21 minutes ago, TDCI man said:

@Groot

...you might want to consider new clips, but they can be a pain to fit unless you have the knack (or is there a special tool?). A new clip sorted my squeak on rear (mine are discs) which happened when applying handbrake on any kind of slope.

Thanks for the advice too.

I think that's where I could've gone wrong. I did put them on a little violently so may have misshaped one or both!

I also noticed the caliper bolts on the left side were damn tight right to the last unscrew before I could pull them out, and were really difficult to screw back in.

BTW, what's the deal with 7mm hexagonal sockets or allen keys? I had to put the wheel back on and buy a set from Screwfix which luckily had the 7mm, others didn't!

Before that, I asked my neighbour who had a nice set but no 7mm, and my set of allen keys!

For some reason they go 2,3,4,5,6,8,9,10 often skipping the 9 too.

@Groot if you're talking about the 2 bolts per caliper onto the hub, they are stretch bolts and quite high torque for their size. You can actually feel them stretching if you do it by hand. When you undo them they have a lot of stretch to take up after years in the stressed position. Could that be the tightness you mean? Could also be left side spends more time sloshing through the salty gutter of the side of a cambered road ...

Stretch bolts are good for a couple of stretches / reuses only (except crank pulley bolt, which renew every time). After that best to get new. Febi is the most available/best price at around £2 a bolt. Can buy Ford original for similar price if you investigate.

Ref. 7mm hex, not sure. I just use what fits nicely. Hex is needed for the caliper pins of course.

There aren't many brake manufacturers so many caliper slide pins used the same size over the last 30 years or so. You can buy a proper 7mm tool for them with a long, soft grip, handle which is slightly better than using a standard Allen key, but not worth the cost for occasional DIY.

For the caliper pins I just use a 3/8 ratchet, 3/8to1/4 adapter, 1/4in bit holder, and the hex bit. 3/8 has the oomph to make the work easy and the 1/4 bit holder is small enough to get into the rubber to the recessed pin. Most DIY socket sets have these items.

Works well, plus you have the advantage of changing the ratchet for a torque wrench and torquing to spec when you tighten.

19 minutes ago, TDCI man said:

For the caliper pins I just use a 3/8 ratchet, 3/8to1/4 adapter, 1/4in bit holder, and the hex bit. 3/8 has the oomph to make the work easy and the 1/4 bit holder is small enough to get into the rubber to the recessed pin. Most DIY socket sets have these items.

Works well, plus you have the advantage of changing the ratchet for a torque wrench and torquing to spec when you tighten.

Depends on your set I guess. I bought a medium set first and quickly got fed up with it regularly missing the tools I needed. Upgraded to a larger set and rarely had to buy anything extra for that one. Reckon there's at least 3 options for a 7mm hex in that kit from memory. However...it's a heavy kit and awkward to move about so in recent years I've ended up just using cheaper tools from smaller sets again. All just depends on what you've got available at the time really. Slide pins should be threadlocked and they aren't particularly tight so don't really need to torque those.

Thanks once again for all your input, I've just ordered some new bolts now.

I'll have a look at everything once they've arrived.

Finally bought a torque wrench too so should be able to tighten the wheel nuts correctly now.

Thought I would mention this just in case op doesn't know. Before you put the slide pin in, I would clean the pin up with wire brush then wipe off then grease it.

@TomsFocus if there's a torque spec given I use it regardless of low or high torque number. In case of the newer gearbox torsion mount though which aluminium block thing with helical, best not to use same torque as the older steel rounded model for the smaller horizontal bolt that connects to the gearbox as you'll strip the hellical. Ask me how I know! Just tighten until the bush starts to flex and a bit extra (I reckon about 40nm max).

@froggy8 true, and the grease should be "red rubber" or silicone so as not to damage the rubber the pins slide into and reduce risk of water washout given the exposure to water and only a plastic plug covering the pin.