the only hurdles in putting the ABS into an LE is the headache of the electrical wiring and possibly some adjustments to the brake piping system.
if u can find rear knuckles from an AE9x that has ABS gears and sensors, then its a matter of matching the sensor wiring to the main harness. if ur main ABS system is from an AE1xx halfcut, this is a potentially daunting task. the front sections is not a big problem as any AE1xx knuckle and driveshaft is compatible with almost all 4AGEs. u gotta have the ABS driveshaft as well, bcoz thats where the input gears are.
the next big headache is to modify the brake lines from ur original body pump (a little hub which all the car's brake pipes go thru before being distributed to the 4 wheels) to match the configuration of the ABS pump. Perhaps little to no pipework is required (i never dared to attempt it, so i dont know for sure), however the important point is that u connect the correct pipe to the correct inlet/outlet. u may also have to replace the AE8x body pump with the one from the ABS-equipped halfcut. Once u make sure that the front ABS pipes are fixed to the front, and the rear ones to its respective wheels, i see no other physical problems with the set up.
The ABS system is controlled by its own unit, located under the dashboard with a relay and fuse box in the engine bay (for AE111). I cannot be 100% confident about this but AFAIK the ABS is able to work independent from the ECU altho i am pretty sure that it at least sends out some report or signal to the ECU from time to time; or when it is activated. I never cut out my ABS controller and wires, thus i can say it IS connected to the ECU somehow, albeit not directly. If u have never cut n pasted ur internal harness (i mean all the wiring inside the dashboard), then i dont think u have to worry much about the electrical side. just remember that all 4 wheels should be connected and made to function to properly feel the ABS effect. Im sure there's a way to "cheat" the rear brakes, but then again, whats the point of having ABS on only the 2 front wheels?
Even after all this is done, there's one last thing to keep in mind. say for example we transplant an ABS system from an AE1xx to our LEs. The balance of the car may or may not be disturbed. Bcoz of the weight difference between the original Levin/Trueno/FX/GT and the AE8x, this can lead to disastrous effects if we are caught unprepared. To put it in short; we'll have to reconsider the brake balance and the balance of the whole car.
It is advisable to upgrade the car's suspension before thinking about installing ABS in an originally non ABS car. even with normal brakes, a soft set of suspension is not good for fast driving conditions. Simply put, if the car nose dives a lot under braking, no amount of ABS is going to help with stability if the rear wheels still come off the ground. we would still fishtail or spin out often. Corners 1 and 14 of the Sepang F1 circuit will especially teach u this the hard way (ouch).
Thankfully there are solutions to adjusting the brake balance out there. Some are more affordable than others, but there are ways.
All of the above are by no means a general guideline or fact. It is merely my opinion based on what limited experience i've had so far. i dont mind anybody correcting me as long as they do it politely and considerately. Here's my other opinion; having ABS is good and all, but if u're like me and is aiming for something higher than racing on public roads/highways, building skills with normal brakes is much more rewarding.. and saves u a lotta money too
But thats just me.
wanna see me share something about my car? here
