Late Model Parts on 4-eyes

[CarlsV6]

Just wondering About the possibility of using a 94-98 Rear end in a 4-eye along with the disk brakes. Also, are the suspension arms, shocks, springs, etc, the same?

I might have a 96-98 4.6 with a salvage tite that I can rob some parts off of soon :D .

[FunkRider82]

Get the spindles and front brakes aswell.

[jazzcat2001]

do a modular swap....the 96-98 stuff will work but time to find wheels with different offsets..only the 94-95s will work correctly on a fox..

[PNY XPRS]

IIRC, you can use the rear end and the front spindles and springs with no problems. You will need to use wheels from a late model car as well though as you will be increasing the track of your car by about an inch and a half.

The brakes off that car might be a problem, I'm not sure. The GTs used hydro-boosted brakes not vacuum-boosted. I think that means that you will be able to use all the brake components except the master cylender and the booster. You'll need to go find those off a v6 car from 94-96.

[CarlsV6]

Oh yeah, the front brakes and spindles are a definate, I know those will work.

I think I could live with a slightly widened rear track :twisted: , could always roll the fenders a little if necessary.

I thought about doing the modular swap but aside from suspension, I want to keep this car for the most part original since it was unhacked/molested when I bought it.

If I had another car, say a coupe or something sitting around I'd definately try and squeeze it in, I thought about my 2000 becoming a 4.6 but don't really want to go through all that, plus it'd bump my insurance up.

I'll have to look into the master cylinder/booster, wouldn't really be a problem to change over to get the newer brakes, the stock ones can be just plain scary sometimes.

[v8only]

Like others said, the rear will fit, disc to disc. that particular rear will fit no problem. It will push your rear out, but you shouldn't have any tire issues unless running really big slicks.

I am pretty sure the v8 and v6 boosters are different. My bro put a v6 booster from a 98 v6 stang and master cylinder into his 88 notch with a little mods to the firewall, however, the v8 booster I think is completely different. I have linked Corey to this thread, as he has done a lot of research. Check out another thread I have started in this forum, The v6 booster made literally a world of difference in his 88 for stopping power. the major problem, though, is the four eye cars supposedly have the shock towers closer to the firewall, and the sn95 boosters are a no go, as is the 93 cobra booster. Looking up part #'s yielded the fact that the svo booster is the same thing as a gt booster, so that won't work either. We are trying to come up with a solution for this.

[50 Proof]

94-98 V6 brake boosters are the same. 94/95 GT Brake boosters are the same as 94-98 V6 Brake boosters. I don't believe you'll be able to use the 96-98 GT brake booster, it's different.
I was able to install a 98 V6 brake booster into my 88 Coupe with only elongating ALL FOUR firewall holes.
The rear ends from the 96+ GT Mustangs I believe have 3.27 gears(might be 3.55 but i doubt it). Don't get a V6 rear, it's still a 7.5. It's a direct bolt in except for the hard brake lines. I believe you'll need a fitting of some sort. Otherwise it should just bolt right up, and you'll have rear disc brakes and slightly upgraded gears.
Now, the axels on the 96+ GT rears are longer, so your rear wheels will be pushed out.
I've heard that you can't install the 94-98 V6 brake booster into an 86 and older stang without Smashing the strut tower and elongating the firewall holes.

Just have to rant for a second...
So many people smash in their strut tower. DO NOT smash in your strut tower. People who do that are insane. If only they realized how much force is being put onto those strut towers when your driving. The geometry of these strut towers are designed they way they were for a reason. You take a BFH to your strut tower and your screwing up the geometry of your strut tower which will effect your suspension and will cause you to run into problems later on down the road. Do it at your own risk. People don't realize this and wonder why they have to have the stress cracks on their strut tower welded.

[CarlsV6]

Ok, so pretty much everything will work except the brake booster. What about something like a turbocoupe or thunderbird brake booster?

[v8only]

I heard that's a no no too. we are working on the brake booster thing. THis seems to be a major issue that no one has addressed so far without the use of a big f&cking hammer

[CarlsV6]

You can't use an SVO booster? Weren't those first in 84 which used the older strut towers?

[v8only]

I looked up the parts #'s at all the parts stores, and they all listed the exact same # for the brake boosters for an svo and a gt of that era. Unless I'm missing something, they are either the same booster, or the difference is so negligable, that all the manufactorers use the same booster now for both cars.

[CarlsV6]

Interesting, doesn't make a whole lot of sense unless the svo's had different from chassis sections, which would mean a whole slew of minor differences. Have ya'll actually taken measurements firewall to strut towers comparing the two?

