Mk2 Consul – Capri Brakes Including Servo
I have fitted my Mk2 Consul
Hi-Line with the front cross member / struts / steering and back axle from a
Mk3 Capri (see separate article on this site).
I was keen to use the master cylinder and servo from the Capri so that I
knew that braking system would be balanced and not affected by mixing and
matching parts from different sources.
My car has an automatic
gearbox and hence there is no clutch pedal.
This allowed me to consider using the standard Capri master cylinder and
servo mounted on or near the bulkhead.
If you have a clutch master cylinder to consider this conversion would
not be suitable. There may just
be enough room if you were using a cable-operated clutch.
First thing was to check
that the “throw” of the brake pedal is similar on the Consul and the
Capri, that is to say the distance between the pedal mounting pivot and the
mounting for the pushrod is the not too different. All seemed ok.
The Capri master cylinder
would not mount directly to the bulkhead due to the shape of the bulkhead and
inner wing. It needed to be spaced away
from the bulkhead. This suited me as I
wanted to introduce some adjustment between the pedal and the master cylinder
in case I needed to change the “biting point” of the brakes (it would be some time before I could
road-test the set up). It meant however
that the Capri pushrod would not be long enough to reach the Consul brake
pedal, and the mounting arrangement to the pedal was not the same anyway. Ideally I needed to join the Capri pushrod
to the “pedal end” of the standard Consul rod, gaining the extra length
required in the process.
The diameter of the push rod
on the Capri master cylinder and that of the Consul push rod was similar. I decided to tap a thread onto each, so that
they could then be joined by a section of internally threaded rod. This would also nicely introduce the
adjustment required. Furthermore, it
also avoided having to dismantle the master cylinder in order to weld the
rods! Thanks to my father-in-law for
his time, expertise, and use of his machine tools to do this work for me.
Two flats on the centre
section allow it to be turned and held whilst the locknuts are tightened.
The mounting bracket
arrangement is adapted from the standard Capri brackets (note – not the
final version, it will be tided up somewhat!).
This picks up on the
standard studs on the master cylinder and uses the existing holes in the Consul
bulkhead, also acting as the spacer required to set the distance between the
two whilst allowing access to the adjuster.
I need to devise a rubber or sponge grommet for the bulkhead to seal
against noise and fumes.
One remaining issue is that
the plastic fluid reservoir is not really suitable (the master cylinder is
mounted at an angle in a Capri but is mounted horizontally in my
application). It looks to me (from
pictures) that a fluid reservoir from a non-servo equipped Mk2 Escort will to
the trick, I just need to locate one now to double check.
The Capri set up uses a
single handbrake cable and a push-rod arrangement across the back axle. I am using a standard low-line Mk2 Consul “umbrella”
handbrake handle from a low-line. I
have deliberately called it a “handle” here, as it is not a “lever”; it does
not provide any leverage. If you
connected the Capri cable directly to the Consul handle then you would be
pulling directly on the cable, which would result in a very small amount of
movement at the handle and presumably you would not be able to exert enough
pressure to apply the brakes effectively.
In a standard Mk2 there is the boomerang shaped adjuster under the car
(mounted to the gearbox cross member) which links the single “front end” cable to
the twin cables from the axle, and this also provides the leverage action. I have fabricated a lever arm under the car,
which provides the leverage action required.
I have gone for a good number of alternative mounting holes in this to
give adjustment both on the amount of travel and the lever ratio. I expect it will need some road testing for
the new rear shoes to bed in together with any cable stretch to be taken up before
the optimum setting can be determined.
I am pleased with this set
up, the entire braking system has come from a single car and I hope it should
prove balanced. I now have split
circuits, which is reassuring. The master
cylinder has not been modified significantly (only the push rod) and hence
remains serviceable in future as a “Capri” item. I don’t expect
the brakes to be hugely powerful but they should be similar to the standard
factory disc set up of a later Mk2 Consul / Zephyr / Zodiac. All items are 100% standard Capri and
therefore any aftermarket Capri upgrade parts can be used, braided hoses,
different pad material, larger discs, 4-pot callipers, even rear discs etc.
I hope these notes may help
someone who is thinking of a similar conversion. I’d be happy to send more photos if anyone needs
them.
Robert Ashworth
Disclaimer:
The advice and guidelines given in these articles are given in good faith.
The owners and managers of the Galeforce Zephyr site will take no
responsibility for any injuries or loss sustained while carrying out the
described tasks and procedures or any consequences arising. Please read
the Safety First
Article