A Brake Story

[WW2Winger]

I'll keep this as short as I can. I hope this helps someone who finds themselves in the same places that I have been.

I have a '71 Z that I bought to just have some fun with. The stock brakes work good for every day driving and robust driving that does not require frequent hard stops. Trust me. When I started to get more serious about going fast I upgraded to the MSA "Big Brake" kit. The Toyota setup with vented, drilled and slotted rotors stop very well with the right pads,(Raybestos ST) but under severe treatment, they crack the rotors. Trust me. I then put more horsepower into the car and hence, I' going even faster. I finally bit the bullet and installed Wilwoods on the front and now I have real brakes that will not only stop, but can be modulated properly instead of "grabbing". I installed the larger master cylinder and a proportioning valve. Having it to do all over again, if I had known that I was going to be going fast and, therefore, stopping fast and often, I would have gone straight to the real stuff. A lesson learned and now shared.

I'm not the fastest out there, but with these brakes, I can now get faster since now I have the brakes that can handle the abuse.

That's about all I have right now, by the way, PM me if you would like some Toyota SW-12 calipers and some very good Raybestos pads. I' sure we can make a deal.

[kenz240z]

I'm currently working a '73 that will be getting a Chevy LT1 V8 and T56 6-speed. I'm real interested in what you have installed in your Z for the master cylinder and proportioning valve. And where did you get the Wilwood brake parts from?

Thanks!

[Darrel]

http://www.arizonazcar.com/

is one place. You'll need a drool rag while browsing that site.

[srbigbutt]

What are you running for rear brakes? I just ordered the Wilwood front kit, but i'm not sure about the rear kit. I would like to keep my parking brake. I may get the 240sx kit.

[WW2Winger]

I have the 240 SX kit on the rear. I like the parking brake setup even though I don't use it much anymore. With the proper pads and bias adjustment, they have performed well. I have the 280 ZX 15/16 master cylinder which is pretty much required when you go to the Wilwoods on the front. My proportioning valve is also Wilwood. I got all Wilwood parts from Dave at Arizona Z. He is very helpful and knowledgeable. Right now, I am very brake happy. This gives me time to address other issues, yes, I know, there will always be other issues!

[srbigbutt]

Sounds like you have the exact setup I'm aiming for. Glad to hear you like it. I ordered my Wilwood kit from Arizona Z Car as well. Dave said that he is working on a rear kit that will have an integrated parking brake setup. But I will probably just get the 240sx kit.

Where did you mount your proportioning valve?

[WW2Winger]

Since mine is a predominantly track car, I removed the valve in the rear and replaced it with the proportioning valve. It is before the "T" in the rear system. It took a little plumbing to do it, but wasn't too bad. Works great!