Yeah. Ebay keeps jacking up the fees so that gets passed along to the consumer. Good deals on ebay are few and far between.
Wheels-Tires 04 Mustang Wheels won't sit against rotor
- Thread starter pindude80
- Start date
Yeah. Ebay keeps jacking up the fees so that gets passed along to the consumer. Good deals on ebay are few and far between.
I keep my eyes open with my local U-pull yards (they list their vehicle inventory online) and when a 94/95 shows up I try to get there as soon as possible. They cost me about $100 CDN a pair usually. When I get a bunch I sometimes sell a set or two and have gotten $350 CDN range for the 94/95s and $200-250 for 96-04s. I currently have 2 sets of 94/95s and 2 sets of 96-04s as well as the set on my 90GT. I have 96-04s on my car with no bumpsteer kit, but I did change the lower control arm mounting points up about 0.5" on my stock K-member and then used offset rack bushings to lower the steering rack. My tie rods and lower control arms are almost parallel which helps reduce any bumpsteer.
96+ are worth pretty much nothing. I have a one that i purchased to mach up 14in brakes, cost $75 shipped (and i made no effort to find it cheaper). If they gave them away for free i bet they would still have some left over considering it's a 9 year run.
Most modern junk yards are more aware of what has value and what doesn't. Sure you will find an occasional Gem dirt cheap, but i'm long past having that kind of time or patience.
While i do believe the hurdle of the tie rod location could be gotten past with 96, i'd still buy the 94/95 set.
Most modern junk yards are more aware of what has value and what doesn't. Sure you will find an occasional Gem dirt cheap, but i'm long past having that kind of time or patience.
While i do believe the hurdle of the tie rod location could be gotten past with 96, i'd still buy the 94/95 set.
Flippers who have a world wide audience to sell items..... Rarely a good deal for the buyer....
Yep, I agree the deals are still out there. I am talking to a place and it sounds like they might have more than one set. Since these spindles are getting harder and harder to find I think I'm going to do like you did, buy two sets and put one set on my car and stash the other set away in case I ever need to do this swap to another fox in future.
I did the same. When I upgraded my K-member to the MM unit, I had to change my 94-95 spindles to 96+
Debated selling them but figured if I ever got another project car I’d have to fork over big money for a set if I could find them at all.
They only made so many 94-95 cars and thsse things are 30 years old now. Not a whole lot of disposable V6s left on the road these days.
I'm still working on getting spindles. I haven't had any luck with car-parts.com so I think I'm going to have to buy some from someone since I don't have time to keep an eye on local junkyards for when a 94-95 car comes in. I've found some 94-95 spindles for about $350 shipped to my house which I guess I'm ok with.
I do have a question though. I originally wanted to go with Cobra calipers and rotors. I guess to run the Cobra rotors I would need Cobra caliper brackets since the rotor is a larger diameter. If that is the case, I would think finding Cobra caliper brackets would be difficult to find unless someone makes one aftermarket. One guy selling a set of spindles said he has 99+ GT brakes on a car and Cobra brakes on another car and he said there is little to no difference. What do you guys think about that? Would most people just go with the 94-95 spindles, 99-04 calipers, calipers brackets, and rotors?
Also, I don't have a lot of experience on Stangnet, is there a way to search for keywords in a thread? For instance, prior to this post, I pulled up the sticky on the 4 lug to 5 lug converstion and wanted to search for "cobra brackets" but I didn't see a way to search the thread for those keywords. Is there a way to search within a thread?
I do have a question though. I originally wanted to go with Cobra calipers and rotors. I guess to run the Cobra rotors I would need Cobra caliper brackets since the rotor is a larger diameter. If that is the case, I would think finding Cobra caliper brackets would be difficult to find unless someone makes one aftermarket. One guy selling a set of spindles said he has 99+ GT brakes on a car and Cobra brakes on another car and he said there is little to no difference. What do you guys think about that? Would most people just go with the 94-95 spindles, 99-04 calipers, calipers brackets, and rotors?
Also, I don't have a lot of experience on Stangnet, is there a way to search for keywords in a thread? For instance, prior to this post, I pulled up the sticky on the 4 lug to 5 lug converstion and wanted to search for "cobra brackets" but I didn't see a way to search the thread for those keywords. Is there a way to search within a thread?
