Wilwood brake installation

M

mike P71

New member
Started the installation of the Wilwood front and rear brake kits from TCE and the 4in resonator delete tips this week The installation of the front brake kit was straight forward a went very well The rear kit is quite a bit more involved. When reinstalling the rear axles you have to fit the proper axle C clip to maintain .008 in + or - .002 in of end play. None of the C clips supplied in my kit maintened the spacing so I had to get them machined to spec. Here's where my problem started. None of the machine shops I went to initially had the capability to hold the small clip in place while it was being worked on. I had to then find a shop with a magnetic table which was not easy to do. The clips were then filed down to spec while being cooled with water. Question If the axle C clips are ground down about 20 thousandths of an inch this way is the strength of the clip in any way compromised
By the way the calipers and rotors supplied by Todd are beautiful. They are like jewelry .The instructions supplied in the kit are complete and easy to follow if you have at least a little automotive experience .Be prepared ,however to spend quite a bit more time on the rears than the front I will follow up with pics when complete
 
I'm interested on your outcome, because, weather permitting, I'll be working on the same this weekend. But no where near intense, mine are already in.
 
I keep thinking more and more about buying the rears myself.



Sent from my iPhone
Eaton Swap + 4.10's = Wreeeeeeeeeedom!!
 
They were a little more involved than I thought. Granted I am quite anal so I want every spec to be right on! After all we are dealing with brakes. I will be back on the job tomorrow and I will keep you all posted on progress
 
Thanks Mike, I like the way you think. I am rather anal myself when it comes to my cars. Looking forward to the photos
Russell
 
The black calipers look terrific against the DTR. Anyone have any thoughts about the strength of the C clips being diminished after being ground down?
 
My main concern with gounding down the c clip is weakening it and making it more prone to break and fail as we know this all that retains the wheel and axle!

But on the other hand i fully understand you want to be within the given specs
 
Last edited:
You state my concerns exactly. That is my exact worry. I have been told that the process we used does not weaken the metal. I guess I'm just looking for some added thoughts from the group. Thanks for saying what I was thinking
 
You may want to pm cwright as he did the front and rear set up as well, good luck with your install.
 
Jason Adams at Team Ford put mine in and we ran into the same problem. He spoke to Todd at TCE a few times. What Jason ended up doing is tightning up the clutch pack and it fixed the alignment perfectly. If you need further info from Jason let me know and I will get you in touch with him. He's known around our area to be real sharp when it comes to this.
 
^^^^yes there are 0.20 and 0.45 clutch shims that are intsalled on the side gears than can help tighten up the rear cltches in the posi.............
 
I hope that I don't run into that problem when I do my TCE rear brakes.
I bought a Torsen 8.8" 31 spline and there aren't any clutch packs to play with.
 
The c-clips will be fine. The heat treat probably goes all the way through since they are pretty thin.
 
I thought I heard that there was a c-clip elimination mod that can be done. I don't know anything about it, or how the axles are held in place with this mod. Anybody have any details on that and how it would work with the TCE Wilwood rear kit?
 
Fourth Horseman said:
I thought I heard that there was a c-clip elimination mod that can be done. I don't know anything about it, or how the axles are held in place with this mod. Anybody have any details on that and how it would work with the TCE Wilwood rear kit?
Click to expand...

The "C" clip elimination is not recommended for non-racing use.
 
I started to do the install on my kit but only got as far as assembling the rotors. I needed pictures to help me understand the instructions. I finally took it to my local Ford specailist and had him do the install. He said it was alot of work for a kit that was made for this car. I had planned on Martyo's shop to do the work but he is just too far away. Sorry Marty!! So far I am leased with the brakes but I have not put too many miles on them yet. Looking forward to the Pictures:banana:!!!
 
Joe Walsh said:
I hope that I don't run into that problem when I do my TCE rear brakes.
I bought a Torsen 8.8" 31 spline and there aren't any clutch packs to play with.
Click to expand...

Just take it to DR's shop ;)

:lol:


Sent from my iPhone
Eaton Swap + 4.10's = Wreeeeeeeeeedom!!
 
The installation of the rear is quite involved with critical spacing that has to be maintened. The rear axle end play has to be .008in plus or minus .002. Frequently the c clips have to be adjusted. The job is definitely not for the faint of heart. I will post pics as soon as I am complete
 
If I get the job finished which I think I will I plan on making the meet be next week. Look forward to making my first road trip with the new brakes and tips. Weather permitting
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top