Other than regular stuff like oil changes, I've never had to do anything on my car that was bigger than that.

Anyway, last week I got my slotted rotors and took them to be installed because my parents didn't like the idea of me fumbling around with my brakes. Unfortunatly, they only installed the rears (rotors and pads). My dad paid for that since I said that if he didn't I would 'take care of it' myself. I was expecting that they would do the fronts also like I asked, but they didn't. I was left with pretty much useless slotted rotors on the rear. Since I wanted to add a little function to buying slotted rotors, I wanted to install the fronts instead of waiting till the front rotors wore out and then changing them. So anyway, today I installed the front rotors and pads.

I knew my mom would probably freak out even if my dad said it was okay, so I waited till she left and started getting to work. Once I got all the tools together (7mm hex for caliper body, 17mm wrench for caliper carriers, and crobar to pull the old rotors off) as well as my Chilton and a guide from AW, I started work. The only thing I really wish I had was some break free spray and a breaker bar for the caliper carriers, they were a b*tch to get off.

Anyway, the install went really smooth and I was already past the point of no return when my mom came home, so I had to finish . They feel really sh*tty right now because of they aren't all seated yet, but I'm not expecting much since I bought the rotors and a mostly cosmetic upgrade. I'm sure they will help braking power, but its not really needed yet on an otherwise stock car.

I'll post up pics later. Only thing is, they are hard to see with my 2.8 16" 5-spokers, so I guess I'll need rims now. And just so it doesn't look like a 4x4, I'll need to get coilovers too.

On the bad side though, I noticed my passenger side tail light is cracked like some fool back into it. I have no idea when it happened, so I doubt I'd be able to file a claim on it. Maybe I can pick one up cheap from a wrecked car.

My next upgrade plan is larger exhaust. I'm going to forgo chipping for now and just save up for a GT28RS turbo setup instead.

 

Congrats man. Doesn't it feel good to do it on your own?

Be careful what you do without your parents knowing. It may come back to bite you in the ****. At least get a friend that has some experience to come over and help out.

 

Yep, my friend robert across the street did his own turbo in his older Audi wagon, and well as his brembos all around came over and took a look at my work. My dad knew I was going to do it at some point, and he was okay with it, but I'm pretty sure my mom would have said no if I tried to do it when she was around. She was actually pretty cool about it once she saw that I had guides from my Chilton, an AW guide, and robert across the street.

 

Get a torque wrench if you do more of work on your own.

It's not that critical on brakes, where most torques are 'BT' (bloody tight).

 

So far, I've been borrowing a torque wrench from my brother's girlfriend's dad. He's got a couple nice ones, and he's really cool about loaning tools about. Yeah, I generally torque everything to BT too save for engine parts where it is more critical, lol.

Right now my tool budget is pretty low, considering I am trying to convert a bicycle to fixed gear, save up for my body work, and have a social life. On top of school, I'm starting a second job soon to help.

This weekend, I'm thinking about trying to beat the dent out of my door and fender. If I am just going to replace it anyway, I might as well try my hand at it.