Completed Project 5.0 swap - w/ 4406

[CDW6212R]

...

Everything you have done is first class.

Absolutely Andy, that's very well done.

 

[ahodges]

How are those brakes feeling? Are they too grippy making the abs start working really early in the braking? The whole setup looks awesome.

Whats next on your X?

Brakes feel like they should! Like new cars feel these days. They aren't too grippy, just require less pressure to stop nicely. I think I may have a little much on the rear in comparison to the front but it stops great (still no sports car).

Next? Besides working out little bugs on this, my grand scheme plan for a long time has been to put bigger supercharger on for ~18psi boost. However, I just can't justify it for now.

 

[ahodges]

Absolutely Andy, that's very well done.

Thank you sir.

 

[ahodges]

Big Brakes

Onto the next part of the show!

Rear:

Wilwood kit #140-7140
- 12" rotors
- 4 piston calipers
- Explorer drum style parking brake

Stainless braided line all the way around:

Parking brake cable mount that I made:

Junction block:

Fronts:
Wilwood caliper #120-11135
- 4 piston
R1concepts Premier Series rotor set #PDS .65093.P
- OEM design for Lincoln Aviator
- 13" rotor
- Just over 1" thick

Center hole was too large so I had a friend make a centering ring

I had the same friend help, I mean make caliper mounts for me.

I used 12" stainless -3AN braided line for the front, and 16" for the rear. I also ordered various line adaptors to go from the hard line to the flex, and also the flex to the calipers. Let me know if anyone is really interested because I could give those summitracing part numbers as well.

I almost forgot to mention that I used the new DOT 5.1 brake fluid (compatible with DOT 3 & 4).

The performance outcome, amazing for an Explorer! The braking is effortless and it is a night a day difference over the stock brakes. I drive an 06 F150 for work that I compare them to. When I had the stock brakes the F150 stopped far better, now it is the other way around. Just to give a general idea.

 

[vroomzoomboom]

niiiiiiiiiiiiiice! looks like i will start saving......someday.

 

[CDW6212R]

Excellent. I'm glad that those Aviator rotors worked out, I wondered how close they would be to our stock offsets.

That also tells me what I was going to ask in a PM, when done would you say the truck could use a larger rotor, 13.75" instead of that? I was considering it, but that would require 17" wheels, and my snow rubber donuts/wheels are 16's now.

Oh, did you by chance weight any of those rotors? I like to keep up with how things change from the stock parts.

 

[ahodges]

I was told the offset on the stock rotors is 2.6" and these are 2.2". With the rims I have there is enough clearance. I personally don't see a point in going to 13.75" rotors. For one the calipers I used are maxed out at 13" and to get one that can handle a 14" rotor from Wilwood is considerably more money.

I did not get a weight on the rotors. I can tell you that they are heavier but the calipers are much lighter.

 

[delexploder]

Next time I'm at my old mentors shop I'll try to put together a list of parts for us poor guys , he has been building 9s for around 40+ years and I know he has built a disk rear abs 9 with all factory ford parts.

 

[CDW6212R]

Very good. I got the offset measurement as described by standard industry etc, from the hub surface to the rotor outer braking surface. I had mine made 1.450", I cannot recall if stock was a hair more or less, but it's close.

Your measurements are from other surfaces, but the difference is the key figure, about .4", so close. The stock Corvette was .35", while a Cobra was .85" offset, way too close to the wheel backside.

I'll go with another 12.75" rotor then, Mine have not worn excessively in 6-7 years. I bought the cheapest rotor series from Coleman, they also have features like balanced, drilled, plated, cryo-treated etc. I figured I might make changes, and this time I can be sure. I have 1.25" thick rotors now, which are the old Ford standard, and great. The Wilwood calipers I have to change to can handle a 1.375" rotor, but that may put things too close to the TRE. We'll see, weight matters and each dimension change alters everything else a little.

I'm glad that you are pleased with those, they look great. Other than the special bracket you had made for the front, others could do the same thing easily. I worked with a local machine shop to make my brackets, that's the key to custom parts, the fabrication.

 

[vroomzoomboom]

my grand scheme plan for a long time has been to put bigger supercharger on for ~18psi boost. However, I just can't justify it for now.

reeeeeeeaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaally.......

 

[blueka]

please tell me you have dust seals on the pistons of those wilwoods? I used to run wilwood dynalites on my ka, no dust seals, I was rebuilding the damn things every other week.. sexy set up though


Si

 

[ahodges]

reeeeeeeaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaally.......

Shhhhhh from the peanut gallery! lmao

 

[ahodges]

I never thought about the dust seals but I'm pretty sure they don't come to think of it. I can see that being an issue if the pistons get pitted while they are extended. I'm not sure if Wilwood makes calipers with dust seals/ boots. I did to go the Autorama car show in Detroit a few weeks ago and about 80% of the cars there had Wilwoods on them. Not sure if that means anything but everyone can't be doing it wrong, I hope..

 

[blueka]

The problem I had, was road grime got in there, salt etc, and caused the pistons to stick... it drove me nuts, until I sold them and got some Ford Racing / Alcon calipers.. .


Si

 

[ahodges]

Well I promise it won't be seeing salt and I will be continuing to make every effort to keep it out of the weather so maybe it won't be an issue for me. Thanks for the heads up though

 

[R1dd1cK]

I would like to get some of them mounts and rings. Would you buddy make them for other people?

 

[ahodges]

I can ask him but I almost guarantee the answer will be that he doesn't want to mess with it. He's like me and works at least 50 hours a week or more every week and barely has any free time as it is. If someone were to get ambitious these wouldn't be bad at all to made on a CNC machine in bulk. Mine were all hand made.

 

[CDW6212R]

The calipers without dust seals are not ideal for the street, but with proper care and avoiding lots of contaminants, they are manageable. The SSBC calipers I have on my truck now do not have dust seals. I have changed the pads three times now, and so far cleaning them thoroughly with a toothbrush, very carefully, has kept them working okay.

The one problem I had this time was from corrosion building up behind the stainless steel pad wear brackets(they are at the end of where the pads go in the calipers, along the inner surfaces). I had to fight the pads to remove them, and the new set wasn't going in easily. So I began looking, and figured out that those thin brackets had moved out a hair.

Fortunately those SS wear brackets do pop out readily, and can be cleaned and pushed back in. That is a normal item to clean for these high performance calipers. I didn't have to do that the first two times, as the advertising goes you just pull out the two cotter pins and swap the pads. It does not go that smoothly, that would only work in a real race.

 

[ahodges]

Easiest modification I have ever made to this rig. I took your suggestion Tim!

 

[Dono]

Nice Tag. Looks like it was made to be there.
Have to say, that picture really shows how perfect your truck is.