Tuesday, July 28, 2015

KARR's Gullwing Installed

KARR is finally back home tonight! He has been at the mechanic getting some much needed maintenance. KARR received a catalytic converter, new water pump, new thermostat, new spark plugs, new brake pads, a coolant flush, a tune up, and a replacement line for the damaged high pressure A/C line so KARR now has working air conditioning!

https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/lRFxsdiku-rotPqElEmHelCJ0X9BVhNGKiBscmK_h3gO=w2521-h1419-no

Sunday, July 19, 2015

My Birthday = KARR's New Gullwing

I thought it would be cool to put a gullwing steering wheel in my Fiero (KARR). It was an idea I was toying with, but I really could not justify the expense of putting a gullwing in my daily driver just to have a gullwing. This summer the leather-wrapped GT-style steering wheel in my Fiero started oozing whatever glue was used to hold the leather in place on the steering wheel. It oozes out of the pores where it is stitched and looks like melted chocolate, in both consistency and color. It also stains clothing. One day while trying to get a "chocolate ooze glue" stain out of my dress pants, Sara said, "How about for your birthday present this year you get a gullwing steering wheel for KARR?" Got to love my wife!

I had decided before starting Project: K.I.T.T. that all of KITT's conversion parts, both interior and exterior, will be from Billy at Knight Designs. Billy's parts are the true "Cadillac" of conversion parts. They are not only the highest quality and most screen accurate, but feature all the bells and whistles, too. The downside to having "Cadillac" parts is the "Cadillac" price that goes with them.

When it came to choosing a gullwing for KARR, I was not looking for the ultimate in screen accuracy, but rather a cost effective, functional, quality gullwing. Also, I needed a customized gullwing, as I was putting it in a Fiero and not a Firebird, and would not have the dash and the rest of the conversion parts.

I turned to João at Knight Passions. I liked the look of his 3rd season “Gullwing” steering wheel and he was willing to customize the steel neck of the gullwing by shortening it for my Fiero. He also had an unbelievable turnaround time for a customized part. I had my customized gullwing in just three weeks!

Here is the box from Knight Passions. João wrote "Very Careful!" or "Extremely Careful!" on every side of the box, including the bottom. I have never seen a box marked that well. Very impressive!

https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/P8EWNTCZiH6GmWK5Rp_wAGNcdDjqlaovKPA0gbyktRvM=w1679-h945-no