Newb from Texas

[brycelino]

If you haunt Facebook Marketplace and Craigslist you might find some smoking deals locally. I picked up a complete JBA stainless steel exhaust system from shorty headers to the tailpipes for $100, a Flowmaster cat back for $100, Ford Racing PI intakes for $150 or less, used Eibach lowering springs for $100, Accufab 75MM throttle body and plenum for $150, BBK shorty headers for $125, and front brakes and complete rear end including brakes and 3.73 gears from a Cobra for $400. All parts were used but in good condition. Yeah, I've bought a few parts that weren't what they were said to be and didn't fit, but overall got a lot of good parts without breaking the bank. Shop carefully and do your research before buiying.

oh yeah i also wanted to buy gears too i heard the 4.10 are good but how are the 3.73

 

[brycelino]

a

The stock brakes were horrid and MyLittlePony makes so much sense when he mentions front end damage. I actually almost rear ended someone after they pulled out in front of me. It was nothing insane (I have a 2018 F150 I DD and it 100% would have stopped with no issue minus cuss words) but with my Mustang it was scary how bad the brake fade and performance was when the brakes were slammed on. I also had my daughter in the car. That’s when I finally said I need to just go ahead and get the brakes done. I’ve been wanting to do it for a while and that sealed the deal.

I actually recently just did them over the quarantine. The stock braking system I completely overhauled just over a year ago too with new rotors, new calipers, new rubber brake lines and a fluid flush thinking that’s all I needed to do to get adequate braking power but the stock stuff is really that bad.

When I did this project over quarantine I went with refurb powder coated front cobra calipers, kept the rears GT, new front rotors as Cobra is 13” versus GT 11”. Went with stainless braided lines at all four corners and Hawk HPS 5.0 pads in all 4 corners. Brake fluid was flushed again.

Break the new pads in properly and the difference is absolutely positively night and day. I simply couldn’t believe the difference in stopping power. I will say you can definitely tell the fronts are doing a lot more of the work now which makes me want to redo the rears with a Cobra swap but not enough to drop the coin to do it anytime soon. In respect to safety it’s one of the best mods I should have done long ago. The peace of mind alone that I can now stop hard when needed is restored. Since roads are empty I tested a few circumstances when I needed to slam on them hard and no fade at all and it worked just as I had hoped.

I don’t know what your budget is, but it sounds like maybe the previous owner didn’t do maintenance on them if you need to stand on them. It’s all about what you want versus budget. Before the cobra swap I was really really eyeing a full Wilwood brake swap. It would have put me in the 3k mark but that’s how bad my experience scared me plus where i love you are automatically at fault if you rear end someone. Didn’t want the hassle. I’m glad I didn’t as what I have now more then meets what I wanted.

You could just do new stainless braided lines, new stock rotors, and a good quality pad, flush it and be absolutely happy with it. All in what your budget is for the project. I did my cobra swap with a target budget in mind and hit it doing some homework and shopping around.

In regards to your question on air. Could have air or may just need a flush. Brake fluid absorbs moisture over time which is why fluid needs to be flushed as a maintenance item. Water doesn’t compress and brakes work on hydraulic pressure. Water will also rot brake lines internally over time. Rubber lines also become brittle over time and will expand more then what spec calls for also degrading performance. Look at them visually and see if they are cracked or damaged. Even take a picture maybe for us to see. You can also take a turkey baster to extract fluid from the master cylinder under the hood. Is the fluid clear like it should be or brown which will tell you if it’s bad?

I have details in the build thread in my sig of you want to see what I did and the costs. You could do the swap even cheaper than I did but I splurged a bit so I didn’t have to mess with it again.


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alright i’m a noob here so exactly where would the rubber lines be located

 

[PinkieT]

oh yeah i also wanted to buy gears too i heard the 4.10 are good but how are the 3.73

3.73 is my preference. Better drivability on the street, especially freeway speeds, than a 4.10. You may like the 4.10, though, everybody is different.

 

[MyLittlePony]

Unless I missed it, you didn’t answer my first question. TX is a big state. I just wanted to know whether or not you were in DFW. I’m on mobile, so I don’t know if that bit of info is omitted in this format.

Next, the braking/front end collision issue: in addition to upgrading the brakes... ...when life comes back to normal again, I highly recommend pursuing autocross. These cars were set up mostly for straight drags, despite the speed, but it is good for driver training. My 145 V6 had a better time than an SN95 cobra simply due to me being able to handle it better. I noticed that while in the real world, I would lock up my brakes, panic and freeze. After enough autocross races, I was able to swerve these obstacles. Even with upgraded brakes, it’s important to have this skill.

yes the 96 does come with abs, and totally the car isn’t fast but i do notice it gets a little faster with the top down. my sister owns a bmw 128i and it feels way faster than my car. also the steering wheel gets kinda loose when i go over 60 mph does anyone know what may cause this. I haven’t got shocks, struts, or an alignment on the car either

well there you go. Any kind of strut, shock, including the lift supports for your trunk lid probably need replacing. That goes for all your bushings. That’s why your steering is off. If I were to upgrade suspension, I’d convert to coil overs. What came on the cars are what came on them in the 60s. It’s just old technology.

 

[Addicted]

^ So true.

a

alright i’m a noob here so exactly where would the rubber lines be located

If you just got the car, one of the best things to do is go get a manual like the Haynes at advance auto, and just flip through and study it. It helps for first timers.

 

[Addicted]

Pinkie has a great point for gears, but if your going to daily drive the car, you may want to think about a 3:55, and play with tire sizes for your overall ratio. 80% of daily drivers if auto is 4:10, if manual is 3:73 in most accounts. I have a manual and I like 3:55, but that just me. Remember about the tire sizes!

