MN-12 to SN95 Bolt Pattern Swap..

SanDiegoLXBird

Registered User
Okay... sure I've got an LX, but I figured maybe you guys/gals might be a little more help on this particular subject.

I've been looking to swap over to the SN95 bolt pattern for a couple reasons (including ofcourse, the bling). The article I've read on it's pretty good on the subject, but it fails to tell me a couple things.

Can I use the caliper off of a 99+ Cobra to avoid having to modify the knuckle or caliper? I'd really love to avoid that. Mainly because I think I'd mess something up.

If I can't and I need to fabricate the bracket, it looks like I'm going to be semi-buggered. :)

Thanks in advance for any help.
 
Are you talking about the rear caliper? The rear Cobra calipers have a different bolt spacing. They are basically identical to the MN12 rears aside from that. You will have to make a spacer bracket to space the MN12 caliper up and over enough to use the larger Cobra rotor.

On the front, "IF" you have a 93 and up, it's all bolt-on.

An article by DLF on the Cobra brakes, etc http://members.bellatlantic.net/~fraleigh/Article.html
 
If your LX has rear drum brakes, you will have to modify the knuckle to accept the SC rear caliper. I believe the LX knuckles were threaded and this needs to be drilled out to accept the larger SC caliper bolts that pass through the knuckle. I also believe another part of the knuckle needs to be ground down for proper fit of the disk brake backing plate. There was an old Super Ford magazine that detailed this swap. I can get the particulars on the exact issue, if you are interested.

Like was stated in the other post, if you want to use the Cobra rotors on the rear, then you will need to make a spacer and modify the knuckle for the spacer to fit. The SC rear caliper is used for either the stock SC rotors or the Cobra rotors.
 
SDbird,

I've just been through all this.
Up fronts, you got all the info needed from DLF's webpage, its simple. Front cobra calipers will work but you need to have 93 or up front spindle as mentioned. As for brakes for the fronts, try www.diskbrakesrus.com they have tons of mustang stuff at good prices (i think), i have a front set of calipers on order. then you need rotors>> enter KVR and www.supercoupeperformance.com

KVR sells/makes rotors and the rear brake package that fits the bird(so you can have matching rotors), and they can drill the rear rotors for SN95 so no worries for redrills or anything. the rear brake package come with a bracket so you don't have to make something, which i personally don't thing is very safe.

As far as a swap if you have rear drums, never been there so you need to get the info from george (gldiii).
George can you send that article my way. thanks

And last bit, my dad does good car work and we do a lot of SC work, we got 3 of them, so if you need. Call up John 858-679-1685. We are in Poway

let me know if you have any more questions,
jim
xgudaniumx@hotmail.com
 
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Jim, the article is in Super Ford, October 1997.

I'm not sure what you mean by saying that KVR makes a rear brake package for this upgrade. Could you elaborate and do you have a part number?

The only thing needed in the rear is just to have the SC rotors redrilled to the 4.5" bolt circle and the stock SC calipers just bolt up.

The only time a bracket is needed is if you use the larger diameter Cobra rotors. Then the bracket is need to move the stock SC caliper out a little further. My bracket is machined from a piece of mild steel, has been on the car for nearly 15,000 miles and I can assure you that type of bracket is very safe for this upgrade.
 
rear brakes

george, i'm gonna send you an email so you have the return address for the article you tried to send. You had the correct email but for some reason it didn't work.

Anyway for the rear brakes.
KVR's rear brake package, is available from www.supercoupeperformance.com. Its brake package number six. It comes with 12in. rotors, pads and a bracket made to move the caliper out for use of the bigger rotors. You are supposed to reuse the Tbird calipers. When ordering this, if you want you can have them drill the 5x 4.5 bolt circle instead of 5x4.25.
But you're right, if you want to keep the stock rotor size then all you need to do is redrill the rotors. I guess i left that out before, thinking that he wanted to go with bigger brakes.

As for making your own bracket. Like you said its been there for 15000 miles, and I'm sure you really "use" your brakes too, cause you go to the track don't you, but I don't know, its just one of those things that i feel better about having a piece thats made for the car. I can tell you this though, if I get my brakes and the bracket is just a plasma cut piece of steel, their going back and i'm making my own, or maybe i'll sell the package to someone.

George tell me this, are you running cobra rear rotors with SC calipers or have you gotten the cobra rear calipers also, just wondering. Oh yeah also, I'm betting you have braided stainless lines on your brakes front/rear/ or both, where did you get them?? (my front brakes will be the PBR/cobra calipers)

Check me did i answer everything?
jim
 
Jim, thanks for the update I had not seen those rear brake upgrades anywhere before.

My brackt is a machined piece of steel with the proper offset for it to work. I tried to run the Cobra calipers but ended up with the stock SC calipers for a couple of reasons. The exit path of the Cobra caliper emergency brake cable interfered with the large backspacing on my 9.5" wide 17" rims. Also the pads on the SC caliper are bigger than the pads on the Cobras.

I tried a set of stainless likes that MN12 Performance used to have made. They leaked at the joints and Rich took them back. He has since quit trying to have them made. So I ended up with just new rubber lines. Still looking for a good source for the stainless steel ones. I may find a place and have some made over the winter.
 
As per the brake lines,
do you know how long they would need to be for the fronts and for the rears?? I'm going to measure but thought i'd ask,

and also, where the hard lines connect to the rubber-- do you know what the thread is, and what type of fitting it is NPT, AN, etc., I'm gonna try and find out if there are some break lines that already exist that can be put onto our cars.

I've come across some companies in my reasearch that carry a lot of brake lines and such, but i need to know especially, what the threads are, and i can't open my system till after christmas, when i'm out of school.

jim
 
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