Powerful
Monday 17 June, 2013 | By Ken
Powerful. The bond of a father and son.
Back in 2005, John Perez Sr. was flipping through the pages of an Autotrader booklet. Like most car guys, he always had his eyes open for that particular car that could turn into a special project. But what set apart John from the norm was that on this particular day, he had a greater goal in mind. And when he finally saw the ad for a 1993 Mazda RX7, he knew this could potentially be the beginning of something very special. Purchased from an Air Force guy that was being deployed, the bone stock Mazda was the perfect blank canvas for John to share with his son, John Perez Jr. (also known as Tito) as a means for building an awesome project ride and a stronger relationship between father and son.
All research was done by both the father and son, together, starting with a close look at potential products and figuring out the right path to go on modifying the bone stock twin-turbo rotary ride. The initial setup that the car went through included polishing everything under the hood, and adding an HKS twin RS Intake along with a Greddy FMIC & Koyo Radiator. In addition, suspension, carbon fiber diffuser, RE Amemiya front bumper and sideskirts as well as some sweet Volk GTC wheels rounded out the 1st stage of work. Unfortunately, a day before the RX7 was going to be put away from the winter, Tito blew the stock automatic transmission. All was not well with the stock twin turbos either, which were leaking oil into the intercooler piping.
The 2nd setup the Mazda went through included swapping the blown auto transmission for a 5 speed manual transmission out of a 1995 R1 RX7. The stock twins were also replaced in favor of a Greddy T78. Unfortunately, with more power comes exposing the weak links. Shortly after the new power was unleashed, John Sr. completely obliterated the rear-end. It was time once again to upgrade, and they decided to go with chromoly axles, 4.33 gears, Greddy diff cover and a Carbonetics LSD. With their ride going through a more thorough overhaul, father and son decided a nice makeover was also appropriate, inside and out. On the exterior, they went with Fiji Blue Pearl. The interior’s full makeover consisted of a set of Bride Gradation seats, Takata Harness, carbon fiber dash/door kit, full MOMO accents and a custom stereo install. Two years of enjoyment would go by after this round of upgrades and makeover until the motor decided to blow up in Ocean City, Maryland, a day before the big OC car show.
The final setup is what you see before you now. 815 RWHP in all it’s glory. Powered now by a GT42R, RXparts custom manifold and an all new ProEFI complete ECU. The mastermind behind tuning the Semi Peripheral Port/Bridge Port 13B is Ray Wilson from PF Supercars. John Jr and Sr. give all the credit to Ray for getting their RX7 past the 800 horsepower milestone and having it run so smooth for street and race duty.
For John and his father, this FD represents more than just time and money spent well. It represents a special type of bond shared by a father and son that is irreplaceable and goes beyond the blood, sweat, tears, dollars, sheet metal rubber and material aspects. Men don’t like sitting face to face, talking about their feelings. But doing things side-by-side, especially between a father and son working together with a common goal can be something very special. In this particular case, they just happened to put together once awesome piece of art that looks as good as it drives.
