Dash Electronics

Originally I was going to have a friend of mine, who is an electrical engineer, build the all the electronics for me. He was excited about it and fully willing to help, but life and availability has gotten in the way, and he isn't going to be able to help me anymore on my KITT replica build. My loss. I had to move then to Plan B: Purchase dash electronics from a vendor. I looked around and found that no one builds a set of electronics that incorporate, or capable of incorporating, full functionality to all the dash gauges. Another disappointment was that most (all?) vendors do not sell all the electronics required for a single car. I will have to purchase my overhead console electronics elsewhere. Another disappointment was most vendors who do sell the overhead console electronics, are not accurate to the show.

I ended up purchasing my electronics for my KITT's dash from ZA Elettronica. They were shipped DHL and arrived fairly quickly, despite coming from Italy. There was VAT/Import taxes that needed to be paid to import these into the USA (in case anyone is wondering). I have not hooked anything up yet, but was assured that they were checked for functionality before shipping.

My first impressions: Everything is smaller than I always envisioned them to be. Looks well done and thorough. Cannot wait to get everything set up and read to go.

Some disappointments: Don't get me wrong, these were items what I was aware of before ordering and are obvious that they exist (in other words, they are not surprises to anyone).

The Green color on the Switch Pods are the wrong shade. In the show, the green buttons are much lighter than the ones that come with any vendors electronics. Everyone, has these colors wrong.

Another disappointment are the dummy electronics. I would prefer that all the electronic gauges/lights were functional and capable of being connected to sensors. It's too bad that to redesign these dash electronics would be too expensive. It would be cool if they were designed for both options. For instance, the LED lightbars can display randomly like they currently do (doesn't take much tech to do this). Flip a switch (or button) that switches between "Demo" mode to "Function mode". Then you can plug anything into the board and it would display its readout, like any off the shelf gauge. I realize that the Pontiac doesn't come stock with all the sensors required for all of the dash gauges, but they can be purchased and added to the car separately. Just need to find someone who is ambitious enough to tackle such a project.

Side-by-side comparison of shades of green

(Left is the Replica, Right is an original found Button)
Note the black text is difficult to read/see

Updated Overlay Replicas

I contacted yet another company that produces custom face places to do my overlays. Their communication with me could use improvement as I would not hear anything for weeks sometimes. But I did manage to get a price quote, went through one design stage and finally got an Overlay in-hand with white text that can be back-lit.

The plastic is much thicker than the first company that I went through. Their production costs where about the same, however, they were able to give me white text instead of "clear" text that the previous company said was all they could do. I also like the black finish better. It is on the face of the plate, were the previous plate, the "black" finish was on the back of the clear plastic. Makes a huge difference in appearance. Another big plus is that when I order more overlays, that the material code used will make sure that ALL the overlays match each other.

I went ahead and got an overlay made that I am sure no one else has incorporated into their KITT, "SECURITY MODE". It was shown only once on KITT's monitor and never seen again. One could speculate that it wasn't ever a real gauge on the dash, but it existed in one form or another, so I see it at KITTs Alarm system, and will either place it next to my Eject overlay, on the overhead console, or on the left hand side of the steering column. Haven't decided yet.

Delivery Day! Thank you American Garage!

Bumper, Overhead Console and Lower Console all arrived safely from American Garage based in Italy. They were gracious enough to to give me two day shipping. I wanted the grills and blackout with my bumper. AG installed the steel grills permanently into the bumper. I was hoping they would be adjustable, because my fantasy was to motorize the grills so they could open and close. Oh well, no biggie. All parts are going to require lots of fine sanding to get smooth and to remove the "scratches" and seam lines from the molded parts. All the parts have about 80 grit sandpaper scratches that will have to be sanded smooth. Oh, and holes will need to be drilled for bolting to the car. I am hoping that this is the strongest part of the bumper as I would hate it to crack and fall off cause the wall was too thin/brittle. The parts themselves feel really solid and durable without being too heavy. Now I just need to drop it off at the paint shop Monday.

On a side note, this bumper is going to need some major TLC to fill in all the pits, scratches and minor holes for a smooth finish. Same goes for the other fiberglass parts received (overhead console and center console). Some corners were a little thin and will need to be built up. There is no "shelf" for the lightbar, so it will require some ingenuity to get that mounted. The Blackout wasn't a tight fit, it leaves about a 1/4" gap all the way around.

New Bumper, Overhead Console, and Center Console

 I ordered the bumper (with grills and blackout) and the Overhead (upper) Console from American Garage. I am crossing my fingers that it will be here within a weeks time. No updates on my car yet from the body shop. I am hoping to get the word soon that my engine has been put all back together.

I was able to sell some items on eBay that allowed me to pick up a Center Console from American Garage as well. They offered me one that was pre-cut.

