quote:Originally posted by Bosswrench:
I like Wilwoods, but there is a caveat (which also applies to BG calipers). Neither caliper uses rubber dust shields. They're intended for racing and racing calipers don't stay on a car more than a few minutes past the last race. So dust shields are un-necessary. But on the street, they keep brake pad dust, road grime and who-knows-what away from the pistons.
For the guy who already has a set, could you check the BG caliper pistons? For unknown reasons, most Euro calipers including Ferrari, Porsche and Cobra use nickel-plated mild steel pistons, in place of the almost universal use in the U.S of corrosion-resistant stainless steel. Which is non-magnetic. If your pistons are magnetic, they are almost certainly plated and may pit in low (or no) maintenance street use.
I'm aware of the "race" only consideration of the engineering on the aftermarket brakes.
I'd prefer to go with a "production based" component. Particularly the calipers.
The aftermarket two-piece rotors with the aluminum hats are less problematic.
I do know that Cobra Automotive, which is a race based Shelby/Ford GT/Cobra shop will not use Wilwoods. Simply put, they have found them of a questionable quality for their purposes.
They used the term "crap" for the Wilwood hats and rotors.
At this point in the discussion, no one has dealt with the actual cost of looking "period" correct for these brakes.
It would appear at this point that using the Girlings that are sourced from other production cars is going to be cost prohibitive?
Even the GT5 Pantera brakes at $1900 each from Wilkinson are out of the question for me.
I did see one Pantera that was raced in the US in the early '70s.
It had the US "big Licoln" calipers and rotors adapted to the front with fabricated adapter plates.
Those Lincoln/T-bird rotors fit right on the Pantera front hubs since they were adapted originally from the production US Mustang. Similarl to what is done on the rear of the Pantera by using the '65 Mustang front rotor back there.
This was the system Shelby used on the '68 Mustang Trans Am Coupes.
The most complicated part to put them on a Pantera is the adapter to go from the Girling bolt pattern to the Kelsey-Hayes US pattern.
The rotors were the original 12" x 1.25" T-bird rotors. Those are no longer available that size. They were cut down to 11-3/4"od.
The rear used the 65 Mustang front vented rotor with the original Pantera front Girling caliper mounted to the front available upright mounting holes, and left the original Pantera rear caliper in place to be used as a hand brake.
It certainly is worthy of the consideration at this point?