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  1. #1
    FEP Senior Member 854vragtop's Avatar
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    Default Can 8.8 Turbo Coupe rear brakes be converted to M-2300-K '93 Cobra rear brakes?

    Hello all,

    I installed an '88 Turbo Coupe rear in my '85 GT, but I'd like to now go to a 5 lug set-up with Cobra 13" front rotors. My main concern is getting the right FWD/AFT balance and considering the M-2300-K '93 Cobra brakes were factory engineered, I'd like to replicate that set-up. Besides the size of 4 lug/5 lug and the rotor size difference, what's different between the two rear set-ups? Can I easily modify my current Turbo Coupe set-up to accept 5 lug '93 Cobra rotors? Do I need new brackets and calipers?


    Background on my current brake set-up.
    Front - '87+ Mustang spindles, '91 Lincoln Mark VII calipers, Hawk HPS street pads.

    Rear - '88 T-Bird Turbo Coupe 8.8 rear end, Turbo Coupe rear rotors & Calipers, '87 Mustang axles, North Race Cars caliper mounting brackets, late '90's Mustang bolt on anti-moan brackets, Hawk HPS Street pads.

    SVO Master Cylinder, gutted stock prop valve, adjustable prop valve near right hood hinge.

    While this setup is much better than stock, I really feel it's not up to the task anymore.
    '85 Mustang convertible GT, 5 speed, 4V
    Stock bottom end, Comp Cams XE264HR-14, GT-40P heads w/ Alex's springs, Weiand 8124 Street Warrior,
    Summit Racing 600CFM carb, 8.8 Turbo Coupe rear end w/ 3.55 gears, '94/'95 Cobra brakes, '85 Town Car M/C, '93 Cobra booster, MM Panhard Bar, MM Strut Tower Brace, MM 4 point K-member Brace

    '68 Mercury Cougar, w/ '88 5.0L, 4V
    My photo website:
    http://www.twilightphoto.com/

  2. #2
    FEP Senior Member
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    I believe the Turbo Coupe rear disc brakes are the same as the '93 Cobra rear brakes. They are a smidge over 10" in diameter. I am not intimately familiar with the Turbo Coupe axle mounting brackets, but since NRC sells different brackets for the Turbo Coupe versus the standard SN95 rear disc brakes I can only assume they are different. Since you are already planning to convert to five lug and 13" front brakes why not convert to the SN95 Cobra rear 11.65" disc brakes? The 1993 Cobra front brakes were four lug and only 11" diameter rotors (same as GT for that year).

    For the rear you would need fox length five lug axles, NRC cobra brackets, Cobra rotors, Cobra calipers w/brackets (you can actually modify and use the GT/V6 calipers and brackets to work, but might as well just get the Cobra stuff), Cobra pads (slightly thinner than GT/V6 pads to accommodate the thicker vented Cobra rotor), and (maybe) Cobra anti-moan brackets. Some people do fine without the anti-moan brackets others do not.
    '89 XR-7 5 Speed
    '95 SC 5 Speed
    '91 Crown Vic P72 351W
    '97 Thunderbird
    '85 Ford LTD Squire

  3. #3

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    93 cobra brakes are the same as the 87-88 turbo coupe rears.

    More specifically, the 93 cobra used the 87-88 rear end.

    To upgrade to 5 lug, are you trying to keep stock fox width, or keep the turbo coupe/cobra width?

    Either way, the axle housings between fox and sn-95 axles and the 87-88 turbo coupe rears. Its the axle shafts and brake hardware that make up the difference in length.

    Basically, 94-98 sn-95 stuff AND 87-88 tc AND 93 cobra stuff is all the same width, at 3/4" longer then a stock 87-93 mustang. The 99-04 sn-95 stuff is about 1 and 1/2" wider then a stock 87-93 rear.
    2 1986 cougars (both 4 eyed and 5.0)
    1 1987 cougar

  4. #4

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    My current set up is basically the same as yours, M-2300-C brake kit, 87 up spindles and Lincoln calipers. When I decided to go 5 lug I went with the Motorsport 5 lug rotors (M-1102-C), and re-drilled the rear rotors for 5 lug with Ranger axles so my car has fox offset wheels.

    Mike
    85 GT - owned since 87

  5. #5
    FEP Senior Member Patrick Olsen's Avatar
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    Default

    Quote Originally Posted by 854vragtop View Post
    Hello all,

    I installed an '88 Turbo Coupe rear in my '85 GT, but I'd like to now go to a 5 lug set-up with Cobra 13" front rotors. My main concern is getting the right FWD/AFT balance and considering the M-2300-K '93 Cobra brakes were factory engineered, I'd like to replicate that set-up. Besides the size of 4 lug/5 lug and the rotor size difference, what's different between the two rear set-ups? Can I easily modify my current Turbo Coupe set-up to accept 5 lug '93 Cobra rotors? Do I need new brackets and calipers?
    The M-2300-K setup isn't '93 Cobra brakes, it's SN95 Cobra brakes. As others have said, the '93 Cobra rear disk setup is essentially the same as the '87-88 TC rear disks and is still 4-lug, so that's not what you want. The M-2300-K rear setup uses the 11.65" ventilated rotors and appropriate calipers (and brackets) from the '94+ Cobra.

