KJL

I am starting the installation process and already see that any info regarding the installation of the braided lines is missing from the kit. Lots of stuff regarding warnings and bleeding however. At first it seemed that the lines for the rear wouldn't fit the flare fitting at the end of the line at the c-clip location on the trailing arm. Still not sure but measure with caliper and it looks OK. Funny their instructions indicate that even though the kit says it will fit 65 through 82......uh, it may not. Nice. Anyway, I haven't ripped anything open yet and have done most of my measurements through the plastic.

My main question is the brass NTP to compression fitting (Hose) that screws into the back, I am sure a sealant of some description should be used on the NPT end that screws into the housing. What sealant should be used for this? I am not inclined to assume anything when it comes to brakes and brake fluid comparability.

Thanks.

0Todd TCE

The pipe thread into the caliper should have some teflon tape put on it or other pipe sealant. The hose has a swivel seal end (JIC 37 degree flare) and does not need sealant.

Been discussed before and so far I know of no reason the D8 calipers do not fit any year they are intended to be used upon. But maybe we've missed something.

If you do not have hoses and need them please let me know.

zwede

Never heard of sealant being used on brake lines???

I have Wilwood brakes but not the kit you have. 13" rotors up front with Superlite calipers. Stock rotors in the rear with Dynalite calipers. I love the brakes. I've had them for years and no problems whatsoever. Brake feel is much better and it brakes like a modern sports car.

KJL

Thanks for the info, checked out the Wilwood web site and saw a video where they said to use tape on the NPT fitting. There really should be something in the instructions regarding that. If this was a typical NPT fitting for water, I would assume tape or some other type of liquid sealant could be used. I guess it is just the engineer in me wanting to see some things spelled out. I wouldn't have assumed teflon is compatible with brake fluid, polyglycol ether-based fluid (DOT 3/4) or with DOT 5 which is silicone-based.

Richard454

I got this info from my 94 year old neighbor- who spent his youth pipefitting....

The pipe threads are tapered and self sealing....

on metal pipe- if it's liquid- use pipe dope rather than tape- because it lubricates better without being damaged by hard threads plus gives you the advantage of corrosion protection because the dope will never harden or flake off.

Here's the stuff that has been recommended- and what I used on mine-

http://www.ebay.com/itm/5-tubes-Rectorseal-31780-8oz-TRU-BLU-Thread-Sealant-Teflon-Loctite-Threadlocker-/161391480993?_trksid=p2054897.l4275

DSCN3826


DSCN3842

DSCN3920_zps92fb8c93

Kid Vette

Be forewarned, I needed to shim the rear calipers inboard about a 1/16" to center the calipers over the rotor. Without the shims the caliper was very close to rubbing on the rotor. Also the supplied bolts were too long and hit the rotor. These images are before I shimmed it.







And Wilwood's tech support is absolutely worthless.

ignatz

If you got the 6-piston fronts, be aware of where the large piston should go. It makes a difference in braking and wear. The calipers can be installed either way so there isn't really a clue.

BTW, had no problems with service. Pistons were sticking on one of my calipers and they rebuilt it for basically the cost of the o-rings.

71scgc

I used no sealant on my D8 kit.

No leaks.

Carter

jb78L-82

I am curious what you guys think of the D8 front 6 piston calipers with the 13 inch front rotors? I am aware of the weight advantage but not so sure that the aftermarket aluminum calipers with 12 inch stock rotors has any real advantage over the stock calipers and brakes. One of the forum members fitted 4 calipers (I believe 6 piston front) and the braking distance was the same as with the stock calipers and rotors. Thoughts?

The stock 4 piston calipers and 12 inch vented rotors all around is pretty impressive even today. I use Performance Friction pads all around with braided stainless steel brake hoses and my pedal is FIRM, linear, and has no mushiness at all.

0Todd TCE

A few thoughts.

1. Sealant. Should be used on the NPT thread for both sealing and to aid lubing the thread a bit. Yes I'd grab some liquid vs tape but either works fine. I'm not a huge fan of the common 45 or 90 degree fittings used here either. That requires the fitting be indexed to where you want it. Meaning the change of too tight or too lose comes up. The D8 kits all come with these full ss hose kit so be patient and certain you have ample (roughly 1/2) the thread in the calipers. *Most other kits not with ss "included" by Wilwood I ship only straight fittings and suggest 11ft lbs of torque. Most all TCE hose ends then have full swivel 45 or 90 degree hose ends to allow for infinite adjustment without messing with the npt stuff.

2. Had not seen the longer bolt issue before. You may find using the stock bolts is better. But; are the stub axles and such bone stock? Anything that moves this would also shift the location of the rotor hat and thus the centering. Centering is not really a huge deal tho and common on almost any kit. You did fine.

3. I don't know of anyone purchasing a D84 rear kit and a 13" front kit Could be done I suppose. The 13" front kit above is a FNSL6 caliper not a D8-6. There are no D8-6 kits for 13" rotors. Personally I'd agree that the factory D series on stock rotors should be a fine set up and the "matchy-matchy" aspect a good reason to do so. The 13" and 14" FNSL6 kits would then use FNSL4 13" rear kit for the same reasons.

Kid Vette

Trailing arms are Global West. Spindles, spindle support, spindle flanges and mounting brackets are all stock. I don't think the TAs would have any effect on centering the rotor.