Exterior
Custom Blue Pearl | Special H2 Midbase Pearl On Carbon Fiber | RE-Amemiya N1 Front Bumper/Side Skirts |Legg Sport Carbon Fiber Rear Ducts | Cusco Hood Pins | FEED Carbon Fiber Door Handles | FEED Tow Hooks | Carbon Fiber Seibon Scoot Hood | Carbon Fiber Hatch | Carbon Fiber Craft Square Mirrors | Carbon Fiber Scuff Pads | Carbon Fiber Rear Diffuser | Carbon Fiber Air Ducts | Voltex GT Carbon Fiber Wing Type 3 1600MM | Voltex 245MM Bracket Height | Raceonusa Carbon Fiber Headlight Cover | URAS Reverse Lamp / Rear Side Markers | Efini Front & Rear Badge | 99 Spec TailLights | Ultra Crystal Headlights | HID Xenon 8000K
Interior/Audio
MOMO Shift Knob | MOMO Gotham Racing Pedal | MOMO Carbon Fiber Shift Boot | MOMO Grid T-200 Aluminum plate | MOMO Steering Wheel | FEED Carbon Fiber Badge | Vento Carbon Fiber Interior | Custom Floor Mats | Pioneer In-Dash AVH-P4000DVD | Custom Audio Install By Elevation Audio | Elevation Audio Pro 12 Inch Sub | Elevation Audio DX 300.4 Amp | (2) Elevation Audio DX 500 Amp | (2) Elevation Audio Loud & Clear 6″ Speaker | BRIDE Carbon Kevlar Gradation Seats | TAKATA Gel Harness Pads | Works Bell Steering Wheel Hub W/ Lock | NRG Harness Bar | AIM MXL Strada | Defi Blue Racer Series Boost 52MM Gauge | Defi Blue Racer Series EGT 52MM Gauge | Defi Blue Racer Series Volt 52MM Gauge
Engine Modifications
PFS Bridge/Semi – Peripheral Port 13B | PFS Dowel pinning of engine | PFS Wire Tuck | PFS Rear Diff Brace | PFS Water Injection Kit w/SS Braided Lines | Twin Aeromotive 340 Pump W/ Single Pole 80 Amp Relay/Solenoid Upgrade | Solid Transmission mount | 1000cc Top Feed Injectors | Top Feed Primary Injector fuel rail and fittings | Line Lock Kit | 4″ Center Muffler Mid-pipe | 4″ Exhaust System | Fuel Pressure Sensor | Pro EFI 128 ECU | Pro EFI Smart Ignition Coil | Pro EFI CAN Gauge | Pro EFI Exhaust Back Pressure Kit | Pro EFI Boost Control Solenoid | Pro EFI I-Boost Switch | Pro EFI Wideband O2 Kit W/ Harness | Pro EFI 128 Connector Plug & Pin Kit | Pro EFI ECU Comm Cable For Plug & Pin Kit | Garrett 4 Row Intercooler Core | Garrett GT42R | 5″ turbo Inlet Funnel | Xtreme Rotaries Semi Peripheral Port Intake Manifold | Upgraded Dual Engine Oil Cooler Kit | HKS Racing Type 2 BOV ( 2 ) | NGK 11.5 Heat Range Race Spark Plugs | ATTAIN Urethane Differential Bushing Set | ARC Oil Catch Can | Greddy Pulleys | Koyo Radiator | High Flow Electric Fans | Strut Tower Bar | Precision 66MM Wastegate | 5Inch K&N Air Filter | Klotz Benol | Evans Coolant | Wiggins Clamps
Transmission/Suspension
1995 R1 Transmission swap | ACT pressure plate Stage 3 | ACT XACT flywheel | ACT 6 Puck Race Clutch | ACT Xtreme Counterweight | B&M Short Shifter | Carbonetics 2.0 Way Metal LSD | Greddy Differential Cover | RX7store.net 4.33 Gears | RX7store.net Chromoly Axels - RX7store.net Differential Bar | ATTAIN Urethane Differential Bushing Set | SR Motorsports Powerplant Frame | TEIN Super Drift Coilovers W/ EDFC
Wheels/Brakes
19×8.5 Volk Racing GTC Custom Sunset Gold Powder Coat ( F ) | 19×9.5 Volk Racing GTC Custom Sunset Gold Powder Coat ( R ) | Toyo Proxes T1R 245/35ZR/19 ( F ) | Toyo Proxes T1R 275/30ZR/19 ( R ) | Project Mu Front 6 Piston Racing Brake Kit
No worries about this photo. It was for picture purposes only. 🙂
This is where you can find Tito and his Dad bonding on any given street and any given day. Big props to all the Father’s that make a difference in their children’s lives.
About the author
Co-founder, Managing Director, Photographer, and editor for SNTRL. To many in the Tri-State, Kenny aka "MAD JDM" needs no introduction. Always out there, always ready, always down.