Definitive AU1 to AU2/AU3 brake upgrade thread

[FTe342]

Ideally yes but how are you going to get one in there? In reality not required - only do the nuts up to the point that they are firm and not crushing the chassis rail. This is why you should use nylon lock nuts - so they don't come undone.

PS for anyone considering doing this mod I have all the parts required from a vehicle that had only done 70,000 klms. Just PM me

[FAT245]

You can go to Coventrys and also get the Anti Vibration Washers, I used them on mine and haven't needed to tighten them again.

[mif73]

Originally Posted by mad2

Hi, very informative - hava a AU3 here so will keep parts for a later swap


just one question re swaybar bolts thru chassis ... does there not need ta be a 'crush tube' ??

Funny about that. I am just about to fit the calipers on my s1 to s2 upgrade.
The other problem is drilling the holes square so the exit hole lines up with the bracket holes.

If fitting a crush tube you would also need to drill the outside holes a bit larger for the tube to fit through and then weld it to the outside of the rail.

I used m8 x100 high tensile bolts and nylocs with loctite for now.
If it loosens i will install crush tubes 8.8mm id x 12mm od.

If you dont weld it then you would make the nut tight and bottom out but it probably wont clamp the rail tight enough.

The other issue is clearance for headers with a v8.

Mine has pacemaker tri y's and i have less than 10mm clearance to the bolt end spacing it with 2 washers on the outer side of rails.

Bunnings sell a long 8mm bit which can drill through the rail but use cutting oil and not too much speed as it is high strength steel.

Measure the rail width and space the bit with a socket etc so you dont drill into your exhaust etc.

Cheers.

[mif73]

Ok just bolted up the secondhand s2 uprights and noticed the left hub noisy with the disc on.
So pulled off my hub from the s1 upright easily by hand, but had to use a hydraulic puller on the s2 one.

When it finally popped off found the inner race stuck to the spindle, had to use a grinder cutting disc to carefully make a slot in it to cut the ring and get a chisel in then made a groove to chisel the race off the spindle.

Put my hub on after cleaning up the shaft surface and a smear of grease.

Next was the s2 calipers on, noticed the s2 hose is a tad short when wheel fully turned and fitting does not have hex pattern in end of hose to secure it to the body while tightening the nut.

The bleeding nipple also faces toward the upright and is very close, making one man bleeding tools a tight fit.

So after i bleed the brakes and test out the new calipers and new ball joints and super pro bushes i will try and get some braided front hoses.

Will finish bleeding and test drive in the morning.

[mif73]

Fixed hose issue by rerouting between upright and strut, used 2x cable ties to attach to strut below spring like a s2 setup.

Test drove. Secondhand s2 discs need machining or replacing with slotted jobs due to slight warp when braking even at slow speed.

Pedal effort is hugely reduced but travel feels about the same.
Might look into braided hoses and a master cylinder brace to strut tower.


Super pro bushes and new ball joints feel awesome, can drive up a driveway or speed hump and car feels tight and steering is firmer. Will check for nvh when i get on the freeway.

After discs are fixed will get an alignment but steers straight for now.

[BRADFORD000]

Originally Posted by mif73

The other issue is clearance for headers with a v8.

M

Funny you should mention that.
My extractors had a huge hole in them where the bolt hits them.

[mif73]

Originally Posted by BRADFORD000

Funny you should mention that.
My extractors had a huge hole in them where the bolt hits them.

Damn, how long have they been bashing the bolts?


I have less than 10mm clearance from pipes to bolt, i could probably grind the bolt a tad.
They havnt marked the pipes yet even with hard acceleration.

If they start to make a noise later on then i will check my engine mounts.

It was tricky drilling holes and tightening the nuts with the pipes in place but luckily i didnt even scratch them.

[BRADFORD000]

It was only a few weeks

[bartsau]

Just a quick questions but can someone 100% confirm that if doing this upgrade on a series 1 using BA brake calipers/discs I can just use the BA brake lines?

The car it is being fitted to is a 1999 Series 1 forte.

[99AUXR]

Correct, Go braided as well helped me with excess pedal travel when I had my AU.

[bartsau]

Originally Posted by 99AUXR

Correct, Go braided as well helped me with excess pedal travel when I had my AU.

Thanks for that

Will most likely go braided down the track but for now I just need them in. I also am windering if I can use a BA brake booster/master cylinder?

Not worried about the pressure switch on the side of the master cylinder as it doesnt have cruise or abs. Also not worried about the different bolt pattern.

My concern is the shaft which connects to the brake pedal is a different length?? Has a BA booster been used in an AU before? And if so were there any issues?

[99AUXR]

There has been someone use a BA booster and master cylinder but I cannot fathom the reason for installing in IMO? The cost of the booster and master cylinder would outweigh the benefits.

EDIT: For some reason I went braided lines. . . And I think it was because the BA braided lines I got were longer than the standard BF ones that came with caliper which were too short.

Dug up my old thread. Turns out standard lines were to short.

http://www.fordforums.com.au/showpos...&postcount=224

[bartsau]

Originally Posted by 99AUXR

There has been someone use a BA booster and master cylinder but I cannot fathom the reason for installing in IMO? The cost of the booster and master cylinder would outweigh the benefits.

EDIT: For some reason I went braided lines. . . And I think it was because the BA braided lines I got were longer than the standard BF ones that came with caliper which were too short.

Dug up my old thread. Turns out standard lines were to short.

http://www.fordforums.com.au/showpos...&postcount=224

Thanks for that

Only reason I am considering the booster/cylinder due to the fact I have a pretty fresh one sitting here doing nothing...