Last edited:
gkomo
now i can hopefully expect to receive the shaft
If you go to the search bar at the top, there is a dropdown that defaults to "Everywhere", you can select different search options, such as "This Thread" or anything else you want. Type "Cobra brackets" or any combination of what you are looking for, set your search criteria ("Everywhere", "This Thread" etc.) and go from there.
I don't know how many of the parts you already have on-hand but I do recall (and this was years ago) that the brackets were hard to find. I had to be patient.
However... Click here: https://www.northracecars.com/c-clip_brakes.html and scroll all the way to the bottom of the page to their
Front Big Brake Kit
It's got the brackets [with] a bunch of other stuff you will need, if you don't already have it.
The rear brackets are available on Rock Auto.
I don't have any parts yet. I appreciate the link. After you sent that it got my mental wheels turning. I did some searching and found LMR has a caliper package much cheaper than North Race Cars: https://lmr.com/item/LRS-2320CB-K/mustang-cobra-front-brake-calipers-99-04I don't know how many of the parts you already have on-hand but I do recall (and this was years ago) that the brackets were hard to find. I had to be patient.
However... Click here: https://www.northracecars.com/c-clip_brakes.html and scroll all the way to the bottom of the page to their
Front Big Brake Kit
It's got the brackets [with] a bunch of other stuff you will need, if you don't already have it.
The rear brackets are available on Rock Auto.
I got to think that if I want calipers that say "Cobra" on them I could call around to parts stores to see if they sell a rebuilt Cobra caliper that comes with the mounting brackets.
I can tell you that the 99-04 front calipers are way better than the 94-98 and is due to the 99-04 units being two piston. They have much better braking due to them having more swept area on the pad and better clamping. Where the Cobra front and rear brakes shine are their ability to dissipate heat which means less fade in harsh braking conditions. On the street I would say there is minimal difference however on the track its very noticeable.
The rear brakes are the exact same between the V6 and GT cars. The rear calipers are the same between the V6, GT, and Cobra. The difference is the caliper bracket and the axle bracket for the Cobra calipers. You can buy the cobra rear caliper brackets at AutoZone or any parts store but the axle brackets are a little trickier to source now a days. This is all if you are going to use the SN95 length axles. If you want to use the Fox length axles then I would suggest getting the axle brackets from Nort Racecars.
www.northracecars.com
The rear brakes are the exact same between the V6 and GT cars. The rear calipers are the same between the V6, GT, and Cobra. The difference is the caliper bracket and the axle bracket for the Cobra calipers. You can buy the cobra rear caliper brackets at AutoZone or any parts store but the axle brackets are a little trickier to source now a days. This is all if you are going to use the SN95 length axles. If you want to use the Fox length axles then I would suggest getting the axle brackets from Nort Racecars.
North Racecars – Page Not Found
Your Fox Mustang and Factory Five Performance Parts Connection
www.northracecars.com
I thought, but wasn't sure, the 99+ calipers were two piston. Are the Cobra and 99+ GT/V6 front calipers the same? I know the Cobra runs a larger rotor on front and rear. I did remember that the rear calipers were the same between all models. What you said abot the Cobra brakes dissipating heat makes them better on the track but not noticeable on the street. What makes the Cobra brakes dissipate heater better, the larger size?I can tell you that the 99-04 front calipers are way better than the 94-98 and is due to the 99-04 units being two piston. They have much better braking due to them having more swept area on the pad and better clamping. Where the Cobra front and rear brakes shine are their ability to dissipate heat which means less fade in harsh braking conditions. On the street I would say there is minimal difference however on the track its very noticeable.
The rear brakes are the exact same between the V6 and GT cars. The rear calipers are the same between the V6, GT, and Cobra. The difference is the caliper bracket and the axle bracket for the Cobra calipers. You can buy the cobra rear caliper brackets at AutoZone or any parts store but the axle brackets are a little trickier to source now a days. This is all if you are going to use the SN95 length axles. If you want to use the Fox length axles then I would suggest getting the axle brackets from Nort Racecars.
