Brembo = Good! (installation tips included) - long

[97snakedriver]

This weekend I installed, with some experienced help from my brother-and-law, a Brembo 13 inch slotted rotor, 4 piston caliber brake kit. Basically: Cobra R calipers (2000) with upgraded rotors.

Nice. As advertised the kit included everything needed other then brake fluid. The only minor kink we encountered was the mounting bracket for the fittings between the hardline and the brake line, needed some minor work.

The stock fitting is cylindical with a notch cut in it. The bracket is shaped to fit that fitting. The Brembo fitting is just cylinderical. We had to remove the fitting (one bolt) and filed down the notch (no big deal) and it fit fine.

A not a kink, but a pain in butt, was the removal of the driver side caliper, and the passenger side rotor.

Driver side: Theres a pin held by a c-clip and two 15 mm bolts which hold the calipers to the rotor. The clamp and pin are straight forward. Both bolts required an expension, and a lot of grunting to break them free. Fitting a socket was fairly tight on the bottem, but it worked. Don't use a socket on the upper. The socket tends to rub on the strut bolt, pushing it off the caliper bolt, and potentionally stripping it. Use a wrench.

After some head stracting the upper bolt was best attacked from the bottom. Some break free will help on both.

You will need a set of flair nut wrenches, both metric and SAE for the lines. Both are about $9.99 at Autozone. It is very bad to get much air into the lines. Getting air into the ABS modular is very bad, and expersensive to bleed. So a set of "HELP!" vacuum plugs is a must. There only $2 bucks or so. After you remove the brake line, plug the hard line then and there. After the calibers are removed, all that holds the rotors on are two small clips on the studs, and some rust. The clips are easy, rust is bad.

Even though my car is only 2 1/2 years old, the rotors put up a good fight. The driver side came easier then the passenger side, but both took some "convincing."

The best way seemed to be to use a lot of "break free" on the rust, then to get mean. A thin (1/2 inch or so) block of wood and a large pry bar worked for me. I placed the wood between the rotor(I wanted to save the rotor) and the bar, the other end of the bar a wenged to the steel peice which has the caliber mounting points. The driver side just took some pulling. The passenger side took all 6'4'', 225 lbs of me, "standing" side waise on the frame of the car, stradling the already rather large Cobra rotor, (interesting mental image I'm sure), pulling very hard, to break that sucker loose. I actually bent a crow bar doing this. I finally got it with the lug knut wrench which came with the car. Good peice.

After that, installing the Brembos is cake. Same thing, but in reverse, and with out some of the grunting.

It takes a little while to break them in, but they do work wonderfully. Just be patient. Check for leaks often, and don't do anything "interesting" until the rotors turn from gold to grey.

On another note. The Brembos just barely fit with '95 Cobra R wheels. I *think* you need at least 17 X 9 wheels to fit them.

I'll post pictures as soon as I have them.




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1997 Cobra
Suspension: Steeda G Trac. Tokico Illumina shocks and struts (5 front, 3 rear), Sport Springs, upper and lower control arms, cc plates, rear adjustable sway bar, front sway bar, subframe connectors, bushings, Cobra R wheels, Brembo 4 piston brakes

Exhaust: FRPP ceramic headers, Bassani X-pipe w/ cats, Dynomax Ultra Flow cat-back

Bolt-ons: 4.10s, Steeda Tri-Ax, Pro-M 80mm, K&N, Steeda Underdrive pulleys, Steeda timing adjuster (14 degrees)

[cobrayankee]

I can't use the advice right now (and neither can my wallet) but my buddy is about to do the upgrade. Thanks a lot!!!

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1997 Cobra, C+L 80mm MAF, Pro 5.0 shifter, BBK Springs, Taylor Wires, 2 Chamber Flows, 3.73's