Inline Four shows us how to set up Fastbrakes' front big brake and rear drum-to-disc conversion kits on an '95 Civic CX hatchback. Editor Bob oversees the surgery.
Nothing inspires more confidence in your ride's racing prowess than calipers and big rotors at all four corners. Knowing you can run hot deep into a turn and brake late safely can sometimes make the difference between winning and losing a race. It can also make the difference between slamming into what's in front of you and stopping just short.
So we know four-wheel disc brakes are desirable, but why? Quite simply, it's the way disc brakes are designed. Drum brakes tend to build up heat inside the drum during heavy braking and this can cause overheating and fading. Disc brakes, however, utilize a rotor that's typically exposed to outside air, which keeps the rotor much cooler and reduces the tendency of the brakes to overheat. Plus, they look way more bitchin' than drums.
Jeff Drew from Energy Suspension wanted these features for his '95 Civic hatchback, so he contacted Fastbrakes and purchased a pair of kits: one that up-sizes the front rotors and relocates the calipers; and another that converts the rear stock drums to discs. He then gave us a shout to see if we were interested, and since we're always down for a good brake story we lined up O.C. Honda/Acura tuners Inline Four to do the work for our camera. In the end the entire job took roughly six hours, although depending on your skill level and whether or not you have a lift it could take a little longer.
 Before doing anything, the...  Before doing anything, the car is raised, placed on jackstands and the wheels are removed. Then Inline Four technician Phong Nguyen gets to the nitty gritty by tackling the forward passenger-side brakes first (the process is identical on the driver-side front brakes). He unbolts the caliper to start, fastened to the steering knuckle with twin 17mm bolts. |  Before the caliper is completely...  Before the caliper is completely free, the banjo fitting for the brake hose is unbolted from the caliper. It's a good idea to have a catch pan underneath the work area for this step, as invariably brake fluid will leak out of the hose fitting. |  Nguyen next uses a hand impact...  Nguyen next uses a hand impact driver to remove the two Phillips head retaining screws that hold the rotor to the hub. This saves the screw heads from potential stripping. |
 With the rotor and caliper...  With the rotor and caliper out of the way, Nguyen can get at the brackets in the wheel well that route the brake line behind the knuckle and around the shock absorber (the shock bracket is somewhat visible in the upper right portion of this picture). These brackets need to come off so the line can be replaced with a steel braided one that came with the kit. |  Nguyen uses a pair of wrenches,...  Nguyen uses a pair of wrenches, one of them a flare-nut wrench, to loosen the line-to-hose fitting; then he removes the pictured clip to slide the hose out of its bracket. |  It is a good idea to use the...  It is a good idea to use the flare-nut tool on these fittings to avoid rounding off the edges on the nuts. |
 This is pretty much the only...  This is pretty much the only piece that is reused from the old front brakes--part of the bracket assembly that holds the line to the shock body. After removal, it can be transferred to the new hose and the line is then ready to be routed around the suspension and reattached to the hardline using the same clip and bracket. |  The new caliper (left) is...  The new caliper (left) is actually a remanufactured Integra grabber, although by appearances there seems to be little difference from the stock one. |  There is a marked visual difference...  There is a marked visual difference between rotors, however. The Fastbrakes offering bumps up the disc size from 9.5 inches to 11 inches. |
 Using a smidge of Loctite...  Using a smidge of Loctite on the threads of the provided socket head cap screws, Nguyen secures the caliper adaptor bracket to the knuckle where the old caliper used to be. Fastbrakes recommends 65 ft-lb of torque for these fasteners. |  The kit comes with hub-centric...  The kit comes with hub-centric rings for centering the new rotors. |  And the new rotor is mounted...  And the new rotor is mounted to the hub. This was the only point during the install where we encountered a glitch. The screw hole on the rotor is supposed to line up with a hole on the hub, but as you can see here, it doesn't. |
 This little problem doesn't...  This little problem doesn't compromise the effectiveness of the brakes, and we were able to secure the rotors to install the calipers by using lug nuts. |  Nguyen then prepares the caliper...  Nguyen then prepares the caliper for mounting. He outfits the various parts of the caliper assembly with the appropriate brake pad springs and clips. Once it's bolted on, the pads and shims can be installed. |  Using the hardware provided...  Using the hardware provided by Fastbrakes, Nguyen bolts the new caliper to the adaptor bracket using 80 ft-lb of torque. |
 The last step before bleeding...  The last step before bleeding is to reattach the brake line banjo fitting to the caliper. If this is all we were doing we could bleed the brakes now, but since the rears are getting upgraded as well we'll save bleeding for later. |  Nguyen starts on the rears...  Nguyen starts on the rears by first crawling into the car and removing the back half of the center console to get at the parking brake cables underneath. |  The unit is freed by removing...  The unit is freed by removing a pair of screws concealed under a small cover on the base of the console. |
 With the console out of the...  With the console out of the way, Nguyen can unbolt the parking brake cable clamp. He also unhooks the brake cables from the equalizer so they can be pulled through the floor of the Civic and replaced. Unhooking the cables is easier to do when the adjusting nut has been sufficiently loosened. |  Back outside the car, the...  Back outside the car, the rear drums need be pulled off to get at the hubs. Typically, if the drum doesn't pull straight off easily it should be tapped a few times with a soft-faced mallet to loosen it, or better yet pressed off of the hub by screwing a couple of bolts into the threaded holes on the drum as shown here. |  Nguyen removes the dust cover...  Nguyen removes the dust cover next, using a hammer and a standard screwdriver to pry the cap off. |
 Both caps on this hatch were...  Both caps on this hatch were quite rusty. |  Nguyen then unstakes the 32mm...  Nguyen then unstakes the 32mm hub nut and unbolts it from the spindle. |  |
 The parking brake cables come...  The parking brake cables come out next, but several other items need to be removed first to gain access, like the exhaust and underbody aluminum heat shield that follows the exhaust piping. The cable housing clamps, like the one pictured here, are then unbolted, as is the bracket nearest to where the cables enter the cabin. |  Finally, the cables and their...  Finally, the cables and their grommets are pulled away from the underside of the vehicle. |  Busting out the flare-nut...  Busting out the flare-nut wrench again, Nguyen unscrews the brake line fitting behind the backing plate. |