[50 Proof]

haha that sucks about the SVO brake booster, oh well.
You could always take a V6 brake booster, hack off the studs. Drill out the broken studs that you hacked off, thread the holes where the studs were. Then place the brake booster against the firewall, and bolt the ****er in from the inside of the car. I wonder how possible this would be?

[v8only]

It is the svo and the standard 86-93 gt that have the same booster part #. The 93 cobra part # is different, but that booster too is too big. we are going to measure the clearances this afternoon between my bro's 86 gt and his 88 notch. I have another thread going about that where I will post the results later to finally clear up these clearance discrepencies.

[50 Proof]

how did ford get the 93 cobra booster into the 93 cobra without smashing the strut tower? Did SVT elongate the firewall holes too?

[v8only]

haha that sucks about the SVO brake booster, oh well.
You could always take a V6 brake booster, hack off the studs. Drill out the broken studs that you hacked off, thread the holes where the studs were. Then place the brake booster against the firewall, and bolt the ****er in from the inside of the car. I wonder how possible this would be?

Corey, you kinda blew the birthday candles out on the cake before I could even get to them ;) (didn't want to announce any ideas prematurely...that's cool though, it's not a govt secret or anything, you obviously thought of it too on your own) I am almost thinking we'll also have to mod the brake booster in other ways too.

Dad and I talked about this, and are considering this. We are also considering putting a "kit" together to market and sell if there are any special parts that have to be fab'd up.

[v8only]

how did ford get the 93 cobra booster into the 93 cobra without smashing the strut tower? Did SVT elongate the firewall holes too?

I imagine it is a factory fit with special studs. People have said this booster is ideal,...if you can afford one.

[Evil86lx]

96 and up front spindles are different than 94-95. Cant remember exactly what the difference is though..

kyle

[50 Proof]

96 spindles will work with 99+ GT calipers without modifications, from what I understand. 96 and up spindles also push your front wheels out further. The 94/95 spindles do not push your front wheels out. The 94/95 spindles also need to be modified slightly if your using the 99+ GT calipers.

[Evil86lx]

I thought they where longer than 94-95 but i wasnt sure. Did not know about the calipers though...

kyle

[Coupester]

Just have to rant for a second...
So many people smash in their strut tower. DO NOT smash in your strut tower. People who do that are insane. If only they realized how much force is being put onto those strut towers when your driving. The geometry of these strut towers are designed they way they were for a reason. You take a BFH to your strut tower and your screwing up the geometry of your strut tower which will effect your suspension and will cause you to run into problems later on down the road. Do it at your own risk. People don't realize this and wonder why they have to have the stress cracks on their strut tower welded.

This is absolutely ridiculous. Firstly, hundreds of Stangers have clearanced their strut tower in an effort to provide sufficient space for the 94+ boosters. Secondly, when you clearance the strut tower, the effected area is completely covered up once the booster is installed, and can't even be seen!

To say that suspension geometry is altered by denting the strut tower a little bit, is absolutely ridiculous. Have you taken a look at the swiss cheese assortment of factory-drilled holes all over the strut towers? Surely they must weaken the strut tower more than a hammer could. Honestly, use some commmon sense, and please don't dispell myths that simply are not true.

94-98 V6 boosters are the same, 99+ V6 boosters are the same, and are recommended when using Cobra brakes (what I am using on my 86 coupe).

Chris

[50 Proof]

Do you think ford just sits down with a pencil and some paper and draws a design and says okay, lets make it?
Think for a second. Things are designed and shaped the way they are for a reason. Have you not seen pictures of peoples strut towers that have developed stress cracks from smashing their strut tower? If not, start searching boy. Do you have any idea, any at all, how much force and pressure is being put onto that strut tower? Do you have any idea how much movement and chassis flex these cars have and how SMASHING in your strut tower just MIGHT be affected? Do you think people put Strut tower braces on just for the hell of it? Do you think people install sub frame connectors because they just don't know what else to do with their money? If you can't comprehend this, then sit down and think about it for awhile. Just because there are a large marjority of people doing it, doesn't mean it's okay to do it. My dad builds 60 million dollar aircraft, more specifically the wing box, one of the most stressful points in the airplane. While our mustangs are not airplanes, I come from a family of Engineers who additionally have ASE certifications, and who know what they are talking about.

Smashing your strut tower in can lead to stress cracks which can lead to your suspension getting all screwed up and who knows what else. Your strut tower was not designed or intented to have a BIG F'N HAMMER smashed into it. Just because the effects wont always be short term, they definately will be long term.

