Ok BBU update. I've been enjoying driving instead of fixing the XR2 for the last half of the summer. So, here's where my big brake upgrade sits.
I decided to mock up the fitment with my spare knuckles from the 94 N/A I stripped. Well, some say N/A knuckles won't work, but I used them along with the old seal, the spacer and the old bearings which I honed out a few thousandths so I wouldn't need a bearing puller to disassemble it later. I was able to prove that the parts I listed do in fact work. The only modification that was done was to turn down the hub ears a little more than 0.54" so that the ears clear that inner ridge of the rotor recess.
The stock Escort loaded calipers did NOT need any modification at all, they clear the 266mm Galant rotors by about the thickness of a credit card when the caliper is bolted in place. The width between the pads is just exactly enough to take the Galant rotor with only minor contact like all brakes seem to rub lightly. The stock Capri caliper does NOT fit the thicker rotor being 1/8" tighter between the pads than the Escort calipers (which barely fit) are.
A little more measuring reveals where the Escort pads shine through. They measure at the same width front to back that is, but they are a full 1/4" taller than the Capri pads, and that makes all the difference. The two rotors are maybe 1/16" different in diameter, the Galant being only slightly taller, but those Escort pads take advantage of rotor meat closer to the hub that was unused by the Capri pads. Those Galant rotors weigh at least twice what the Capri rotors do, which is not good, but maybe it won't kill too much performance. I can extract some more boost to overcome the loss if I feel the upgrade loses performance.
I think I'll wait a few more weeks to pull the switch since we have 28th Street Metro Cruze next weekend (25-26th) in Grand Rapids. I'll be there and hope a few of my fellow Michiganders make it alongside me.