April-04 New AtkinsRotary 13B Engine
One of the Apex seals blew in the rear rotor at 127,000 miles. The rotor housings were in beautiful condition (thanks to Protek-R & MM oil). It just goes to prove if you now how to take care of a rotary you can make it last. The new engine from Atkins includes 3MM Apex Seals and a 2 year 24,000 mile transferable warranty to the new owner. I�ve now put 3,000 miles on the engine and got it past the break-in period.

June-02 Pettit Turbo Boost Hose Upgrade
The factory turbo boost hose connections eventually become dry and cracked and can cause a major performance lag, of course, this is one of the reasons it�s a must to have a boost gage for early detection. I replaced these 3 simple hoses long before they became a problem with Pettit�s reinforced silicone and rubber hose system.

December-01 Vacuum Hose Upgrade
This work was done at Pettit Racing in Fort Lauderdale, FL. It was the best $350 I�ve ever spent on the car! The intensity of the heat in the engine compartment over time makes the rubber hoses dry and brittle eventually cracking and causing leaks in the vacuum system. Trust me several little quirks about the car were eliminated when new silicone hoses were installed.

December-01 Pettit 3 Inch Stainless Steel Downpipe
The first catalytic converter in the RX-7 seriously retards the spool speed and flow rate of the turbos. Replacing this precat with a downpipe opens up the exhaust directly after the turbos, allowing for quicker turbo spool and better quality of power. Pettit�s is a 3 inch mandrel bent unit for maximum flow. I�ve chosen the stainless steel version for weight savings over mild steel.

December-01 Pettit 3 Inch Stainless Steel Midpipe with High Flow Cat
The second, or main, catalytic converter robs the most flow from the exhaust. Replacing the main cat with a midpipe opens up the flow for enhanced high-rpm power. I�ve elected to use a midpipe with a high flow cat to mitigate the droning that a standard midpipe causes at highway speeds and stainless steel for weight. I also wanted to keep it street legal since it has been my daily driver. This unit retains a 3 inch internal diameter for flow.

December-01 Pettit-Designed Borla-Constructed Twin Tip Cat Back Exhaust
While maximizing flow and retarding noise, this unit mimics the appearance of the stock exhaust as the large single-tip coffee-can exhausts do not appeal to me. This also helps retain the �sleeper� characteristics that I wanted in the car.

December-01 MagnaCore 10mm Spark Plug Wires
Air. Fuel. Spark! These racing plug wires transmit more electrical energy to the plug for enhanced spark and better flame propagation.

December-01 Pettit ECU
Now that the intake tract has been opened for better flow in and the exhaust tract has been opened for better flow out, providing more air for the engine, additional fuel must be supplied and ignition maps must be altered. This engine management computer takes full advantage of the modifications I�ve made to the hardware and my use of premium fuel. The replaceable chip it accepts can be changed as further modifications are made.

May-01 Pettit Air Separator Tank
The stock plastic AST is prone to splitting at its seam, dumping coolant, loosing cooling efficiency, and reducing traction. This aluminum unit cannot split but retains the air-purging function of the original.

February-01 Pettit Cold Air Induction System
More accurately defined as an enhancement to the FLOW of air to the induction, this K&N-filtered system allows for more
air to reach the engine, lowers the load on the turbos, and meets Mazda�s requirement to vent the air pump.

February-01 Pettit Ground Wire Kit, Engine Harness Ground & Factory Quail Harness
This simple and easy to install electrical grounding kit from Pettit made the difference on a few small irritations related to the electrical system on the car. The primary one was a hesitation problem around 3000rpm. Problem fixed.

August-00 Heated Oxygen Sensor
This replaces the failure-prone factory unit with a more durable heated unit that can be run with leaded race gas.

DRIVETRAIN:
April-04 ACT Race Clutch
To harness the additional power of the engine without slipping, an upgraded clutch is a must. This unit's additional clamping force has never slipped on me and provides a crisper engagement. This was installed at the time of the new engine.

SUSPENSION:
December-01 Pettit Suspension Upgrade � Track-Pro Master System 1 with Rear Anti-Sway Bar. This work was done at Pettit in Fort Lauderdale, FL. This full race setup allows for complete control and handling of the car. The 5-way adjustable Tokiko shocks give a very wide range of adjustment, from softer than stock softness to full hard. I found that the car fits my driving style best if I run the fronts on 5 (full hard) and the rears on 3. Of course, this all depends on the condition of the road or track, the pressure in the tires, the alignment, and the pavement temperature. The new springs lowered the overall height of the car by 1.25 inches. Mazda�s R1 racing version was already beefed up in the suspension but with this system the cornering ability supersedes the guts of this driver!

