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SN95 5-lug conversion

Under the Hood    -    Rear Brakes    -    Front Brakes

It all started when I decided that I wanted to give my plain looking '93 Mustang coupe a distinguishable look and light my fire of enthusiasm for the car. Since I am not into body modification or tint, the idea that came to mind was to upgrade the '91-93 16x7 Pony rims, and give the car a stance with a set of lowering springs. I've always liked the 17x8 '01-04GT "Bullitt" rims (5.72" BS), but after doing some research I found out that I wouldn't be able to use these particular rims with Lincoln 5-lug rotors and my stock spindles because this configuration does not allow the Bullitt center cap to fit properly. Some have addressed the problem with spacers or grinding the spindle hat, but I preferred to avoid this by upgrading to SN95 spindles. Also, one thing that I never liked about my Mustang, and Mustangs in general, is that the rear wheels often times sit too far inboard. I knew I wanted to push the wheels out just a bit to address this problem and give the car a balanced appearance.

I originally planned to do a basic sn95 brake conversion and rims for aesthetic reasons, but the more I thought about it, the better the idea of addressing the stock brakes seemed, not only for visual reasons, but for safety too. So I decided to get massive 13 inch Cobra rotors and Cobra calipers instead of the GT/V6 calipers.. Not only do the twin 38mm pistons offer excellent clamping power, but they look great as well.

In February of 2005, I began gathering parts necessary for the conversion. For two long months I located everything I needed by going to junkyards, finding used parts online, and bidding on ebay.

Before I begin, I should mention that there are a number of ways to proceed with this conversion. This article documents one of those methods while never losing sight of the fact that I wanted to use Ford Bullitt rims and I wanted the rear wheels pushed out some compared to stock. Here is a breakdown of what the total cost came out to for me in case you are debating between piecing this kit together versus buying it brand new and complete from Ford Motorsport. Because of the amount of work that it took to locate everything, I only recommend doing it this way if you have access to yards where Mustangs are plentiful. Most of my small, harder to find parts were found on the classified section of http://www.corral.net/forums

                            Total cost with rims and tires: $1458

It is a few hundred bucks more than I thought it was going to be when I started, but that seems to be a recurring theme in this hobby. I was able to sell my Pony rims for $330 and I also sold some of my original '93 brake parts for about $100 which offset some of the cost. So my total investment into this project turned out to be $1028 which isn't too bad considering that includes rims/tires and a 17 inch cobra spare. You could save a few dollars and use a 94-04 GT/V6 spare with cobra brakes, but it will only fit the back. If you get a front flat, you would need to swap your rear wheel to the front, and install the spare on the back.

If you are interested in making your own 3-2 conversion kit without having to go thru Maximum Motorsports, click here

Also, it is a good idea to use a torque wrench and avoid over-tightening nuts and bolts. I have a bad habit of over-tightening and a torque wrench takes all the guess work out of it. Here are the specs necessary for the job.

This article is divided into three categories; under the hood, rear brakes, and front brakes. This is the order that I did the installation, but you are free to do it anyway you'd like. I was dreading the booster install because of the stories I heard, so I wanted to get it out of the way first.

Page 1:   Under the Hood