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How To Install Cobra Brakes On A Vintage MustangVintage Venom Makes It Possible To Install Late-Model Cobra Four-Wheel Disc Brakes On Vintage Mustangs From the January, 2009 issue of Mustang Monthly By Donald Farr Photography by Donald Farr
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It's the best of both worlds-the cool looks of a vintage Mustang with the awesome braking performance of the SVT Cobra, not to mention modern 17-inch wheels and performance tires. A new kit from Vintage Venom makes it possible by utilizing used components from a '99-'04 Cobra or brand-new Cobra brakes from Ford Racing. Larger 17- or 18-inch wheels are required for clearance. A wide variety of late-model ('94-'04) Mustang wheels serve the purpose quite well and are readily available used or new from Ford Racing. The Vintage Venom Cobra brake... The Vintage Venom Cobra brake conversion kit provides caliper brackets, required spacers, longer ARP wheel studs, and needed Grade 8 fasteners. Cobra brakes aren't provided, but you can obtain them used or from Ford Racing, which offers options right up to Brembo versions. A few additional items are also required, including late-model Cobra brake hoses, emergency brake cables, and various fittings, all available from your local Ford dealership's parts department. The explicit Vintage Venom web-based instructions provide the part numbers. We also chose to convert to power brakes using the popular and easy-to-install kit from Trans-Am Racing. Vintage Venom says the conversion works fine with manual brakes as long as the 15/16-inch master cylinder is used for its mechanical advantage. Ford Racing offers a number of brake options for the Vintage Venom conversion, including standard 3-inch Cobra rotors or cross-drilled and slotted versions, 11.65-inch Cobra rear rotors, black Cobra calipers or red Bullitt calipers, or the M-2300-R kit that comes with the Cobra front caliper, rotors, and hoses. A Brembo kit, M-2300-X, with four-piston calipers and slotted rotors is also available. A few additional components,... A few additional components, such as emergency brake cables and brake hoses, must be purchased from a Ford dealership parts department or through aftermarket sources. The Vintage Venom instructions tell you what you need for your application and provides part numbers. Seventeen-inch-or-larger wheels are required to clear the Cobra brakes. Vintage Venom recommends 17 by 8 by 30 mm, the same size as late-model Mustang wheels, most of which look great on a vintage Mustang. Obviously, a used set will work, but you can also obtain brand-new Bullitt-style, Mach 1, or Cobra wheels from Ford Racing. The Cobra wheels are required if using Ford Racing's Brembo kit. We installed the Vintage Venom kit with Cobra brakes from Ford Racing on Merv Rego's '66 K-GT fastback at Classic Creations of Central Florida. A recently completed restoration with a few mods, such as red LeMans stripes and a body-color engine compartment, the fastback was a perfect candidate for the Vintage Venom brake upgrade. Because late-model Bullitt-style wheels look particularly good on '65-'66 fastbacks, we acquired a set from Ford Racing and shod them with 245-45-ZR17 Proxes performance tires from Toyo. We also chose to upgrade Merv's... We also chose to upgrade Merv's K-GT to power brakes utilizing the power brake kit, with aluminum adapter, from Trans-Am Racing. A fair word of warning: This is not a simple afternoon bolt-on. While the Vintage Venom brackets and the Cobra brakes are a simple R&R procedure, you will need the expertise and tools to create custom brake lines, adapt the vintage Mustang's front emergency brake cables to the rear late-model cables, and precisely open up the lug holes on the hubs for the press-in installation of longer studs. You'll also need the ability, or the services of a local machine shop, to press-off and press-on rear axle bearings to allow the installation of the rear brackets. With both Merv and technician Matt Simmons handling the work, the conversion was accomplished within two days in Classic Creations' well-equipped shop. Our photos cover the highlights; the 67 pages of Vintage Venom online instructions include specific procedures, torque specifications, part numbers for needed components, and detailed photos.  Starting at the front, the...  Starting at the front, the first step is to remove the existing front brakes. Merv's GT was equipped with the factory front discs, so the original-style calipers and rotors were pulled. The dust shield comes off as well; it won't be reused with the Cobra brakes.  Vintage Venom's explicit instructions...  Vintage Venom's explicit instructions are available on its website, so tech Matt Simmons printed them out so he could view them in the shop. They're based on a '67 GT390 Mustang, so some of the procedures varied slightly for Merv's '66. Where needed, Vintage Venom points out the difference in model years.  The Vintage Venom aluminum...  The Vintage Venom aluminum brackets attach to the spindle with four supplied bolts. Torque specs are listed in the instructions. The brackets are clearly marked "L" and "R" for left and right sides.  The Vintage Venom kit is designed...  The Vintage Venom kit is designed for drum brake cars. So for Merv's GT with its front disc brakes, we needed to acquire a new pair of drum brake hubs, making sure they didn't have counter-sunk holes on the inboard side. If you're replacing drum brakes, then you'll need to separate the hub from the drum, which can be done by carefully tapping on the studs. Whether you're using a new hub or the existing hub, the lug holes must be carefully opened up to 0.620 inch (approximately 0.010 inch larger) to accommodate the longer ARP studs, which are supplied in the Vintage Venom kit. Unless you're experienced, you may want to have the holes enlarged and the studs pressed in by a local machine shop.  