S197 CYCLN3.7 Build Thread Profile - S197 Mustangs

[CYCLN3.7]

Part 6

So with the first scheduled Track Day coming up this year at Hallett Raceway and a car that has seen better days (these Oklahoma dirt roads) it’s time for some upgrades and replacement parts for things that jiggle, that shouldn’t jiggle.

First order of business: Brakes.

About a year ago I was going to do this upgrade but due to life changes (my son was born 7 weeks early) I had to back out of a smoking deal of Brembos off 2008 GT500. How good of a deal? $250 for rotors (used) and calipers. Fast forward almost a whole year to now, and what do you know. That whole set up was still packaged ready to go out the door from when I originally was going to purchase it.



After reconnecting with the fella who had these and deciding that I actually didn’t need the rotors I bought these for $200. I feel like I won the lottery.
They were at my door just a few days later.





I don’t know if these necessarily needed a rebuild but I wasn’t going to chance it. Hopped on RockAuto and bought everything I needed to rebuild both front calipers and rear calipers.



Like I said, my car is pretty rough underneath and after 130,000 miles on stock pads and rotors It’s in need of a whole makeover with the brakes. Especially if I want to make it out of this track day. Or make it to the track day I should say.

These are the rotors I’ll be going with: Raybestos R-300. 14” in front



At the same time I’m going to be upgrading the rears. I’ve mulled over this for hours going back and forth on different forums and reading about the actually usability of upgrading the rears to the GT500 13.8” rotors. And I’ve decided that this is going to be done more for cosmetic reasons and the fact that I already need to buy new rear rotors. So why not kill two birds with one stone. I love the look when rotors fill the empty space in your wheels. These will be matched for the rears.



Last order of business are these old worn brake lines. Looking at upgrading to these Stainless Steel Teflon Lines from J&M.



To top everything off, I will be flushing my brake system with Motul 600.

I’m excited to get started on this brake makeover. I just need to make a few more orders for the rest of the parts. I’ll post updates as parts come in and when they’re all here, looks like I’ll have a fun weekend ahead of me.

*Recommendations are appreciated and let me know if there’s something I’m missing that should be done!

 

[stevbd]

At the same time I’m going to be upgrading the rears. I’ve mulled over this for hours going back and forth on different forums and reading about the actually usability of upgrading the rears to the GT500 13.8” rotors. And I’ve decided that this is going to be done more for cosmetic reasons

True you probably won't see any improvement in actual braking but the bigger rotors help get heat away from the rear axle seals on track especially if you are using stability control. I was melting the seals and losing fluid and this upgrade fixed that problem. So not just cosmetic.

I'm a fan of using the oem Ford caliper bracket even though it's a little more work to install.

 

[CYCLN3.7]

True you probably won't see any improvement in actual braking but the bigger rotors help get heat away from the rear axle seals on track especially if you are using stability control. I was melting the seals and losing fluid and this upgrade fixed that problem. So not just cosmetic.

I'm a fan of using the oem Ford caliper bracket even though it's a little more work to install.

Thanks! I’m glad to know that there’s a tangible benefit there with this upgrade.

I’ll sheepishly admit that I really didn’t want to go with the oem bracket because of it being more involved. And, I could save a few bucks to put towards the brake lines. While I have done differential work I just didn’t want to mess with it now. I think more often than not I’ve seen others move from the aluminum adapter brackets to the oem unit. I will likely do that on down the road as I’d like to do a Torsen T2 upgrade or something similar. Maybe knock it all out in one go.

 

[Bill Pemberton]

Getting air to those calipers and rotors is really the biggest issue, so after spending those bucks make absolutely sure you add either brake ducts and hoses , or get one a set of Vorshlag Brake Cooling Deflector Plates ( the ones that go on the A arms. ) I would also get a ducting kit to open up a channel to the rotors/calipers. The Vorshlag plate works great in my estimation and means you can usually get away from having to use ducting hoses.

 

[EF1]

Thanks! I’m glad to know that there’s a tangible benefit there with this upgrade.

I’ll sheepishly admit that I really didn’t want to go with the oem bracket because of it being more involved. And, I could save a few bucks to put towards the brake lines. While I have done differential work I just didn’t want to mess with it now. I think more often than not I’ve seen others move from the aluminum adapter brackets to the oem unit. I will likely do that on down the road as I’d like to do a Torsen T2 upgrade or something similar. Maybe knock it all out in one go.

Using the oem brackets really doesn't involve any differential work. Yes, you have to open up the differential and remove the axle locking bolt, but you are not messing with the carrier or pinion. It really isn't much more than changing the diff lube if you still have the stock steel cover without a drain plug. If you still have the stock steel cover it is a good time to replace it with a finned aluminum cover that has a drain plug. It will make changing fluid much easier making it more likely that you will do it. Oh and the extra fluid capacity helps with heat.

 

[stevbd]

Agree with @EF1. Removing the axles to install oem brackets takes a little more time but definitely not hard. You can also replace the axle seals and bearings which is good maintenance on a high mileage car. I did all this easily and I am no expert wrench, not even close. Installing a new Torsen-style diff involves a LOT more specialized expertise, I farmed that out!

