Wednesday, April 7, 2021

One Man's Nightmare


I wasn't sure how I was even going to write this because no matter how you look at it just plain sucks ass.  So here it is...Project: K.I.T.T. is no more. It's over. KITT will never become a reality for me.

I recently went through a drawn out divorce.  There is probably no such thing as an easy divorce, but this one definitely could have been much more amicable than it was. There is always blame and fault in a divorce and I am not denying my role in any of it. 

In any case, KITT (and KARR to a lesser degree) was made the primary contention point. His current value was grossly exaggerated by at least 560% and it literally cut me to the core.  I watched as my childhood dream was destroyed in front of me. She knew this was her way to hurt me though and planned her attack that way.  Because this was a project car and not finished or even drivable there was no real way for me to get an appraisal and fight this inflated value. She used the total of every receipt for any expense associated with the project as the current value of KITT.  Of course this makes no logical sense. That would be like totaling all of your cars payments and any expense for service you have had done and then insisting this is the value of the car. The real world doesn't work that way.

The financial strain I was placed under having to equalize the assets due to KITT's exaggerated value has made it impossible for me to even consider finishing him. Not to mention the emotional and mental stress of seeing your dream used against you. I know that I could ever rekindle the passion I had for this project without remembering what I was put through. She made sure she destroyed that for me.

I want to thank everyone who has followed the project over the years! I will miss blogging and keeping you all updated. I am sorry it had to end this way.

If you know of anyone looking for Knight Rider conversion parts, or a solid, clean and restored 1983 Trans Am frame, engine, transmission and all parts please let me know in the comments. 

Wednesday, August 5, 2020

No Longer Hot-Headed, But Always Unyielding

I have been told that KARR is just like his owner, maybe so. 😎  Troy called me yesterday afternoon and said that KARR was ready to be picked up. 

He had been in the shop because he kept overheating and then pissing all over my garage floor. It turns out he had burst the rear lower inlet coolant hose. Troy was not able to source a replacement, so I immediately ordered the 85-87 V6 coolant hose kit from The Fiero Store.

Monday, August 3, 2020

It's My Birthday And I'll Buy What I Want To

For the last two months I have been spending money like a rock star🀘buying whatever I think KARR might need. This post will cover all of the stuff I have sitting in the garage waiting to be installed on KARR. This is not everything I have purchased though, as some of it has already been covered in previous posts. 😎😁

The first group of items were ordered from The Fiero Store.  These are parking light lens screws.


These are replacement screws for the headlight bezel.


These are bump stops for the headlight covers.


I ordered Pontiac Fiero Popup Headlight Bumpers from ebay.


I ordered a foam cannon and wheel cleaner from HydroSilex.


I placed another large order with The Fiero Store, ordering everything else I thought KARR might need.  These are replacement mirror glass.


This is a battery insulation kit.


This is a plastic shield for the battery.



Upper radiator seal.


11 piece fastener and molding removal tool set.


Side mirror gaskets.


Removable front license plate holder to replace the one I have now that folds up and under KARR.


Battery retainer hold down and bolt.


Engine oil cap.


Grease fitting caps.


Front and rear wheel well fender nuts.


Cowl screen retainers.


Front and rear wheel well liner screws.


Hood to cowl bumpers.


Plastic cold air intake grille screws and nuts.


Parking brake switch.


I ordered replacement clips for the wheel well liners and splash shields from Amazon.


I ended up having to place another order with The Fiero Store after KARR decided to overheat and burst one of his coolant hoses.  I decided to replace all the coolant hoses right away.


In searching for a replacement aero nose, I came across the now-defunct Fiero Fiberglass which has been rebranded JES Cerakoting.  They no longer make fiberglass panels but they do still have a few odds and ends that KARR needed.  First is the hood latch seal.


Fiero sun roof hold down seals.


I needed this Fiero mouse pad for the garage.


I realized that the upper radiator seal did not come with clips and uses the same clips as the front cowl, so I was forced to place yet another order with The Fiero Store.


Replacement screws for the side marker lights.


Fiero ECM Code Reader.



I ordered a 2.8 Fiero ICM to Coil Cable from Red Devil River.


There's more on the way... 😁

Sunday, August 2, 2020

Still Hot-Headed And Yet Spoiled With A Front Wheel Well Makeover

On Monday night July 13th, just before my latest parts purchasing binge, I pulled KARR's battery to see just how badly the battery tray was rusted. It's fairly rusted but still solid, so a treatment with POR-15 will save and protect it. I did however order some replacement battery tray related parts which I will highlight in an upcoming post.

Hot-Headed But Still Got A Rear Wheel Well Makeover And A True Cold Air Intake

On Friday, July 10th, KARR overheated on my way home from work.   My first thought was that the thermostat did not open up, but I was puzzled as to why the coolant overflow reservoir was empty.  We started searching for leaks but could not find any.  I placed a fan blowing air across the engine to help cool it down.  I know this was completely unnecessary but it was disconcerting how hot to the touch it was.  I called Troy and he suggested I check the thermostat, but I had to wait for the engine to cool down as it was far too hot to open up.

