Alcon-Roush Big Brakes for 1994-2004 Mustang
Over the past 40+ years, the designers at Ford have progressively refined the Mustang into more than just a ‘hotrod’. Though keeping in touch with its muscle-car heritage, almost every aspect of the car has been fine tuned to near sports car levels. That is, in my humble opinion, with the exception of the brakes. While 0 to 60 times have decreased and top speeds have climbed, it at least seems to me, that Ford has left one important issue up to us to take care of: stopping!
Brake upgrades are not usually at the top of anyone’s ‘to-do’ list when modifying their car. Somehow, going faster almost always takes precedence over stopping faster. Being the a-typical that I am, my decision was to shorten the stopping distance before shortening the acceleration distance, as well as, providing better control of the vehicle through any defensive maneuvers I might encounter during daily driving.
Over the past year, my 2004 Mach 1 has gone through a transformation, bringing it up to a totally new level of vehicular being. Not only has the original Mach 1 look been mingled with Roush styling, with the addition of a full Roush Stage 2 suspension, the car exhibits completely different handling manners. Naturally, when it came time to improve the stopping power, I was leaning toward the Roush offered upgrades, but price was a factor that I couldn’t ignore; until, that is, the fellows at Stage3Motorsports offered me the Roush/ Alcon kit at what seemed an absurdly low price (too absurd to share with anyone).
Before I knew it, I had the kit in hand and was faced with the task of installing it. Not being able to leave ‘well enough’ alone, the first thing I did was to change the looks of the calipers and rotors; a splash of red, I thought, would not only show off the huge Alcon calipers, but would also set-off the 18” chrome Roush wheels. I was right!
The following text takes you through the installation process. Though, the instructions supplied with the kit, were intended for the factory installers and not the aftermarket, with a basic mechanical understanding and simple tools, anyone can accomplish the upgrade.
First and foremost, wash the vehicle. I find that a gleaming vehicle can boost the motivation needed to complete any project. Not to mention, when your neighbor comes over and leans on the car to ask what you’re doing to it now, he won’t leave any unsightly smudges. When the car is squeaky clean and dry, move it to where the work will take place. If you have to pull the car up on boards, first to get the jack under the front, now is the time to do that. Then chock the rear tires. Safety is not for sissies, but for those that wish to see the mods finished.
Slightly loosen the lug-nuts now, unless you are satisfied with using a jack hammer for the task. Jack the front end up. I lift mine high enough to set each of a pair of jack stands under the rearward-most point where the front cross-member bolts to the chassis. Remove the lugs and pull the wheels/tires off. Loosen and remove the two 15mm bolts holding the calipers in place. I use short bungee cords to suspend the calipers out of the way. Coat hangers, wire, work just as well. Remove the rotors. Some force may be needed to break the rust free between the spindle and rotor.
Clean the face and the caliper mounting points of the spindle. Using a 7/16” flare wrench, loosen and remove the factory brake hose. Pry out the spring clip and save it; you will be re-using it. You will start losing brake fluid, so be ready to catch it. You can now take the stock caliper out of your way, completely. Install the supplied stainless brake hose, remembering that they are specific to left and right sides. Leaving the cap in the banjo end should stop further fluid loss. Do not attach to caliper at this time.
You are ready to install the caliper brackets. Since the Alcons are a non-floating caliper system the caliper must be carefully mounted so that it rests directly centered over the rotor. To do this, the kit is supplied with various shims. These are to be placed between the caliper bracket and the spindle to bring the caliper to its proper position. Trial and error may be needed to find the correct amount of spacing. Not all cars will require the same. I started out with two of the thicker shims and got lucky.
Mount the caliper bracket, with the shims, to the spindle. Torque the 19mm bolts to 85 ft-lb. While the caliper brackets are the same for both sides, the rotors and calipers are not. Rotors are marked on the outer edge closest to the back. Part number ends in ‘R’ or ‘L’. Get it? Calipers are also marked. If the caliper ends up mounted toward the back of the wheel with the bleeder screws facing up, you got it right.
