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Car: Ford | Fiesta | CX (Mk3) | All Derivatives | Hatchback

RS2000 Rear Disc conversion

The P16 type rear calipers were first seen on a Capri, and have graced the rear of many Ford models since. They are a twin, opposed piston design.

RS2000 Rear calipers

The calipers in question from the RS2000 were configured for solid disc operation, although this sandwich plate can be obtained from Burton Power to modify them for Vented discs (left photo).

I am going to keep the calipers and discs standard at the rear - as the Fiesta is no heavy car. Even the Turbo models have drums at the rear - so rear discs larger than standard front ones will be well up to the job, maybe even too good. I will switch back to drums if the car has a tendency to nose-dive under heavy braking. Ill have to wait and see...

Again the rear calipers are going to receive a complete overhaul and restoration. The calipers are attached to a complete hub/handbrake assembly which simply bolted onto the Escorts beam with four 17mm bolts. The calipers can be removed from the back plate by removing two 17mm bolts. Once the caliper is off of the back plate, the disc can be removed by unscrewing 2 lock-washers on the wheel bolts.

The handbrake assembly is simply a normal Fiesta drum brake assembly except the outer cover is the inside of the disc itself. The handbrake is exactly the same configuration as the Fiestas rear brakes, complete with auto adjusters. The handbrake cable fixings are different however.

The calipers are held together with four high tensile (10.9) bolts, and after removing the anti squeal plate in-between the pads the calipers simply pull apart. The dust seals pull off, the pistons slide out and the seals in the bores can be prised out with a soft plastic implement.

I had the disc back plates powder coated in satin black to match the suspension components already done. I did not need to replace any of the handbrake actuating/shoe assembly as luckily it had all been recently replaced. New securing bolts and re-plated handbrake actuating bars finished it off. After rebuilding the calipers I also took the chance to fit EBC Greenstuff pads, offering better grip and less fade than standard pads.

Rear disc conversion installation - Escort RS2000

Once I had all the necessary parts powder coated or zinc plated I could start to reassemble the rear disc setup. This whole rear disc/caliper/handbrake assembly is simply bolted to the car with four bolts like I have said - making it a very job. Naturally as the unit was not designed to fit a Fiesta rear beam a small modification is necessary.

The rear beam on Fiestas and Escorts is of a 'H' shape, where the front fixes to the body, and the rear fixes to the wheels with a brace across the middle (which forms the cross in the H). The length between the body fixing point and the wheels on each side is tubular section steel, and a bracket at the end provides a flat face for the standard Fiesta drum/hub assembly to mount to. The problem arises here, although the fixing holes and sizes are identical (Escort uses same hubs), the bracket size itself is different. The Escort RS2000 has a special slim bracket to enable a handbrake cable to pass and operate the brakes.

To solve this problem I am going to have a spacer plate made to fit in-between the Fiesta bracket and the RS2000 Disc assembly, providing enough space for a handbrake cable to pass and operate the brakes. Here is what the bracket will look like (showing position of Fiesta/Escort mounting holes):

rear hub spacer

The handbrake cable-ends are different also, the RS2000 has a hook and the Fiesta has a nipple. I have purchased an RS2000 cable as the main fixing points are identical to the Fiesta, however the cable running within the outer cover is about 2.5" longer overall. I am still looking into having this shortened but at the moment the cable is on full adjustment and operates the handbrake reasonably well - enough to get me on the road for the summer anyway!

RS2000 Rear disc setup

Left - The completed setup showing calipers, new Ford discs, EBC pads and my different route for the braided brake lines. At some stage I will strip the calipers and have them powder coated in gold to match the front.

© Mark Stewart, Thursday 15th June 2000
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