Richard454

I went w/ the D8-4 on the rears and the Big Brake 14" on the front

This is a test by forum member Jim-AKA "427Hotrod"
Wilwood vs Originals

Here's the article- http://www.carsandparts.com/Articles...e-braking-test
It's a very good read.....here's the numbers- not perfectly scientific
STOCK Calipers-
•151 ft., 2 in. - Nice quick stop to get an idea of how hard I could push it on that surface.
•123 ft., 7 in. - Worked it much harder. No brake lockup or drama.
•118 ft., 3 in. - Back to back. Now I knew I could work it harder.
•109 ft., 5 in. - Hit it hard and kept it right on the edge of lockup. Never could repeat it.
•135 ft., 1 in. - Real hard and locked up front wheels early and rears near the end.
•111 ft., 4 in. - Very similar to test four.
•113 ft., 2 in. - Another good one!

Wilwood-D8-6 and D8-4 calipers

•130 ft., 9 in. - Good feel but sliding at the end.
•129 ft., 6 in. - Nearly identical.
•115 ft., 5 in. - Finding the “sweet spot”.
•109 ft., 4 in. - Maybe the pads are getting “bedded”?
•107 ft., 8 in. - Bang! Best ever!
•109 ft., 11 in. - Still working great!
•109 ft., 3 in. - Did it again!

0Todd TCE

I know one know. Nice work!

jb78L-82

That is exactly what I remember! Thank You!

The only way to significantly improve on the superb C3 brakes is to really go to a 6 piston front caliper with at least a 13 inch rotor and for an even better improvement in braking to go with a 6 piston front caliper with 14 inch rotors in front (C6Z06 system). The C4 big brake package (J55) in 1988 and the stock C5 brake system were a step closer to the "old" C3 brake setup with front 13 inch rotors and 2 piston floating calipers (maybe as good as the C3 4 piston fixed racing caliper and 12 inch rotors) but unfortunately the C4 rears were never changed from the 11.5 inch rear rotors and single piston floating calipers (same for the C5 rears). The C6 brake system was really the first corvette brake system since the C3 that was actually better.

Richard454

EXACTLY!!!

It was a little over $100 to go from 13" to 14" on the front- sort of a no brainer.

On the rear- to go up from the 11.5" to what the C6 is running (13") it's over a grand.

And IIRC the front to rear is usually quoted around 80/20 as far as percentage of braking-so the extra money on bigger rears -to me- had diminishing returns on my money...


Richard


And since we are talking about lines/fittings- I found that the 14" AN 3 line w/ some 45º -3AN adapters works the best - versus going w/ the 16" line Wilwood lists as the line needed. It connects to a -3AN male to 3/16-24 IF(brake line) -or right up to the factory hardline.

KJL

What should be done to prep existing rotors? My rotors are in good condition and don't require turning. Should I leave them alone? lightly sand with 400 grit? 600 grit?

Thanks for the help!

Richard454

I use to sand them - but this guy- who knows more than me says-

From Caroll Smith's papers-

"Other than proper break in, as mentioned above, never leave your foot on the brake pedal after you have used the brakes hard. This is not usually a problem on public roads simply because, under normal conditions, the brakes have time to cool before you bring the car to a stop (unless, like me, you live at the bottom of a long steep hill). In any kind of racing, including autocross and "driving days" it is crucial. Regardless of friction material, clamping the pads to a hot stationary disc will result in material transfer and discernible "brake roughness". What is worse, the pad will leave the telltale imprint or outline on the disc and your sin will be visible to all and sundry.

The obvious question now is "is there a "cure" for discs with uneven friction material deposits?" The answer is a conditional yes. If the vibration has just started, the chances are that the temperature has never reached the point where cementite begins to form. In this case, simply fitting a set of good "semi-metallic" pads and using them hard (after bedding) may well remove the deposits and restore the system to normal operation but with upgraded pads. If only a small amount of material has been transferred i.e. if the vibration is just starting, vigorous scrubbing with garnet paper may remove the deposit. As many deposits are not visible, scrub the entire friction surfaces thoroughly. Do not use regular sand paper or emery cloth as the aluminum oxide abrasive material will permeate the cast iron surface and make the condition worse. Do not bead blast or sand blast the discs for the same reason."

zwede

I've done a pad-only swap several times and I never touch the rotors except to wipe them clean. The brakes will be marginal until the new pads have been bedded. Much worse than if the rotors have been turned. Bedding the pads is mandatory if you don't turn the rotors. Several hard stops from 40 mph, let cool, repeat until the brakes are good.

Solid LT1

If they worked well enough for Brian Hobaugh to win the 2013 Optima Ultimate Street car challenge, I would say the system works pretty well, I know the Vette also had the Spec 37 brake rotors on it too. One thing I don't like about those Willwoods the rear bleeder screws aren't properly located at the top of the piston bore like the cast iron calipers. I tried to talk to Willwood about it but they didn't seem to care. Bleed the rear calipers before mounting them on the brackets!

jb78L-82

Racing is the one application where I think that aluminum calipers, especially the 6 piston fronts would be a big advantage, primarily due to the reduction in unsprung weight and much better heat rejection of the aluminum calipers. On the street, those advantages are much less important.