Wilwood Drag Brake Install - Braking A Project Car

3b ...If it doesn’t, more cutting may be necessary.

4 Next up is the hub and rotor assembly. The hat bolts to the rotor; once torqued, the hardware is held in place with safety wire. The hat and rotor then bolt to the back of the hub completing the assembly.

5 With the inner wheel bearing packed with grease and the grease seal installed, slide the hub onto the spindle.

6a Be sure to pack the inner and outer bearings with plenty of high-temperature axle grease...

6b ...Then slide the outer bearing into place and secure the hub to the spindle.

7 The four-piston fixed caliper then slips over the rotor onto the mounting bracket.

8 Before installing the brake pads, check the distance between the caliper and the rotor for proper alignment. A misaligned fixed caliper can cause the brakes to drag and create premature pad wear.

9a Our spacing was slightly off...

9b ...So we used the shims supplied by Wilwood to space the calipers correctly.

10 To finish the fronts, the pads slide in from the top and are held in place with a Cotter pin.

11 The rear brakes are held in place with a bracket mounted to the C-clip eliminator. We started the installing the rear brakes by unbolting the C-clip eliminators and removing the axles.

12a With the axle pulled out, simply slip the new caliper-mounting bracket into position...

12b ...between the axle flange and the mounting block on the C-clip eliminator, and tighten.

13 The hat and rotor assembly then slides over the axle.

14 Like the front, the hardware is secured with safety wire.

15a The caliper then slides over the rotor and is tightened to the mounting bracket. Be sure to check the spacing between the caliper and the rotor, and adjust to make each side equal.

15b The rotor, seen finished here.

16 With all four corners complete, we shifted our attention to under the hood. With the power booster removed, we now have space to mount our new master cylinder.

17 Wilwood sent us one of its tandem dual-outlet, 1-inch-bore master cylinders. We simply marked the firewall where it needed to mount and drilled two new holes.

18 With our switch to manual brakes, Wilwood recommends a pedal ratio of 6-6.5:1. We changed the mounting location of the pushrod on the brake pedal to achieve this ratio.

19 With our car being from the Northeast, we have found some rust in a few areas. one being the brake lines. Since the brake lines are critical for stopping, we decided to swap all of the lines for fresh ones. Classic Tube supplied us with a set of its pre-bent stainless steel lines for the Fox-body Mustang. The kit is easy to install and everything is labeled clearly, making the installation a breeze.

20 The double-flared ends and new fitting ensure everything fits properly without leaks.

21a Wilwood sent us one of its compact proportioning valves...

21b ...This valve installs in the rear brake line and allows us to fine-tune brake pressure to the rear binders.