Wilwood Powerlite brake fitting question

[thompster]

Evening all,

Just fitted the first side of my Powerlite brakes (BK23M Kit). 

The discs came with circular spacers/shims but it's not clear if they go between the disc and the hub as a spacer, or on the inboard face of the disc so the bolts pass through the plate then the disc and then into the hub.

If I use them as a spacer the disc almost rubs the trackrod end so I've gone with 'plate-disc-hub' which seems to work.  Anyone know if that's right before I do the other side...?

[Jonathan Kay]

De Dion or live axle? See Harry Flatters' comments from 2003.

Jonathan

[thompster]

10 points for encyclopedic knowledge of BC to JK...thanks.

It's a de dion 2007 metric chassis. Interesting that the hubs are different between live axle and de dion - I wouldn't have expected that.  Without the shims in place the clearance is fine.  Thathas me wondering whether the disc offset has been updated in the last 14 years to suit de dion and the shims are only used to push them back inboard to suit live axle (per the 2003 post).  If that's the case I may be able to do away with them.  If no one here knows I'll try emailing Wilwood.

[Richard Price]

Interesting that the hubs are different between live axle and de dion

other than later live axle cars having a 3 3/4" PCD, and Dedion having 4 1/4" PCD, I don't think the hubs are any different.

Likewise, the discs are unchanged.

Have you dismantled the other side yet? If not, how much clearance do you have between the trackrod end and and the original disc? The clearance is usually quite tight at full droop, but, as long as they do not actually touch, there is no problem.

I'd be checking the alignment between the disc and caliper with and without the spacer. The slot of the caliper should have equal space either side of the disc.

[thompster]

I've stripped both sides so too late to compare unless I stick the old disc back on. More interesting info though, thanks.  Without the spacer (or rather using it as a giant 4-hole washer not as a spacer) the disc sits about 1mm off-centre in the caliper.  Using the spacer/shim under the disc would push it further off.  As I write this I'm thinking more that I should just not use them as they don't appear to serve much purpose as a giant washer....