1988 Ford Thunderbird Upgrade - Chassis, Suspension & Steering

Question: Are there any good brake upgrade kits available to convert the (awful) rear drum brakes to disc? Any other suggestions to improve the marginal brakes on this car?

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Technican: I'm sure there may be some aftermarket items out there to do what you want, but you may better off price wise to have the drums calibrated. If you've had more than a couple of brake jobs done where the drums have been"turned"(resurfaced), chances are the drums are due replacement. Also check the star adjuster. If it is more than half extended, this is another telltale sign of excesive wear. Check your front discs also. This is your main stopping point. If the front is not doing its job, the rear is overworking to compensate. If the front rotors are beyond their turning point(calibration width), they also need to be replaced.Make sure to to replace pads and or shoes if either need to be replaced. As for the aftermarket parts, I'm sure it would take a skilled technician to install said item. The only other solution would be trying to locate a used rear end with rear discs. If I remember correctly, the Lincoln Continental VII sat on the same platform(chassis) as your vehicle in that year. It is still a question as to gear ratio that can only come from the tag bolted to the rear cover of the differetial. Any good salvage yard can give you a cross refference to what will work for your situation. .....Paul

Owner: Thank you for your reply. This car is the sport coupe with the quad-shock rear axle, 2.73 ratio. The brakes have been marginal since new and braking is the same with new rotors, pads, drums and shoes. The car will stop fairly well, but is certainly no Honda. I believe it has the same rear axle as the Mustang GT of that year. Having done lots of brake work in my lifetime, putting on the parts is no problem. It just seems that the rear drum brakes don't contribute enough to the stopping force, or the brakes are totally undersized for this application. I've read in several places where the Thunderbird brakes of this era are "marginal at best". Seems like something could be done to upgrad to 4-wheel disc to improve stopping power. Having to stop quickly in this car is certainly a unsettling experience. It stops, but it doesn't seeem like it wants to. Thanks for your help. I suppose I can pursue this further, or just live with it. Great trip car with close to 30 MPG on the road. Not bad for a V-8.

Technican: Yes, the breaking on these model year cars was somewhat exceptional, but you just described another issue that may need to be explored. You say the vehicle stops, but with what it seems, a little bit of effort. You also state the vehicle is a sports coupe. I'm thinking you may have a problem with either a power booster, or if this vehicle may be equipped with an early version of ABS. The problem lies possibly in one of those two.

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