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.