Turbo coupe swap brake hose?

[854vragtop]

Does anybody have any SPECIFIC examples of how they connected the body brake line to the Turbo Coupe rear axle hard lines on an '85? Did you use either the stock T/C rubber hose, 7.5 rubber hose or 87+ Mustang 8.8 rubber hose with an adpapter fitting? I've read through many posts, but the only thing I've found is a Weatherhead #7828 adapter. However, the poster couldn't remember if that actually worked or not or if the part number was correct.

[machm1969]

I am going through the same thing. I bought an 8.8 out of an '87 TC. The TC rear end has a big junction block mouted to the webbing on the rear end. I went to the local auto parts stores for an intermediate hose, they all gave me the wrong one. The one they supply is the same hose that's on my '84 7.5, it's the generic one that mounts to the axle tube via the vent tube. Given that, I ordered new braided s/s caliper hoses from classic tube ($37 per side, compared to $28 per side for rubber ones locally) and I also ordered metal prebent lines for an '84, I know I'll have to cut the prebent lines shorter and reflare, but that seemed like the simplest solution. I'm also running '00 GT rear brakes. I'll post pics later this week when I get everything together.

Matt

[854vragtop]

What's the advantage of the '00 rear brakes? Are you running just the newer calipers or do you have 5 lug discs and axles? How do the rear calipers differ from the Turbo Coupes volume wise? Are you running the 1 1/8" SVO master cylinder.

I just haven't had the time to sit down and really figure out a fix for the hose/hard line connection. I was hoping that many here would have already blazed a trail, since this is such a popular mod.

[machm1969]

Actually, I'm running the '00 PBR dual piston calipers, spindles, rotors etc up front and '98 calipers, rotors, etc out back. Yes, they are 5 lug, that was one of the reasons I'm doing it. I'm going to run a SVO prop valve with either a SVO or Town Car M/C (haven't decided which would be better yet).

Matt

[mutantcapri1979]

Actually, I'm running the '00 PBR dual piston calipers, spindles, rotors etc up front and '98 calipers, rotors, etc out back. Yes, they are 5 lug, that was one of the reasons I'm doing it. I'm going to run a SVO prop valve with either a SVO or Town Car M/C (haven't decided which would be better yet).

Matt

i think the only difference between the svo and towncar masters is the svo is aluminum, and more expensive.

[machm1969]

The only reason I'm running the '98 rear brakes instead of TC brakes is that my rear end came without calipers and rotors, I had a friend that traded me the '98 brakes for some other parts I had, so I didn't have to shell out the funds for TC brakes. With the TC brakes, you could still run the metal prebent lines off a mustang and the intermediate hose that incorporates the T fitting.

Matt

[854vragtop]

i think the only difference between the svo and towncar masters is the svo is aluminum, and more expensive.

I believe the Town Car M/C has a 1" bore, whereas the SVO M/C has a 1 1/8" bore.

[85GT-79FJ40]

The turbo coupe axle to body hose is apparently NLA. I made my own lines for the axle and used a stock 85 axle to body hose that incorpates the tee.

[854vragtop]

The turbo coupe axle to body hose is apparently NLA. I made my own lines for the axle and used a stock 85 axle to body hose that incorpates the tee.

Did you have to do anything special to get the '85 flex hose to attach to the T/C axle? I have an excellent tubing bender from the Eastwood Company, so I think I'll go your route and fab up hard lines from the '85 flex hose T out to the caliper soft lines.

What hit in mileage are you taking with this mod? I've heard some lose as much as 2-3 mpg and others gaining mpg because the engine is running in a more efficient power band.

Where did you get your rotors from? I've seen the stock composite (two different types of metal) and the cast iron rotors on Rock Auto, but I wasn't sure of the benifits of either, aside from the difference in cost.

[85GT-79FJ40]

It was 2 years ago when I re-did the previous owners hack job of putting this axle in the car. The T/C soft lines to the calipers have a pretty good sized fitting for them. I think they are metric too. The P/O had used 5/16" brake line across the axle because it was all he could find with this size fitting already on it. And he re-used the original distribution block and cracked all to heck rubber body to axle hose from the T/C donor car. I found the correct fittings for 3/16" line and flared them onto lines that had the right size fitting on the other end to match up to a stock 85 body to axle hose. I bent the lines by hand (one thing I will eventually end up redoing cleaner) and the stock 85 hose I got from napa had a hole through it. I bolted it to a hole in the axle right ahead of the fill hole for the differential. As far as mileage mine's from a manual trans car with 3.55's in it. My car is basically stock with the exception of headers/full 2-1/2" exhaust with no cats/edelbrock performer 289 intake/no smog/and a vac secondary holley carb. I drive mostly highway but I get a pretty consistent 21-22 mpg running 10 holes.

[machm1969]

The hose you get from the auto parts store is supposed to be bolted to the axle housing with the vent tube. My TC rear end didn't have the longer vent tube to hold the hose to the axle, so I'm getting one from a generous member here.

Matt