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MG MGB GT V8 Factory Originals Technical - Big Brakes, who's kit is best?

I'm just finishing up my Dana 44 rear axle with Wilwood rear discs, as per Dan LaGrou's article in the V8 newsletter. Now I'm looking for the best front Wilwood set-up to go along with the rear. I would like to hear from anyone who has experience with Evan Amaya's, Bill Guzman's, or Moss Motor's big brake units. What's the best value? Who's got the best quality?
Chris J.

I bought a Wilwood big brake set up from Barry Rosenberg britcars@bellsouth.net the price was great, they cam quickly easy to set up and they work great!


Pete

Chris:
The Moss kit was designed to put the latest version Wilwood calipers with dust seals on a street car with stock wheels. The calipers are going to live longer and be safer with the seals and by designing to the stock wheel there is less likelyhood of clearance problems on any other design.
The calipers are expensive and the brake rotor is approx. standard size to fit in the stock wheel which means that it is probably not the best setup to match your modified rear brakes.

Since your setup does not need to meet the design requirements Moss chose there are other kits on the market that are cheaper and offer larger diameter vented rotors. Make sure you check wheel clearance though, as I have been asked to test a couple of different designs that turned out to not fit inside the 15" wheels I tried.

I'm pretty sure that Bill has his kit sorted out and he can give you information on wheel clearances etc. He has a really nice vented setup on his personal car, so can probably measure wheel clearances if you ask him nicely.

best of luck

Kelvin.
Kelvin Dodd

Thank you Kelvin!!!

Chris, if you are using Wilwood rear brakes, then you probrably have the 12.9 rear rotors. We have a new kit to match the Wilwood rear brakes 12.9" rotor and piston size caliper. The kit will be ready in EST Jan 06

I have Wilwood rear brake kit 12.9" rotors with our kit at front with 12.9" rotors on 15" wheels.

I have been testing the kit on my car for 6 months and the looks and performance are great.

http://www.classicconversionseng.com/DSCF0944.JPG
Bill Guzman

I can't help but be impressed with Kelvin on this one.
Justin

Bill, those are some nice looking stoppers! My rear brakes are Dynalite calipers on solid rotors with the integral parking brake. I have adapted them to fit the Dana 44 axle and I am using the stock MGB parking brake cable. I bought these on ebay and they were originally for the small for ford {mustang?)axle. The rotors are 12.19" diameter. I will be using 15" Superlite wheels with 4 bolt MGB pattern. I'd like to find something that will look good and work well with this rear brake set-up. I have installed a Wilwood proportioning valce in the rear brake line. What are your thoughts? contact me off BBS if you are more inclined to. thanks for the response
Chris J.

Justin, yes you are correct. Kelvin and I are good friends, we belong to same car clubs and we live near to each other, Kelvin has a very fast and nice 4 cylinder that uses the blower that he was instrumental in developing. He is also working on a V8 B and other interesting projects.

Chris, the calipers we use are dynalite, Wilwood uses this calipers for most of their kits.

The best way to go is with a 1" GM MC with 6:1 pedal ratio no power brakes. If you have a CB car yiou will need to adapt a RB pedal box to use the GM MC.
The MC has to be a non-power brake system. Use theis MC in combination with a equalizer valve, no bias proportional valve needed.
You may also use the 11/16 Wilwood MC. The wheels you have will have about 1/4" clearance between the caliper and the wheel OK!
The parking brake you may need to extend the lever where the cable attaches to the hand brake for better leverage, I use the same set-up with vented rotors in the rear.
At front use the 12.19 rotors with Dynalite calipers to match the rear calipers piston size (very important)

As mention before we will have our 12.19 kit ready in Jan 06 This kit will be a direct replacement, no mods.

Bill Guzman

Bill-

Like the wheels in the image. What size and type are they? May need to add them to my Christmas list...
greg fast

The wheels are Mustang 5 lug Racing type 13lb each they have to be space to get the correct offset in the B 3/16 spacer and longer studs.

Konig has a similar wheel and it comes in different colors.
Bill Guzman

Bill,
Now that you've shown your great looking car to the world, the expectation is that it will be participating in the Townsend bash next June.....no renting Mustangs this time!
Graham Creswick

Bill, do you rule out using the stock CB master cylinder at 3/4"? It would be in between the 11/16"
Wilwood and the larger 1" GM master cylinder. I already set up with the stock '67 MC. Do you have pricing on the new kit? how will it differ from your present offering? cj
Chris J.

I've been trying to figure out how Bill gets the power down to the ground with those 4 tiny wheels on each corner?

Kelvin.
KJ Dodd

Well, let's see, Bill is about 6'5"+ and 250 lbs+. Yeah, all that ballast will cause the rubber to hook up. :) :)
Carl Floyd

Bill Guzman:
Do you have a supplier for wheel spacers and longer studs?
Thanks,
Gary
Gary G

Good to hear from you Mr. Graham! The plan is May 06 caravan with the West canadians from phonix to Las cruces New Mexico British car event, then cross contry to TN. in June 06 My wife will be traveling with me, I need my mechanic to go with me. :-)

Kelvin wheels are 7" wide with 205X60X15 Fulkan soft rubber compound, plus I do not have a blower right now.
Besides, I drive like an adult Kelvin.

Carl hot shoe good to hear from you, I have a problem, more weight more traction, less weight more acceleration, what to do.
you are close 6.2 245 and loosing.
Bill Guzman

Gary, the disc /disc combo requires more volume so the MC should not be smaller than 1" That leaves the stock MC out of the picture. If you have front/drum then the 1/4 or 11/16 works great. With power brakes use the
1 1/16 or larger with dis/disc.
MC should for disc/disc should also have a larger reserve of fluid.

When you get ready to do the swap call me.
Bill Guzman

Chris the new kit is the same, difference is the caliper brakets are larger to work with the 12.19 rotors.
Bill Guzman

Oops. Sorry, Bill, didn't mean to over-estimate.

Glad you are going to join the fun in TN! Now, if we can just find a racetrack.

Hey Dan, can we rent Road Atlanta?!!! ;)
Carl Floyd

i've ridden in bill's orange car and he's currently converting my mgb. i can say that the brake performance in his orange car with the wilwood kit is pretty darned impressive.
jeff

Thanks for all the great info. Does anyone have any experience with the Tilton master cylinders? They show a series of cylinders that range from 5/8" up 1-1/8" that look like they may come close to fitting a CB brake box. I'm thinking of using a 1" for the brake master cylinder with the 4 corner 4 pot Wilwoods along with the 5/8" as a clutch master cylinder. While not quite a bolt in job, I might be easier than adapting a GM brake cylider. look at: http://www.tiltonracing.com/content.php?page=list2&id=23&m=b
Chris J.

This thread was discussed between 09/12/2005 and 17/12/2005

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