deankxf

they are Kings Lows , the thing drives fine, just quite crashy over potholes etc

Cheers for that, front springs are new Kings, I'll have  a look on Ebay for the shocks then,  much appreciated.

i know when i did those slides i wouldn't have had anything other than wheel bearing grease or never seize (silver stuff) and from memory that's what i used (silver anti seize)
Just make sure they slide in the holders easily (they get like a slot worn in them being alloy, i remember ditching one of the retaining clips once and just letting it sit there held by the pins) anti seize the pins also, make sure they slide easily. 
if the rubber hose from the diff to the caliper is original and 40yrs old it could be the issue also, swelling under pressure and not bleeding back (i guess if you wanted to risk it, swap it left to right, but these can also be the source of much pain in the backside undoing the rusty nuts on the line)
I got charged $400 once due to "getting a mechanic" to do the job because i didn't want to.. i told them i'd have bought another diff if it was that hard and had a go at them (was a weeks wages back then). they said it was the worst day of their lives lol..but it's fixed now properly with warranty. grr i never had issues again at least
 

With the age of the car it is a good idea to fit NEW rubber brake hoses. What happens is that the inside layer of the hose starts to break away and become like non return flaps for the brake fluid.
I had the problem with my front brake calipers so it is worth replacing the hoses all round.

Cheers@Seamus

And@deankxf ill take plenty of pictures taking it out and apart as a walk through.
Planning to upgrade the globes within the cluster for the backlight and warnings too


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Hey Dave. I didn't see your post until after I had everything put back together and bled but I had done it the opposite way - piston screwed down first then the seal pushed in around the sides. After I saw your post I decided to pull it apart again and check, and yeah the dust seal had already started pulling out so it's a good thing I did. 
 
Managed to get it back together using your method (not easily, though). The damaged piston top did not damage the seal thankfully. 
 
Thanks for the advice, it's all looking good now. 

My suggestion, is to start from scratch.
 
Disassemble completely,
clean up the caliper body fully, including the hand brake mechanism, use plenty of silicone grease on the thread mechanism,
new seals or re-use seals, if ok.
 
I'd try an ultrasonic cleaner, if u have access to one?
 
The piston dust seal goes in the caliper body first, then the piston is pushed into the middle
and seated at it's fully compressed position.
 
Ur likely going to need a new piston, as the damaged side surface, may catch and tear the dust seal?

Definitely pull it out and open it up.

If I'm honest, I was a bit anxious about pulling it apart. However, it was much easier than I anticipated, and it was quite easy to see the problems.



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it should be in the gregorys manual, i don't have one available, and i haven't ever pulled one of these apart. 
@SPArKy_Dave may help. 
 
i feel your pain, i preferred drum brakes after dealing with these. 

@Seamus just fixed his with My guidance in his thread.  
check out this page on his thread, (toot toot chugga chugga big red car)
feel free to make a how to thread out of all the info and i'll make it a sticky (i don't have time, but basically everything is covered in that link including bad solder joints likely with yours as ZKFAIRLANE mentions in there 
 
 

@Seamus just fixed his with My guidance in his thread.  
check out this page on his thread, (toot toot chugga chugga big red car)
feel free to make a how to thread out of all the info and i'll make it a sticky (i don't have time, but basically everything is covered in that link including bad solder joints likely with yours as ZKFAIRLANE mentions in there 
 
 

its the same caliper as an XE XF fairmont ghia
ZK or ZL fairlane would be the best to search for probably or FD FE LTD
 
those bolt hex's if you turn them and they don't turn the bush in the caliper mount they should come out. (grab with vice grips and twist and pull is best with heaps of spray where they go into the slide) 

asshole of things, i've cut them off in the past(when i had spares)
 
here's what they look like removed from the caliper bracket and fitted back into the slides 

I dunno, Dean,  the XC/XD rears are PITA as well. Must be close second.....

they are the most asshole of any of the ford calipers
the handbrake levers often seize up also.

@SPArKy_Dave may know where to get the kits and the tool also for winding them out
i've always had enough spares i've swapped them(15yrs ago was the last one) 
i think i traded 6 crap ones for 2 reco ones once also. 

Yeah this whole job started from a seized handbrake lever. 

Further to what i have just said, after cleaning some crap and overspray paint off the arm where it connects to the motor unit, it turns out it may be on a sline as it now looks round not oval. Just have to hope the wD40 gets in enough to let me pry it off!

as Thom said above there's a uni joint that's 2 different sizes for this application

Crossover uni is the easiest and cheapest way to go about it, I can't remember the part number for them any more though, but they are still readily available

Had something similar with the young blokes BF Turbo; it kept triggering a coil pack error in number one cylinder and running like a dog.  Put nos plugs, coils, sensors etc in it to no avail (similar to your situation).
 
Took it to an old school mechanic and he changed the inlet manifold gaskets and removed the engine hook and all is good.  The old gaskets were so hard and perished that they would leak air when the motor heated up but were ok when it was cold.

