Pulled 305 with Transmission

I borrowed a cherry picker from my friend Steve, of Steeling By Design, and with the help of my co-worker David, I was able pull the original 305 and transmission out of KITT in three days of off and on work. The engine had oil and gasoline leaks, and the transmission had leaks, so there is gas and oil all over everything. Total mess. Now that I have it out, I am ready to put in my new 461 once it's done being built.

Auto-Tint - Electric Window tinting by Smart Tint

Here is a feature of KITT's that I always found kind of neat... his Auto-Tint. This is something that can be added to your KITT car. Electric Auto-tinting is a reality and Smart Tint makes the product, in Black, that replicates KITTs feature. Imagine being at a show, someone walks up to your KITT to peer through the window, and at a push or a button, you tint your windows. I so want to do this for my KITT. I really wish it could be reversed though, that when it's powered ON that its opaque, and when OFF its clear. However, as-is, it will really help with reducing sun damage and heat in the summers if the windows where heavy tinted while parked. Not to mention look totally cool being ALL black. It is expensive though, I believe it would run you about $300 per window (not including T-top, hatch, or windshield, if you wanted to do the whole car).

New Transmission TH400

For the new engine that I am having put in, I am going to need a new transmission to handle all that power. I was pointed to a Turbo 400 (TH400) transmission with a Gear Vendor Overdrive and Torque Converter installed.

Was also suggested to get a Heavy duty 34 Intermediate sprang
Internal Case Support
3:73 to 3:90 Rear Gear Ratio
Force draft stacked plate trans cooler
Shift reprogramming Mod (hold 1st & 2nd gears, plus have 1-2-3 auto up-shifts in drive)

New 461 Engine

I commissioned a Pontiac Engine from Central Virginia Machine to be built for my KITT on Jan 6th of last year. I am going away from the standard Chevy 300 small block engine that comes with the car and going with a
HP 550
Torque: 500-550
Engine: Pontiac 400 block
Displacement: 461 ci
Crankshaft: Eagle
Bore/Stroke: 4.155 bore x 4.125 stroke
Camshaft Type: XR288HR
Camshaft Lift: 0.236 in x 0.242 ex
Duration @ 0.50
Compression Ratio: 9.2:1
.110 LSA
0.570 Lift
Cylinder Heads: 4X
Manifold: Edelbrock 5056 Torker 2
Carburetor: 850 Holley
RPM: 24-25

The Eagle Crankshafts have been on back-order for at least the past 5 months so it has slowed completion. Just got word that they are in-stock now and should be shipping soon. Estimated time for completion is at least four more weeks after they arrive. I am uber excited to get this done. I cannot wait to start driving my Firebird as a daily.

Compare that to my 2004 KIA Spectra EX: V4 2.0L. 3.23" bore x 3.68" stroke. 138hp 136lbs torque. 10.1 Compression. My KIA is almost ready to bite the bullet, unfortunately.

3-30-2016 UPDATE: Crankshafts should arrive by the end of this week, and Jim should get started on putting it together by next week

Travel Card Replica

Devon gave Michael Long a new identity, and along with that identity he was given the ID's and documents to back it up. One such item was Michael's Travel Card. Dietrich (aka Cmdr.Kerner) replicated the face of the card for those who wish to make their own. I had plastekcards.com print them on 30mm thick PVC for a more real world replica. The original, I am sure, was just printed and cut out on paper (notice the sharp corners). Unfortunately, they have a minimum printing quantity of 250, so I have a few extra. With Dietrich's permission, I will probably unload the extra at cost. With the cards now in hand, I think they turned out great!

Screen shot of Michael's Travel Card

My Replicas (Art recreated by Dietrich Kerner)

All Knight Rider images are Copyright Universal Studios Home Entertainment

Ejector Seat Left & Right Overlay

My Replica

In Show

For my overlay, I had it custom made out of clear acrylic, laser cut, with a black background. The lettering was engraved on the backside, allowing for a smooth front, and the ability for the text to be back-lit. I'll paint the lettering white, and have a back light on it, so the text will light up, allowing it to be seen at night.

The Eject Left and Eject Right seems to be an elusive overlay among the Knight Rider Vendors. There is no in-show location identification, so I think most either leave this out of their replica or add it anywhere it will fit (i.e. upper Console). However, according to the DVD Special Features of KITT's Functions, this is located to the left of the Surveillance Mode Overlay under the Radar/Proximity Gauge. The 12 segment Red LED lightbar is triggered by the corresponding "Eject L" and "Eject R" buttons located on the Switch Pod. There is a CANCEL option on the panel that I surmise allows the user so many seconds to cancel the Ejector Seat before it goes off. For functionality, the driver, or passenger would push the 'Eject L' button on the Switch Pod. This activates the 'Auto Roof L'. Once the T-Top roof has moved from obstruction, the lightbar moves from left to right, supposedly indicating the pressure build up to launch what or whomever is in the seat. Before finally launching the unwanted guest, you have the option to cancel the eject, before it is too late. Once pressure is at max, the seat pops the villain into the air. The lightbar moves back down from right to left as it depressurizes. The Auto-Roof would then close, thus completing it's complete cycle.

All Knight Rider images are Copyright Universal Studios Home Entertainment

KARR Serial Number & ID Plate

I contacted the same machine company that specializes in custom plates to have this plate laser engraved on black anodized aluminum for my KARR replica. Just like KITT, I wanted to identify KARR himself. KARR's serial number was never indentified in the show, so keeping with the inspiration of the 1/18 Hotwheels Toy, I put "Prototype" in the spot instead. This is a very 80's TV design, right? Also just like KITT I purchased two plates, one for under the hood and one on the door.