    To make your rear end look like the M-2300-K setup, you'd need the SN95 Cobra caliper mounting brackets (the ones that bolt to the end of the axle housing), the SN95 Cobra caliper brackets & calipers, the 11.65" rotors, some pads, and I think SN95 parking brake cables. You might need the brake hoses (from the rear axle hard lines to the calipers), too - I don't know if the TC ones you've got would work with the different calipers.
    '89 GT convertible - not a four-eye
    '82 Zephyr Z7 - future track car

  6. #6
    FEP Senior Member OX1's Avatar
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    Just a thought, but can you use Mk VII axles?
    They were too wide for me, so I got ranger axles
    and welded caliper brackets to axle inboard, but
    maybe the Mk VII's have the width that TC axle
    housings have..
    86 Capri, 5.0, 5Spd, A9L QH/BE, 47 lb Inj PMAS 3" MAF, Single T44 Turbo, Front Mount IC, TW170,
    Stock Cam, Explr Intake/TB, 1.7 Rockers, CF dual friction clutch, 3" DP, 2.5" full Exh, 3.27, 11.932 @ 115.78
    84 LTD, 331-10:1, TW170/Exprl Intake, 47 lbs inj/80 mm LMAF, Full Duals, Quarterhorse, Vortech 7PSI, Lentech AOD, 5 lug Mk VII brakes/rear, Eibach Sway bars, Cobra HB (dads ride, but I fix it )

  7. #7
    FEP Senior Member
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    Quote Originally Posted by OX1 View Post
    Just a thought, but can you use Mk VII axles?
    They were too wide for me, so I got ranger axles
    and welded caliper brackets to axle inboard, but
    maybe the Mk VII's have the width that TC axle
    housings have..
    What does that do for him? I believe the M7 axles are even longer than the TC axles. The TC rear end housing is the same width as the fox and '94-'98 Mustang it just has longer axles.
    '89 XR-7 5 Speed
    '95 SC 5 Speed
    '91 Crown Vic P72 351W
    '97 Thunderbird
    '85 Ford LTD Squire

  8. #8
    FEP Senior Member 854vragtop's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Patrick Olsen View Post
    The M-2300-K setup isn't '93
    To make your rear end look like the M-2300-K setup, you'd need the SN95 Cobra caliper mounting brackets (the ones that bolt to the end of the axle housing), the SN95 Cobra caliper brackets & calipers, the 11.65" rotors, some pads, and I think SN95 parking brake cables. You might need the brake hoses (from the rear axle hard lines to the calipers), too - I don't know if the TC ones you've got would work with the different calipers.
    Yes, this is what I was looking for. So, it's the NRC SN95 Cobra caliper mounting brackets that are the key to getting the right offset and mounting position for the calipers that work with the 11.65" rotors. Is the SN95 power booster really needed with the front and rear Cobra brake set-up? How much pedal effort is required if you keep the Fox booster?

    With regards to my current setup, I wonder if the SVO master cylinder isn't giving me the optimum front and rear bias (even though I can control it some with my adjustable proportioning valve). Has anybody with my current setup gone from the SVO to a '93 Cobra M/C and noticed a night and day improvement?
    Last edited by 854vragtop; 04-20-2018 at 07:30 PM.
    '85 Mustang convertible GT, 5 speed, 4V
    Stock bottom end, Comp Cams XE264HR-14, GT-40P heads w/ Alex's springs, Weiand 8124 Street Warrior,
    Summit Racing 600CFM carb, 8.8 Turbo Coupe rear end w/ 3.55 gears, '94/'95 Cobra brakes, '85 Town Car M/C, '93 Cobra booster, MM Panhard Bar, MM Strut Tower Brace, MM 4 point K-member Brace

    '68 Mercury Cougar, w/ '88 5.0L, 4V
    My photo website:
    http://www.twilightphoto.com/

  9. #9

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    Right now turbo coupe rear calipers and 73mm fronts from a Lincoln/Svo and an Svo master is a mismatched combination. You would have better results with a 93 cobra master and standard v8 mustang front calipers with the turbo coupe rears. Or change to the Svo / Lincoln rear calipers, but they may not bolt on to your current brackets. Essentially you would then have all the parts on from a 93 cobra. The m-2300k 94 -98 cobra system would be far superior in braking. If your wanting to go 5 lug that is the way to go.
    Last edited by Lowetlx; 04-20-2018 at 07:44 PM.
    84 LX Vert. 5.0 5speed canyon red on white
    99 cobra, electric green on medium parchment, vortech s-trim

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