Slow Your Fast Fox Mustang’s Roll With A Baer Big-Brake Upgrade

When it comes to upgrading the brakes on your ’79-’93 Mustang, the possibilities are as exciting as they are essential — especially if you’re planning to unleash your pony on spirited drives or track days where stopping on a dime can mean the difference between glory and a close call.

For my 1993 Mustang GT, still rocking its stock OEM brakes, including those dated rear drums, it was time to ditch the mediocre factory stopping power and go all in. They say “Go big or go home,” so I did just that, opting for the Baer Brakes Pro+ six-piston system to take performance and confidence to the next level.

Before committing to this brake kit, I performed some old-school homework to ensure a perfect fit. Since I’m sticking with 17-inch wheels, I relied on Baer Brakes’ handy downloadable template to double-check wheel diameter and hub compatibility. It’s a simple but crucial step to guarantee the kit will work seamlessly with your setup — no surprises, just precision.

As I browsed the vast choices on Baer’s website, my heart was set on the 6P Pro+ 13-inch system for both the front and rear. While the larger 14-inch kit was tempting for its potential stopping power, I ultimately decided on the slightly smaller 13-inch setup. Intending to maintain six-piston performance, I was also set on ensuring plenty of clearance for my 17-inch wheels. These slightly smaller rotors provided that extra space but also made cleaning the inside of the wheels around the calipers much easier.

Additionally, the two-piece rotors included with the kit offered several key advantages. With less mass to rotate, they improve efficiency and reduce unsprung weight, while their superior heat dissipation minimizes the risk of brake fade during hard use. Plus, the two-piece design helps lower the chances of rotor warpage during high-performance braking situations — an important factor given my plans to compete in 3-S and road course challenge events. Sometimes, it’s all about finding the right balance of form, function, and finesse — and this setup hit the sweet spot for me.

To complement the brake kit, I couldn’t resist adding Baer’s sleek Remaster master cylinder kit with a 1-inch piston and a matching proportioning valve complete with stainless steel lines. A few clicks later, the order was placed, and the waiting game for the delivery driver began. The anticipation was real — nothing beats the thrill of new performance parts arriving at your doorstep!

Front of the Fox

Once everything was delivered and all parts in the kit carefully checked for accuracy, it was time to dive in. I began with the front of the car, tackling the passenger-side wheel first. With significant modifications needed for the front spindles, tackling the toughest part of the project first saves what I hope will be easier work for last. That was, of course, with fingers crossed that the rearend would go smoother — though with these upgrades, it’s all worth the effort!

The brake upgrade began with the removal of the front brakes.

With the wheel, caliper, and pads out of the way, it was time to remove the disc brake rotor. After removing the 1 ⅛-inch spindle nut and the three ⅜-inch bolts holding the dust shield, I was finally down to the real heart of the project — the spindle. Since I’m sticking with the stock four-lug front disc brake system, one crucial step stood between me and installing the beefier EradiSpeed rotor and six-piston caliper: cutting and modifying the spindle to clear the way for the upgraded components.

Thankfully, Baer has your back with detailed cutting guides that take the guesswork out of this process. They even offer an optional tap-and-die kit to make the modifications smoother and more precise — turning what could become a nerve-wracking task into a manageable and rewarding step toward ultimate braking performance.

Armed with an angle grinder and a cutoff wheel, I created a symphony of sparks and sounds that my neighbors would surely appreciate. After slicing off the spindle arms, I carefully smoothed the edges with a flapper-style grinding wheel, aiming for a clean, factory-like finish. Next came the challenge of tapping out the dust shield mounting bracket holes — from 5/16- to 1/2-inch. Yep, it’s as big a jump as it sounds. This is where Baer’s optional 1/2-inch tap-and-die kit proved invaluable. Using the caliper mounting bracket as a guide, the process was manageable, but there was one catch: the tap handle had to be removed and reattached for every half turn because the spindle axle was in the way. Tedious? Absolutely.

Time to test-fit the brackets.

After three hours of careful tapping, I was finally ready to test-fit the brackets. But before reassembling, I decided to take things a step further. I removed the spindles entirely, splitting the control arms and tie rods with trusty pickle forks. Then it was time for a makeover. Armed with a wire wheel, degreaser, and a can of Satin Black Rust-Oleum, I prepped and painted the spindles for a fresh, durable finish. Because if you’re going to do it, you might as well make it look good too, right?

After letting the spindles bake in the blazing Florida sun to cure the paint, I reinstalled them and was finally ready to move on to the exciting part: mounting the caliper bracket, spindle hub, rotors, and calipers. This part of the process was pretty straightforward, but there’s one key detail to keep in mind — make sure the new caliper bracket is mounted as shown below. And don’t forget the shims! They’re essential for aligning and centering the caliper with the brake rotor, ensuring there’s enough clearance to prevent the Eradispeed rotor hub bolts from rubbing. The rotor-to-hub spacing is tight — around .030-inch from the pads to the rotor-hub bolts, so attention to detail here is a must.

The new Baer front brakes aren't just built to perform. They look great as well.

Once everything was aligned, torqued down, and the new braided lines bolted up, the result was nothing short of stunning. This kit transformed the front end of my car — what a massive upgrade from the factory OEM caliper setup! After soaking in the view of the new front setup, I couldn’t help but feel a wave of excitement. It was like a visual pep talk to power through the rear brake upgrade and finish what I’d started!

Moving Back

Removing the rear axles requires removing the diff cover and pulling the C-clips.

