Wilwood disc brakes on a 65

[Buickneem]

Has anyone installed these on their 65 Riv while keeping the stock Buick 15" Rally wheel? https://www.summitracing.com/parts/wil-140-13028/year/1965/make/buick/model/riviera

I'm thinking about purchasing a set however some of the reviews state that they don't fit, while others say that they fit fine with the stock 15" wheels. 

[steelman]

I may depend on which "stock" rally wheel you have. They may not clear the 65-67 wheel, but might clear the later 68-71 wheels made for disc brakes. These look similar outside, but have slight differences. Several threads here discuss these differences. But I have no idea if either wheel will clear.

[Buickneem]

Interesting! I had no idea there were different sizes. What size were the rally wheels from 65-67?

[KongaMan]

Don't see much need for putting disc brakes on a 65, but if that's what you want to do, you might also take a look at Scarebird's setup.  Using OTC calipers and rotors would seem to be advantageous.

[RivNut]

The code numbers for the wheels that @steelman mentioned above are:

No code for the 65 only wheel

802 code for the 66 - early 67 wheel - drum brake cars

853 code for the late 67 - 70 wheel - disc brake cars

895 code for the 71 - 78 wheel - disc brake and a different back spacing than the previous ones.

 

There's a chart on the Riv Owner's website in the Tech Tips section that gives all of the dimensioins.

 

Ed

[Buickneem]

I decided to reach out to J&R to see if I can have the drums restored. 

[RivNut]

6 hours ago, Buickneem said:

Interesting! I had no idea there were different sizes. What size were the rally wheels from 65-67?

All rally wheels for coupes and sedans are 15" x 6".  The Estate wagons came out with a 15" x 7" rally wheel.  If you're not aware of it, the intermediate sized Skylark series had a 15" x 7" rally wheel but it has a 5 on 4-3/4" bolt pattern rather than the full sized car's 5 on 5" bolt pattern. The Skylark wheel is also a two piece wheel with defined rim and center section.

[psychostang]

Just from the diagram that is posted on Summits website, you will need a set of the code 8t53 wheels from Mid 67 thru 70 disk brake vehicles.

[arnulfo de l.a.]

18 hours ago, KongaMan said:

Don't see much need for putting disc brakes on a 65, but if that's what you want to do, you might also take a look at Scarebird's setup.  Using OTC calipers and rotors would seem to be advantageous.

One reason would be if the front drums are worn beyond specification for another turning. Unless you can find a pair that still has enough useable metal the only options that i know of are having the originals restored which is very pricey or disk brakes. I don’t know whether there is an aftermarket front brake drum available or not.

[Seafoam65]

In my opinion there is no disc brake conversion for the front of your Riviera that will fit inside the stock wheels and stop as good

as the factory drum brakes. Also with the disc brakes you will have more pedal travel...the factory drum brakes have amazingly tiny pedal travel

and will squat the car at 70 miles per hour. The brakes on these cars is absolutely the best thing about them....they are amazing.

[arnulfo de l.a.]

31 minutes ago, Seafoam65 said:

In my opinion there is no disc brake conversion for the front of your Riviera that will fit inside the stock wheels and stop as good

as the factory drum brakes. Also with the disc brakes you will have more pedal travel...the factory drum brakes have amazingly tiny pedal travel

and will squat the car at 70 miles per hour. The brakes on these cars is absolutely the best thing about them....they are amazing.

AGREE 100%

[steelman]

My car developed brake issues shortly after I bought it. Several combinations of new and rebuilt boosters and master cylinders later, I was ready to scrap the entire system and start over, including adding disc brakes. Upgrading the booster and master cylinder to late model equipment and replacing all the rubber lines made a HUGE difference. Disc brakes were no longer on my to-do list for this car. If the stock brakes work correctly, you will slide off in the floor on a panic stop without a seatbelt.

[60FlatTop]

Today I dropped my '64 drums and shoes off at https://www.rochesterclutch.com/vintage-restoration/

for relining, arching, and fitting to my drums. I asked for a gentle turning because I want to get at least 30 more years out of the drums. He just said "Boy! There's a lot of meat on them."

 

When I did them last was 1994. At the time I put in new wheel cylinders. I had an NOS master cylinder sleeved because I thought one might be hard to get in the future. Turns out I am concerned with the machining of the new Centric wheels cylinders. The fit of the bleeder threads is poor and makes them less than air tight. I may have to send the originals out (still have them) for sleeves to get the quality back. I swear the bleeder threads look like they may have been broached rather than tapped.

 

Apple Hydraulics is the sleeving vendor of choice in my circle.

 

Bernie