Brake upgrades, 93 Cobra info please

[xplo89gt]

1) I have 93 cobra rims. One problem is they rub up front on full turns. Obviously I try to make wider turns with no rubbing.
But, I really want to fix that problem. I was told 93 cobra rotors would fix it. Will they?

2) Closely related issue. The rear wheels. Now one of my rear tires is slightly rubbing the exhaust. I tried moving it briefly with no luck.. I figure I am going to have to unbolt from hpipe to correctly position it, but here's the deal. I was reading svo73mm.cjb.net and on it, it said:
Out back, the 93 Cobra uses the same brakes and axle lengths as the 87-88 Turbo Coupe which was 3/4" wider than stock. So if you are using drums, you can run a 3/4" spacer (which is not recommended) or use the brakes and axles from one of these cars.
So would this cause my rubbing? And what should i do? It says 3/4" spacer is not recommended.

3) I am doing a brake upgrade as well. I am getting 91 Mark VII 73mm calipers. Can I just get them from autozone or should I get them through maximum motorsports (more cash) ? Also I will probably be getting 93 cobra rotors for upfront. Now eventually I will do rear discs, but for now im going to keep drums. So my next question is, which master cylinder should I get? The SVO one or the 93 Cobra one? Most likely going with stainless steel brake lines as well.

Thanks guys. Just need this information and I'm going forth with everything.

 

[BlackFox5.0]

I think the hat on the '93 Cobra rotors are shorter, so that would push in the wheel a little more, if that doesn't help much you'll have to roll the fender.

Get all your parts from your local parts store. A '93 Cobra MC should be perfect.

 

[sleeper89]

I think the hat on the '93 Cobra rotors are shorter, so that would push in the wheel a little more, if that doesn't help much you'll have to roll the fender.

Get all your parts from your local parts store. A '93 Cobra MC should be perfect.

the cobra rotor hats are actually a little *taller* than the lx/gt units, so i would assume the rubbing issue is on the inside against the control arm. swapping in the 93 cobra rotors will fix this, and the t/c rear will fix things out back. i think the cobra uses 73mm calipers as well so the cobra m/c should work once you have the new calipers up front and the t/c rear in.

-steve

 

[BlackFox5.0]

the cobra rotor hats are actually a little *taller* than the lx/gt units, so i would assume the rubbing issue is on the inside against the control arm. swapping in the 93 cobra rotors will fix this, and the t/c rear will fix things out back. i think the cobra uses 73mm calipers as well so the cobra m/c should work once you have the new calipers up front and the t/c rear in.

-steve

thats what I get for not reading it throughly, lol You don't "need" new rotors, unless yours are worn out, then go get the cobra ones.

You can use steering rack limiters, which will stop you from turning the wheel so much. I am going to put them on my car as soon as they come in.

It's a ford part you should be able to get at any ford dealer

Ford calls the "Travel Restrictors" the part number is N804842-S

 

[xplo89gt]

Well, I actually bought new 93 cobra rotors. Got a good deal on them.
Plus my rotors on there have probably be on there for years and years, so since im doing all new parts im going to do the rotors as well and be done with it.

Still a little confused about the rear. A T/C rear seems like a lot of work. I am also not really familiar with swapping a rear. Is this really the only thing to do? For all these changes, I am just wondering if the 93 cobra wheels are worth it? Do any other wheels have these problems?

 

[sleeper89]

Still a little confused about the rear. A T/C rear seems like a lot of work. I am also not really familiar with swapping a rear. Is this really the only thing to do?

the rear is a direct swap. you will however need to get the 93cobra parking brake stuff to be able to use the parking brake. do a search for this though, there's probably >100 threads on it.

For all these changes, I am just wondering if the 93 cobra wheels are worth it?

only you can decide if they are worth it. just remember: once you've done everything you don't just have nicer rims, you also have 4 wheel disc brakes.

Do any other wheels have these problems?

it's not a problem with the wheels, it's a problem with the application. if you went with a wheel that has the same dimensions as your factory wheels there would be no issue. likewise, if you had a cobra suspension/brake setup on your car, it wouldn't cause problems.

-steve

 

[trbkrb]

The 93 Cobra wheels were designed for the wider 93 Cobra and Turbocoupe rear end and have a different offset. The place where it bolts to the axle is further out on the rim than on stock 4 lug wheels, since the 93 Cobra and TC axles are further out. That is why it is rubbing on the exhaust. Your wheels are too far in the fenders. You can use the spacers if you want to, it is just not the recommended way to fix the problem. Kind of like a band-aid approach. The best solution to using the 93 Cobra wheels is to get the right axles and brake setup, but you can use the bolt on wheel spacers. I've see a few on ebay and other places. And the 93 Cobras did not have the 73mm calipers, but they would be fine for your car with the 93 Cobra MC.

