I've got a situation I would love some opinions on... Got a '67 Mercury Comet Caliente, same spindles as a '67 Mustang. Got a Wilwood kit: 140-4304-DR I took the car to a vintage Ford shop I trust, in business for 25 years, to get the kit installed, because for this I'd rather have it done professionally. Well, the mechanic says he does not recommend them. He'll do it if I insist, but can't guarantee the work, saying they are for racing only. The boxes are full of disclaimers saying NOT FOR STREET USE etc. and he thinks they're great for drag strip use but not the rigors of daily driving. Stop and go, hot and cold etc. There are no splash/ dust shields with the kit, so any puddle will wet them, they are 3-piece assemblies and he says they can get loose or weak, etc. For a race car, where you'd break down the components for inspection regularly, they're okay, says my mechanic. But for daily driver use, he would NOT put them in his own car. Well I spoke to both a tech and a manager at Wilwood and they both assured me that they would be great on my car. They said the disclaimers are there for 2 reasons. 1, because they aren't doing the work themselves and can't be responsible for the install, but they back the product 100%. And 2, because they aren't the manufacturer, and can't sell an AFTERMARKET part as a factory part. They also pointed out that almost any aftermarket part, Holley, K&N, etc. come with off-road use only warnings for those reasons. Anybody have an opinion on this? Anybody running this kit? Or a similar Wilwood kit? It's got cross drilled, slotted 11.75" rotors with 4 piston calipers. Thanks!
I wouldn't worry about it...put'em on and have fun....damm near anything you buy aftermarket is "for race use only" here in california
WILWOOD, is one of thee best and most reputable company's out there. That said, we live in a world of " I sue you/you sue me" mentallity. You mechanic, almost has no choice but refuse to install the kit, the DISCLAIMER is why. He doesnt want to lose his business or eveything he has ever worked for and acrued in life. I am NOT saying you would do that, just how it is. FACT, we have more lawyers in this country than all country's of the world COMBINED. There are probably reputable shops out there that will install the kit, be prepared though, they might have you sign a disclaimer of thier own.
wilwood's a great company and you'll probably have no problems, but if you've not installed them yet return the kit and find a granada (late 70's early 80's). get the spindles and all. they bolt right on for a fraction of the cost and you can by all the parts over the counter at any parts house.
Thanks! Excellent lawyer fact. Unbelievable. Hell, my very wife works for a law firm! The shop did install one side, and decided to call me before they did anything else. I could sell it as mounted but never used, but it sounds like I wanna go with it. And yeah, I can see they'd just rather be safe than sued. I spoke to a friend of mine that races in the Lotus Challenge (and has some nice Euro cars) and his point was that there are really no negatives to that kind of setup as long as you DON'T use racing disc pads, as they require tons of heat to stop properly. Short of that, you're golden. He also said splash shields only actually retain heat and are now considered a poor design "feature." Anyway I live in LA and it rains like never. Thanks, any other arguments are still welcome, but it sounds like I'ma go for it!
converted my 59 chevy to disc brakes from late great chevy many years ago ,single piston style disc brakes nothing fancy but it worked ,had some extra money laying around so i upgraded to the wilwoods. they def stop better just takes a little heat in them to make them work could first few stops can almost be a two footed stop
There is nothing wrong with using that setup - it is a street set up. The disclaimer stuff is CA asswipe nanny state legal BS. I have similar Wilwood setups on two cars which are only street driven. There are thousands of these kits used regularly on the street.
Absolute worst case scenario is switching to a different compound brake pad, dont worry, follow a pad brake-in procedure if Wilwood recommends one for your set-up, thats important, and before long you will wonder how you ever stopped before you installed the Wilwood components. No worries, -you now have the best. Hope while doing the swap, you completely flush the system and replace the fluid, and now is the time to go with the stainless line upgrade, DOT quality stainless lines to replace the front rubber lines in particular.
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