Try this. Go smash all your toes with a hammer, smash them really hard. Can you walk okay now? Why not?

Oh, and if your so certain that what I'm saying is not true, Prove it!!!

[v8only]

94-95 v6 and gt booster are the same, additionally 94-04 v6 boosters all work, 96+gt boosters are all different.

Sorry buddy, Corey is right on the money with this one. To think that you are going to bash in your strut tower and have no ill effects is the most ludicrous and irresponsible things I have ever heard. The same people who say this, are the same breed that feel it is "ok" to cut a heater box open. (not trying to offend or start another battle) It is a fact that the shock towers do move some with the car, as Corey mentioned, this is why people buy a strut tower brace. ANY sort of bashing and bending is going to weaken that strut tower PERIOD, and you are crazy to think it may not have an ill effect. Do you have any clue how much pressure is in that area??? Hell, try pulling out a spring the improper way with the cars weight OFF the ground, you won't be around to tell, put 3300 pounds of mustang on top of that suspension, couple it with your typical lowering job, and a 400 horse engine and a bashed in shock tower, and you tell me if that thing is not going to start to have issues!!!! Oh, and swiss cheese....believe it or not, anything ford does, does have a reason, and any holes in the framework from the factory are fine. Besides, how many holes do you have in your tower???I don't think I have but a couple or so.

Here is a quote from perhaps one of the two best brakes/suspension guys I have ever read so far in the mustang world. He did this mod to his own car, but was aprehensive about doing it, and didn't deny the possibility of harm. I got this straight off of the corral.

What you are saying sounds like the defense of a guilty man. If you've done the mod already, you're sure as hell going to want to think you didn't mess anything up.

Originally posted by stangPlus2Birds
One reason that Ford went to the hydro boost was for space reasons. No room for a typical booster when a 4.6 is put in the engine bay. With the Cobra 4.6 it gets even tighter. (You thought that working on Fox's was bad. :)). So, all 4.6 sn95's (that's 96+) use hydro boost.

My other comment is that the slight difference in size between the 94/95 Cobra booster and the 94/95 GT booster is only "slight" when the booster drops right into your engine bay. :) Somehow, heating my strut tower corner up to "molten hot" doesn't give me a "warm and fuzzy feeling". Oh well, I has a strut tower brace on before. Now, I'm Really glad that I have it. The struts towers _do move_. People don't dispute that. It's whether that slight movement is at all important. Similar to how 10+ story buildings will say a few inches in the wind. My mechanical Engineering roommate from college *swears* that "it's no big deal". He does building design, so he should know. Also, I've yet to see a tall building "fall over" from the wind. But, IMHO, one day, with all of the short cuts and cost cutting they try, it will happen. A few buildings were found to be unsafe and had to have major overalls at a high cost.

The point? The Fox Strut Towers have lasted ~20 years. You don't see them falling off cars. But, when you modify one in *any* way, you just don't know if you've pushed it to far to the limit. So, *I* suggest a STB if any modification id done to the strut towers. Cheap, easy, can't hurt. :)

[Evil86lx]

Just have to rant for a second...
So many people smash in their strut tower. DO NOT smash in your strut tower. People who do that are insane. If only they realized how much force is being put onto those strut towers when your driving. The geometry of these strut towers are designed they way they were for a reason. You take a BFH to your strut tower and your screwing up the geometry of your strut tower which will effect your suspension and will cause you to run into problems later on down the road. Do it at your own risk. People don't realize this and wonder why they have to have the stress cracks on their strut tower welded.

This is absolutely ridiculous. Firstly, hundreds of Stangers have clearanced their strut tower in an effort to provide sufficient space for the 94+ boosters. Secondly, when you clearance the strut tower, the effected area is completely covered up once the booster is installed, and can't even be seen!

To say that suspension geometry is altered by denting the strut tower a little bit, is absolutely ridiculous. Have you taken a look at the swiss cheese assortment of factory-drilled holes all over the strut towers? Surely they must weaken the strut tower more than a hammer could. Honestly, use some commmon sense, and please don't dispell myths that simply are not true.

94-98 V6 boosters are the same, 99+ V6 boosters are the same, and are recommended when using Cobra brakes (what I am using on my 86 coupe).

Chris

I would NEVER heat up and bend the strut tower. That is just plain stupid and asking for trouble. Weakening a already extremely flexable chassis is down right ignorant.

But if you wanna do that then go right ahead. Not my car, but i will point and laugh and clown on someone that did...

kyle