Wilwood Brake Updgrade from SACC

I put this same kit from Scott on my 72 Pre-L Pantera last year and they work great.

I believe the directions that came with my kit said to remove the backing plates for the front brakes.

More than happy to share any pics of the SAAC kit on my car or to answer any questions you might have if it will help.

Feel free to send me a PM if you would like and I can send you my phone etc...

Scott was amazing to deal with when I did my kit so I'm sorry you're having some problems.

I did have to go with larger rims than factory but was told that might be the case. The real issue was the e-brakes just rubbed on the inside of the rear rims and I didn't want to grind down the e-brake calipers to make them work. Scott warned me ahead of time that that might be an issue and I was planning on going with larger diameter rims to get better options for tires anyway.

I kept the factory master cylinder on my car but I replaced the factory proportioning valve with one that I brought from Larry Stock @ Pantera PArts Connection that had the guts removed. Had to send back my original to get a core charge back but it saved me from butchering up the factory brake lines.

Paul

Thanks Paul,

Unfortunately some people don’t like to read instructions.

Would have been nice if John called me for help before publicly bashing me. Especially since one of his issues is not reading the instructions.

Scott

I have had good luck and service from

Scott at SACC also.

Good Morning,

I would like to apologize for the ranting email, and I was not attacking Scott.  I also sent Scott an apology this morning.

I now see the dust shields need to be removed.

I still have the ebrake issue and will try to figure out why I'm needing the quarter inch spacer.

I've been working on this nights and weekends so I could have been more patient and called Scott during the week.

Thanks,
John

“… The Performance is AMAZING!! LOL”

I always get a chuckle out of that one too!

Hopefully I will have an amazing experience soon.

I have the complete Wilwood front/back setup. Calipers, rotors,+ebrake and M/C + proportioning valve.

I see my error of not removing the front dust covers after reading a 3rd time. *Embarrassing*

The issue now is the ebrake is extremely tight on the inside brake pad even though I have the pistons fully compressed.  It is so tight that I can't turn the rotor by hand and the outside ebrake pad isn't even touching the rotor.

There is basically no clearance after I tighten the ebrake bracket to the spindle. I made a .250" metal spacer to recenter everything.  I know this isn't needed so I have to be doing something wrong.  Seems pretty simple but no cigar yet.

I plan to remove the ebrake tonight and have a fresh look at it.

Thanks,

John

Yep, I bought the kit from Scott.  Installed it on my 71.  Already had an adjustable prop valve and GM master.  It installed easy and works great.  I have 17s on the car, so no issues with rubbing.

John,  Talk to Scott and find out what dimension (thickness) for the E-brake spacer and check the dimension just to make fore sure it is the right size spacer.  Larry

Thanks Larry,

Scott had me make some measurements and we are working thru it now.

It appears there is something different with my car, as it doesn't have the standard rotor to spindle clearance, which is most likely why I had to fabricate rear spacers.

I've moved onto the fronts now and have similar clearance issues though not as drastic.  I'm having to add .070" washers between the caliper and spacer to center the pads properly.

Strange days indeed.

Thanks,
John

What rotors and hats are those? They look to be aftermarket and very far inboard over the caliper mounting tabs.

They are Wilwood hats and rotors.

I had to remove the rear axles to put new wheel studs on and starting to wonder if I put the rear assembly back together wrong?  I took pictures and reviewed the parts manual before putting back together.  I guess it is possible that the original owner could have had the assembly apart in the past or changed something.  The car was in storage for 35 years before I got it and was last on the road in 1985.

I'm considering removing the rear assembly and driving to Scott to compare to one of his, since I'm only 2hrs away.

Thanks,
John

Looks like the problem is solved.  I misinterpreted a step in the instructions and pressed the spacing washers on the wrong side of the rotor hats. 

I'm taking everything apart and repressing wheel studs to correct everything.

Thanks for Scotts and everyone's help.

If anyone has the rear axle nut tool for sale I'm interested.

Thanks,

John

#2551

PM sent

You can get an axle nut socket here:

For some reason it's not on their web site but I'm pretty sure they have them.

@jwelch68 - Where are you located?  I am in So. Calif and have a axles socket that you could use.  Just let me know if you are interested.  I could also ship it to you.  Larry

I also have a loaner tool, have already contacted John and will be sending it to him today.

I have loaned this tool out several times and it is always available for anyone who needs it for short time use

Larry

Thanks everyone.  Larry has a loaner on the way to me.

I did call IPSCO and they no longer make the tool and none in stock.

Dennis Quella sold his last one Monday. 

I have a message into Tara at Hall Pantera since one of the vendors said they may have some.

John

#2551

SKF manufactures this tool under the reference TMFS7.

https://www.skf.com/fr/productinfo/productid-TMFS%207

The list of SKF dealers can be found here:

https://www.skf.com/en/support/find-a-distributor

You also need a large torque wrench able of providing a 450 Nm = 332 ft.lb torque.

Excellent information!

A quick Google search found this being sold anywhere from $150 to over $400.

But it is readily available from a well-known manufacturer, and is a great option if our vendors are no longer going to supply this.

Larry

If you have disassembled, you may also want to install a slotted lock washer after grinding a groove in the axle, which makes the nut absolutely unscrewable

When I was in school, a long time ago, I was taught that you should never install this nut without the washer. The washer is also manufactured and sold by SKF.

Also, don't be afraid of torquing the axle nut really tight!. I checked the SAE  for torque notes and that size nut in mild steel strips at around 1200 ft-lbs! So I use 400-ft-lbs on my axles. A long time ago I bought a two-piece 0-600 ft-lb Snap-On torque wrench for this and other outrageously tight  jobs. Found on E-bay cheap 'cause you don't use them often. Weighs 12 lbs.

That's the whole point of the slotted washer, you don't have to tighten with a HUGE amount of torque to keep the nut from coming loose. This design error, or small saving by De Tomaso, has caused problems for many owners.

Does anyone have an opinion on using an impact on the nut?  I have Milwaukee 1/2 drive that specs 450ft/lbs fastening torque and 650lbs busing torque.

Also, I haven't seen anything about using red Loctite, maybe this is not a good idea?

Thanks,

John

Red Loctite is not the permanent, impossible to release, thread sealer many think it is.

it will very easily give up its hold when melted out of a connection using a propane torch.

I personally don’t see a problem with red Loctite in this application.

Larry

Thanks for the info.  I've had the nuts off once and know about the L and R threads.  The RF spindle actually has left-handed threads too.

I will hold off on the Loctite since it doesn't seem to be used for this job.

I took the axle nuts off with the Milwaukee impact with no problem the first time.  I was thinking I could use the impact first and then go back at it with my 600lb torque wrench.  I'm not as strong as I used to be so hopefully the 4ft wrench will give me enough leverage. 

I have a fixture setup using the original hubs.  Hoping to put the wheel studs thru it and tighten the lug nuts the back side.  Just hoping the vice will hold everything.

Thanks,

John

When i did axle bearings i made a plate with the lug stud hole pattern and bolted that plate to a 2x2 steel tube. Slide it in the receiver hitch on my truck and torque away.

@jwelch68 posted:

Does anyone have an opinion on using an impact on the nut?  I have Milwaukee 1/2 drive that specs 450ft/lbs fastening torque and 650lbs busing torque.

I've done quite a few for one vendor and that's how we do them, crank the air up to 150 psi and use a high torque impact wrench. You can actually audibly here the sound change once it's fully seated and tight.