Assistance with brake set up....Guidance needed

stang4u2nv

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hi guys i have a 94 gt and i recently installed a set of 13" cobra brakes in the front. thats all fine and dandy but now i seem to have a much harder pedal feel. the front tires will not lock up at all. iknow i have abs but it feels like the pedal won't go any farther down and its hard. Now i have been researching and it seems like my master cylinder should be replaced with a 95 cobra or cobra R master cylinder because te smaller bore ( 15/16) i believe. my master cylinder is 1.006" bore or so. do you guys have any idea if this cobra master cylinder is a direct bolt on? are the threads different?

Note i have an F 303 cam and i see at idle 10"-13" hg of vacuum and around 20"-25" while engine braking.

Could this hard pedal feel be caused by the engine vacuum or the master cylinder?
 

wayne94mustang

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i know many guys who run those brakes with the stock GT master cylinder and they feel great.

maybe your ABS unit is bad or you have air in the lines. i had a bad ABS unit and i tore it off and my car has never stoped better.
 

BlkoutGT

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You might have some air in the lines. Did you bleed them after you installed the cobra callipers?
 
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stang4u2nv

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actually i did bleed them. i did like 3 times. i'm out of ideas here...
 

BlkoutGT

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Dang, hopefully some of the other members will get a brainstorm.
 

ReplicaR

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Ok, first of all, let's clear something up. If there is air in the system the pedal is very soft, and sinks to the floor. It's not air at all.

I've dealt with this in the past. 94-95 GT cars require a different master cylinder. This is why Ford Racing kit for 94-95 cars comes with it. With the one you have on the car right now you will probably not even be able to lock the brakes up, so believe me, you're not even using them at all at this point. Give Ford Racing a call, and ask them to ship you a correct master cylinder. Last I remember it was something like 80-100 dollars, and they'll ship it pretty quickly too. Also when you do the swap be aware that you will need to swap the line fitting around, so you will have to cut the lines, swap the fittings, and reflare them after. If you do not know how to do this, find someone who does, and have them do it.
 

BlkoutGT

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As I got to thinking about it, I remember it should be soft if there is air, lol and I just had that problem with my GF's ranger. (sorry brainfart) ReplicaR how come some peaple say they didnt have to change the M.C. ? did they get extremly lucky or just lyeing?
 

ReplicaR

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You don't have to change it. The car will run just fine, and it will stop. I know several people who have a 94-95 with Cobra or Mach 1 kit, and no master cylinder switch, and they drive it around and they think it fine. I've driven those cars, and they all do the same thing as mine did when I ran cobra brakes with stock master cylinder. The pedal is super stiff, and no matter how hard you press on it, you will not get close to lock up. Above 40 mph it feels like you are barely pressing on it.

People who use stock master cylinder, and say that they love their new cobra brake kit, simply don't know any better. Unless you are installing a right master cylinder on a 94-95, you might as well tie your new brake kit to your rear bumper, because that's about as good of stopping power you are gonna get. I can guarantee that stock brakes will stop better. 96+ cars have different master cylinder and do not require swap, but it's absolute must for a 94-95, if you are planning on utilizing your brakes completely.
 

BlkoutGT

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Note to self: when I upgrade my brakes, upgrade the MC too.

Good to know, should make a stickie or somthing if its not already.
 
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stang4u2nv

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Anja....so i was right i do need the 15/16 MC from the 95 cobras.....ok i also read that they had different threads or reverse threading...is this true? what do i need to install the cobra MC?? thanks for your help...
 

ReplicaR

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Call Ford Racing and order one from them.

To install the master cylinder you will have to swap the fittings on the lines. The lines still go to the same places, but fittings at the end of them need to be swapped. This was ridiculously hard to do, and at the end after I made a few mistakes, I had to go get new lines from Autozone, swap the fittings, and bend them into shape myself.
 

mxracerzero

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reviving from the dead. the other master for 94-95 swap is a complete special one or just the 96 and up one?
 

atlanticblue98

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mxracerzero said:
reviving from the dead. the other master for 94-95 swap is a complete special one or just the 96 and up one?

the other master cylinder is the facotry 94-95 Cobra master cylinder since 94-95 cobra's came with those brakes from the factory, their master cylinder is different.

96+ master cylinders are different because ford switched to Hydroboost when the 4.6l was put in the mustang. however 96+ V6 cars still have normal vaccum assisted brakes and never swapped to hydroboost, so 96-04 V6 still benefit from the 94-95 cobra master cylinder.
 

mxracerzero

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does anyone know the part number for the updated master cylinder? are new lines required at the master with the new one?
 

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