North Racecars – Page Not Found
Your Fox Mustang and Factory Five Performance Parts Connection
I already have upgraded 5 lug fox length axles so I appreciate you posting the link for the Cobra axle brackets at North Race Cars, that will come in handy; I'm going to bookmark it!
The Cobra front calipers are different than the 99+ GT/V6 calipers. They have to be to accommodate the larger diameter Cobra rotors and the way that is done is in the casting of the caliper physically moving it outward from the mounting point on the spindle.
One of the functions of the rotor is to be a heat sink. The larger the mass the more heat it can dissipate. The GT/V6 front rotors are 11.5” diameter and the Cobra rotors are 13”. The GT/C6 rear rotors are 10.5” in diameter and the Cobra rear rotors are 11.65” in diameter however what makes even more difference in the rear rotors is that the GT/V6 rotors are solid and the Cobra rotors are vented. The vented design uses airflow through the rotor for additional cooling.
One of the functions of the rotor is to be a heat sink. The larger the mass the more heat it can dissipate. The GT/V6 front rotors are 11.5” diameter and the Cobra rotors are 13”. The GT/C6 rear rotors are 10.5” in diameter and the Cobra rear rotors are 11.65” in diameter however what makes even more difference in the rear rotors is that the GT/V6 rotors are solid and the Cobra rotors are vented. The vented design uses airflow through the rotor for additional cooling.
Makes sense on the Cobra calipers having ot be different to work with the larger 13" rotor. I wonder if the piston size is the same? Not that it's a big deal but I always kind of thought the 99+ calipers looked similar to the Cobra calipers. I believe Cobra calipers were made by Brembo and GT / V6 calipers were made by PBR.
I knew the Cobra rear rotors were 11.65 and larger than the GT/V6 but I did not know that the Cobra rotors were vented and GT/V6 were solid. Good info to know, thanks!
Cobra, Mach 1 and the Anniversary front calipers were all made by PBR as well as the 99+ GT/V6 front calipers.
94-98 Cobra front caliper have 38mm pistons.
99-04 Cobra, 03-04 Mach1, and 03-04 Bullitt front caliper have 40.5mm pistons.
99-04 GT/V6 front calipers have 44.5mm pistons.
94-98 Cobra front caliper have 38mm pistons.
99-04 Cobra, 03-04 Mach1, and 03-04 Bullitt front caliper have 40.5mm pistons.
99-04 GT/V6 front calipers have 44.5mm pistons.
Too much information, I have a headache now,
Don't we have most of this info in the 'how to/tech forums?
Not that the discussion is not informative, to further add to the brake swap headache would be get into right and left vented rotors.
Don't we have most of this info in the 'how to/tech forums?
Not that the discussion is not informative, to further add to the brake swap headache would be get into right and left vented rotors.
Oh, thanks for correcting me and letting me know that PBR made the Cobra, Mach 1 and Anniversary calipers.
Pretty interesting that 99-04 GT/V6 have larger pistons than the99-04 Cobra!
Yes, way more pad surface area too. It's a very stout brake setup.
IIRC back in the day there was some independent testing on a GT vs Cobra. On the first stop, the results were about identical. What the Cobra has for advantage with leverage, the GT makes up for with more pad surface area on the front and larger piston clamp force. However, it is on the 2nd and 3rd and so on stops where the rotor mass advantage of the Cobra brakes begins to shine.
So the GT brakes have always been better geared for "drag" type setups, where you want light-weight rotor mass, the ability to fit in 15" wheels, and good stopping power on that first hard brake event. Cobra brakes are more for road-course racing where you are making stop after stop after stop.
With that said, the GT brakes do have one disadvantage that has reared its head after 20 years, in that they tend to stick and seize. For some reason the pistons love to seize in the bore, especially with old water-laden brake fluid and when the car sits. Even remans coming out of the box have this issue. So if you go this route, pay attention to the signs of dragging front brakes.
Oh and to answer your other question, all 94-04 Mustangs use the same rear Varga 38mm calipers. The only difference is the pad support bracket and the pads used, as Cobra/Mach/Bullitt rear rotors are thicker.
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