One of the biggest improvements you can make on any mid-'60s car is to drop those pathetic old drum brakes and move up into the 20th century with discs. While there are many high-quality disc brake conversions on the market, we thought we'd take a look at Wilwood's DynaLite system.
The key to this Wilwood kit is the use of four-piston calipers as opposed to a floating single-piston brake caliper. With two pistons squeezing equally on each pad, brake pressure is more evenly loaded on the pad, producing not only better brake performance, but also improving brake pad life. If you really want to get serious, Wilwood also offers its monster SuperLite 6 series with differential bore six-piston clampers that can apply enough brake torque to pull your eyes right out of their sockets.
Since Wilwood has been in the performance disc brake business for almost 30 years, the company has also spent a great deal of time perfecting an entire line of PolyMatrix disc brake pads that complement its lineup of calipers and brake assemblies. This creates a system approach, which Wilwood has also capitalized on with a brand-new line of Wilwood cast-aluminum master cylinders.
We spent a couple of days at Wilwood recently capturing the entire assembly process on a '67 Camaro, converting this lame drum brake cruiser into a mean stopping machine. Check it out.
Parts List Component PN Dyna-Lite 12.5 front kit 140-2285 Dyna-Lite rear kit, w/parking brake 140-7141 Front pads, T version 15T-5911 Rear pads, T version 15T-2911 Proportioning valve 260-8419 Brake fluid, Hi-Temp 290-0632 Aluminum master cylinder 260-8555 Moser axles, 1/2 inch see catalog