Mount the rotor to the spindle and tighten into place with two lug-nuts. (factory nuts probably won’t be long enough) Next, comes the caliper. Using two allen-head bolts and spring-washers mount the caliper; cinch, but do not tighten. Check for clearance between rotor and caliper. Caliper should be centered over rotor with at least .010” clearance on either side of the rotor. Feeler gauges are a good idea, here. If not proper clearance, remove caliper, rotor and bracket and re-shim as needed. Once proper clearance is obtained, torque the 10mm allen-head caliper bolts to 75 ft-lb.
The brake hose can now be installed on the backside of caliper using banjo bolt and one crush washer on each side of fitting. The banjo should point up and slightly toward the strut. Ensure that the hose will not contact any suspension parts or the wheel/tire; especially at full lock-to-lock turns. Once routed properly, tighten 14mm banjo bolt to 20 ft-lb.
Bleeding Brakes:
This requires a properly sized box wrench, for the bleeder and a length of hose as well as a means to catch fluid. Good Fluid is a MUST. Roush recommends Performance Friction’s Z-Rated fluid #90016 for street and occasional track use ( or Ford HD#C6AZ-19542-AA) These two fluids are properly packaged in cans, not plastic bottles and have proven more effective than more expensive fluids. For racing, Roush recommends ans uses only Castrol SRF.
Always remember, good to excellent brakes or fluid do not function without adequate cooling. In fact the more serious your brake system, the more attention needs to be directed to proper ducting as they will generate more heat due to the increased capacity.
Slowly pour fluid into master cylinder as to not aerate the fluid.
BLEEDING BRAKES IS NOT DONE WITH PRESSURE, IT IS PURELY A FUNCTION OF MOVING FLUID THROUGH THE SYSTEM. THE OBJECT IS TO DISPLACE AIR, NOT TO SEE HOW FAR FLUID CAN BE SHOT FROM THE CALIPER!!!
Enlist someone to help you bleed the brakes. Make sure they also read the instructions so that they understand the goal.
For systems which are essentially dry front and rear, start by filling the master cylinder with fluid.
Next, at the caliper farthest from the master cylinder attach a clear plastic bleed line to the bleed and open it. VERL SLOWLY, stroke the brake pedal until fluid comes out, then close the bleeder.
Actual bleeding sequence:
A)Have your helper very slowly with modest pressure stroke the pedal ONE TIME until hydraulic resistance is encountered. Ask you helper to hold at this point with the same moderate pressure and notify you that he is “holding”.
B)Open the bleeder, letting the pedal go to the floor or until it stops, using the same moderate pressure. Close the bleeder and notify your helper that it is “closed”.
Repeat bleeding sequence (never stroke the pedal more than one time) until all signs of air are purged (no bubbles) from fluid.
IMPORTANT: DO NOT LET THE MASTER CYLINDER RUN DRY. Be sure to check fluid level after every third bleeding sequence or sooner if reservoir volume is small.
Move to the location that is next furthest from the master cylinder and repeat the procedures previously outlined. Continue until all calipers have been bleed. You are now 75% complete with the bleeding process.
Now take a small block of wood or a plastic hammer, and carefully tap the calipers to dislodge any trapped air bubbles.
Before reinstalling wheels and placing car on ground, carefully wipe clean all caliper surfaces, hose joints, and fittings making sure they are all dry and free from seeping. If not, inspect and tighten appropriately. Spray all rotor surfaces with brake cleaner to remove all dirt and oils from your hand that may have been transferred to the rotor during assembly.
For street use, as with any time you open the brake system, it may be advisable to repeat the bleeding procedure after driving the vehicle for a day as driving the car may dislodge additional air bubbles in the system. For competition cars, we recommend repeating this procedure directly after at least the first two sessions the car is on the track and at the beginning of each weekend thereafter.
Even if your pedal is high and firm and additional bleeding is deemed unnecessary, always inspect the calipers, hoses, and fittings after the first outing for signs of any fluis seeping and correct immediately.
