brake upgrade questions

[Ben Fenner]

> Is there any cutting/dremeling or removing of
> metal that need to be done to install the fast
> brakes kit up front, this is for a b13?

Yes, the dust/water sheild protecting your rotors up front needs to be
removed via tin snips. I didn't want to completely remove mine so I just cut
the part sticking out and bent the rest of the metal inward. Unless you're
not worried about metal within 1/2 mm of your rotor, or you can do a better
bending job than I did, I would just completely remove the shield. It will
make servicing the brakes ect. easier in the future anyway. Just remember to
tap the pedal after going through puddles.
No dremeling or anything else crazy is needed. You do need a wire brush to
clean up rust on your hub, but all of this is in the instructions given to
you from fastbrakes.

You'll need, and I do mean, need:
Automotive grade lock-tite (Blue).
Teflon tape.
Wire brush.
Tin snips.
Torque wrench.
A wrench to fit the wilwood caliper bleeder valves (6mm or so, but I
couldn't find one that fit right, I think it's American, not metric. I ended
up using vise-grips and kinda tore it up.)
The obvious things like a jack, fluid, a tube, a pan, asorted wrenches and
sockets.

Nowhere in the directions does it tell you that there are two different size
bolts provided in the kit. You will use the shorter bolts (and they are not
much shorter) to hold the bracket onto the stearing knuckle. The longer
bolts are to hold the caliper to the bracket. I could be wrong though, my
memory has faded that part. If you use the wrong bolts upon torquing to 45
ft-lbs. you will drive the bolt into the rotor. Just use your head and don't
put the rotors on backwards like I did the first time!
Also, you're provided with washers. These are machined specific spacers used
(if needed) to center the caliper on the rotor. I found that one side needed
them and the other side needed one on top, and a thinnerr washer (provided
by the assorted washer bin) to center the caliper on the rotor. Odd, but
that's what it took. Don't put things together until you are absolutely
satisfied with the install.
Another thing (it never ends), the intructions tell you 15 ft-lbs. for the
adapter into the caliper, but never tell you a torque setting for the brake
line onto the adapter. This takes a lot of torque to prevent leakage, much
more than you'd ever do normally. I felt like I was going to brake something
the last couple of times I tighened it, but finally the leak stopped.
There's no teflon tape for this part, so it takes some torque.

> Second, My NX in non ABS, so i should get the
> non ABS altima M/C correct?

Yes.

> will the 11" kit fit under 15" wheels, i dont wish
> to go any bigger because potholes will have my arse.

Yes it will fit. The question is not wether it will fit inside. The question
is wether or not the spokes of your wheel will clear the caliper. The
calipers extend a good deal from the hub surface. Also, this is a different
kit than normally sold when you call up fastbrakes. You have to ask for the
kit designed to fit inside stock 15" sentra wheels. This kit doesn't fit
inside those wheels without a 3mm spacer, but it places the caliper as far
inside as possible giving about 7mm more clearance than his regular kit.
A picture may help, these are the dimensions given to me from Brian at
fastbrakes for the kit I'm talking about. Add about 7mm to the caliper
overhang for a regular kit.
ftp://FTP_Files:ftp@24.131.164.142/tech-wheelfit2.gif
After many months of trying to get it right, I still needed 11mm spacers to
clear my wheel's spokes. What type of wheels do you have? It may not be an
issue at all.

Any other questions I'll try to answer without writing a book. Sorry for the
length.

-Ben
1994 Sentra SE-R

> Charlie
> 92nx2k
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