BRAKES:
December-01 Pettit Complete Brake Package
The stock braking system of the 3rd generation RX-7 has been often lauded in the press as one of the best of all times, recently bested by only the 911 Turbo. These cross drilled and vented sport rotors on all 4 wheels with Pro-Friction 1 pads have only improved upon Mazda�s stock system. They help dissipate heat and relieve gas pressure. Braking is ridiculous for street use and very impressive on the track with ZERO fade ever detected.

December-01 TKT Stainless Steel Brake Lines
In addition to providing much higher burst strength, braided brake lines provide much better brake pedal feel through dimensional stability. These lines are also D.O.T. approved for street use. Many are not.

December-01 Motul 585 Brake Fluid
Motul is the brake fluid of choice for many racers. This synthetic (not silicone) brake fluid is reasonably priced (unlike Castrol SRF) and has a very high dry AND WET boiling point.

ELECTRONICS:
June-00 Greddy Turbo Timer
Turbos get hot. After running a turbocharged car for any length of time and especially after running it hard, the turbos MUST be allowed to cool. Simply shutting the car off will starve the turbos of coolant and oil flow before these vital fluids have had the chance to whisk this heat away. Instead of waiting with the car while it idles during cool down, this turbo timer allows me to remove the key and lock the car while it continues to idle for a user-adjustable preset time.

June-00 Racetronics Column Mounted Turbo Boost Gauge
Knowledge of boost patterns is key to understanding how the RX-7 is operating or, in rare occasions, to diagnose performance problems. This unit is the highest quality, most accurate boost gauge on the market. It matches the interior decor of the car and sits in the center of view, while leaving the rest of the dash gauges unobstructed.

June-00 Valentine 1 Radar/Laser Locator
If I need to explain the advantages that the Valentine 1 radar/laser locator provides over simple radar detectors, or how radar detectors in general are an advantage, then this is not the car for you. If, however, you are already a Valentine 1 devotee, know that I have mounted the main unit above the rear view mirror for range and stealth.

COSMETICS:
March-03 Complete Custom Exterior Paint
The reason Mazda only made the Competition Yellow Mica (CYM) in 1993 was because of problems with the finish peeling and fading. Although I never had any peeling problems, being a southern kept car with strong sun, there was a definite fade problem. I was hesitant to have the car refinished until I researched the new DuPont Paint System. I found an artist in the area of exterior custom finishes who applied the original yellow metallic color. He applied 2 coats of primer, 3 coats of base, 1 coat of metallic, & 7 coats of clear. Beautiful, and trust me I�m picky! It�s not factory, but you wouldn�t know it unless I disclosed it.

October-02 Custom Yellow Brake Calipers
This custom paint application by DuPont has held up wonderfully and really sets the car apart. Just the front calipers were done for a stand alone accent.

October-02 Grant Custom Yellow Shift Knob
Why spend $600 on customizing the interior and not go all the way. The custom grip also feels better than the stock.

February-02 Pettit TKT Floor Mats
I thought the price was a little high on these but they were custom designed by Pettit to replicate the original factory mats in size shape and style. Again, just a small yellow accent to differentiate this R1 from the other few remaining left on the road.

CHECK OUT THE ROAD AND TRACK MAGAZINE FOR DECEMBER 2005. THERE'S AN ARTICLE IN THERE ABOUT THE 3RD GEN, CLASSIC USED CAR. A CYM, LIKE MINE, PICTURED IN THIS ARTICLE.

Pics of my 93 CYM

I am currently working on the INTERIOR MODIFICATION. Because of time, the plastic/vinyl interior gets old from scratches, peels or fades. Some replaced these part with new and others paint them, which I don't think are very reliable. What I wanted was a professional upgrade for my interior. So I asked myself what would be an upgrade. When you buy a car you have options, and an upgrade option for interior is LEATHER...LEATHER...LEATHER. Since I am in the business of working with all types of material, I have decided to add leather (the finest grade) to the interior pieces. I am half way done, so most of the pieces are not installed but I have the pics for you to see. If you think this looks good, wait until everything is completed, I will treat the leather with leathercare product to make them looking really "SEXXXY". Check out my BABY...

I made the e-brake boot, from the same leather, with the yellow stitching to match the yellow color of the car and the shift knob.

The seats have removable leather pieces to the head rest and the upper back. The Mazda logo and letters "RX-7 FD" were embroidered into the leather. I designed, embroidered and made it to give the car a personalized professional look, that is why the letters are black (tont on tone). The same with the "RX-7 R1" on the center (temp/radio control) console, but with red and yellow (CYM).