When you click on links to various merchants on this site and make a purchase, this can result in this site earning a commission. Affiliate programs and affiliations include, but are not limited to, the eBay Partner Network.
yes i said that in the first post. The problem with "should fit" is they might not fit, and they're going to be very difficult to sell in Australia.
My bad. I misread lol.
Sometimes I wish people made kits that fit 84s... and I wish that they would fit under stock 16s because I like the way they look and then I don't have to hunt wheels with the early offsets... but I can dream lol.
Fitment is going to be based not on the diameter of the wheel but the shape of it.
The FNSL6 C4 13" front kit:
The 85-87 kit requires .180" or 4.6mm with air gap.
The 88-96 kit requires .750 or 19.1mm with air gap.
You'd do well to compare that info to the inside of the wheel. The narrow gap is all but a sure thing, the later kit taking up a bit more room as the caliper is mounted closer to the wheel in this case due to a different aluminum hat requirement.
Thanks Todd, i can't quite tell how far out from the flat surface of the hats the JL9s sit, but there is around 22mm between caliper and wheel.
How much clearance is considered safe between caliper and wheel? Would 2mm be about correct?
Last edited by Casethecorvetteman; 01-29-2021 at 10:25 AM.
Sometimes I wish people made kits that fit 84s... and I wish that they would fit under stock 16s because I like the way they look and then I don't have to hunt wheels with the early offsets... but I can dream lol.
Yes mate i tend to like those 84-87 wheels too, they did look very good for their day.
These Bridgestones suit this car quite ok, and they belong on there, so i'd be very reluctant to change them.
My 89 had those wheels on it when I bought it. I ended up selling them to a Callaway collector.
As for the clearing the wheels, would you be opposed to swapping the studs and adding a spacer?
we are not up to that stage yet, i need some measurements from others with sawblades and A-Molds with JL9s (or even J55s will do), which should all but confirm whether these wheels will clear the Wilwoods or not.
Spacers would not be ideal, the fronts are already flush with the Aerobody.
Yes 2mm would be an acceptable minimum amount. Some kits I've produced have less but you best check all your wheels to it!
Obviously bracket or hub flex could compromise this...
Yes i'd rather have 3mm clear all around, it would take a fair stretch to reach that far, all things being correct as i keep them.
If we were to assume the JL9 caliper is dead flush with the wheel mounting surface, that should leave around 3mm, but i think those JL9s do stick a few mm past the hats. Won't be much though.
Fitment is going to be based not on the diameter of the wheel but the shape of it.
The FNSL6 C4 13" front kit:
The 85-87 kit requires .180" or 4.6mm with air gap.
The 88-96 kit requires .750 or 19.1mm with air gap.
You'd do well to compare that info to the inside of the wheel. The narrow gap is all but a sure thing, the later kit taking up a bit more room as the caliper is mounted closer to the wheel in this case due to a different aluminum hat requirement.
@Todd TCE is there a way i can offset the caliper a bit further in if i needed more space? Is there a hat with a bit deeper offset? The car is a 1993, so it puts the calipers out a fair bit further than the 87 kit does.
Would they foul on anything if they were mounted further inboard? Would this cause any issues?
I should then easily be able to make this work, assuming the caliper can mount an extra 2mm-4.5mm further inboard, which it should, because the instructions mention shimming it outboard further and if the bracket went on the inboard side of the mount instead of the outboard, i should be able to get that extra space, if indeed i need it.
I should then easily be able to make this work, assuming the caliper can mount an extra 2mm-4.5mm further inboard, which it should, because the instructions mention shimming it outboard further and if the bracket went on the inboard side of the mount instead of the outboard, i should be able to get that extra space, if indeed i need it.
The shimming will be minimal. Allowing for variation in bearings, ducting plates etc. Maybe .065" roughly. And you'd have to mill the brackets down. Then there won't be any thread left....
The shimming will be minimal. Allowing for variation in bearings, ducting plates etc. Maybe .065" roughly. And you'd have to mill the brackets down. Then there won't be any thread left....
why would i mill anything down if i swapped the bracket around to the inner side of the knuckle instead of the outer side?
Not sure why there isn't brackets made to fit the calipers further inboard toward the centerline of the wheel rather than so far out toward the outer edge, there is a ton of space there, yet there is no space further out, they would fit under so many more wheels without having to waste a fortune on changing the wheels. Especially on a car like mine, where changing wheels really is not an option.
You clearly make the hats to do it, so why not the brackets???
I have an update to this, incase anyone reads and wonders if they'll fit.
They fit.
There is about 5mm between spokes and caliper, and about 2-3mm between top of caliper and inner barrel of the wheels.
I reckon they'd damn near fit under 84-87 16" Corvette wheels too, if i knew the inner barrel space.
The diagram on the Wilwood site is WRONG, it states outer radius of caliper is 188mm, it isn't even 184mm. Better to give a larger number than a smaller one i guess.
The outer radius of the forged 6 piston Wilwood calipers is a fair bit less than J55 or C5 calipers.
I have a 4-piston Wilwood Forged Superlite Calipers and 324mm x 30mm rotors under the stock "late" 1986-1987 wheels made by Enkei. The "early" 1984-1986 wheels that are made in USA does not clear the calipers. I bought th calipers back in 2006 ( 120-7429L and 120-7429R and I see that they are not available any longer ).
I have a 4-piston Wilwood Forged Superlite Calipers and 324mm x 30mm rotors under the stock "late" 1986-1987 wheels made by Enkei. The "early" 1984-1986 wheels that are made in USA does not clear the calipers. I bought th calipers back in 2006 ( 120-7429L and 120-7429R and I see that they are not available any longer ).
Those are mounted differently to mine, which are radial mount.
Thanks for those photos and measurements
A added some more pictures from 2006. The rotor is from a BMW. I found a hat / rotor combination from Wilwood that give almost identical size and offset.
I've thought about trying to figure out a way to make the calipers off my truck work on the vette... They're a fixed caliper 4 piston type similar to a brembo. Once I fixed the master cylinder and brake booster I haven't wanted to as much because the brakes are pretty good now.
01-29-2021, 10:06 AM
