Project GR350 Update: Brake Away

Kinja'd!!! "Paul, Man of Mustangs" (stangmanpaul)
11/09/2013 at 14:36 • Filed to: projectgr350

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The trigger has been pulled. The SN-95 axles and disc brakes are going away. In their place will be some Fox length axles and Wilwood brakes. The Fox axles are 3/4" shorter per side than the SN-95 axles, so rather than changing wheels or stretching my fenders, I'll just have to roll them a bit.

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For a caliper, we are using Wilwood's Dynapro caliper with 1" pistons. The larger 1.38" pistons of the Dynalite caliper that normally comes with the Fox Mustang disc brake upgrade kit would seriously compromise the braking balance, especially with my fairly basic Kelsey-Hayes style brakes in the front.

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Our rotor choice is this smooth-surfaced 12.19" piece with an integral parking drum brake. Smooth brake discs have better pedal feel and modulation ability because of a thin layer of gas between the pad and disc surface that acts as a sort of spring, making it more like applying a clutch than an on-off switch. It mostly plays a role at higher temperatures, but that's when modulation is most important. Slots are really only for cleaning pads of glazing after very heavy usage, and drilling is mostly just good for cold-stopping power because of gas venting, so you get the on-off switch. Otherwise, they're just for looks and driving up the cost of the rotor.

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I know, I'm mismatching the front and rear brake pads. Fronts are Hawk HP Plus, which are a track-based compound that is good on the street, so we wanted something similar for the rear. Wilwood's Polymatrix E compound fits the bill nicely, with a stable coefficient of friction across the temperature range, nearly eliminating the possibility of fade in general street performance. Pad life will also be decent for a street car.

I'm hoping that everything arrives by Wednesday, but I'm done guessing when it will actually happen. I'll let you know when it does get here though.


DISCUSSION (1)


Kinja'd!!! Paul, Man of Mustangs > Paul, Man of Mustangs
11/09/2013 at 16:01

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If I had to get a front kit with it right now, this would be it: Wilwood Dynapro 4-piston brakes

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