Other upgrades

Given that the car is 25 years old this year and that it has had an engine upgrade resulting in more than double the power now being produced compared to when it came from the factory, I have given some attention to the rest of the car, specifically the suspension/steering/braking systems. In terms of the braking system I removed all the disks and had them checked (yes, the rx7 released here in South Africa had rear disk brakes). The rear disks were still within spec so I had them skimmed. The fronts were too thin so I bought new ones. At the same time I also replaced all the pads. Now as some of you will know, there is a lot of parts one can inspect/replace when working with the front discs as the bearings are an integral part of the hub. So yes, while I was there I replaced the wheel bearings and seals. At the same time, I now had access to suspension and steering parts. First to go were in were poly bushings for the front anti roll bar. Ball joint boots were broken so those were replaced as well. The rear wheel bearings were tricky. They are pressed onto the shafts. You have to take the shafts to a motor repair place where they have a press. These guys removed the old ones and press on the new ones in no time. After doing all this work, the rx7 handles beatifully and I feel a little more comfortable while driving knowing that all these parts have been replaced. I would recommend to anyone doing an engine swop on these cars to do what I have done above as the bare minimum. Don't try and save money on not replacing your brake discs or wheel bearings or ball joints because you want to buy a fancy rev counter or 17" wheels first.