 

[CYCLN3.7]

If you still have the stock steel cover it is a good time to replace it with a finned aluminum cover that has a drain plug. It will make changing fluid much easier making it more likely that you will do it. Oh and the extra fluid capacity helps with heat.

The diff cover, that’s something I hadn’t thought of. I’m focusing on the brakes at the moment but I will be doing a diff refresh at some point and perfect opportunity.

Anyone happen to know the difference between the “nice” looking cover and the “functional” looking cover.

Agree with @EF1. Removing the axles to install oem brackets takes a little more time but definitely not hard. You can also replace the axle seals and bearings which is good maintenance on a high mileage car. I did all this easily and I am no expert wrench, not even close. Installing a new Torsen-style diff involves a LOT more specialized expertise, I farmed that out!

Looks like I’ll need to reconsider going with Ford oem parts rather than the aluminum bracket. Price was another big factor. I had a budget I was trying to stick with at the moment. Knowing I could upgrade to it later on when I had a little more resources. Thanks for advice guys!

 

[EF1]

The diff cover, that’s something I hadn’t thought of. I’m focusing on the brakes at the moment but I will be doing a diff refresh at some point and perfect opportunity.

Anyone happen to know the difference between the “nice” looking cover and the “functional” looking cover.
View attachment 84125
View attachment 84126

Looks like I’ll need to reconsider going with Ford oem parts rather than the aluminum bracket. Price was another big factor. I had a budget I was trying to stick with at the moment. Knowing I could upgrade to it later on when I had a little more resources. Thanks for advice guys!

The top cover has a stud girdle and is used mostly in drag racing setups. The bottom one has cooling fins and holds an additional quart of oil. It is what I used.

The oem caliper brackets really aren't much more $ than the aluminum adaptors and both will work. There are forum members that used the aluminum adaptors for a long time without problems. There is nothing wrong with choosing this route. I personally try to stay away from dissimilar metals when I can to avoid things coming loose due to different rates off expansion/contraction while heating and cooling. Also, I needed to change my gear oil any way which required opening up the differential. It just made sense to me to do it all at once. Good luck on whatever you decide.

 

[TMSBOSS]

Anyone happen to know the difference between the “nice” looking cover and the “functional” looking cover

About a hundred bucks.
I had a both covers shown above. If there is a chance you may end up with a watts link (sorry BS1) look at clearance issues before buying. Now I have the Cortex cover which comes with their watts link. Buy once and don’t make my mistake.

 

[blacksheep-1]

The finned cover will fit with the panhard bar, the one with the girdle ( which I prefer) won't without some " adjusting"

 

[blacksheep-1]

The finned cover will fit with the panhard bar, the one with the girdle ( which I prefer) won't without some " adjusting"

The broken cover will fit the watts link

 

[CYCLN3.7]

Here’s the latest update on my endeavors…

RESOLVED - Bane of My Existence - Coolant Pump Seal/Timing Cover Gasket HELP!!

What started as a water pump repair has turned into a lot, lot more…Water pump was easy to remove and I had all the parts to fix it this past Sunday. Fast forward 3 days and I’m in neck deep into a coolant pump seal repair or as everywhere else calls it, a “ford gasket”. Nothing at all I...

trackmustangsonline.com

 

[CYCLN3.7]

You know it's been a while when you've had to go and read your own build thread to get caught back up. Haha! There's always something about Spring and warm weather coming that draws me back to TrackMusangsOnline and subsequently back to wanting to finish things up on my car. Though last year was a little rough and my plans of ever making it to the track in 2023 never happened, this will be the first time I'm here to say I don't know when I'll be able to make it to a track day. But just as much, I still enjoy my car and reading up on everyone else's.

So, just for anyone that enjoys reading through other builds, here is where I left off on my car a couple of years ago.

Before I ever got to install the Brembo GT500 4 piston calipers and other mods, I had an issue with a leaking coolant pump. You can read about that fiasco in the last post I made. I won't bore you here but long story short, use Ford OEM when possible. Saves a lot of headaches.

From there, all my brake components came in for my full front brake upgrade and rear disc upgrade:

2008 GT500 Brembo Take Off's (great condition, didn't need a rebuild)
Motul RBF 600
Raybestos 14" Front Disc
Raybestos 14" Rear GT500 Disc
Relocation Brackets for rear caliper (Not a specific brand but good quality)
PowerStop Extreme Front and Rear Pads
J&M Stainless Steel Brake Lines (No pictures unfortunately.





After all those came in, it was off to the races. I took my car over to my wife's parent's house where I was able to use his garage and knock this out over the weekend. All was pretty straightforward and I can't recall if there were any issues.

Here are the front Before and After

Such a massive difference in style...because we know that's the most important.

No great pictures of the rear, not sure what I was thinking there. But I got a few and if anyone is familiar with these stock rears, they're abysmal. Style wise. Here is everything bolted up and I am more than ectastic with this upgrade.


The relocation brackets, although not the OEM GT500 Brackets, have not caused any issues and no squealing that I think I remember being reported a while back with this type of upgrade. For reference, I've been running these for two years now and not one issue with these.

Also if not noticeable are the Eibach lowering springs I installed with my stock struts and shocks. I haven't upgraded those at that moment but I do have an update on that particular deal soon enough. Here's how she sits afterwards and I should've done this a longgg time ago.