Rotor Seasoning / Pad Bedding:
The first step in preparing the brake system for duty is to “season’ the rotors. The most visible effects are that of burning the machine oils from the surface of the iron and establishing a wear pattern between the pad and rotor. The most complex task it performs is that of relieving the internal stresses within the material. It you’ve ever poured water into a glass of ice, and noticed the ice cracking, then you’ve witnessed, first hand, the effects of internal stresses. The rotor casting and cooling processes leave the rotor with internal stresses.
By gradually heating the material, the crystalline matrix will reconfigure to relieve these internal stresses. After theses stresses are relieved, the rotor is ready to accept the heat of bedding pads. Heating the rotors before they are fully seasoned can result in material deformation and thus a vibration from the brakes.
Rotors need to be gradually elevated to ‘race’ temperatures before any severe use. A ‘nibble’ or slight vibration, may indicate that rotors were heated too quickly. Having the rotors turned at a machine shop, can cure this vibration. However, make sure you find a quality shop to perform this function, in many cases finding someone to machine rotors to actually be parallel and to deliver run out of .001” is very difficult, if not impossible.
After initial ‘seasoning’ when running your car at open track events or serious canyon carving, you should use the first lap of a session (or first couple of miles of open road), to warm the brakes as well as the engine, gearbox, etc. Where an engine turns chemical energy into motion, the brakes turn that motion into thermal energy….and lots of it! And where there is no cooling system for the brakes as there is in the engine, and there’s not, the brakes could use the courtesy of a warm-up lap.
Remember to ALWAYS WARM THE BRAKES before any heavy use! It is also considered mandatory to run air ducts to the eye (center) of the rotor on any car used on track or in actual competition.
Seasoning rotors:
Before you begin, please note: the following represents the minimum recommended ‘seasoning’ process. If your situation offers any opportunity to perform gentile preliminary ‘seasoning’ outlined in step 2 below for a long period of time. This will generally render even better performance and increase further long term rotor life.
Use the vehicle for 5 to 6 days of gentle driving. Use the brakes to the same extent that you used the stock brakes. DO NOT TEST PERFORMANCE OR ATTEMPT HEAVY USE UNTIL ALL ITEMS OUTLINED HAVE BEEN COMPLETED. It is imperative that excessive heat is not put into the rotors at this stage. They nee temperature-cycling to relieve the internal stresses.
After completing 5 to 6 days of gentle driving, find a safe location where the brakes can be run to temperature.
A.Your goal is to gradually increase brake temperatures with progressively faster stops. Start by performing (4) stops from 60 mph to 15 mph. as you would in the normal course of driving.
B.Next, perform (4) medium effort partial stops (about 50% of maximum stopping force) from 60 mph to 15 mph. Follow this with (5) minutes of freeway driving with LITTLE OR NO BRAKING to allow rotors to cool.
C.Then, perform(4)medium-hard effort pedal stops (about 75%) from 60 mph to 15 mph. Follow this with (10) minutes of freeway driving with LITTLE OR NO BRAKING to allow rotors to cool.
D.Park the car and allow brakes to cool overnight to ambient temperature. You are now 50% done with the rotor ‘seasoning/bedding’ procedure. Proceed to step 4 the following day.
Return to the safe location where the brakes can be run to temperature.
A.Make sure the brakes are warmed to full operating temperature and then perform (4) medium effort partial stops (about 50%) from 60 mph to 15 mph. Follow this with (5) minutes of freeway driving with LITTLE OR NO BRAKING, to cool rotors.
B.Then, perform (4) medium-hard effort pedal stops (about 75%) from 60 mph to 15 mph. Follow this with (10) minutes of freeway driving with LITTLE OR NO BRAKING to allow rotors to cool.
C. NOW, make (6) HARD pedal stops from 60+ mph to 15 mph or until rotors have reached an operation temperature of between 900 and 1100 degrees. Every effort should be made to perform this procedure without locking a wheel. Follow this with (10) minutes of freeway driving with LITTLE OR NO BRAKING to allow rotors time to cool.
Let the system cool overnight. The rotors are then ready for the next step in preparing your brake system: Bedding Pads.
Bedding Pads:
The friction material in semi-metallic pads is held together by an organic binder, usually a type of phenolic material. As the pads get hot, the binder boils, and burns, from the top surface of the pad. Once this burning or ‘bedding’ takes place, the friction material makes proper contact with the rotor.