Good luck!

 

[sleeper89]

And the 93 Cobras did not have the 73mm calipers

are you sure? i thought they came with the 73mm calipers and the phenolic piston. time for a search

BTW - if you decide to use the wheel spacers longer wheel studs are a must.

-steve

 

[trbkrb]

According to Matt on his website, the 93 Cobra just has the stock size 60mm pistons.

And these are the kind of spacers I've seen that are decent:

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=2468683893&category=42614

Otherwise, do get longer hardened studs.

 

[BlackFox5.0]

The '93 Cobra has the same 60mm piston caliper as the 87-93 5.0 mustangs

 

[sleeper89]

The '93 Cobra has the same 60mm piston caliper as the 87-93 5.0 mustangs

oops.


-steve

 

[Mustang5L5]

Out back, just run 1" spacers from Maximum Motorsports. They are quality peices and the only spacers i would run.

The '93 cobra rear was 0.75" wider so by using these spacers you push the wheel out 0.25". Since the front track is wider stock, this will even it out nicely.

 

[BlackFox5.0]

Out back, just run 1" spacers from Maximum Motorsports. They are quality peices and the only spacers i would run.

The '93 cobra rear was 0.75" wider so by using these spacers you push the wheel out 0.25". Since the front track is wider stock, this will even it out nicely.

In my last post I recomended the "bolt on" spacers (with back up proof from MM Tech Support), but I edited it out after I saw they didn't make them in 4-lug, then someone posted some on ebay, but I don't know about the quality of those...

I plan on using the MM pieces on my car.

 

[xplo89gt]

Thanks... You guys have been very helpful.

Here's what I decided I am going to do. For now I'm doing the front brakes like I described above. I am going to get spacers for the rear at the moment.

At some point, maybe this year even, I will swap to a turbo coupe rear end with rear disc brakes. This should be the permanent solution.
One question I have about this swap is if I decide to change rims years down the road or whenever, will the turbocoupe rear end affect my choice?
Will the 93 cobra rotors i bought also affect the front rims?

Ok, now about the spacers. I checked out mm's website and they don't offer the bolt-on spacers for 5 lug. They do however offer regular wheel spacers for 4 lug, but are only 1/4" thick. And I would obviously need longer wheel studs. While that option will help me out a bit it may not be enough.

On the other hand this ebay auction trbkrb mentioned has 1" bolt on spacers for 4 lug.

Are wheel spacers in general safe? Would these ones on ebay be ok? Would there be a way to tell when driving around if there was a problem?

Again a lot of questions. I really appreciate the responses.

 

[trbkrb]

Regarding changing wheels later on, the 93 Cobra and TC setup will push any stock Mustang wheels, or aftermarket wheels with the same specs as stock, out .75". But that is the same dimension as the 94-98 Mustang rear disc setup, and guys are running that setup on Fox bodies with 17x8 wheels and have no problems. You could even use the 94-98 axles and redrill the rotors to 5 lugs if you want to go that route later on. For the front it would mean changing back to the stock rotors for 4 lug wheels, or for 5 lugs, the 5 lug rotors or the SN95 setup depending on the wheels.

Concerning spacers, they are generally regarded as being not as safe as directly bolting the wheels to the axles/rotors due to the risk of breaking a stud and people not using longer studs. But the bolt on style spacers are regarded as being better than the slip onto the studs variety. MM only sells quality pieces, so I would trust their items, but you would have to ask the seller about the ones on ebay. See who made them and if there is any info available on them.

 

[sleeper89]

One question I have about this swap is if I decide to change rims years down the road or whenever, will the turbocoupe rear end affect my choice?
Will the 93 cobra rotors i bought also affect the front rims?

if you decide to swap rims in the future, you'll be looking at getting replacement rims for a 93cobra as opposed to ones for an lx or gt. otherwise you could just order by rim size and offset.

-steve

 

[xplo89gt]

Thanks again for the replies. Hopefully I can get this sorted soon.

Anyone know how much turbocoupe rear ends go for by the way?

 

[trbkrb]

Of course I gave my TC axles and brake brackets away to a guy on here last year.
No one wanted to pay for them.

But check around local yards and also on www.car-part.com Generally they run $175-$300 or so. Our local pick a part yard has them for $150 when you can find them. But you have to consider, for that price you are getting a rear end with disc brakes, the longer axles you need, and 3.55 or 3.73 gears. You might be able to find just the axles and brake parts from someone that bought a complete rear end and only wanted just the 8.8 housing and the gears, or maybe you could find a buyer for the housing and gears since you already have the 3.73s in your car. It will just take some looking and maybe some dealing to get a good deal.