Installing the SN95 Wilwood Brake Kit

After reviewing various brake specs and choices, I decided to go with the caliper that had the greatest piston area and featured a thicker pad, which happens to be the FSL4 Wilwood nickel plated caliper. The purpose of the nickel plated calipers protect from corrosion and wear and it transfers heat out of the caliper body better than powder coat. The caliper also features therm-lock pistons. Therm-lock pistons resist fade and extend service life by reducing the heat transfer into the caliper from the pads. At the time, the car was a daily driver, so I needed a brake pad would be ok in both scenarios.  The Wilwood BP20 brake pad had the highest temp I can find for the street. The Wilwood race kit featured a 12.88″ rotor, however, I upgraded to the 14″ rotor, which is the GT 72 curved vane rotor. “Wilwood’s GT 72 Curved Vane Spec-37 rotors are manufactured from a proprietary iron alloy developed to withstand extreme temperatures with the highest possible degree of resistance against distortion, warping, cracking, and wear. The formulation for this alloy is a derivative of technology and materials that were significant in the development of the extreme duty military spec rotors that are manufactured by Wilwood. Combined with our proven GT Series asymmetrical face slot pattern and individual dynamic balancing, you are assured the smoothest braking available.”

Since I wanted to run Wilwood’s products, I got their highest temp fluid, EXP 600 PLUS. As you can see, it is top 3 in both boiling points. Please see the list.

Because the FSL4 caliper is thicker, I had to space out the bracket so that the rotor sits in the middle. In doing so, it caused the spindle bracket bolt to NOT have enough thread going through the hole for me to be comfortable. So I bought a longer bolt. Also, because the rubber hose does not connect to the caliper, it will be a good excuse to upgrade to steel braided hoses (and you have no choice).

Tools Needed

• 15mm wrench
• Extra wrench for leverage
• Torque Wrench (In-lb and ft-lb)
• Roll of 0.032″ safety wire
• 271 (red) Locktite
• 242 (blue) Locktite
• Rubber mallet/hammer

After you take off the wheels and put the car safely on jack stands, you will need to do the following to remove the factory brakes:

1. Behind the rotor, you will see the spindle and the rear side of the spindle, you will see two 15mm bolts. Take the 15mm bolts and loosen up the bolts. You will need to interlock another wrench to create leverage because it will be difficult to remove.
2. Once the bolts are removed, you will “hang” the caliper so that it does not get damaged. You can use a bungee cord or a metal coat hanger.
3. Once the calipers are out of the way, you remove the rotor. You can wiggle it and it will slide out. However, it can give you a hard time, so take a rubber hammer and tap it a few times.
4. Since the assembly off, it might be a good idea to take off the dust shields and install spindle mounted duct mounts. You will need to drill out the rivets.

To start the installation of the Wilwood kit, you will need to assembly the rotors.

1. 1. Place the rotor on top of the hat and orientate it so that the holes match up.
   2. Use the supplied washer and bolt to join the rotor and hat together.
   3. I recommend that you bolt all the bolts and hand-tighten the bolts. The reason for that is to help make sure the rotor and hat are bolted up correctly to avoid any issues when applying the red Locktite.
   4. Remove one bolt at a time, apply red Locktite, and torque down the bolt to 155 in-lb.  Using an alternate sequence, repeat Step 4 for all bolts.
   5. Next, you will install the safety wire. You will slide the wire through both holes in the head of the bolt.
   6. Using safety wire pliers, you will twist the safety wire.
   7. Using one end of the wire, you will repeat Step 5.

To install the Wilwood Kit, please do the following:

1. If it is installed, you should remove the caliper bridge bolt.
2. You will use the supplied caliper bracket and use the factory bolts to secure it to the spindle.
3. Install the rotor. The rotor has an arrow that tells you the correct rotation.
4. You need to install the appropriate washer onto the caliper mounting bolts. Because the caliper is radial mount, you will slide the caliper onto the bracket. The caliper has an arrow that tells you the correct rotation.
5. You will need to install the brake pads.
6. Verify the fitment. You want the rotor to sit in the middle of the caliper. If the caliper is off-centered, you will need to remove the whole assembly, including the caliper bracket. You will want to install the appropriate washers/shims. The shims should go on the spindle side, as shown below.
   
7. After the the rotor spacing has been figured out, you will need apply blue Locktite and torque the caliper-spindle mount bolt to 60 ft-lbs. The reason I do not recommend red Locktite is because you won’t be able to take it out.
8. Once the caliper bracket has been secured, it is time to figure out caliper spacing for the brake pad contact. You would like to have the brake pad at the edge of the rotor. To achieve this, you will use the supplied caliper spacers.
9. After the caliper spacing has been figured out, you will need to install the caliper bridge. Do not over tighten it, it just need to be tight enough to not have any play.
10.  To tightened the caliper to the bracket bolts, you first install the appropriate washer, then the locking nut. You will need to torque the nut to 30 ft-lb.
11. Next you will need to install the hose. Make sure you route them so that they do not interfere with the wheel and cause it to leak.
12. After that is installed, you will want to refill the brake fluid reservoir, and bleed the brakes. To bleed the brakes, you will need help. There should be one person inside the car to pump the brakes, and the other to open the bleeder. When bleeding the brakes, you will need to start from the rear right tire, then the rear left tire, then the front right tire, and lastly the front left tire.
13. The person in the car will pump the brakes 2 times, and hold the 3rd while the person outside will open the bleeder. Repeat until you have a steady stream of fluid coming out.
14. Repeat for all other tires.

Comparison photos:

Final:

Disclaimer: Madd Motorsports does not guarantee performance improvements or other benefits. All information is deem accurate to the best of Madd Motorsports’ ability, however, it is not guaranteed. Madd Motorsports or any company mentioned above are not responsible for any injuries, any damage whatsoever, or for incorrect installation. This is a guide meant to help, it is in no way guaranteed.