I ended up getting all the brakes bled of air but the passenger side rear. As I was bleeding the passenger rear brake, I hear a pissss. Yep, another rusted line. I must have disturbed the old line enough to cause a leak. So back to bending and flaring brake lines, this time on the passenger side. Finally got that done and decided to bleed all four brakes again just to make sure all the air is gone. As I attempted to loosen the bleeder valve on the left front caliper, something I just did a few days before, I hear a snap….and my hand goes flying into the A arm! You guessed it, one front caliper junked!! I had done an amazing clean up on the calipers and had painted them guards red with the SVT brackets painted hyper silver. I was feeling, what a waste of time!! So I pull a left front caliper off my SVT parts car and go about the whole process of cleaning, stripping, sanding and painting one more caliper. Add one more evening to the brake projects now countless hours.
The GOOD NEWS
Brakes are soooo good now!! Although its just stock SVT stopping power, its way better than the rusted, warped rotor, pads falling out set up I had before. I didn’t even have an e brake before now. It’s like a new car; new SVT rotors and rear rotors, new pads all the way around, working e brake, new rear hard lines and new fluid.
The SVT exhaust is on the car. I took it up to have the resonator replaced and long store short, they welded a pipe INSIDE the stock pipe. Not sure how big of a deal this is but it would have been almost as easy to go on the outside!! Not sure if I will take it back or not, they gave me a hard time about it as well, trying to charge $75 after they had it cut apart. So going back will more than likely just add $ to the bad experience. It does sound good, or better than before, before being stock SE pipe with the resonator and no muffler. So as you can image, the Contour is again, much better off than before!!
I also replaced the drivers rear door. Last of the major body panels affected by the deer hit years ago. NO MORE dents, but the Contour is starting to look like a police car, you know the ones…black and white. The way the car sits now, the driver’s side has two silver doors, silver side skirts and silver rear SVT bumper. Like I said, think police car, kind-of?? Pictures, I know!!
Under the hood I have gone with red Ford racing wires, SVT intake and new battery. That’s about it for now. Oh, and the SVT power steering cooler. Soon I will install the SVT radiator and fans.
The next few days I am going to enjoy the Contour out of the garage. I am enjoying driving it again; so much so, I have already picked up a speeding ticket. And the Trooper was nice enough to just write it up for 12mph over at 67mph. I was doing a bit more than that, so I was somewhat thankful!!