Mine misses from the get go.  The HLA's are working, oil is flowing from their bleed holes, valve springs in #1 are good, no sticking valves. Cam lobes and rockers and bearings are perfect. However, the spark plug is clean, whilst the others are sooty from the short running on cold start it's been doing lately. No valve gear noise of any kind, so that rules out the rocker gear.
 
Your oily plugs are likely bad or broken valve stem seals, quite common in crossflows. You also could have an exhaust valve seat recessing, taking up the lash adjustment in the lifter and holding the valve off the seat as it heats up and expands. Mine? Still working on it.

Well, I've had a day of unusual results. Got Ol' Blue out of the garage, warmed her up and pulled spark plugs, fuel pump fuse and coil pack plug and started the compression test. For correct results, the engine should be at operating temp, the throttle needs to be wide open and the test gauge accurate. This one is brand new (and a good one I've used else where), so away we went. My brother got the key and accelerator duties, with Dad watching on, I started at #6.
#6: 155 psi
#5: 120 psi (squirted oil into the cylinder and 145 psi). I'll attribute this to a broken top ring.
#4: 145 psi
#3: 145 psi
#2: 150 psi
#1: 165 psi
The rocker cover was removed and the valve train inspected thoroughly for loose/broken rockers, broken valve springs and/ or sticking valves: Nada. All is as it should be and very clean (thanks to Dad's meticulous schedule of servicing every 10k without fail). At 335,xxx km, the compressions are about what I'd expect, except for #1.  Next, put it all back together, it still misses on #1. Put a clean plug in #1 lead, started the engine and we have sparks. Put a globe in #1 injector plug and we have light, but when re-assembled, it still misses in #1. Disconnected the alternator to do the diode failure test (again) and it still misses. However, due to a lack of time, we ended the session there, packed up and went to my block to have a walk and see if we could whistle up a fox or two.
 
So, the last 3 things I will do is:
1/ Completely disconnect the alternator (it does not appear to be charging, either) and remove the belt to make sure that any AC current frequency cannot be any possible interference.
2/ Fit a set of normal OHC spark plugs.
3/ Bypass the #1 injector wiring in the engine harness directly from the injector to the ECU right at the plug with a 2 core to eliminate any broken/intermittent connections there and see what happens.
 
If the miss is gone, I'll replace the harness/alternator/whatever to fix the issue and get the car back together, either to sell or use.
If the miss prevails, then I'm going to split the intake manifold and see if there is an obstruction in the intake or the bypass butterfly hasn't fallen into and blocked the intake tract (or something stupid like that, which might account for the unusually higher comp pressure and/or the miss). If I find nothing wrong, the engine and harness will go to junk and I'll put a V8 and 4 speed into it and go club racing. It will be carbed or use a FiTech with a seperate wiring harness, so the gremlin won't bother me again.
I can't see the dash or it's harness being a factor in this, because there are only a few critical wires in the ECU to dash connector and without them, it will not run at all. The others are for water temp, tacho and oil pressure, TC enable (disconnected anyway), ECU enable from the BCM and that's about it.
When I have time during the week, I'll try again and then make a decision.
Cheers all.

So, today I decided to try a trick I learned from a guy who used to do my radiators years ago. I put my radiator tester on with an extension on the header tank and filled it completely with water after I warmed up the engine. I started the engine and sure enough, bubbles formed in the top of the tube. Dad and the Bro are visiting on Sunday, so we will do a complete compression test and check the valvetrain, but I'm pretty sure it has a leaking head gasket in #1 and possibly into #2. The bubbles and the fact that it won't build pressure in the cooling system point to that logical conclusion. If that is the case, the engine will come out to repair it, go back in to be tested and if that cures the problem, it's going up for sale and the 302 and 5 speed from the XR8 are going in. 

I'm thinking repro, can't see the little number 2 on the underside of the cap. Look good though.
 
I saw those rattle can resto caps on Ebay 🤮 , they are trashed.
 
Here is where I'm at.
 

 
Three of each and a headless chook. Can you see my dilemma? Which set do I complete? I'm thinking cap 2 with the smooth top. I came across this on the Grand Tourer website:
 

 
It's more clear on their website, but the bottom right cartoon image appears to depict the machine marks, which is for XA. When you look at Ford promo photos of XCs, they're not close-up enough to see the machine marks, but they don't look like the third style I posted a picture of. So I think I'll keep looking for a No. 2 style cap to complete the set.
 
Thanks for your input Gents, much appreciated.

Have a look at my post in "The Wreckers". I have a BW 35 gearbox complete with bell housing, converter, shifter, hump and cooling lines. Was regularly serviced and working perfectly when removed and replaced with a single rail.
The blue/gray console is available too.
 
Also I have a BW 40 which was reconditioned at some time too.
 
I am located in Bundaberg. You can pick them up or I can deliver to Gold Coast.
 
Private Message me with phone number and email address and I can send you photos and we can negotiate a price.
 
There is a steering column also which from memory came out of 4 speed manual XD.

if you do get one and it's too long or short or the wrong shape and you decide to cut it (i have done) 
BEFORE YOU CUT it scribe or file or grind a line across the length so you don't end up with it welded on an angle or it will be no good in the bushes etc. (exhaust shop could weld it no issue or whoever does your roof welds