1989 Ford Sierra Sapphire - RS Option parts?

I thought I would pop this in here seen as I bought it from here, I know nothing about fords so much help will be needed and even the most basic help will be fantastic. 


Last year I bought a Toyota MR2, I had one many years ago but had to sell it on for various reasons. I collected it from Bristol and drove it back to Kent, used it for a few months and ended up selling it on due to moving house and needing a van. It was a shame really as it was great fun enjoyed by many and its often spoken about with such fondness. It was a Rev1 Import, T bar Manual and it was a great little thing.


MR2 by tomm robinson, on Flickr


MR2 by tomm robinson, on Flickr


Now that we have moved in and things have started to settle down a bit, even though there are huge amounts still to be done, I thought a small distraction could only help things... I started looking at MR2s again but they seem to have rocketed in value since I sold my one last year and I wasn't prepared to pay the money asked by most sellers. I had considered pushing the boat out and getting something fancy, however I decided to budget myself to something that wasn't too demanding and could possibly be improved after work or between jobs around the house, I already have a long term project, I don't need another. Something that I could get in and take to a few events locally. I had considered an MX5 and many other things but I was keen to get something a little different. That's when I spotted this listed by a fellow member andyborris of the forum, Original Advert Here . Strangely, these do strike a tone with me for one very simple reason. When I was 5 or 6, my uncle had a Cosworth in Magenta red, I remember very vividly getting in the back of it for the first time and thinking the thing was a rocket ship in comparison to our Nissan/Datsun Bluebird family car of the time. 

A few details were exchanged and I left a deposit with the owner of the car. The chap had driven it from new as a company car, then took possession of it himself soon after as his own personal car. It was clear to see talking to him that he had a lot of memories with the car and I think him parting ways with it was a reluctant move. The car has covered 80k miles and has been serviced religiously with everything taken care of as and when needed, flicking through the paperwork there was a lot of bills, some very recent, clutch amongst other things. 

Anyway, here are some photos. 

Sierra Sapphire by tomm robinson, on Flickr

Sierra Sapphire by tomm robinson, on Flickr

Sierra Sapphire by tomm robinson, on Flickr

The car appears fairly honest, I think this has the 2.0 pinto with fuel injection? 

Sierra Sapphire by tomm robinson, on Flickr

Interior seemed complete and undamaged, bar an aftermarket headunit. 

Sierra Sapphire by tomm robinson, on Flickr

The car was listed for sale by the owner due to a failed MOT. The car had failed its mot due to numerous things and the owner had decided to pack up driving and sell it on. I've deemed it an economical repair, hopefully. 

Fail list consisted of rust, I'm not to worried about this at all, Ill get the welder out and hopefully have that sorted over a weekend with supplies I already have in the shed. 

Here is where the help Is needed.

The next faults are to do with brakes. An uneven balance across the front axle and an inefficient handbrake effect. I am hoping to sort the fronts out but removing the calipers on the front and winding the pistons back in, lubricating the sliders and reinstalling them in the hope this will clear the fault. With the hand brake once again I am hoping that checking all moving parts are free, lubricated and moving is the first port of call. If that has no success then I will look into handbrake adjustments and possibly some replacement parts. I am hopeful that the brake parts are ok seen as the car has passed the brake efficiency test on the rears. 

My long term plans for the car are unknown. I know what I would like to do with it, but I will need to do some research on sierras and what parts from other models fit. Any suggestions would be welcomed. I plan to collect the car next weekend and will update once it is here and update will be posted.