'88 Turbo Coupe optimizing the stock brakes?

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'88 Turbo Coupe optimizing the stock brakes?

August 08, 2019, 02:15:50 PM

I am not ready yet to do a 5 lug swap and remove the TEVES. Maybe in a couple years.

The brakes in my car feel "vague" is about the only way I can describe it. The pedal doesn't give much feedback what is going on. I have done a couple emergency stops but the wheels didn't lock up so I assume the ABS works, but I didn't the clatter of it turning on either.

The rotors and pads look fairly new on the car, but I am not opposed to swapping them out. I am planning on bleeding the brakes, replacing the pins in the front and find the shims for the pads if any.

Any suggestions on what else to do other than bleeding the lines? Maybe some other pads?

Thanks!
Mike

Re: '88 Turbo Coupe optimizing the stock brakes?

Reply #1 – August 08, 2019, 03:05:22 PM

Maybe swapping the master cylinder also. I plan on doing that soon. I suspect it may be leaking internally. Its the original piece and may have been damaged by bleeding brakes in the past. Fortunately they are cheap.

Stainless flexible brake lines may help also.

Re: '88 Turbo Coupe optimizing the stock brakes?

Reply #2 – August 09, 2019, 04:56:21 AM

There are a lot of things you can do to get some more out of your braking system, but the most important thing is to start by making sure it's all working properly.

Start by looking over your rubber lines first. My car had decent lines between the body and calipers. The line between the body and the rear looked like this:

Doing a full flush of the brake fluid is also a big help. Brake fluid collects moisture and other over time, and that will squish and compress and give you a py pedal feel.

Something I did on a previous car that helped a bit was some stainless caliper sleeves. I forgot where I initially got them, but Maximum Motorsports carries them. They replace the rubber sleeves in the front calipers that the slide pin passes through. They help keep the caliper more square with the rotor.

https://www.maximummotorsports.com/Stainless-Steel-Brake-Caliper-Sleeves-1987-93-P666.aspx

Pads will also help greatly. A more aggressive pad will make the brakes feel more responsive and add more stopping power. The problem is that these cars have fewer options than they once did. You can probably find some good front pads, but the rears are very limited.

Re: '88 Turbo Coupe optimizing the stock brakes?

Reply #3 – August 11, 2019, 03:35:17 AM

232ci,

What year and model is the car in your axle housing photo?

Is it a 7.5" or 8.8"?

Re: '88 Turbo Coupe optimizing the stock brakes?

Reply #4 – August 11, 2019, 09:44:32 PM

Quote from: Jack Hidley – on August 11, 2019, 03:35:17 AM

232ci,

What year and model is the car in your axle housing photo?

Is it a 7.5" or 8.8"?

That is an 8.8 in an 88 Turbo Coupe.

Re: '88 Turbo Coupe optimizing the stock brakes?

Reply #5 – August 11, 2019, 11:28:36 PM

Thanks.

Bizzaro-world Thunderbird parts:)

Re: '88 Turbo Coupe optimizing the stock brakes?

Reply #6 – August 12, 2019, 02:10:54 AM

The Turbo Coupes have a lot of little, specific parts. It becomes a pain as companies are discontinuing correct parts and lumping part numbers together across TC and non TC cars.

Re: '88 Turbo Coupe optimizing the stock brakes?

Reply #7 – August 12, 2019, 09:24:35 AM

The threads on the brakes lines are different too from the Mustang to Tbird?

I wouldn't be opposed to swapping out to some braided lines.

I am going to call MM about the CRES sleeves and some street pads for front and back. I checked the hoses on the front last time I had the front wheels off, but have not inspected any in the rear.

232ci - good point about the brake fluid absorbing water. These brakes don't have the mushy feel of contaminated water like my dirt bike, but being a car I am not sure it would feel the same in the pedal as the bike. The fluid is old and it needs to go anyways. Thanks for the link!!!

Re: '88 Turbo Coupe optimizing the stock brakes?

Reply #8 – August 14, 2019, 06:16:19 AM

I haven't done much to mess with the stock brakes in a lot of years now, so I'm not entirely sure what we can get away with for braided lines anymore. A fox body Mustang has the same size fittings on both sides on the front, where ours have a larger one on one side. I also don't know if the length is close enough. In the rear, the 94-95 SN95 lines are an almost direct swap, but once again, I'm unsure if they will work with the stock calipers. The rear center line is specific to the TC and possibly the Mark VII.

I know we did have options for stainless years ago, but the last time I looked was probably 10-12 years ago now.

Re: '88 Turbo Coupe optimizing the stock brakes?

Reply #9 – August 17, 2019, 02:51:01 AM

The big problem with using Mustang brake hoses on a Thunderbird is that the Thunderbird is designed for more suspension travel, so the hoses are longer and/or routed differently. In particular this really applies to the rear center hose.

We do have rear caliper hoses which will fit on a Thunderbird TC. These are in the 1994-95 Mustang section.

Re: '88 Turbo Coupe optimizing the stock brakes?

Reply #10 – January 27, 2020, 01:10:50 PM

Thanks to Jack for helping me order the correct parts through the technical assistance on Maximum Motorsports.

I will update my "Work in Progress" thread with the brakes and other items located here: https://www.foxtbirdcougarforums.com/index.php?topic=40904.0

Re: '88 Turbo Coupe optimizing the stock brakes?

Reply #11 – April 06, 2020, 10:38:55 AM

Couple questions on the braided brakes lines that I hope between TBird232ci and Mr. Hidley can help me on.

The front brake lines hex that is supposed to go through the bracket does not fit on the MM lines. Suggestions? The original hex on the hose line was .635" versus the larger MM hex size. I did try rotating it a few times to see if there was a spot with the lower flat that would go, but no luck. Thinking maybe safety wire it down using the retaining ring groove after assembled with a few steering wheel cycles (left-right).

The rear brake line hits the bracket for the quad shock bracket. I was thinking of bending the MM bracket so the hose doesn't rub. Good or bad idea?

Re: '88 Turbo Coupe optimizing the stock brakes?

Reply #12 – April 06, 2020, 04:59:18 PM

On the front brakes I took a triangular metal file and opened up the hex hole on the mounting tab. Another possible solution would to be source them off of a Fox or SN95 Mustang.

Just bend the rear mounting tabs but pay attention to the suspension travel so you don't put the brake line in harms way. Another solution would be to get good UCA's and LCA's, remove the quad shock, and cut the quad shock bracket of the rear end housing. That is what I did on both my cars but I view the quad shocks as a terrible band aid.

Re: '88 Turbo Coupe optimizing the stock brakes?

Reply #13 – April 06, 2020, 08:56:40 PM

Thanks Aerocoupe for the sanity check on bending the brackets to clear the bracket and what to look for clearance. I gave them a little tweak and all set. Hopefully by next year I won't need the quad shock anymore.

I didn't think about filing the brackets out to fit the lines. I will give it a go tomorrow.

Re: '88 Turbo Coupe optimizing the stock brakes?

Reply #14 – April 07, 2020, 04:00:42 PM

Thanks to Aerocoupe for the tip. Took a bit of time filing both and I also used a dremel to help with the id. Added a coat of paint.