Wilwood brake installation

[mike P71]

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

[Blackmobile]

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.

[guspech750]

I keep thinking more and more about buying the rears myself.



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[mike P71]

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

[Mercguy04]

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

[mike P71]

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?

[MOTOWN]

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

[mike P71]

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

[MOTOWN]

You may want to pm cwright as he did the front and rear set up as well, good luck with your install.

[CWright]

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.

[hotford]

^^^^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.............

[Joe Walsh]

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.

[blazen71]

The c-clips will be fine. The heat treat probably goes all the way through since they are pretty thin.

[Fourth Horseman]

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?

[fastblackmerc]

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?

The "C" clip elimination is not recommended for non-racing use.

[Gryphonzus]

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:!!!

[guspech750]

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.

Just take it to DR's shop ;)

:lol:


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[mike P71]

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

[DOOM]

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.

I'm planning on doing a rear set soon myself.

[mike P71]

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

[Todd TCE]

Mike; I've gotten your messages but am out of town, you neglected to leave me a number to call you at so that's the only reason I have not. The clips shipped with the kit are the only clips I can offer you and the only ones ever needed over the years. The smallest is .170 and if you require less than that I'm not sure why the shop is not simply using the stock one? Yes they can be ground and yes it does require a mag base. The are carnorized and should not have more than a couple of thou taken off any side. This means a .170 could, in theory, be down to .166. Not sure but I think the stock ones are in the .160-.165 range. There is no requirement to use the ones supplied they are only for your use if needed.

As for the assembly of the rear hats and rotors on a kit, I'd not be sure why any shop has a problem understanding how they bolt together. One of every kit is always sent in mock up and labeled "mock up" or "example" for this reason. "bolts not tight" making it a clear and easy example of what goes where. The rear kits are more involved yes. Not by design but by demand. If I could make it much simpler I would; blame it on the rear parking brake design here guys. Not a lot of options...

Gotta run, I'll check back later.

[mike P71]

Hey Todd. Thanks for the reply. I thought my cell number would come through on your end. Sorry. Regarding the clips we ground them down as follows. : 180 to 160; 175 to 165 and170 to 162. I found a magnetic table which cooled them as they were shaved. Do you see any problem with their strength. I really would like to use them as they are much better than the stock ones. All other parts of the installation is going fine Your instructions were great and the product looks terrific
Mike

[blazen71]

The process is called surface grinding. The c-clips will be fine. Stop over-analyzing and get on with the install.

[mike P71]

Very informative. I think I'll continue to "over analyze " when it comes to brakes!

[Todd TCE]

I agree and disagree Mike...

The clips are carburized which is a surface hardening to a certain depth. The depth can vary a bit but from what I am told it runs about .003-.004" deep, per side. Beyond that the metal under it is simply 1010 steel plate from which they are cut. Doesn't mean sudden failure...but the wear factor would be much greater without this.

On the other hand I'm not sure how all this has become quite so technical. You can use the stock clips if you want, it only means a bit longer pedal travel (possibly) depending upon the float of the axle- in turn hat- in turn rotor- in turn piston knock back. Even that's not a real "bad thing" just that the os clips allow you to fine tune some. The fine tuning to you needs has me a bit puzzled however as you got two of each and if you really wanted to get to a .165 and .162 both of them could come from a .170 if you found a shop to do it. Taking .020 off one to get to such a low number I'm not understanding.

What has me more puzzled and agreeing with the over analyzing some is that there are probably 60 people out here that have had no issue with it. Meaning either you have a rear end that's odd, (that didn't sound right huh) or or someone is spending a LOT of time on this, or nobody else even bothered with it and came out fine. Dunno.

[justbob]

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.

What Chris said. Adjust clutch pack if needed, slide in the c-clip, throw the pin in and be done. Skip the specs, really not that big of deal here.

[Blackmobile]

What the thought of adding anti seize compound to the bleeder valve threads?

[Todd TCE]

Supposing you 'could' do that but I'd be leery of them being over tightened after you did it. The thread is only 1/4-28 and even with a short 1/4" box wrench you could snap it off with lube. They you'd be stuck with replacing.


Spares Here: SERVICE PARTS (http://www.tceperformanceproducts.com/service-parts/)

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