65silververt

I bought this Wilwood conversion for a 63 Split Window that I am currently restoring and thought I would share since I think the Wildwood kit is of the highest quality. I had the original spindles and steering arms/knuckles blasted and powder-coated, but no other parts are reused.
I bought the kit off of eBay for $840.00 with free shipping. If you don't want cross drilled and slotted rotors, you can find the kit for as low as $740.00 shipped.






















Conversion vs. Original Drum

1969RAY

I really like the looks of that setup. Is it all Wilwood product or just the calipers? Will it fit inside the stock 15 inch wheels? Maybe a couple of pictures of that SWC wood be nice too!!

65silververt

Everything is wilwood minus the spindles and steering arms. When i test fit the stock 63-64 steel rim it did not clear. However, the instructions clearly state that it will take a .4" spacer. I have torque thrust wheels for the 63, but i am still waiting on my frame to come back from Roger Gress' shop in michigan so I can mount and test fitment. Compared to the stock rims, which have a gradual slope outwards, the torque thrusts are consistent and look like they will clear without issue. Obviously 65 up steel wheels will clear as well, but i think with the correct spacer, 63-64 stock rims should clear safely.

65silververt

And here you go. She started off as a real charmer.

1969RAY

Thanks for the reply. What a project you have there-to see it all glued back together is mighty impressive!! I hope to someday put your information to good use!

Bluestripe67

Impressive project. The brake kit looks real good. What master cylinder are you using? Dennis

65silververt

I'm not 100 percent sure yet.

XLR8OR

I had the same setup on my 1963 Roadster. I used a split master cylinder from a 1969 Chevelle which had front disks/rear drums. It worked very well.

Frankie the Fink

Clearly, you have 'mad' skills

65silververt

Edited.

Zoomin

I'm a big fan of Wilwood products. Those hubs are pieces of art, aren't they?

I just converted my 56 Nomad from drums to disk, and I used the Wilwood manual (no booster), 7/8" bore, and I love the pedal feel. I highly recommend it..

65silververt

That's what I was thinking since a power booster may not clear the 63 hood. However, I am uncertain of bore size. I'll need to contact Wilwood to see what the recommend.

327Heaven

I also purchased Wilwood's drilled and slotted discs with red calipers on Ebay. Got it for $2k delivered. This will replace my 1964's current 4 wheel disc setup taken from a '69 shark donor. Haven't installed them yet but the quality is top notch.

65silververt

You must have purchased a much different kit if it cost $2,000. This one was just a little over $800.00. I wasn't aware they offered a rear conversion for the 63-64

kingwoodvette

Sounds like he was replacing a previous conversion using "shark" components.

ry57pont

what do you suppose the weight difference is between the drums and the disc? just curious

327Heaven

Correct. Since the spindles were from a '69 Shark I ordered the Wilwood set for the same model. Everything in the kit pre-fits fine plus the vendor through in the stainless brake lines. My wheels are 17x9 so I went with the 11.75" discs. Going to a larger diameter disc would add another $1k+ to the price. I am satisfied with the purchase.

Bangkok Dean

This setup looks great. So you are saying that to use the stock 63 steel wheels you need to space them out nearly 1/2 inch?

65silververt

That was a typo or a brain fart. I'll check today and get the correct measurement and weigh the disc set up vs drum.

Bangkok Dean