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19 Dec 04 |
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Our power brake
booster is an aftermarket 7" single diaphragm type.
The original Mustang donor booster was not used 'cause it
was just too big and ugly. This should give a firm
feel to the pedal and not mushy like some power brakes,
while giving some power assist. The booster sits 1/2" higher
than the stock FFR master cylinder location. We also
cut cut and relocated the side frame rail. |
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We had to cut
and re-weld the pedal box so it would clear the outside
sheet metal . |
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The lower hole
in the pedal box had to be moved slightly so it would line
up with the booster mounting bolts. |
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We used a hole
saw to enlarge the center hole in the mounting plate. We
clamped scrap piece of frame tube to guide the hole saw. |
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We notched the
bottom of the booster housing to clear the steering shaft
bearing. We also changed the mounting of the bearing
by placing it in the inside of the foot box. A 1/4"
spacer was added behind the booster to give more clearance
between it and the steering shaft. We set the spacer distance
via trial and error with washers, before finally making
a spacer plate out of steel. A steel rod end connects the
pedal to the booster rod. |
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Pedal stop were
made from 3/4" square tube and nuts, the bolts will be replaced
with adjustable rubber bumpers to keep the clanging noise
down. |
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30 Apr 05 Brakes |
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The master cylinder
in its final resting place. |
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Pedals in, note
the drain hole and plug in the foot box floor. We're
running the stock pedals. The go pedal has been modified
to make it less sensitive by moving the top cable hole down
the arm about an inch, you really can't see it in the picture
though. |
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We are using
the Tri-States pre-bent IRS lines, but really did not
like the way they routed thru the frame, so we modified
it a bit. Spent a full evening studying the frame trying
to come up with a better way to route the flexible lines
so they would not pinch or constantly rub. Other people
routed the lines in a similar manner. The lines
eventually will be covered with protective spiral wrap like
the parking brake cables.
The bias
adjuster is a SSBC unit also from Tri-States. We are using
a combination of stainless steel and tin-coated brakes lines
-- trying to stay within budget -- ha!
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We are also
using the Made4You nylon line clamps, there's nothing wrong
with the FFR supplied clamps, just did not like the way
they look.
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15 May 05 Front Brakes |
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One of the secrets
to getting a good flare is to clamp the tool securely in
a vise to give a little extra squeeze so the tubing does
not slip. |
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We missing a
few double line clamps, otherwise the front lines are complete.
We are using an inline brake switch, notice that it needs
to be mounted so that air does not get trapped in the switch. |
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12 June 05 Brake Lines
Done |
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The brake lines
have been powder coated red using the Eastwood system. We
touched up little nicks and scratches in the powder coat
near the fittings with some red model paint from the local
Wal-Mart. |
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I like the look
and am glad we took the time to do it. |
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The IRS brake
lines are stainless steel and were left bare.
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21 June 05
Big
Brakes |
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The picture
on the left shows the mismatch between the T-bird IRS and
the calipers. In this case, we used CAD to model the
brackets (Cardboard Aided Design) Its almost impossible
to get good measurements in the knuckle area so a mockup
had to be used. The right photo shows the bracket progression,
first paper, plastic, then 6061 aluminum before the final
brackets were made from 7075 aluminum. |
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The spacers
were also turned from aluminum, 6061 in this case. The calipers
were put in place with small spacers between the rotor and
caliper to get the proper height, then the hole locations
were marked with a bolt turned to a point. There's just
not a lot of options for the shape or design of the bracket,
if you're not careful it will easily interfere with something. |
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Figuring out
the e-brake cables took almost as long as making the brackets!
The brackets
needed a standoff so they would clear the knuckle bosses.
I decided to make the standoff out of thin titanium
rather than using washers and use the standoff to help stiffen
the entire assembly. Look closely and you can see it between
the bracket and knuckle.
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There are couple
of things I'd do different, namely I'd use a thicker piece
of aluminum which would allow some of the spacers
and standoffs to be part of the actual bracket, rather than
being separate components. It would also allow some ribs
for extra strength. I would keep a smaller separate
spacer for the caliper so it could be trimmed to fit each
application. Also the brackets mounted the caliper a bit
high on the rotor -- almost to the point of interfering
with the top knuckle bolt; it took a little creative grinding
to ensure we had enough clearance. I'd also try to rotate
the caliper downward more. |
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Here's some
info from Brembo concerning rotor direction.
"It is a
popular misconception that the slots or drillings in a disc
determine the direction of rotation. In truth, for an internally
vented disc, the geometry of the vanes dictates the direction
of rotation. There are three vane types in use:
1. Straight
2. Pillar vane (comprised of many small posts)
3. Curved vane
The first two vane types are non-directional, and can be
used on either side of the vehicle. The curved vane disc,
however, is directional. A curved vane disc must be installed
with the vanes running back from the inside to outside diameters
in the direction of rotation. Orienting the disc in the
manner creates a centrifugal pump. The rotation of the disc
causes air to be pumped from the center of the disc, through
the vanes, and out through the outside diameter of the disc.
This greatly enhances the disc's ability to dissipate heat."
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"Additionally,
all of Brembo's slotted discs are directional as well, regardless
of the vane geometry. The discs should be installed such
that the end of the slot nearest the outer edge of the disc
contacts the pad first."
Note:
This guidance may not coincide with other manufacturers.
Always follow the manufacturers instructions for mounting
the rotors or any other critical part.
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System was filled
with ATE Super Blue brake fluid, pricey, but worth every
penny and bled with a Motive power bleeder. The master cylinder
was not bench bled, it was not necessary when using the
power bleeder. |
Here's a tip.
Tap GENTLY on the brake components, such as the calipers,
master cylinder, prop valve etc, to help dislodge air bubbles
during bleeding. |
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9 Apr 06 Pedal Box Brace |
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I added a small
bracket on the bottom of the pedal box to support it and
reduce flexing when I put a heavy clutch in the car. |
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20 Oct 06 Vacuum Reservoir |
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I added a vacuum
canister to store some vacuum so the brakes would work better
at idle. The cam only pulls 9" of vacuum at idle, but is
fine at higher RPMs.
Contrary to
popular belief, the canister does help. Its equipped with
a check valve so the vacuum in the canister does not fluctuate
with the engine vacuum. The highest amount of vacuum generated
by the engine is captured by the canister; here you can
see it reading 24".
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20 May 07 Line Lock |
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Sam Biondo Line
Lock. The switch is located on the trans tunnel.
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