Saturday, August 1, 2020

KARR's Exhaust Comparison - Stock vs Ocelot

Video Link

KARR's New Exhaust


I purchased the stainless steel Ocelot exhaust from the Fiero Store to replace my deteriorating stock exhaust. The description on their website reads: 
The Ocelot exhaust allows your Fiero to breathe better by reducing back pressure. You will notice a deeper, richer tone as well as improved fuel economy. The system is made from 2" T-409 stainless steel pipe leading into a custom built, free flow stainless muffler. Each system includes dual twin polished stainless tips. These tips are the same that GM uses on the Bonneville GXP's. Stainless clamps included with each system.
Needless to say I was excited to get this new setup!
 
 

Sunday, July 26, 2020

Happy 40th Birthday Jonathan!


Happy 40th Birthday to the man who takes such good care of us! 
From KITT and KARR


Jonathan, Happy 40th Birthday from Team Project: K.I.T.T.!

Saturday, July 25, 2020

Cleaning Up KARR's Engine Bay

We had a three day weekend July 3 - 5 and we spent all three days working on KARR.  We had a whole list of things we were planning for KARR.


How We Know KARR Is Spoiled...

It is my 40th birthday tomorrow.  I am celebrating my 40th birthday by getting KARR painted and by basically buying anything I have wanted to replace, upgrade or add to KARR.  The new headlights, strut and fuel filler door guard were the first of my birthday purchases.  So if it seems like I am spending money like a rock star... I am. 😎🀘


KARR's HVAC Illumination, Repair & Cleaning

When I ordered the upgraded interior LEDs back in December, I also ordered an upgraded LED for the HVAC controls.  On June 21st we installed it.  I had to start by removing the blackout trim.


Friday, July 24, 2020

Fuel Gauge, The End Of A Saga?

Despite seeming to work after we tracked down a faulty connection on the fuel sending unit, the fuel gauge is still not reading accurately.  Troy said he would help me replace the fuel sending unit, figuring that was the only thing we had not tried in an attempt to get the digital fuel gauge to read right. So on Saturday, June 20th we set to it.

KARR Gets LED Headlights

Remember KARR's new taillight lenses? Well, the butyl tape I needed to install them finally arrived June 1st, but while waiting for it I decided I was not going to install the new taillights until I got KARR repainted. Oh, and KARR insisted he needed the new LED headlights he found while browsing Amazon...who knew?


A Squeal, A Blowout, & A Couple Of Cracks


In May KARR started squealing like a little pig every time I would start him up or turn on the air.  Troy and I replaced both the AC compressor belt and the Serpentine belt because they were totally shot and squealing.  It would seem however that KARR was not satisfied with just getting new belts...and still was demanding attention.  The new belts needed to be tightened.

When we replaced the belts, we noticed I had a blown gasket on the exhaust manifold.  I ordered new gaskets and we planned to replace them today, along with tightening the belts.


Finishing KARR's New Trunk Carpet & Interior LED Upgrades

So back in December... 

Yeah, I have no excuse for why I didn't post this before now, but I am going through eight months of pictures and will bring the blog up to date. 

When we installed KARR's new trunk carpet I was missing a few retaining clips primarily because I did not realize how many were in the trunk or that I was missing some on the original carpet.  I really did not want to reuse the light gray clips, so I ordered three new black ones, along with a new trunk light lens as the original broke when I tried to reinstall it after the carpet.  This was also the perfect time to order new weather seal for the trunk.


Sunday, February 9, 2020

There Goes The Blinker Fluid...

I checked and there is not a drop of blinker fluid left in there...ugh! πŸ˜‰

When I installed the replacement turn signal lenses from the Fiero Store, I dropped one and the amber lens separated from the reflective housing.  I glued the lens and housing back together and installed it, thinking it was just a fluke.  The other night after remote starting the car I noticed the passenger side front turn signal was white and not amber.  Upon closer inspection, I realized the lens had separated and was laying in front of the turn signal.  Originally it was the driver's side lens that had separated, so I knew I needed to fix this problem.


Sunday, January 26, 2020

KARR's New Taillight Lenses

Last March I came across a post on the Fiero forums mentioning that a member, Keith Goodyear, was working on recreating the Fiero GT taillight lenses. These have long been discontinued by GM, and there is no aftermarket part to replace these.

Everything he was posting looked very promising, however, this is not the first time that someone has claimed they were making these only to have it fall through or end up a scam. I remained skeptical, but could not resist adding my name to the waiting list. 

I was contacted by Keith last week and he said my lenses were ready to ship. He explained that there was a delay in getting the licensing through GM finalized, but everything is in order and they are ready to go.  I sent him payment and he told me they would ship the next day. Now I was getting really excited!


Tuesday, January 14, 2020

Eight Year Anniversary

We got KITT's 1983 Pontiac Trans Am body seven years ago. Here is what he looked like on January 14, 2012...

Sunday, November 24, 2019

KARR's New Trunk Carpet & Leather Wrapped Shift Knob

Sometimes you just do stupid stuff...like leaving a partially used jug of oil in the back of your trunk which in hindsight you realize you did not did not seal properly. Poor KARR. He ended up with about a quart of oil in his trunk. 

Now my trunk carpet was stained to begin with. If you remember, even after the power washing I gave it, I was never able to remove the stains. They seemed like grease, or maybe oil? πŸ€” In any case this was the perfect reason to buy new carpet for the trunk! 

I purchased the parts I would need from the Fiero Store. Premium carpet? Sure...why not? I also ordered two retaining clips and four rubber bump stops.