Looks like braided lines will be happening now then

[FAT245]

Contacy Matt from RBS. He made my lines for front and rear

[Dave_Phillips]

"This means that any caliper from a AU/BA/BF will successfully fit onto this suspension, as long as it has the correct carrier (mounting bracket)." Mate do you have a photo or part number for this? I am going down this path with a track car ultimately putting Brmebo or AP stoppers on the front (4 pot x 355mm disc rotors).

[monroc]

Thanks so much mate that is a really good thread one thing though given that the rotors are the same diameter do I have to change my rotors from s 1 to s2 because the s 2 is only 4 mm as my s 1 rotors are brand new Thanks mate regards steve

[Silver']

Originally Posted by monroc

Thanks so much mate that is a really good thread one thing though given that the rotors are the same diameter do I have to change my rotors from s 1 to s2 because the s 2 is only 4 mm as my s 1 rotors are brand new Thanks mate regards steve

If you don't replace the rotors, you run the risk of the pad sliding between the carrier and the rotor when it gets low - assuming that the piston doesn't pop out altogether first which would be rather....bad.

[v8der]

If anyone is looking to upgrade I'll have a full set of factory 287mm rotors, calipers, pads & lines (front/rear) available from my AU3 XR8 very soon.

[mif73]

Hi guys,
After about 1.5 yrs of ownership with a spongy (and hard) brake pedal (with the original S1 brakes , and after 1 year of the front brake upgrade to S2, I can now say that the sponginess has disappeared after fitting braided Bosch/PBR lines to the rear to match the front Bosch/PBR I fitted on the front last year with the 2 piston upgrade.

Possibly the original rear rubber hoses were a bit tired, also the pressure will find the weak link and inflate the rubber hose.

The pedal effort is still a bit high, but better.
I have newish slotted rotors up front and bendix gct, with standard bendix on the rear S1 calipers with newish rotors too.
I also made a simple, adjustable master cylinder brace that attaches to one stud of the strut upper mount.

PS: An old fridge compressor used as a vacuum pump and a bleeding kit makes a fool proof 1 man bleeding setup.

-I used a T piece fitting with silicon hose that goes to a vac gauge to confirm vacuum.
You can also apply pedal pressure and then return it slowly without sucking air into the caliper this way. (apply thread sealer tape to the bleeder thread if you want to increase vacuum draw inside the caliper).

Cheers,
Andrew.

[Uncle_Ken]

Thanks for sharing your set up
UK

[output]

can someone explain why u need to replace the front control arms on this conversion... wouldnt the s2 uprights bolt to the s1 control arms...

yes i know the sway bar connects differently...

id like to avoid having to change the sway and arms...

[output]

Originally Posted by output

can someone explain why u need to replace the front control arms on this conversion... wouldnt the s2 uprights bolt to the s1 control arms...

yes i know the sway bar connects differently...

id like to avoid having to change the sway and arms...

ok for the benefit of others, as this question is never answered...here it is...the reason u need to change the lower arm is because u NEED to swap the sway bar..

why do u need to swap the sway bar?...because on the s2 brakes the caliper sits to the front and it would hit the s1 sway bar...ford redesigned and moved the sway bar on the s2 but changed the lower arm so it mounts...

[XF_Pilot]

Hi guys, doing a lot of searching and am confused. My AU has BF Turbo brakes on the front. I want to up he rears a little. I have read of problems with the BF Turbo calipers, not just the spacing requirements but also with rubbing on suspension parts. I am considering just the standard BA rear brakes which are 303x16. Same thickness with a little more diameter.

My question. Unlike the BF Turbo brakes will these bolt straight up? Do I just need the BA calipers, brackets and hoses?

[Silver']

The topic of this thread is AU1 upgrade to AU2/3 gear so you might do better with your own thread. Also, do you have IRS on your AU?

[Silver']

Maybe have a read of this thread, it covers the 328mm option and someone jumped in and shared some experiences on doing the same upgrade on their non-IRS AU.

[XF_Pilot]

I may have posted this in the wrong thread. I was reading through a few and thought this was the AU2 upgrade one, will start my own. Thanks.

[mif73]

Me again,
After completing the S1 to S2 slotted front rotor upgrade over a year ago and then fitting front and back braided lines and a master cylinder brace for less pedal travel , I still noticed the pedal effort was still quite high on my V8,LWB with IRS (heavy).

I then swapped the front Bendix pads for QFM premium pads, this helped but I still feel the effort required is very high (much higher then the Corolla or the wife's FG XR6).
I also recall my AU S2 work car from years ago had much lighter brakes.

I am now considering replacing the booster from S1 to S2/3 if it indeed will help.

I don't think there is a fault with my S1 booster as it holds vacuum for at least a few hours and does not hiss, I suspect the S2 booster is a dual diaphragm type which is probably the key.

If someone could confirm if the swap to a S2/3 booster is the cure, and any tricks besides drilling 4 new holes, please let me know.

Thanks,
Andrew.

[Silver']

Or were they the same spec master cyl from S1 to S3?

If not, it seems to me that changing half the hydraulics is a bit hit and miss. Wouldn't it make sense to change the master cylinder as well as the booster?

[mif73]

Originally Posted by Silver'

Or were they the same spec master cyl from S1 to S3?

If not, it seems to me that changing half the hydraulics is a bit hit and miss. Wouldn't it make sense to change the master cylinder as well as the booster?

Hi Silver,
The master cyl on the S1 has a slightly smaller bore than S2/3 so this means a longer travel to fill up the slightly larger displacement of the S2/3 front calipers (compensated by the Braided lines and Brace), if any thing the S1 Master should make it easier to press than a S2/3 Master.

I sort of suspect the S2/3 booster is a lot heftier to help move the larger bore and therefore harder to press S2/3 master cyl.

Again, I am not worried about pedal travel, but the effort required.

[dcstraight]

You won't be able to use a S1 master cylinder on a S2/3 booster as they mount on different angles too.