Mondeo ASBO Brake Conversion - Pics & Howto

[Rousie]

Ok, so got myself a bit of shopping before i go away for 2 weeks... Well, that's what she always says anyway - LOL

2 x Focus ST225 Callipers & Carriers
2 x Focus ST225 Discs - 24 Grooved CRN Version
4 x EBC YellowStuff Pads
1 x 1L of Brake Fluid
1 x Gunsons Easybleed Kit
1 x Large Syringe

Few tools, booked the warehouse at work and booked a night off from other half, lol.

I'd been reading posts from other People, and also the very informative post by Slack (Thanks mate) and decided to bite the bullet and see how good the ASBO Brake conversion really was...

It wasn't until i finished work, got all the parts together and got the car jacked up that i realised that people who had done this were Mondeo ST Owners.... Meaning 18" Wheels... Mine's a 2.2 GHIA X with 17" Wheels, so started to worry... ALOT.

After a quick coffee and sorting the tools out, i started to get to work.

-- Open Bonnet, remove Brake Reservoir Cap and wrap some old wrags around there for good measure.

-- Crack Wheel nuts off, but not too much.

-- Jack Car up, Support where possible with Axle Stands.

-- Remove wheel nuts and wheel, and place to one side.

-- Get some old wire / rope and tie it to a coil on your suspension (You'll see why)

-- Whip out your 15mm Socket and look around the rear of the Calliper, the bolt heads are facing the inside of the car - Carefully undo these, or you'll end up taking some knuckle skin off... I used a nice long breaker bar to start them off, then switched to the ratchet.

-- Now, when you have removed these, it's time to pull the calliper (With pads) straight off the disc, and hold in one hand for a bit - lol...

-- Actually, use the rope / wire to tie them out of the way while you do something else This keeps your hands free and stops any un-necessary stress being applied to the brake line.

-- Whip off the old disc

-- Clean off all the surrounding crap on the knuckle and apply some copper grease to any mating faces you can see.

// - For me, now was the time to temporarily put the disc & calliper on and try the wheel -- YESSS, it fits //

-- While the old calliper is still hanging there, get your new calliper, and put the pads in ready.

-- Back to the tool box and grab a brake hose clamp or some old rags and mole grips like i did - About 3" from the end, wrap your rag round the pipe and squeeze it with the Mole grips so no fluid comes out.

-- 14mm spanner out and undo the brake line from the old calliper - This might take some force, so i just bolted the calliper back onto the knuckle so i could apply some force.

-- Once loose, carefully twist the calliper anti-clockwise, to unscrew it from the brake line. Note: This can be quite hard on your own, so maybe get someone to help.

-- Now, rest your arms, and make a drink / crack open a beer and give yourself 5 minutes, or like me, check the photo's have come out ok

-- Offer your new disc up to the hub and don't forget to apply some copper grease to the face around the wheel bolts - This makes life easier when you need to replace the discs.

-- Get your shiny new larger calliper and flex your muscles a bit more and screw the calliper clockwise back onto the brake line. When you're close to the end, tie the new calliper back up with the rope / wire you used earlier.

-- 14mm spanner out, and make sure the brake line is nice and tight in the calliper.

-- Get some threadlock, and apply to the 15mm bolts you took out earlier.

-- Offer up the Calliper over the disc and put your 15mm bolts back in - Finger tight will do for the time being, then undo the rope / wire.

-- Tighten up the bolts nice and tight.

-- Remove the mole grips / hose clamp from the brake line, and check that the hose is in the position it started in.

DONE... Nearly..

-- Put the wheel back on and admire your new brakes, but DO NOT drive the car yet, you have yet to bleed your brakes.

-- Jack up the other side of the car and repeat the above.

NOW, i bought an Easy Bleed Kit from Local Motor factors, costing me £20, and worth every Penny. It's the type where you fill the bottle with Brake Fluid, screw the cap onto your brake reservoir and then attach the other end to a spare tyre. This pushes the brake fluid through the system, eliminating any air from entering the system.

I had already planned to change the fluid, so i ended up doing all 4 wheels.

-- Fill the bottle with Brake Fluid
-- Attach the cap to your reservoir
-- Attach the other end to an inflated tyre

For me, as i said, i did them all while i was there, so the way to do it is to start with the calliper furthest away from the Master Cylinder...

Note: First the Rear Offside, then Rear Nearside, then Front Offside, then front nearside... Got that?

Note: You'll need an 11mm spanner to crack the nipples on the rear callipers, and a 10mm spanner for the new ST225 Callipers.

-- Remove the rubber protector from the nipple and attach the short length of clear tube from the kit onto the nipple, and open half turn with the spanner, catching any fluid in an old container...

-- Watch the fluid coming out of the tubing, and if there any bubbles, wait until it's clear, then tighten back up. For me though, i waited until i saw the new fluid coming through and then tightened back up.

-- Do this for all wheels, in the order above.

NOTE: Keep an eye on the Easy Bleed bottle, making SURE it never get's emptied - I removed from the tyre and de-pressurised every time i did a corner, and re-filled accordingly.

-- Check and tighten all your wheels, and remove the easy bleed kit. making sure you DO NOT get any brake fluid on the paint work.

-- If you look in your reservoir, you'll probably find that it's FULL to the brim with brake fluid so get your syringe, and take some out until it's at the correct level.

-- Screw the cap back on, tidy up, shut your bonnet and stand back, pat yourself on the back for a Job Well done.

Phew, now hopefully some more people will have a go at this!

I'm getting a deal together with CRN again for some Focus ST225 24 Grooved Discs and YellowStuff Pads.

Thoughts; F**K Me, the car feels like something else, so much more response from the brakes, you only have to breathe on them and you can feel them working. No more spongy pedals, or wondering if they're going to work. THIS is how the Mondeo should have rolled out of the Factory.

I've only covered 40 miles or so, but the difference is.... ALOT :L

Sorry for the quick write-up, but I’m preparing to go away (With Caravan for 700 mile trip) for 2 weeks, so got allot to get done. Please correct me where required, and ask any questions you need answering and I’ll try my best to help out.

Below are some pictures for your viewing pleasure.

Thanks for reading,
Deano