Wilwood brakes?
 

Anybody got any experience with Wilwood Disc brakes? The one's on our car seem to drag. They've been on there for some time. Anybody??

Re: Wilwood brakes?
 

Check with Alex Denysenko (page 2 of parts classifieds) he just changed his Wilwood calipers to some trick quick release type.

Re: Wilwood brakes?
 

I have a rear set on one the dusters that gave me some grief, I bought a new set of pads and a seal kit, So far the problem has gone away. The old pads had uneven wear.

Re: Wilwood brakes?
 

You need to open the bleeder on the caliper and see if the drag goes away. If it does you have a hydraulic problem. If not the problem is in the calipers them selves. Get a overhaul kit for them. Remember the the oring flex is what help pull the pistons back in when the brake pressure is released. If you have a hydraulic problem most likely it is the master cyclinder or the brake pedal linkage binding. There is a small chance it could be the rear brake hose. To test the brake hose open the brake line at the master cyclinder for the rear brakes is the brakes are still dragging you have a brake hose problem. Hope things are going well see you in Houston?

Re: Wilwood brakes?
 

Depending on their age you may want to replace the pads and seals especially since you're having a problem. With new pads, etc, make sure the calipers are aligned perfectly. I had to shim mine to prevent them from draging on one side while the other had plenty of clearance. The alignment is not necessarly correct due to varances in the mfg and vehicle. The varance was so slight I used shim stock to move the caliper into alignment.

Re: Wilwood brakes?
 

From day one, the front wheels wouldn't spin freely. I wrote it off as being new. I thought they "wear-in" so to speak. We've got 200 runs on 'em and they still drag. They actually act like they're self adjusting. I've got to replace the rear gear "if" we try to run Houston, so I thought I would look at all the brakes. Since it's done it from the start, I may need to look at the play in the brake pedal??

Re: Wilwood brakes?
 

Charlie,

Give me a call.

219-861-1214 days

Or e-mail anytime

monymkrssla@aol.com

All you need to do is rebuild the calipers.

I will walk you through it. About 4-5 hours of your time and 4 Wilwood kits.

We have the kits in stock. About $50 delivered for all 4 wheels.

Re: Wilwood brakes?
 

Master Cylinder overfull?

M/C Bleed back orifice clogged?

New Pads?? I always cut .030 off of new pads before installing them.

Re: Wilwood brakes?
 

Anybody know about removing a "check" valve type apparatus from the stock master cylinder when using it in "race car" apps.??

Re: Wilwood brakes?
 

Try to keep the wheel bearings loose if it is a race car--the extra run-out will push the pads back.Works for me--Mike

Re: Wilwood brakes?
 

i purchased a stocker late fall last year and went through it completely over the winter. the front two calipers were draging more than i would have liked. i noticed before i removed them that they were not installed with the proper spacers so not only were the pads wearing poorly, but there was also side load on the pistons. this was evident when i disassembled the calipers for inspection and there was a small bit of scoring on the sides of the pistons from the calipers. i put the pistons in a lathe and polished the outside diameters with 400 grit sand paper and lightly hand blended the marks in the bores with 800. the pistons moved freely when tested without the seals. reinstalled the seals and added a liberal coating of brake fluid to every thing before final assembly. I was so impressed by how free everything was i redid the rears as well. the car now rolls about 10 feet just by kicking the bumper! from my experience i would say paying close attention to the caliper alignment to the rotors will extend to the life of the pads, extend the time between rebuilds and internal caliper components. Also as noted in another post, once the piston moved freely in the caliper it seems to allow the pistons to be sucked back a bit when the master cylinder is released after braking. i have no trick return springs or trick calipers and the car rolls for ever.

Ian

Re: Wilwood brakes?
 

Went through this with my Camaro. One simple call to Wilwood will solve it. Call tech and ask for the round o-ring kit. My fronts spin freely now.

Re: Wilwood brakes?
 

Excellant information on the brakes.
Thank you.