Topic: Building Brembo caliper brackets

I'm building an ill-advised street car (500RWHP 2011 Police Interceptor) and I've gotta do something about the brakes.
There's a kit available that lets you run C5 Vette calipers on 14" Mustang GT500 rotors (you have to cut .030 out of the center bore to get them to fit,) but I really want to run a 4 (or even 6) pot Brembo caliper on the front, because with big, open 19" wheels, I want something that looks hella sweet in there.

The C5 doesn't have Brembos. The C6Z06 and C7 do, and there's a roadmap for upgrading C5s to those brakes. So it seems logical to me that if I can adapt Crown Vic->C5 then whatever needs to be done to the C5 to adapt to the Brembos shouldn't be too hard, right?

One other question, that might be kinda dumb but whatever: Does it matter that a Brembo caliper for a car with, say, 325 or 335mm rotors, gets used on a 355mm caliper?

Anecdotal experience is always welcome!
Thanks.

Official photographer/Team Police Brutality|Speedycop & the Gang
Lackey-mechanic-whatever/NSF Racing
Sycophant/Judge Phil, Jay Lamm, Kim Harmon
Galaxie Driver/not Parnelli Jones

Re: Building Brembo caliper brackets

Short answer, as long as you have the space (inside the wheel, behind the hub, etc), the patience and some minimal tools you can make your own adapters.  We adapted C5 calipers and rotors to 1995 Pontiac minivan...and it did not even have the same lug spacing.  We put Ford Explorer front brakes on a 1947 Plymouth.

We used a grinder, drill press, scroll saw, 3/8" plate, washers and a piece of 3/8" OSB.  Version two required a welder and it would have been a lot easier with a plasma cutter but version one is fine for a car you are not inspecting the brakes on three times in a weekend.

Cardboard template to get your hole spacing on the car.  OSB template to figure the relationship of car to calliper bracket (took like three tries) with washers used for the spacers.  Caliper in plane with the rotor...good.  Pad engagement even from tip to tip...good.  Since you do not want sliding calipers, caliper centered on the rotor left to right...good.  Now make 3/8" plate version.

Those are the steps but it makes it sound easy...it is simple but it is not all that easy.

Re: Building Brembo caliper brackets

The diameter difference is only 10 mm per radius of the rotor so I don't thing that's going to be an issue.
When I did such a swap I removed the knuckle from the car and set it up on my work bench. I added the rotor with new brake pads and  slipped the caliper over the rotor.

I then moved the caliper around a bit to where things fit. Then I determined if I could use any part of the original caliper mounting lugs or would it be better to just cut them off and weld on a whole new mount.  In one case I reused one of the lugs with a spacer and welded an extension to the other lug.    In the other case I just welded on a whole new bracket to bolt the caliper to.

Re: Building Brembo caliper brackets

After your selected rotor is bolted on (minus wheel), grab the caliper with new pads and adapt shop air to hold it locked on, make brackets from there.

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Re: Building Brembo caliper brackets

Removing the knuckle is a superb idea. I'll definitely be doing that... and dumping air into the caliper to engage is brilliant. I never would have considered that.
Guess now I need to decide what calipers to go with. The CTS-V ones are a very attractive silver, but they say "Cadillac" on them. And the Corvette ones say "Corvette," so maybe I can get some from a 12-ish Camero SS or something that are just plain old red Brembos.

Thanks for the input!

Official photographer/Team Police Brutality|Speedycop & the Gang
Lackey-mechanic-whatever/NSF Racing
Sycophant/Judge Phil, Jay Lamm, Kim Harmon
Galaxie Driver/not Parnelli Jones

Re: Building Brembo caliper brackets

Wilwood and Baer both make bolt on kits.

https://wilwood.com/BrakeKits/BrakeKitS … =Front+Kit

https://baer.com/2003-2006-Crown-Vic-Ma … t-Systems/

Re: Building Brembo caliper brackets

This guy wants "a look" not performance.  What looks better than shiny red calipers backed by mill-scale covered 3/8" plate, random washers, etc?

Am I being to cynical?

Re: Building Brembo caliper brackets

OnkelUdo wrote:

This guy wants "a look" not performance.  What looks better than shiny red calipers backed by mill-scale covered 3/8" plate, random washers, etc?

Am I being to cynical?

Pictures?

Re: Building Brembo caliper brackets

Lemon_Newton-Metre wrote:
OnkelUdo wrote:

This guy wants "a look" not performance.  What looks better than shiny red calipers backed by mill-scale covered 3/8" plate, random washers, etc?

Am I being to cynical?

Pictures?

Ours aren't red and might say something like Corvette on them.  We have no pictures I know of and the van is hiding its shame of being crushed by a tree in my enclosed trailer for the moment.

Re: Building Brembo caliper brackets

WHAT? I hope no one was hurt, but, crap that sucks.

Re: Building Brembo caliper brackets

Lemon_Newton-Metre wrote:

WHAT? I hope no one was hurt, but, crap that sucks.

Nobody hurt.

https://www.facebook.com/BadDecisionsRa … 6079570108

Re: Building Brembo caliper brackets

Lemon_Newton-Metre wrote:
OnkelUdo wrote:

This guy wants "a look" not performance.  What looks better than shiny red calipers backed by mill-scale covered 3/8" plate, random washers, etc?

Am I being to cynical?

Pictures?

You can kinda see them here:

https://www.facebook.com/BadDecisionsRa … mp;theater

Re: Building Brembo caliper brackets

ronman wrote:

. The CTS-V ones are a very attractive silver, but they say "Cadillac" on them. And the Corvette ones say "Corvette," so maybe I can get some from a 12-ish Camero SS or something that are just plain old red Brembos. !

When you say that they say "Cadillac" or  "Corvette", you mean that their are raised letters in the casting that say those words?

If that's the case those raised letters can be carefully ground flush. Then you put a Brembo sticker on the now flat area.

Hope this was helpful

Re: Building Brembo caliper brackets

Might looks at the late model mustang gt as well. They have 12 or 13" front brembos. Might be able to use the rotor and caliper.  Or talk to the guys at baer. They are a local Phoenix company and everything is made right here. Super cool guys and really helpful. Tell them Brian cole from Lemons sent you they might even help you out.

Owner/Captain of The 27 Club E46. Phoenix, AZ
and now the #95 Thunderbird