hen Ross Berlanga brought this 1971 Chevrolet El Camino home in 1992 it was by all accounts in sad shape. The engine was junk, the body was rough, and the interior was destroyed, but Ross saw the potential of this diamond in the rough. Over the years the front suspension was updated with tubular upper and lower control arms, airbags were added all around, and Ross and his uncle, Mark Berlanga, straightened the body and covered it in 1992 GM Turquoise Metallic. A fresh fuel-injected small-block was installed, followed by the next major performance enhancements: the addition of Wilwood dropped spindles and disc brakes on all four corners.

For the brake update, the El Camino was delivered to Jason Scudellari at HB Hot Rod in Huntington Beach, California. Scudellari began the transformation by installing a pair of Wilwood’s AFX Pro Spindles (PN 831-15890). These high-strength steel spindles use the original bolt-on steering arms and are specifically designed for use with Wilwood’s disc brake kits. These spindles provide a 2-inch drop-in ride height for a more aggressive stance without affecting steering geometry. In addition, they are taller than the factory spindles, which raises the roll center and decreases camber change through the suspension’s range of movement. That’s suspension speak for saying these spindles improve handling dramatically.

With the spindles swapped, Scudellari installed Wilwood’s Big Brake Kit (PN 140-15911-D) for use with the AFX Pro Spindles. This kit includes aluminum hubs, FNSL6R billet forged six-piston calipers, and 14-inch rotors. Like most Wilwood extreme performance calipers, these have a differential piston bore design, meaning one end of the caliper has larger pistons than the other. In this case, the stainless steel pistons in bore 1 on each side are 1.62 inches, bores 2 and 3 measure 1.12 inches. These calipers must be mounted so that the smaller piston end is closest to the rotor entrance and the larger piston end toward the rotor exit. As Wilwood explains it, “The larger piston end provides slightly greater clamping force to compensate for pad taper, which can occur under extended severe-use applications.” Wilwood cautions that an improperly mounted caliper (reverse rotation) will cause increased pad taper and reduce overall braking efficiency.

To update the rear brakes, Ross chose Wilwood’s kit (PN140-12964-D), the perfect solution for applications that require a parking brake. Along with the FNSL4R calipers with four 1.12-inch pistons and high-performance BP-10 pads. The kit also includes two-piece rotors (13 or 14 inch are available) that have integral drums for the internal parking brake assembly.

The heart of any hydraulic brake system is the master cylinder. For this application, Scudellari installed one of Wilwood’s compact 1.12-inch bore tandem master cylinders (PN 261-14964). Available in bore sizes from 7/8 through 1 1/8 inches, these master cylinders measure a mere 6.55 inches from end to end and are offered in two finishes: ball burnished or black E-coat. Also available from Wilwood is a combination proportioning valve with a mounting bracket and precision-bent stainless steel fluid lines all specifically designed to work with Wilwood tandem master cylinders.

With the body- and paintwork done, suspension updates made, a new engine installed, and Wilwood brakes on all four corners, the El Camino’s “to do” list was getting shorter. As Ross told us, “I still have more to do to my Elco, such as get the new AMD SS hood painted and installed, plus install a complete new TMI interior.” Ross is the director of marketing for TMI, a leading manufacturer of aftermarket seats and interior products, but circumstances would dictate those things would have to be postponed as Ross learned his father, David, was going into hospice care. David, who was a professional baseball scout, wanted to go to a ball game with his sons and take a ride in the El Camino so those final details could wait; some things are more important than others.