2013 Boss -> 2013 GT 500 Brake Upgrade

[Corral Man]

So I came across a set of GT500 6-piston front calipers and 15" rotors for sale locally and the price was so good I couldn't pass them up. When I went to pick them up I saw why they were such a good price. The fellow who was selling them had attempted to sand off the factory red and then spray painted them black. Unfortunately, the sanding job made the black spray paint job look even worse from all the scuff lines. So I decided to have the calipers powder coated School Bus Yellow to match the car. Because powder coating just the fronts would look terrible I picked up a set of rebuilt calipers and brackets to have the rears done too.

I sent the calipers to the powder coater fully assembled which is usually not ideal; however, since this is a track car and the powder coat is most likely going to burn off anyway I wasn't too concerned. Unfortunately their assembled state meant that the overspray on the boots and the baking process caused them to deform as the air trapped between the piston seal and the boot inflated from the heat during the curing process.

To remedy this I ordered a set of high-temperature boots and seals from Optimum Performance Mustang. I should have ordered seals for the rear calipers at the same time; however, ended up ordering them later from Rock Auto.

Since I was doing the front calipers and rotors I decided to upgrade to the 2013/14 GT500 rear rotors; however, I wasn't particularly interested in paying $160 for the Ford rear caliper mounts that would require me to remove the rear axles. So I picked up a the rear caliper adapters from "ncmustangparts" on E-bay for only slightly more than what a single Ford part (that is as of January 2020) back-ordered.

I also ordered three sets of Russel Speed Bleeders for the Brembos and rear calipers to make the whole installation and future brake bleeding chores much easier.

I had previously done the clutch reservoir installation, so I decided to also swap out the brake fluid reservoir for one from an automatic transmission Mustang. This will help ensure I'm not worried about the port on the side where the master cylinder feed hose has been capped off. I will ultimately be getting a set of track pads, but for now just some street pads will be going on the car. We hope to start installation on Friday when the various final parts come in.

High-Temperature Dust Boots and Seals - https://www.opmustang.com/store/p31...ot_Kit_-_2013-2014_Shelby_GT500_Brakes.html#/
Factory-Style Rear Dust Boots - https://www.rockauto.com/en/moreinfo.php?pk=3056763&jsn=2043
Speed Bleeders (Front Brembo 6-Piston and Factory Rear) - https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0014BBFVM/?tag=tmo302-20
Caliper Mounts - http://rover.ebay.com/rover/1/711-5...0001&campid=5338634152&icep_item=164011898514
Rear Rotors - https://www.rockauto.com/?carcode=1504558&parttype=1896

 

[Hasan M]

Nicely done, I've been thinking of upgrading my brakes as well. Looking forward to your review.

Also, is there a washer on the rear caliper slider pin?

 

[Corral Man]

Nicely done, I've been thinking of upgrading my brakes as well. Looking forward to your review.

Also, is there a washer on the rear caliper slider pin?

If you're talking about the gold portion, that's the end of the slider pin.

 

[Corral Man]

Managed to get everything installed today. Unfortunately I forgot to open the feeder bottle I had providing brake fluid to the reservoir and I ran the reservoir out. So now I think the ABS unit has air in it. We bled the brakes a couple of times but the pedal is still softer than what I was hoping for. Although that may just be a function of the stock GT500 lines and the calipers. I was unable to get the original Forgestar F14s to fit on the car, So those may go on the 2001 Race car that will become the recipient of the Boss' front calipers.

While I should have weighed everything, alas I did not. My guess is that I added a fair bit of unsprung weight with the calipers and larger wheels and tires. I have to say that I REALLY like how the calipers came out with the "302" logo on them. It really makes the rim "pop" with those splashes of color in them.