After some quick google searching, I located another company that I will use to make my back-lit overlays. I sent them off my drawings for a quote. They came back a little more expensive than the first place I used, but they will be able to get me my white text and lines in the plastic without me having to paint it white on the back. They also offered to including a lighting system, but I opted out of that, because I intend my gauges to house the lights to light it up. So, I am anxiously awaiting to hear back from them.

Body Panels Swapped

 Finally some progress is being made on the car. Body panels from the '82 Trans AM now live on the '83 Firebird S/E. Swapped the hood, left and right fenders, spoiler, steering column, and the doors that contain all the automatic electronics (Auto windows, locks, side mirrors). Decided it was easier to take the whole door than to rig the old one up with all the power motors. The car is now ready to be taken to the sand blasters to get all the paint off. From there, we are going to weld close the antennae hole on the front right fender, and weld close over the key locks. KITT will not open by a key anymore, but an electric fob.

The 1982 Trans AM frame has been taken away to the junk yard.

While I am on the topic, I have the hood, bumper, fenders, and doors from the '83 available for purchase.

I Just got an Update on my engine. Turns out the Head was indeed cracked. So, back to the engine builder to machine me another.

Season 1 Lower Console SPACEMAP Vs SPACEMAT

Over the past years the lettering on the lower console has not been clear enough to read. The best interpretation of what was written there, was "SPACEMAP". This has been the go-to text for everyone since it was originally suggested, and unfortunately, some have have accepted it as screen accurate.

However, "SPACEMAP" has always been a theory, yet never confirmed. The text has also been read as "SPACEMAT". Thus begun the debate.  I do believe I read somewhere that someone interviewed Michael Scheffe (Designer of the Original KITT), who confirmed it was "SPACEMAT". Knight Rider Archives is also confident it is "SPACEMAT".

Personally, with the release of the Blu-ray (attached photo), I am 100% certain that the correct text is "SPACEMAT". All lower consoles that read spacemap are in need for an upgrade.

Automatic Door openers and soft closers

A few KITT builders have incorporated one of my personal favorite features on their replicas, Auto-Doors.

First thing you need are electronic locks. Second would be to pick up a set of Door Poppers. They have been around for years and are probably the easiest thing to pick up off the shelf.

This alone would unlock your door by remote and pop them open. Depending on which popper you get may affect how wide the door opens. First thing I think of are the Shaved Door Kits with Door Poppers. These kits are designed so someone can can remove the door handles from the car, making it smooth. This requires the locks to unlatch and the door top open on its own.

Third thing would be a hydraulic system in the door that naturally wants to swing the door open. This is the tricky part. Might look into Linear Actuators for this. The actuator would have to swing the door open, and be able to pull it shut.

The fourth and last thing would be the soft door closer found on luxury vehicles. Slamstop makes a universal unit to install that will pull your door closed for only $250. This is the same idea as the hatch pull down motor for Trans-AM years '86-91. You can pick up a Slamstop unit on Amazon. The tricky part would be to get the door to open far enough away from the Slamstop system so it doesn't automatically close the door you just popped open.

Heated Seats for PMD chairs

Any luxury coupe is going to have heated seats, so your KITT should too. I mean, he is the car with everything. Here are some universal heating pads for $152.95 that will install under the PMD upholstery and wired in.

Engine Problems

I honestly gotta say, I am disappointed with how my engine build is going. I am not saying I wont love it in the end, but the road there has not been a fun one.

First, I commissioned the a Pontiac Engine with 500 to 550 hp to be built. Estimated completion date was four months. Great. Dropped 4k down-payment and set off to raise funds for the remainder. Four months come and go with no communication from builder. All my email inquires went ignored. I finally get communication seven months later that things are backed up and slow, but progress is being made. I request pictures, am told "no problem".

Three months later, still no photos and no communication. I call again. More delays, more backlog. Crankshaft is out of stock, so it's back-ordered.

A year after the commission I am told everything is ready. Assembly will only take a couple of weeks.

Four months later, I call again as I am still not getting any communication, still not assembled, but promise that will be done shortly. Finally get some photos sent to me that are of another engine, and others that are 6 months old (picture has date stamps) Also promises to call me when its ready so I can hear it run. I get excited and pull the engine from my car in anticipation of its soon to be arrival.

To make a long story short, the engine took two years and three months to complete. Every promise made was broken regarding deadlines. Every promise to call me, send me updates, photos, were all broken. When the engine finally arrives, the drain plugs are missing, the dip stick is missing, the rebuilt distributor is mounted 180 degrees the wrong direction and nothing about it looks new, there is rust along the side of the oil pan from the rusty water leaking out from the drain openings, the rockers are not centered (mechanic said that the will cause them to break after a hundred miles or so), my brand new spark plug cables are covered in grease (look used). Pulling the valve off, there is gunk in it. This is just the visual observations after taking it out of the crate.