 

[brycelino]

Pinkie has a great point for gears, but if your going to daily drive the car, you may want to think about a 3:55, and play with tire sizes for your overall ratio. 80% of daily drivers if auto is 4:10, if manual is 3:73 in most accounts. I have a manual and I like 3:55, but that just me. Remember about the tire sizes!

it is an auto and it will be a daily driver.

 

[brycelino]

i

Unless I missed it, you didn’t answer my first question. TX is a big state. I just wanted to know whether or not you were in DFW. I’m on mobile, so I don’t know if that bit of info is omitted in this format.

Next, the braking/front end collision issue: in addition to upgrading the brakes... ...when life comes back to normal again, I highly recommend pursuing autocross. These cars were set up mostly for straight drags, despite the speed, but it is good for driver training. My 145 V6 had a better time than an SN95 cobra simply due to me being able to handle it better. I noticed that while in the real world, I would lock up my brakes, panic and freeze. After enough autocross races, I was able to swerve these obstacles. Even with upgraded brakes, it’s important to have this skill.



well there you go. Any kind of strut, shock, including the lift supports for your trunk lid probably need replacing. That goes for all your bushings. That’s why your steering is off. If I were to upgrade suspension, I’d convert to coil overs. What came on the cars are what came on them in the 60s. It’s just old technology.

im in the houston area do yk if houston has an autocross and is there a certain coil over you recommend

 

[brycelino]

The stock brakes were horrid and MyLittlePony makes so much sense when he mentions front end damage. I actually almost rear ended someone after they pulled out in front of me. It was nothing insane (I have a 2018 F150 I DD and it 100% would have stopped with no issue minus cuss words) but with my Mustang it was scary how bad the brake fade and performance was when the brakes were slammed on. I also had my daughter in the car. That’s when I finally said I need to just go ahead and get the brakes done. I’ve been wanting to do it for a while and that sealed the deal.

I actually recently just did them over the quarantine. The stock braking system I completely overhauled just over a year ago too with new rotors, new calipers, new rubber brake lines and a fluid flush thinking that’s all I needed to do to get adequate braking power but the stock stuff is really that bad.

When I did this project over quarantine I went with refurb powder coated front cobra calipers, kept the rears GT, new front rotors as Cobra is 13” versus GT 11”. Went with stainless braided lines at all four corners and Hawk HPS 5.0 pads in all 4 corners. Brake fluid was flushed again.

Break the new pads in properly and the difference is absolutely positively night and day. I simply couldn’t believe the difference in stopping power. I will say you can definitely tell the fronts are doing a lot more of the work now which makes me want to redo the rears with a Cobra swap but not enough to drop the coin to do it anytime soon. In respect to safety it’s one of the best mods I should have done long ago. The peace of mind alone that I can now stop hard when needed is restored. Since roads are empty I tested a few circumstances when I needed to slam on them hard and no fade at all and it worked just as I had hoped.

I don’t know what your budget is, but it sounds like maybe the previous owner didn’t do maintenance on them if you need to stand on them. It’s all about what you want versus budget. Before the cobra swap I was really really eyeing a full Wilwood brake swap. It would have put me in the 3k mark but that’s how bad my experience scared me plus where i love you are automatically at fault if you rear end someone. Didn’t want the hassle. I’m glad I didn’t as what I have now more then meets what I wanted.

You could just do new stainless braided lines, new stock rotors, and a good quality pad, flush it and be absolutely happy with it. All in what your budget is for the project. I did my cobra swap with a target budget in mind and hit it doing some homework and shopping around.

In regards to your question on air. Could have air or may just need a flush. Brake fluid absorbs moisture over time which is why fluid needs to be flushed as a maintenance item. Water doesn’t compress and brakes work on hydraulic pressure. Water will also rot brake lines internally over time. Rubber lines also become brittle over time and will expand more then what spec calls for also degrading performance. Look at them visually and see if they are cracked or damaged. Even take a picture maybe for us to see. You can also take a turkey baster to extract fluid from the master cylinder under the hood. Is the fluid clear like it should be or brown which will tell you if it’s bad?

I have details in the build thread in my sig of you want to see what I did and the costs. You could do the swap even cheaper than I did but I splurged a bit so I didn’t have to mess with it again.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

the brake lines don’t have any cracks and don’t feel brittle but the fluid was yellowish

 

[brycelino]

i believe i do have a transmission leak because i see red liquid from under the car it maybe a seal needs replacing because the original owner didn’t really drive the car he kept it in the garage.

 

[MyLittlePony]

im in the houston area do yk if houston has an autocross and is there a certain coil over you recommend

back when I autocrossed (14 years ago) I participated in SCCA’s Solo2, but many also raced in something called Equipe Rapide. Many will pursue these on the national level, but being a novice, I was only interested in local events, which were at random parking lots... ...even parking lots at real tracks. But they also had events at the Texas Motor Speedway inner track (outer is NASCAR). I loved that location the most because not only did I get to feel more like a serious driver, but it was like one exit from my town. Serious drivers who want to go national, would not race your car, but that doesn’t mean it’s a bad car, just that you want to have fun with your (In assuming) daily driver.

As for suspension, I honestly don’t remember. I went through multiple different setups over the years (had the car since 98). I would need to dig through my receipts. I have kept an extensive collection of documents pertaining to the car, and thankfully had enough foresight to label receipt folders “1990s,” “2000s”, “2010s” and I need to print out a label for “2020s,” as I’ve started accumulating receipts for this decade already. It makes it easier to find what I am looking for, but is still a hassle. When manufacturers have lifetime warranties, they aren’t expecting someone keeping a car that long AND still having the receipt. Anyway, I remember having KYB at some point, and adjustable caster camber plates, but I would have to look.