[DeTomaso] Any one live near or in Bristol CT that couldlookata project?- Rotors and Where They Are

[Chris Difani]

Mike:

Well, the new studs that I got from Bobby were exactly identical to the one's that "didn't fit". So I'm not sure what happened... outside of being very, very careful... But Bobby gave me the only studs that he had... that he knew of... that were the "right" studs... according to him. And the Wilwood hats that I have are THE hats that Wilwood shows for "Pantera", which probably means that the vendors are using something different... The hat/stud combination fits on the front without any problems. It's only on the rear axles, with the axle flange system, that trouble creeps in... 

Chris

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  ----- Original Message ----- 
  From: MikeLDrew at aol.com 
  To: cdifani at pacbell.net ; wkooiman at earthlink.net ; detomaso at realbig.com 
  Sent: Tuesday, May 01, 2007 12:55 AM
  Subject: Re: [DeTomaso] Any one live near or in Bristol CT that couldlookata project?- Rotors and Where They Are



  In a message dated 4/28/07 10 31 10, cdifani at pacbell.net writes:



    This is the exact same way that the Wilwood hat for the Pantera is designed to work. The hat sits "behind" the axle flange (what holds the wheel studs and bolts up against the Campy's/wheels). So yes, to change rotors, you have to disassemble your axles.


  >>>SOME Wilwood packages work that way (the one on my car included).  But most of the setups the Pantera vendors are selling now use rotors that slide over the studs from the outside.


    >The other tricky thing to remember, or at least pay very, VERY close attention to, is the wheel studs, and how they fit thru the axle. The stock wheel studs are designed for the stock cast iron rotor/hat unit. When you use a different "hat", such as a Wilwood hat, those wheel studs aren't quite right.... but they're also the only show in town. What I learned (the hard way) is you must turn the wheel studs down on a lathe so they'll fit correctly. The actual change is only .050" in one particular small area on the wheel stud, so it's not a big deal, and only takes about 10 minutes to fix per axle. But if you don't do this "fix", your rotors will NEVER be tight against the axle flange and wheel. Never, Ever. Forever.


  >>>You are the first person that this has ever happened to as far as I know.  I don't know how you got screwed, but you did.  My car has new studs in the rear, but original studs in the front (if I recall correctly) with no such problems.  You got hosed because whoever was doing the work on your car apparently substituted some unknown studs with the wrong characteristics.


    >The reason is that the Wilwood hats are about half the thickness of the OEM cast iron "hats". The wheel stud is designed to "suck" the OEM "hat" tight against the back of the axle flange, so you change that "hat", then the wheel stud's are too long in that area. And it jams tight against the back of the axle flange.


  >>>I don't know what kind of hats Dennis Quella uses with his Wilwood setup, but he may be using non-Wilwood hats?  In any case, it's not an issue with his package.


    >If anyone needs further information, pictures, etc., please get back to me, and I'll be glad to explain in detail. I had to learn this "the hard way", and I'd really like to "share" my experience... instead of hearing about someone else that learned "the hard way"... It was also expensive... not to mention time consuming, and a general pain in the fundament.



  >>>Yes, like I said, you really got screwed. :<(

  Mike



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