With the longer studs and...  With the longer studs and new bearings installed, the hub slides onto the spindle and is secured with the large spindle nut and cotter pin.  Coat the inside of the opening...  Coat the inside of the opening with antiseize, then slide the aluminum spacer over the studs.  After installing the Cobra...  After installing the Cobra rotor, install the lug nuts backward (so the flat area is against the rotor) and tighten to draw the spacer, hub, and bracket together.  Two bolts attach the caliper...  Two bolts attach the caliper bracket to the Vintage Venom aluminum bracket.  With the caliper bracket installed...  With the caliper bracket installed and torqued to specification, spin the rotor to check its alignment.  Assemble the brake pads to...  Assemble the brake pads to the Cobra calipers and install them to the caliper brackets.  Moving to the front brake...  Moving to the front brake line, unbolt this factory bracket from the framerail.  Install the Cobra brake hose...  Install the Cobra brake hose to the caliper, then position the bracket onto the framerail for marking and drilling a hole for the attaching screw. The bracket should end up right below the upper control arm.  A brake line must be made...  A brake line must be made to connect the factory brake line to the Cobra hose.  Here's how our custom-made...  Here's how our custom-made line looped around from the original line to the new hose. Every application will probably be different.  With the front brakes buttoned...  With the front brakes buttoned up, Merv was able to install the 17-inch wheels from Ford Racing. They're shod with 245-45-ZR17 Toyo Proxes performance tires.  Install a new retainer gasket,...  Install a new retainer gasket, then slide the axle back into the rearend housing.  At the rear, the Vintage Venom...  At the rear, the Vintage Venom kit is designed to fit 8- or 9-inch small-bearing axles. After removing the existing brakes, pull the axle to prepare it for the Vintage Venom conversion. You'll need to press-off the axle bearing, then install the Vintage Venom bracket between the axle retainer and the new bearing. To make sure the axle retainer can move closer to the end of the axle, grind down the casting lines on the axle and enlarge the retainer opening before assembling the retainer and bracket.  The OE axleshafts can be reused....  The OE axleshafts can be reused. As with the fronts, the lug holes were opened up and longer ARP studs pressed in.  The aluminum spacer is next....  The aluminum spacer is next. Note that the rear spacers are narrower than the front spacers. They are clearly identified as front and rear.  Due to clearance issues on...  Due to clearance issues on the narrower '65-'66 cars, the rear calipers and rotors must be installed as an assembly. As you slide the rotor over the studs, place the caliper in position before pushing the rotor all the way on. Secure the caliper with two bolts.  One of the items purchased...  One of the items purchased from Ford, per the Vintage Venom instructions, were a pair of moan brackets, which were designed to reduce brake noise on SVT Cobras. Vintage Venom suggests using these brackets, which mount to the axle with a U-bolt and to the aluminum bracket. However, on the shorter '65-'66 rearend, the bracket is a tight fit, requiring some trimming to mount between the bracket and the rearend U-bolt. Merv elected not to use the brackets on his GT. If noise is a problem, he can install them later.  Rear brake line fabrication...  Rear brake line fabrication starts with the trimming of the bracket on the Cobra rear hose. The Vintage Venom instructions supply the measurements.  To convert to power brakes,...  To convert to power brakes, remove the existing master cylinder. Merv's '66 was still using the single reservoir master as found on '65-'66 Mustangs. The new Tran-Am Racing power conversion unit will give him the added safety of a dual reservoir master cylinder.  Bolting the hose to the caliper,...  Bolting the hose to the caliper, with the hose running toward the front of the car, provides some indication of what type of rear brake line fabrication is needed. On '67-and-later cars, it may be possible to bend the existing brake lines if they are long enough. On '65-'66 Mustangs, swapping the '67-and-later lines may work, or you may have to fabricate entirely from the junction block on the rearend to each hose.  Aided by the fact that the...  Aided by the fact that the heads were off the engine, the Trans-Am Racing power booster/master cylinder assembly slid right into place. However, in our case, there was interference with the metal tab on the shock tower, which is used for the factory strut tower to shock brace. Merv tried the Trans-Am Racing assembly on a '66 parts car and it fit perfectly; that's just another indication of how early Mustangs can differ structurally. Since the GT has an export brace, Matt trimmed the tab for clearance.  Although not an afternoon...  Although not an afternoon bolt-on, the final results-both in braking performance and in appearance with the modern wheels-are definitely worth the effort.  Here's the installed power...  Here's the installed power booster. The Trans-Am Racing setup utilizes an aluminum spacer plate (thinner for automatics, thicker for manual transmission cars) to adapt the booster to the firewall. It's still a tight fit between the firewall and shock tower. Brake lines must be fabricated for both the new master cylinder location and dual reservoirs.  The emergency brake cables...  The emergency brake cables are a combination of the early Mustang's original front cables and late-model Mustang rear cables, so they must be joined at the middle. Some modification to the cables is required, as explained in the Vintage Venom instructions. Cable routing and modification also varies between model years.
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