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| Moderated by: Greg Fletcher |
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| Firenza / Ford Brake Upgrade | Rate Topic |
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| Posted: 03-19-2009 11:00 am |
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1st Post |
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Tony Hollart Member
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A nice little improvent that should be able to be used on the JH also as the Firenza front suspension looks the same from the photos. Shocks look adjustable too. "Am sort of getting there Gregor, did not want to suggest something could be done before it had been mounted on my car. Caliper is very close to the rim and on full lock its very close to the spring but I assume as long as it does not touch it will be OK. Disc and Caliper are Ford and in order to make it fit the stub axle has had its threaded holes drilled out and the caliper mounting bracket had to be welded up, drilled and re-tapped. Disc had 4" pcd holes machined. The discs are vented and slightly larger dia but the pad area is far greater than before and having the discs mounted on the outside of the hub should keep thinks cooler. Will let you know how they perform once I get my car on the road." Attachment: vent disc 11.JPG (Downloaded 162 times)
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| Posted: 03-19-2009 11:14 am |
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2nd Post |
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Tony Hollart Member
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And the view from the front, any picks what Ford Disc and Caliper it is? Attachment: vent disc 22.JPG (Downloaded 200 times)
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| Posted: 03-19-2009 01:30 pm |
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3rd Post |
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Jensenman Member
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To me it looks like he used the Kelsey-Hayes calipers which came on the Pinto and Mustang II here in the Colonies. I can't ID the rotor, the cars I mentioned had a one piece rotor with the hub cast integrally. I wonder if the rotors could possibly be Mazda Miata/MX5? I am using the Miata knuckles/brakes/rotors on my project but I am keeping the 4x100mm bolt circle. I really like the radius rods on his setup. I may have to work that (or something similar) into my project eventually. Last edited on 03-19-2009 01:32 pm by Jensenman |
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| Posted: 03-20-2009 03:48 pm |
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4th Post |
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Judson Manning Member 
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In upgrading the brakes to deal with bigger and stickier rubber, you'll also want to upgrade the frickin tiny JH ball joints and wheel bearings. The original Vauxhall Firenza/Magnum kit upgraded all of these components and is along the lines of what Jensenman is doing with the Miata swap. While not a heavy car by any means, I'm guessing the Miata components are a bit beafier than the original JH components?
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| Posted: 03-21-2009 03:46 am |
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5th Post |
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Jensenman Member
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The Miata/MX5 knuckle is a much thicker and stronger piece than the J-H and there is a whole world of brake upgrades for it, not to mention the vast amount of aftermarket wheels for the 4x100mm bolt circle. The knuckle's height from end to end is within 1/8" of the J-H piece. The upper ball joint taper and OD are the same as the J-H, but the kingpin inclination is about 1 degree steeper meaning the upper ball joint has to move inboard to compensate. The lower ball joint stud is about twice the size of the J-H item, I found a Moog ball joint (K8286, originally for a Ford Taurus)) that fits the Miata knuckle and requires minimal modification of the J-H lower control arm. The stock Miata outer tie rod ends can be retapped for 1/2-20 and then threaded onto the original steering rack. The inner tie rods have to be shortened 5/8" to allow for toe adjustment. BTW, on the inner tie rod subject: I have an extra rack I am going to disassemble to see if there is a way to tighten up worn inner sockets or if there is a readily available replacement.
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