Putting it on a run stand, the mechanic said that after 20 minutes of running, it blew off the top hose, and boiling water was coming out of the center void in the top of the head. So it's building pressure somewhere, as it could be clogged up, a gasket is blown, or a head is cracked. Just not good no matter what. The engine wasn't done when it shipped.

So, after two and half years of waiting, over 10K invested in the engine, it has to be taken apart to diagnose what is wrong with it. Talking to both the mechanic and the engine builder is frustrating as they both have different opinions and neither wants to talk to the other and they both get defensive when someone points the finger of blame. I am stuck in the middle and with the bill and a broke engine.

KARR is dead

I had both KTT and KARR towed to C&E Performance garage, and it's official, KARR is no longer going to be a project. He is going to be a parts car for KITT as I had originally planned when I purchased the shell. The cost and time to get both cars done is just out of my scope at this junction in my life. Once all the parts have been swapped from the '82 Trans-Am to the '83 Firebird, the remaining parts will be sold off and anything that doesn't get sold will be junked.

Engine arrived

Once I got word that my engine was done, my excitement for it to get here peaked. I arranged the engine to be shipped from Central Virginia Machine Services to C&E Performance shop. That was the longest week. It was really disappointing after paying for insurance that I was unable to track the engine as it traveled from one side of the country to the other.

It arrived at April 30th at 3pm to C&E Performance and uncrating it took a bit of time. After two years of waiting for this engine to be done, it's finally here! Now, more waiting till I can fire it up and hear it run. Headers have been ordered and once those arrive we'll be able to get it started.

First thing we noticed was some rusty water dripping out of the plug holes. Also, whomever crated it was a bit hands-y with their greasy fingers as the valve covers were dirty, the spark plug cables have grease on them too. So, it's not showroom ready out of the crate, it will need some cleaning. 

Engine Finished!

Just got word that the engine is finished, and test ran it on March 9th. Should be ready to ship by the end of the week. Two years, two months turn around time of build.

Surveillance Mode Overlay Replica

I contacted the same company that did my plates and Ejector Seat Overlay, as I wanted to maintain business with them, for my next overlay: Surveillance Mode. I made up a set of plans for them to cut it out in clear acrylic, with black finish and capable of being back lit.
There was a little back and forth to get the font right, and the placement of the text. I was a little discouraged that the price they quoted was $20 more than my Ejector Seat overlay. Why the sudden price hike for the same material, same size, and one less cut?
I let it go and decided to get the overlay cut anyways.

When the overlay arrived, I looked it over. The size was right, the text was clear so it could be back lit. The font was a match. So far so good...
The finish was a mat speckle. No big deal, however my Ejector Seat Overlay finish was a smooth gloss. Two different finishes. Eep, they are going to look wrong next to each other. Then there was the cuts. There were these gouges all along each side that looked like teeth marks. This really made the edges look rough and unfinished. All that to say, I was disappointed with how it came out. I contacted the plate company about it, and "they" got defensive. "You didn't tell us it was supposed to match." Granted, I did not specify that it had to, I assumed that if I order the same thing twice, that they would be the same. I feel that if their stock varies, ie. different finishes, shades of black, types of plastic, that kind of info needs to be asked about and up front about before I make an order.
Long story short, I tried to move past this "You didn't tell us" and try to have a second go at the overlay, but "they" wouldn't let it go. With the price hike and their obvious frustration with me, I wont be using this company again to finish my overlays. I will probably have to sell these two now just to get a set that matches. How Unfortunate.

Scanner Bar

Working a couple hours overtime at work allowed me the extra spending cash to buy my first scanner bar. I was hesitant to purchase it at first, mainly because no one lists dimensions of their scanner bars, so it's hard to determine that theirs will fit the bumper purchased. Another hesitation is just the unknown quality and never having dealt with the particular seller, I don't know how honest they are. But all that aside, I looked at all the vendors scanners, what they offered and the price they were asking for it and chose one.

I purchased Sid Knights 32 LED Scanner bar. There are video's on Youtube of others showing this particular light bar off. It does come with a controller board to select the sequence of flashing desired. Personally, (I am surprised more people do not do this) I am going to modify the controller board a little so it will be my Surveillance Mode. I always saw Surveillance Mode as KITTs light. The LED's going up and back representing the pattern of the Light bar. Use the little black push button as the ON/OFF, and twist to select the pattern. Perhaps, I can even use the same button to turn on my Radar Detector as well.

Knight2000 Thunder Software Program

I pulled the trigger and picked up the Knight2000 Thunder software program by Mario Ravasi. I have not tested it or checked it out yet, so I cannot provide my opinion on ease of use or functionality...yet. It does appear to be suspiciously close in design and layout to the program developed by Marco Valleggi, whom I have to say, has the best KITT software program I have seen to date.

What I don't like about the video's that show off the program, is how much time is spent going over the music functions.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aSbCX0c80Cg

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fuo1Ca8c120