am working on fabbing up a hold down for a full size rim/tire on the top of the board that covers the stock spare, as I replaced mine with plywood a few years ago. -If you have ABS, which I don't, be sure not to get any air into the ABS system itself...if you do, the whole system will need to be bled by the dealer if I remember correctly. Anyone with ABS that has done this, please chime in. -I got cross drilled and slotted rotors, mainly for looks and thier cooling properties on the street. If you plan on road racing or AutoX racing, i would advise you not to get cross drilled rotors...the heat generated is too much in that type of environment, and can cause cracking at the drills. Slotted or standard would be the best bet for those situations. Also note that you will get more brake dust from slotted/ cross drilled rotors. -Rotors are side specific, and most should be labeled R or L. This is as your sitting in the driver's seat. IE, R is passenger, and L is driver's side. -Be advised that the plating on most rotors will wear off within a few minutes of driving. And there is a break-in period for new brakes. Dont finish the instal and jump in the car to take a road trip across the country...break them in properly...I will detail this later. -Above all, have fun, and take your time to do this right. For just front brakes, expect to take 1-3 hours, depending on the speed of your work, age/condition of the car, and wether or not you have a helper. Tools & Equipment Required -Floor jack -Jack stands/ wheel chocks -Lug wrench -Brake Cleaner spray -Metric wrenches/ sockets -"Torx" (star style) bits (not sure on size, I THINK it was a 30 on mine) -Ft Lb torque wrench -Dot 3 brake fluid, at least a pint for the fronts -Some kind of rubber plug to plug the brake lines off when you remove the calipers -Brake bleeder kit - "One man" style if you're going it alone -Large "C" clamp, 6" should work -17" wheels/ spare -Rotors, Calipers, banjo bolts, and crush washers Recommended -Breaker bar -PB Blaster or WD-40 -Anti Seize Compound -Anti Brake squeal compound -Beer -A helper -Nitrile Rubber gloves...brake fluid can be pretty caustic to some people's skin -Shop Light -I HIGHLY reccomend a shop or hayne's manual -More brake fluid than you think you'll need -Time Now, for the process Removing the old brakes
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Continued
Installing the new brakes
Bleeding the brakes
-Now that you are done with all that, you should be ready to start driving (not if you followed my "beer" reccomendation, lol). Make sure there are no tools or junk around or under the car. Open your garage door, if applicable. Start the car, and pump the pedal a few times. It will feel a little different, as the hydroboost system is now assisting you with the pedal. Put the car in whichever gear will take you out of the garage (reverse or forward). With your foot on the brake...the car should not move (besides its regular "shift" when you put it in gear. Manual guys, you'll have to slighlty feather the clutch with your foot on the brake...you shouldn't stall out if you do it right. You just want to put a load on the new brake system. If everything checks out OK, go ahead and back out of the garage. Put the car in reverse and idle back for about 10 feet or so and stop. Now put it in drive and do the same. Everything check out? Ok...keep moving on. Get the car up to around 15MPH, and stop quickly. Don't lock up the tires, but press the pedal pretty hard. Next step is to go up to about 25MPH and do the same. Take the car for a short drive around a couple blocks, varying the pressure you press on the brake pedal. That should be all you need to do for the "testing" phase. If, for some reason something doesn't seem right. Go back to the garage and check your work. Make sure everything is tightend down and there are no leaks. If everything is working so far...you are ready to break them in. The best place to do this is in an unpopulated area, but not everyone has that nearby, so use common sense when doing this. Take the car up to about 45-50 MPH. Jam on the pedal, stopping just short of locking the wheels up. Do it again, but this time with less pressure. What you are doing is heating the brakes up, causing them to expand, thus creating more friction to break in the pads, but you are preventing them from glazing over by using less pressure than the time before. Drive the car to about 65, and come to a complete stop as you normally would...everything should check out, and the plating on the disc should be worn off. Congrats! You're done! Conclusion I know there are different methods for breaking the brakes in, and that people may have found easier ways to do this install. This is just the method I used, and I works for me. I only did the fronts on mine, so someone needs to chime in with the process of doing the rear brakes. If I did not explain something clearly, post it in this thread, as someone else may have the same question. I don't have many pics of the install, really just a before and after, but I can try to garner some if need be, or maybe describe something a little better. Hope I helped, guys :D |
great write up! Who do you suggest ordering the 13" brake kit from? Also ive seen red cobras available instead of black.
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I believe the Red Cobras are the 10th anniversary editions, so yes, you are right.
I ordered mine from speedconcepts.com , but their customer service was horrible. There are plenty of places that provide these for sale. I would suggest any place that you trust for thier service, as I didn't see much variation in price among sites. |
Thanks for the write up and heads up against speedconcepts man. That is who I was looking at, but now wont.
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Here's my thread regarding speedconcepts:
http://forums.modulardepot.com/showt...threadid=53103 You'd have to ask the guys here, but they have this: http://www.mustangtuning.com/cobrabrakes.html I don't know if they offer the 10th anniversary or Bullit calipers (the red ones). www.stangsuspension.com does though. I will definitley vouch for thier customer service, its where I got my MM C/C plates. |
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