Finished the Wilwood front disc conversion on my 68 Skylark Custom!

This is the compact 4 piston kit. I went with this kit so that I could use a 15 inch wheel still with this setup. I can't wait to get her to the track and see the difference. I also replaced the master and proportioning valve with disc/drum pieces as well as the hoses with braided steel hoses. Let me know what you guys think.

 

Looks good. Let us know how it works. What are the specs on that kit?

 

It's their A body dynalite kit. I got it through Summit. You have the option to purchase the drilled or slotted rotors also but I opted for the solid 2 piece ones. There are bigger and better kits out there but to be able to use a 15 inch wheel this is about the best I have seen out there. 4 piston (2 on each side of the rotor) as well as the quick change pad option (not required to remove the caliper for pad swaps). I believe the rotors are 11 1/2 inch or close to that. Here is a link to what I purchased:

http:// http://www.summitracing.com/parts/wil-140-10996/overview/year/1968/make/buick/model/skylark

 

Looks like a nice kit. Any install issues? Is yours a power brake set up. What master and proportioning valve? Thanks.

 

Yes, the car was a power 4 wheel drum system stock. This kit can be used with either the drum or disc spindles. I chose to get a set of new disc spindles. I also got the booster , master, and proportioning valve all together from summit. For the prics you cant beat it. All of my stuff I removed was original from 68 so for roughly $250 for that stuff I had to get all new stuff. It is all factory replacement stuff.

For everything was about 6 hrs for me in the garage with basic hand tools. I took my time and made sure to loctite and torque everything.

 

I'm curious as to why the calipers are on the front side of the rotors?

 

To be honest, I am not too sure. This is exactly how the kit is designed. I haven't modified any of it. I can say that it definitely stops very well and is better than the stock drums.

 

Looks good :TU:

 

I had the same setup on my 70 GS455. I really wasn't too happy with them for the street. You had to really push the pedal hard to get it to stop. When you did they worked ok but it became a pain to drive. I switched back to an upgraded stock setup and I was much happier. I tried everything to get them to be more responsive but I had no luck. I dealt with Wilwood directly and they gave me some ideas, but there were not all that helpful.

What I ended up doing is using this setup on my drag car. It works great for that application. Slow and steady braking with no fade. I tried several different pads until I found the ones that worked the best. I would tend to believe that they were designed for this type of application after my experience with them. The GS455 had drums in the rear and my drag car has disc in the rear so that may play into it also. Plus, on a drag car you want bias to the rear wheels instead of the front like on a street car. This may also had something to do with why they work better in the drag car application.

I did notice your calipers are in the front.... mine mount towards the rear. I wonder why they changed that??

Hope you like them and have good luck with them... just thought I'd share my experience.

Steve

 

I have had it out on the street and honestly for me they feel great but this is a track destined car. Maybe they did a redesign of the kit and have resolved the issue you mentioned. Might also be that I have a 350 and you had the 455 lol. I am not making all that much power, if I had to guess I would estimate mine currently at about 325-350 at the flywheel. As soon as my rear tires decide to arrive from being back ordered I will be able to get it to the track for some baseline runs. Once I do I will post how they performed. Thanks for all the compliments everyone.

Chris

 

Heres a link to the kit I got, but on Wilwood's site for better description and specs.


http:// http://www.wilwood.com/BrakeKits/BrakeKitsProdFront.aspx?itemno=140-10996-DR&year=1968&make=Buick&model=Skylark&option=Drum+Brake+Spindle

 

Chris,
I didn't mean to sound like they weren't going to work for you.... I just was conveying my experiences with them. They may have well improved things along the way also.

Glad they work well for you. Have fun!!

Steve

 

Steve - what year did you buy yours ?

... Sporty needs a serious brake upgrade soon

 

All good man thank you.

 

You know the spindles should work on either side AND you should be able to install them crossed to the other side and mount them on the rear of the spindle. I'd try it if it were mine though.

 

Thats not possible due to the steering linkage. The mounts for the outer tie rod ends would be on the wrong side.

 

Without looking it up, I would guess it was somewhere around early 2000?

I can look it up if you need to get specific.

Steve

 

just wondering about whether they may have changed from your install ... 14 years -> prolly have

 

I put the same kit on my car hence the reason I asked why the caliper location is on the front of the rotor. Mine are on the rear just like original style gm disc setups. I did look at the instruction sheet and they show a pic setup just like you have yours. The wilwood brackets have left and right part numbers but obviously can be mounted either way. I guess it doesn't really matter if it works for you and you're happy with it

 

I'm not talking about the whole spindle. Just put the caliper bracket for the front right on the back side of the left caliper. The bolt holes are the same and only the steering arms are left/right sided. stg2NW seems to have done what I thought should work with no issues, especially since the brake hose mounts in the back of the frame and not the front.