more research...

old wilwoods say pre 2004 did not have these 'dust seals'

Question: Are they DOT approved?
Answer: No brake system is DOT approved

Question: Don't the calipers need dust seals?
Answer: No, I know of no reason for an additional seal, the O-rings completely seal out dirt,
water, dust etc., air can not get past the o-rings.

so...
these certainly aren't definitive, but more to think about.

Seems to come back to this, don't do this to your mother's car, only do it to a vehicle that is maintained by someone that can determine if there are problems that would not occur on an oem setup.

I may have learned something then.

I find nothing specific about the wilwoods being DOT or otherwise.

For that matter i can't tell if brembo brakes are DOT either.

...

datsun's are easier to work on than chevrolets!

"If that were the case I'd expect to see wilwoods specifically not recommended for dirty applications."

ROFL

i'm not sure, the pistons are somewhat hard to see, they protrude very little compared to a single pot oem caliper, you're talking about the rubber surround that wipes the pistons clean i think.

hmmm... I'll have to look into that.

it would seem like having a dust wiper on the piston would be a desirable design characteristic... not like it adds weight or anythng, and racing calipers are usually exposed to more dirt and crap than other road going calipers. If that were the case I'd expect to see wilwoods specifically not recommended for dirty applications.

apparently around the piston? is this not the case?
we fitted a set of dynalites to a mates sprinter and they didn't have it, they guy that sold them to us imports them and made us say that they definately wouldn't be going onto a road registered vehicle as they don't conform with adr.. that's the guy who i've had all my wilwood experience with, several cars, always same result.

please correct me if i'm wrong!

what dust seals does it not have?

in qld and from what i understand all states, a caliper isn't ADR compliant if it doesn't have dust seals. the wilwoods don't. i know a lot of people who use and recommend them, and who can get certificates done, but in the event of an accident, i'd rather know my bum is covered!

I can't find a straight answer on that...

They make no mention of the wilwood parts being DOT or ADR, etc.

Presumably for you aussies, since you get an actual engineering inspection, unless the requirement is there is a little sticker that says ADR, there's no reason why they would not be up to snuff.

They may be legal, for road use, in racing doing these mods will get you in a class of fully prepped cars.


I have DOT stainess hoses, so it's all good.

if you're worried about DOT or other compliance, then the coilovers and camberplates may be an issue too, since those aren't going to be 'approved'

I guess you have to ask one of those engineers that does the reports.

As far as safety goes, 120Y brakes fade after 1 decent stop from 120 KPH, so to me the stock brakes are inherently unsafe.

you'll have to ask an engineer.

They're probably not legal... but it's not the only part i mentioned that isn't...

what has to be approved... noltec bushings? DOT approved Aircraft grade hardware?

Here the nature of the hoses that hook to the brakes and the fluid seem to be more of a concern, since say i used DOT brakes... If I used a Wilwood MC - probably not DOT, but nobody'd ever know.

Ask an engineer if that's a concern.

i dont think wilwood calipers would be ADR approved for steet use ?? but i could be wrong ??

mmmkay... for you 1200 people, you want some other bits, i think, b310 ( aka 120Y - 1981 ) lower control arms and torsion rods.

track wider? hmmm not sure, I think you want later model tie rod ends ( 120Y ) and um...i think there was something else...

I think on mine the steering is slightly slower but compared to improperly sized 15" wheels with scrub issues, it's so easy.

There are other things that can be done too... theres some debate as to shortening the strut is needed / beneficial, shortening it in and of itself may not be /needed/ but it can help geometry if you add the spacer to the bottom ( or that's how i did it... )

Strut fitup... on 310's the thing bolted right up to the ball joint. so you might want later balljoints too. while doing all that might as well get some noltec urethane bushings...

Still more goodies... after adding these spiffy brakes and struts you'll want stainless brake lines, might as well do the clutchline.

soon the car looks like the space shuttle.

Don't go crazy like I did I guess.

there is a "stage 2" there is a huge rotor kit for the 280zx and there are lots of strut options, you could spend another 2-3k on making it stage2, but seriously... short of getting good billsteins re-valved you're practically done in the front end...

Techno Toy Tuning makes an adjustable torsion rod set if you really need to spend money, really it's not that much less than $200.

If you're in it for the brakes like i was, there isn't much better calipers to use than the wilwood dynalites, they're light, and pads from street to full race are $45, and easy to get ( not at pep boys, however )

I used the 280zx turbo 5 spoke 14" wheels and they needed a 1/4 spacer and a slight bit of grinding to clear the calipers, my calipers have like a sheet of paper space from the wheel, but no issues, may grind a bit more out someday.

oh!
you'll want new rotors, and a set of wheel bearings of course, get grease caps or steal some. and grease seals. Next set of rotors will have gas slots and be cryo treated.

it's too much fun, you'll want better seatbelts you can stop so hard. then seats... see where this is going... changing the brakes will result in totally re-engineering the car. it's a mini Z now.

it took 2 years to get this all together and then it bolted in a day in my parking space at work. Why 2 years, i lagged a lot, and parts had to be shipped form Japan, Australia and Oregon.

problems?
if you have the stock lug bolts, then after using the spacer you find there arent enough thread to be safe with the datsun special mag lugs, but aftermarket ones had 1/4" more thread and worked fine.

i had a problem with the disks not being tightened to the hubs to the correct torque, but that's my fault for not rechecking it when it came back from the shop that built the struts.

other than that. nothing at all.

went for a 1000 mile drive the day after i bolted this stuff on.

0 problems at all.