Difference between AU's

[veqlargh]

Hi all,

Was trying to find some info on difference between AU's primarily body panels between Fairmonts (high series) and XR's (low series) also the various series.

EG i know that the bonnets are different, does this mean that front fenders and front bars are also different. And boots are different from series 1 to series 2?

Been looking around to find the answer without too much luck. If someone could enlighten me or point me to a reference to read would be great.

[Raptor]

Yes, the bonnet is the main difference. Front guards (fenders?) are the same and AFAIK so are the front bars.

The bonnet that has the centre section that drops lower is fitted to S1 Forte, S1 Futura, all utes and XR models.
The bonnet that has the centre section that is raised is fitted to S1 Fairmont and all series 2&3 non ute and non XR models.

I thought the only difference to the boot was the plastic garnish was squared off for series 2&3- I thought the sheet metal parts were the same.

Wiki has a pretty good description and plenty of photos for comparison; https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ford_Falcon_(AU)

Depending on model the grills and garnish can be different too. Most differentiation occurred with S1 with each model having a unique grill.

[veqlargh]

thanks Raptor.

I've had a read through wiki it didn't quite answer what i needed. Mainly wondering if i can put an XR front end and spoiler onto a Fairmont. The front fender was a big question mark.

[Cav]

I love the the design of the original AU Forte with the waterfall grille.

[Raptor]

Originally Posted by Cav

I love the the design of the original AU Forte with the waterfall grille.

image

But unfortunately the majority of the public didn't and in hindsight was the turning point that forever changed the trajectory of what might have become of Ford Australia and Ford's designed and manufactured in Australia :(




.

[Cav]

I traded my Forte (in the pic) on a brand new BA.

The AU was better in my opinion.

I may get another series I AU, but having just bought an AUII Sportsman I'll have to wait until my wife goes overseas again before I act.

I'd like an AU series I Futura, in white, stock, lowered slightly so that it still has the rake of the original design (low at front, higher at back) and put a waterfall grille on it. Tint the windows and put 18 inch chrome wheels on it.

I doubt if I could find a V8

[Crazy Dazz]

Originally Posted by veqlargh

thanks Raptor.

I've had a read through wiki it didn't quite answer what i needed. Mainly wondering if i can put an XR front end and spoiler onto a Fairmont. The front fender was a big question mark.

The fenders are the same.
However the XR has a plastic front which incorporates the headlights.
And I'm fairly sure you'll need to swap to the XR bonnet.

Do yo already have the XR front? Cos good examples are hard to come by.
There are a variety of after market ones, but choose carefully as quality varies substantially.

[Crazy Dazz]

Originally Posted by Cav

I love the the design of the original AU Forte with the waterfall grille.

image

I love the AUs, as one of the best Falcons for their features and reliability. Especially the Intech 6.
Time has softened me to their looks, and it doesn't look too bad in this colour. But at the time I thought the base model was hideous.

[inventiv]

AU was ahead of it's time... The VT Commodore was a darling of it's age but take a look at how dated it looks now. A clean AU looks right at home meanwhile even in today's traffic.

I think ford oz survived the AU 'disaster' actually, the BA was very well received. But it was their lack of marketing nous that buried the brand. Holden marketed the crap out of their cars (I remember being frustrated at seeing all of the ads as a kid lol) but for whatever reason Ford never got the hang of it.

To this day Ford OZ struggles to successfully market cars that are world best-sellers (Focus, Fiesta, Everest, etc). Something's not quite right in that place.

Back on topic, doesn't the S1 AU vary significantly as far as panels go compared to S2/3? I heard that pieces such as rear lights and front bars from S2/3 won't go on S1?

[Dezza]

Originally Posted by inventiv

Back on topic, doesn't the S1 AU vary significantly as far as panels go compared to S2/3? I heard that pieces such as rear lights and front bars from S2/3 won't go on S1?

I don't think so. The AUII-III rear lights are just the same as AU1 Fairmont. All the front bars (except Fairlane, XR and T-series) are exactly the same. For example a Series 1 Forte and a Series 3 Ghia have the exact same front bar.

The rear bumper changed on AUII. It looks similar but is a bit deeper. Bodywork wise, most AU stuff is interchangeable. The biggest difference is in the electronic side of it.

[Tickford.]

If one was to log EVERY change, and ALL differences in the AU, from series 1 to 3, from low to high series, and even the T-series, it would be pages and pages and pages of data. The AU has be the "Falcon" model with THE most changes ever made from start to finish IMO.

So.. who thinks they know the most on AU's?

Want to start a log?

[SSD-85]

Exterior cosmetic changes made to AU2/3 Forte;

- Forte gets Fairmont bonnet
- AU1 Fairmont taillights made standard
- Rear Bar deepened
- Headlight reflective changed from "silver" to "crystal" to "black" respectively (insanely difficult to spot)
- AU3 gets clear side repeaters & side skirting
- Front bar dimensions altered (S2/3 Front bars do not fit correctly on S1)

There were a myriad of other changes made to everything else, but I hope that offers a basic guide to exterior.

[Cav]

Originally Posted by SSD-85

Exterior cosmetic changes made to AU2/3 Forte;

- Forte gets Fairmont bonnet
- AU1 Fairmont taillights made standard
- Rear Bar deepened
- Headlight reflective changed from "silver" to "crystal" to "black" respectively (insanely difficult to spot)
- AU3 gets clear side repeaters & side skirting
- Front bar dimensions altered (S2/3 Front bars do not fit correctly on S1)

There were a myriad of other changes made to everything else, but I hope that offers a basic guide to exterior.

ADD brakes and sound deadening

[Tickford.]

Add exterior door pillar trims to that too. Have a close look at which ones have losts of rust, AU1 or AU2-3. Even the door glass rubbers are different AU1 to AU2/3 (better sealing and better quality rubber on AU1's). Small differences, but still different.

There's more but.. to sum it up, Ford spent money on AU1, then cut corners (and money) on AU2-3.

[Mechan1k]

All AU utes used series 1 low-series bonnets.
B-series wagons and utes carried over AU-windscreens and rooflines. Only the sedans were different in the B-series.

centre dash cluster changed from AUI to AUII

[Dezza]

The windscreen on the BA wagon and ute is actually slightly longer at the bottom than the AU one. I found this out when I had the windscreen replaced on my old AU. The windscreen bloke accidentally fitted a BA ute one and the bonnet hinges hit it and cracked it when he opened the bonnet. Needless to say, they replaced it with the proper AU windscreen at their expense.

[nstg8a]

Originally Posted by Crazy Dazz

The fenders are the same.
However the XR has a plastic front which incorporates the headlights.
And I'm fairly sure you'll need to swap to the XR bonnet.

Do yo already have the XR front? Cos good examples are hard to come by.
There are a variety of after market ones, but choose carefully as quality varies substantially.

Fenders/guards aren't quite the same, xr guards have a mount for the xr front to bolt to. Makes the plastic nosecone a bit more sturdy. Can be done without it, but it can make it a bit floppy and panel gaps can be an issue.

[Uncle_Ken]

If I had a Series 1 AU I would put a Series 1 XR nose, Series II/III, Series II/III XR nose.
UK