Uploaded August 2026 | Updated September 2026, 1 hour ago
A hard pull to one side under braking is one of the most unnerving problems a classic car can throw at you — and on this 1972 Mustang Mach 1, it was diving straight for the mailbox every time the pedal went down. The car tracked perfectly straight otherwise, which told Jeff Ford the trouble was living somewhere inside the front brake system.
In this episode, Jeff walks you through a real front-brake pull diagnosis the right way — no throwing parts at it and hoping. Starting with a simple infrared thermometer check (134°F on one rotor, 174°F on the other), he shows how a temperature spread points straight to a caliper that isn't fully retracting. From there it's a methodical walk through the usual suspects: rotor condition, pad wear, brake hose pliability, and the sticking caliper itself — plus the dead-simple road test that got the brakes to equalize without a single new part going on the car.
If your classic pulls left or right under braking, this is the troubleshooting order that saves you money and gets you back on the road safely.
🔧 Also in this one: why we're going with Porterfield R4S pads from the crew at Open Tracker Racing — race-compound pads spec'd to run a street rotor, low dust, and they bite hard even cold.
☕ Want to support the show? Grab a t-shirt or jump on Patreon at the $10/month level for monthly Zoom hangouts and Trivia Night, where we give away custom shirts featuring YOUR car. Every shirt and pledge goes straight to Joseph and the editor who make these videos happen — not to Jeff.
T-shirts help pay Joseph, our teenage production assistant who's putting every dollar into his XJ Jeep. Grab one and you're funding a kid's first build.
Patreon at the $10 level gets you monthly Zoom meetings with Jeff plus Trivia Night, where the prize is a one-off t-shirt with YOUR car on it.
It's not a problem, it's a project.
Www.opentrackerracing.com
Porterfield R4-S Street Performance Disc Brake Pads: PF-APD34-R4S
opentrackerracing.com/shop/porterfield-r4-s-disc-brake-pads-1968-1973-mustang-cougar
—
▶ Autorestomod is proudly sponsored by National Parts Depot — [https://www.npdlink.com]
SUPPORT THE SHOW
▶ Patreon — $10/month gets you monthly Zoom meetings with me: [patreon.com/c/gasolinemedia]
▶ Merch — "Needs More Classic Cars" shirts, hats & mugs at Fourth Wall: [autorestomod-shop.fourthwall.com/]
Autorestomod Episode: 754
autorestomod-shop.fourthwall.com
Sponsors:
nationalpartsdepot.com
eatondetroitspring.com
Contact: Jford@autorestomod.com
Insta: @autorestomod
patreon.com/gasolinemedia.
#ClassicCars #Mustang #FordMustang #AutoRestoMod #NPD
A hard pull to one side under braking is one of the most unnerving problems a classic car can throw at you — and on this 1972 Mustang Mach 1, it was diving straight for the mailbox every time the pedal went down. The car tracked perfectly straight otherwise, which told Jeff Ford the trouble was living somewhere inside the front brake system.
In this episode, Jeff walks you through a real front-brake pull diagnosis the right way — no throwing parts at it and hoping. Starting with a simple infrared thermometer check (134°F on one rotor, 174°F on the other), he shows how a temperature spread points straight to a caliper that isn't fully retracting. From there it's a methodical walk through the usual suspects: rotor condition, pad wear, brake hose pliability, and the sticking caliper itself — plus the dead-simple road test that got the brakes to equalize without a single new part going on the car.
If your classic pulls left or right under braking, this is the troubleshooting order that saves you money and gets you back on the road safely.
🔧 Also in this one: why we're going with Porterfield R4S pads from the crew at Open Tracker Racing — race-compound pads spec'd to run a street rotor, low dust, and they bite hard even cold.
☕ Want to support the show? Grab a t-shirt or jump on Patreon at the $10/month level for monthly Zoom hangouts and Trivia Night, where we give away custom shirts featuring YOUR car. Every shirt and pledge goes straight to Joseph and the editor who make these videos happen — not to Jeff.
T-shirts help pay Joseph, our teenage production assistant who's putting every dollar into his XJ Jeep. Grab one and you're funding a kid's first build.
Patreon at the $10 level gets you monthly Zoom meetings with Jeff plus Trivia Night, where the prize is a one-off t-shirt with YOUR car on it.
It's not a problem, it's a project.
Www.opentrackerracing.com
Porterfield R4-S Street Performance Disc Brake Pads: PF-APD34-R4S
opentrackerracing.com/shop/porterfield-r4-s-disc-brake-pads-1968-1973-mustang-cougar
—
▶ Autorestomod is proudly sponsored by National Parts Depot — [https://www.npdlink.com]
SUPPORT THE SHOW
▶ Patreon — $10/month gets you monthly Zoom meetings with me: [patreon.com/c/gasolinemedia]
▶ Merch — "Needs More Classic Cars" shirts, hats & mugs at Fourth Wall: [autorestomod-shop.fourthwall.com/]
Autorestomod Episode: 754
autorestomod-shop.fourthwall.com
Sponsors:
nationalpartsdepot.com
eatondetroitspring.com
Contact: Jford@autorestomod.com
Insta: @autorestomod
patreon.com/gasolinemedia.
#ClassicCars #Mustang #FordMustang #AutoRestoMod #NPD
