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.

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!

 

 

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.!

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.

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.

There Goes The Blinker Fluid...

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

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.

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!

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...

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? 🤔 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.

Celebrating 100 Followers on Instagram!

Project: K.I.T.T.'s Instagram page has 100 followers! Thanks to everyone for your continued interest and support!

If you have not had a chance to check out the Project: K.I.T.T. page on Instagram you really should. It's a great way to stay updated, leave comments, or even ask questions about the Project. It will even notify you of new blog posts and videos.

You can follow Project: K.I.T.T.

• On Facebook
• Like and follow our page.
• On YouTube
• Be sure to subscribe to our channel and click the notification bell.
• On Instagram
• follow us on Instagram.
• On Twitter
• follow us on Twitter.
• Through Email Notifications provided by Blogtrottr
• Sign up here.
• Via Push Notifications in your Internet browser 
• Visiting the blog, you will be asked if you want to know about new posts. Click yes.

If you would like to see Project: K.I.T.T. utilize other social media, please let us know in the comments below.

Return Of The Cursed Fuel Gauge...

Okay, so first of all an update. When Troy installed the AC compressor, he noticed that the tachometer was zeroed out and was not reading the engine RPMs at all. I suspected that it was just a loose connection from when we removed the fuel gauge, but still....WHY KARR, just WHY?

As previously mentioned, Tom sent back the fuel gauge which he verified was in working condition. He thoroughly tested it and adjusted it back to factory settings.

Celebrating 1,300 Followers on Facebook!

Project: K.I.T.T.'s Facebook page has 1,300 followers! Thanks to everyone for your continued interest and support!

If you have not had a chance to check out the Project: K.I.T.T. page on Facebook you really should. It's a great way to stay updated, leave comments, or even ask questions about the Project. It will even notify you of new blog posts and videos.

You can follow Project: K.I.T.T.

• On Facebook
• Like and follow our page.
• On YouTube
• Be sure to subscribe to our channel and click the notification bell.
• On Instagram
• follow us on Instagram.
• On Twitter
• follow us on Twitter.
• Through Email Notifications provided by Blogtrottr
• Sign up here.
• Via Push Notifications in your Internet browser 
• Visiting the blog, you will be asked if you want to know about new posts. Click yes.

If you would like to see Project: K.I.T.T. utilize other social media, please let us know in the comments below.

Flux Capacitor...Fluxing

Okay, wrong 80s franchise...but still this is the first thing I thought of as I drove off to start my Friday. No, I didn't slip off the toilet and hit my head on the sink! So maybe I was just overly excited to get my day started! ;)

Fuel gauge goes in next...

Feeling Disconnected

I have been feeling lost, frustrated and a little helpless with this whole fuel pump issue. It seems I have tried everything logical and yet it still wasn't working. This whole thing has begun to feel like one of those situations that is just plain out of my control and I just needed to trust that eventually things would just work themselves out. That isn't easy for me to do. However, I know I have done everything that I could do and more and it was time to just step back and let someone else figure it out.

That's why I was so surprised when Troy called this afternoon with a diagnosis. It was something so simple...yet something I would never had thought to check.