SUMMER BRAKE
Dan’s missed the summer in the Sierra Cossie but finally body work continues, while the Focus ST250 is preparing for an RS brake upgrade…
Summer always seems like the time to spend working on your cars, sprucing up for show season and adding modifications for some serious time on track.
Only it never really works out that way.
Instead of getting my Sierra back in one piece I’ve spent hours repairing and rebuilding my Land Rover (which, as any Defender owner will tell you, is pretty much a full-time job). And rather than taking my Fondeo to a tuner for its Stage 2 upgrades, I’ve been spending the cash on my workshop and tools. You’ve gotta have your toys, right?
Still, that doesn’t mean my Fast Ford project cars are ignored and unloved. Far from it, in fact.
The Cossie has been prepped for its top coat by my mate, Rich, who’s a bit of a perfectionist when it comes to classic cars. Never in my life have I seen so many hours of flatting, priming and flatting again. Despite my protestations that it’s only an old Sierra, the prepping continued unabated. The top coat should be painted and buffed by the time you read this.
As for the Fondeo, its standard brakes have taken on the traditional fast Ford juddering thanks to some heavy-footed fun, and it’s time for some better stoppers.
The ideal solution, of course, is a pair of Focus RS Mk3 Brembo front calipers, which I bought from Burton Power. They’re priced remarkably reasonably (around the £500 mark) for brand-new lightweight four-pots from a top-notch manufacturer. As I write, I’m currently choosing which discs and pads will best suit an ST250 that generally does little more than carry a pair of spaniels around.
In the meantime I’ll be spraying the Brembos with Foliatec two-part caliper paint (£30). I’ve chosen red to match the Fondeo’s Style Pack rear brakes, and I may even add white Brembo decals. They should look the part, if ever I get around to buying the 19in rims I’ve promised for the car - which, at this rate, looks unlikely before the end of summer…