Some race/performance pads are designated as pre-burnished from the manufacturer. In our experience, these pads still benefit from ‘bedding’. ‘Bedding’ pads establishes a wear pattern between the pads and rotor. Some pads deposit a layer of carbon in the surface of the rotor. They need that carbon to perform at peak efficiency.
Roush/Baer Claw systems which are equipped with PBR caliper, SS/DRAG, SPORT, GT, or GTP, come standard with metallic pads. However, PRO, PRO+, and EXTREM+ systems with Alcon calipers feature carbon metallic pads from Pagid, Performance Friction, or Tekstar.
Bedding metallic or carbon metallic pads (never ‘DRAG’ the brakes)
Never ‘bed’ pads on rotrs that have not first been ‘seasoned’. Always allow a substantial coast down zone when ‘bedding’ pads that will allow you to safely drive the car to a stop in the event of fade.
A.Perform (2) repeated light to medium stops from 65 mph to 10 mph. to bring rotors to temperature.
Perform (2) heavy stops, back to back, at a point just pending wheel lock or ABS actuation from 65 mph to 5 mph.
B.Drive for (5) to (10) minutes to create cooling airflow without using brakes if possible.
Perform (3) light stops in succession.
C.Perform (8) heavy stops back to back, at a point just pending wheel lock or ABS actuation from 65 mph to 5 mph.
D.Drive for (10) minutes to crate cooling airflow, without using brakes, if possible.
Metallic brake pads nee high temperatures to keep them ‘bedded’. If you drive the car for a period of time without using the brakes extensively, you may need to ‘bed’ the pads again. Simply repeat the procedure.
When switching from Performance Friction brand or other carbon-metallic pads ( not recommended) you will need to wear through the layer of carbon that the PFC pads have deposited in the rotor surface. The new pads won’t grip well at all until this layer of carbon is removed.
Racers should ‘bed’ a few sets of pads at time. In the event you need to change pads during a race, you MUST use a set of ‘bedded’ pads. Racing on ‘non-bedded’ pads leads to a type of fade caused by binding agents coming out of the pad too quickly. Thus is called ‘green fade’. These binders may create a liquid (actually a gas) layer between pad and rotor. Liquids have a very poor coefficient of friction. This is the reason for reverse slotting or crossdrilling of rotor, as it allows a pathway for the gasses to escape.
Testing:
Testing has shown a dramatic improvement in stopping distances over stock brakes. Stopping from 100 mph to 0 with the stockers is around 390 feet. With just the front Alcon upgrade that was shortened to 370 feet. The larger rotors and calipers will also eliminate most brake fade due to heavy use and high heat; almost perfect for those who occasionally run on the track. For highway use, keep in mind though, where you can stop in much shorter distances, now, the guy behind you can’t. So watch out for him.
Ok, I did a lot of researching on chroming stock rims. There’s a specific way you have to chrome rims or you will get pitting and peeling within a year. There are a ton of companies that do it the cheap way to save money. The cheap way can be just a 2 plating process. I’ll get into that later. Let me first get down to business on what the proper way of chroming your rims.
There are many different brakes to choose from, but you have to be really careful. Let me tell you why… First off, make sure you check your wheel offset and basic wheel measurements. That’s one of the major things you need to do first, I’ve heard of some Mustang enthusiasts picking up aftermarket brakes and finding out they don’t seem to fit well with their stock wheels or custom wheels. Also, take time to think if you are happy with your current wheels. Because if you purchase brakes now and down the road you end up getting a new set of wheels that you really really like, they may not fit with your aftermarket brakes. I do think most wheels fit with aftermarket brakes, but you better just make sure.
There are many catbacks out there that are great for your mustang which can make it very hard to decide which one to go with. I think sound is the major aspect, because most performance exhausts flow rather well and the performance comparison gains are very minimal. The best way to do your research is to find a car video site like Youtube or Streetfire and do a search on mustang exhausts. There are many enthusiasts that make videos of fly byes and start ups of their own mustangs. Thus, making it a lot easier to choose which exhaust you would like to go with.