With the rear wheels off, I dove into the next phase of the project — removing the differential cover and draining the gear oil. Then came the fun part: pulling the axles out. The process of removing the axles is fairly straightforward, but sometimes the C-clip retainer pin’s 8mm bolt can be a bit stubborn. If that’s the case, don’t worry, just channel your inner Thor and give the housing pin area a few solid smacks. That usually frees up the bolt enough to remove it. Once the pin is out, a handy magnet comes in the clutch to grab the C-clips and pull them right out of their spot.

With the axles removed, you can remove the factory rear brakes. Now is a good time to check the axle-flange depth.

Next up, I tackled the rear brake assemblies. Unbolting the four 3/8-inch backing plate bolts from the axle flanges was easy, followed by disconnecting the brake lines and unhooking the rear parking brake cables. All of this went surprisingly fast, and before I knew it, the entire rear brake setup was out in one clean assembly. One last item then was to double-check the axle flange depth, and make sure I have the required 2.5-inch flange-to-axle-end depth. After a quick confirmation with the dial caliper, I was moving right along!

But then I had a bit of rethinking at this point. As I was just about the start the new rear brake installation, it hit me: why not pull the entire rear differential assembly out, clean it up, throw a coat of paint on it, and then toss in some fresh bearings, seals, and new axles, then clean up the underbody while I’m at it?  So, I did just that. But for the sake of this article, I’ll spare you the details of that lengthy process and jump straight to the completion of the brake install. You’re welcome!

With the rear axle freshened up and the underbody looking much cleaner, it was time to get down to business with the Baer rear disc brake assembly. The installation was surprisingly simple — just a matter of reinstalling the new backing plate with the four bolts that house the upgraded drum-style parking brake setup. One important tip here: Make sure the parking brake adjuster is turned all the way in so the rotor slides on with ease. Once both sides were bolted up, I mounted the caliper brackets using the supplied hardware and guide pins.

A quick note about the calipers: while the fronts required shims for alignment, the rears are a bit different. Since they use sliding pins, alignment isn’t a concern, but you’ll still need shims to space the calipers out enough to clear the rotor hub bolts. If you skip this step, you’ll be treated to some pretty unsettling noises the first time you hit the road.

Next up: connecting the brake hoses. Baer provides a solid mounting kit with metal hose clamps and brackets, but I opted to use the factory mounts and bolt them to the stock horizontal shock mounting bracket, which worked perfectly.

However, for the parking brake cables, the instructions were a bit intimidating at first, suggesting that I would need to remove and heavily modify the handbrake assembly. But instead of diving into that complex process, I ordered a shorter lead brake cable with a threaded adjuster to compensate for the length difference. I also picked up a Ford lockout bracket for the brake handle — this made the cable installation much simpler without the need for cutting, welding, or any major modifications to the handbrake assembly.

Installing the master cylinder required some custom brake line work.

Wrapping up the project meant tackling the master cylinder. This was the last hurdle, and it came with its own set of challenges. The factory brake system used a proportioning valve with various thread fitting sizes that wouldn’t bolt onto the new Baer valve that required 3/8-inch x 24 thread fittings. So, to make it all work, I had to get a little creative. I picked up some stainless steel brake lines and brass T fittings and cut off the factory lines leading to the valve. After flaring the new stainless steel lines to match the 3/8-inch x 24 thread fittings of the proportioning valve and T fittings, everything adapted seamlessly. The reason for using the stainless steel lines is not only to prevent corrosion and ensure long-term reliability,

After flaring the fitting with a double invert and matching the new 3/8-24 pitch threads of the Baer proportioning valve, I was able to adapt everything seamlessly. It took some extra effort, but the result was absolutely worth it. With that last piece in place, the brake system was officially upgraded and ready for action.

Let Them Bleed

But wait… there’s more! The final step was bleeding the brakes. I wasn’t about to let something this simple slow me down, so I took it on single-handedly with an Orion Motor pressurized brake bleeding kit. The process wasn’t too complicated, but it did take a few rounds of cracking open the bleeder valves, working my way around the car from the rear drivers, and in a circle around, while carefully monitoring the tank fluid levels.

After going through about a quart and a half of DOT 3 brake fluid, I was finally ready. With everything bled and free of air bubbles, it was time to hit the road and put all that hard work to the test. The moment of truth had arrived. Let’s see how those new six-piston Baer brakes performed!

The new Baer Brakes look as good as they work on this 1993 Mustang GT.

And let me tell you — what a difference these new Baer brakes make! The difference in stopping power compared to the factory brakes is night and day. Where the OEM system struggled to bring the car to a quick stop, these new brakes provide a solid, confident grip on the road, giving me the peace of mind to push the car without worrying about the next turn.

So that’s a wrap on this Fox Baer brake upgrade project! From pulling apart the factory components to installing the powerful new Baer brake system, it’s been a journey of precision, creativity, and a lot of elbow grease. But the results speak for themselves with improved performance, a sleek new look, and most importantly, a braking system that can handle everything this beast has to offer. Whether you’re tackling spirited drives or just cruising, this upgrade proves that when it comes to performance, sometimes you’ve got to go big — or go home.

Article Sources

About the author

Adam Riley

Growing up with a wrench in his hand, Adam applies his personal background of car building and racing into media content. With nearly fifteen years experience of motorsport photography, video and journalism, you'll spot him with a camera and laptop nearly everywhere he goes. To view samples of his work, visit www.theartofcar.net or via Instagram @_theartofcar
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