haha very cool. let me know how it turns out and i wana see details on what does what with your door project. let me know. thanks

 

Allright, man I definitely will.
I plan on operating these with a remote:
Driver door latch
Passenger door latch
Trunk (convertible)
Hood (Before safety catch)
Gas Door (I have one off of an 82 Firebird that has a keyhole instead of a "thumb lip", and I am going to fill the hole to make it flush)

And if I cant find anything else, I will make the other 2 functions roll the windows down.

 

hey bobby your KITT looks great

how is the carputer?

 

carputer is on hold until i find time to clean up all the kitt voices and program the voice recognition software.

plus i gota customize a mount in the trunk to hold it down tight.

plus its mostly for car shows so i need to spend the money on a 200 dollar battery and have it wired and have a switch on it to go back and forth from the main driving battery so i can show stuff at car shows and leave them on but still can get home.


its all a big project but the foundation is in place but its a few hundred bucks away from being complete.

with my rocky work schedule i dont get to that many car shows to jusify the carputer with the second battery.

 

I like cobras new cbs, check these out:

http://cobra.com/products//29-LX-LE

http://cobra.com/products//29-WX-NW-...ess-Technology

The second link is a cb that has blue tooth, and weather reports for trechorus conditions, now besides the whole awsome technology factor, they look super bas a$$. I mean if you don't consider that cool then you're a fool!!! lol. On the other hand they aint free, but come on it's a whole different form of comunication.

My cb kinda looks like this:
http://www.google.com/imgres?imgurl=...w=1596&bih=685

It's old school from the 70's, and looks pretty sweet, but not cobra sweet lol.

 

thanks dude

 

I just purchased tubular LCA's and Panhard bar. im on vacation 1st week of aug. so i hope too install those with little issue and also need to change the oil/gasket on the rear axle gear.

im hoping to get rid of some wheel hop and feel less impact on bumps. ill also check my work from last year when i put in new shocks and bushings and re-grease everything.

 

Hey guys check out this guys dash, pretty cool huh? Ohh and as a side note all he had to do was bore out his 305 and throw some chrome at it to dyno a modest 490 hp ROFL!!!! http://indianapolis.craigslist.org/cto/1865027868.html

 

Just, WOW. How and where did you learn to do all that? I give you props because that is one nice *** car, I especially like the front 82-84 bumpers.

I'm 20 and in college. I have fostered an almost morbid obsession with 3rd gen Firebirds. I was thinking about getting a descent 86-89 and working on it but I don't have the first clue about modifications. How did you learn all that know how?
Any tips?

 

4yrs ago when bought this beat up trans am for 750 i didnt know jack about car engines.

it was here on thirdge.org where i learned about stuff. start off with what you need to get teh car running. i would recommend a 1989 tpi. it has most of the bugs fixed from previous years and doesnt have the 9th cold start injector that they dont even make anymore. also the 89 is more adaptable for chip modifications.

i would not recommed a 90-92 only because i hear the VATS security system is a pain in the butt to work around. but 90-92 are nice cars as well. but also have tuning issues because of the map sensor.

so all around i think the 89 trans am is a nice best of both worlds year. and get whatever body style you want. a 1989 GTA is probably the best choice you can make but thats my opinion im sure many would argue that.

also its your choice if you want 305 or 350. or automatic or 5speed. its whatever is in your budget or your driving and gas milage preference.

the speed demon would be a modded 350 tpi with a swapped in 5speed transmission. if its a t-top car better get subframe connectors or roll cage to stiffen up the car from all the torque.

a basic setup is like mine with a modded 305tpi with automatic. i just installed sub frames and updated most of the suspension.

just get the car running and the rest can be modded later. i learned it all from looking at other peoples posts just like you looked at mine.

my advice is save ur money but if your going to fix up a 3rd gen dont do it to make money because you wont see it. just have fun with ur car and do what u can to it that u can manage. there are lots of ppl here who can help you along the way.

goodluck and u can personally message me anytime with any questions

 

Another tip for you prekitt,

when it comes to the body or interior. you really cant screw up so bad that it cant be fixed. so i just did it. i did alittle reading and research. then just went and did it. from there i learned more and more.

then i got new ideas, tried that. and from trial and error u learn and get the car you want.

trial and error can also be exspensive. So in a perfect world when modding and customizing you get it right the first time. but its just not true. you make mistakes and you settle with your trial run until you come up with a bettter idea and try that or you do what maybe you should of done and just bought something tahts aftermarket.

but its totally up to you. no one will be able to tell you different.

so if anything....

1. look at other peoples rides, see if theres anything you like or want to do to your ride.

2. try to come up with your own ideas.

3. just go and do it.

4. before you do anything decide if you want to do a restoration back to stock or customize.

i bought a beat up trans am. i wanted teh body banged up and interior shot but i just wanted the engine ok. just to bring the price down

i wanted a car to learn on and no point in spending 1500-2000 on a perfectly good paint job only to tear it down. makes no sense. and a waste of money and a good paint job.

if you dont wana paint your car then yes spend the extra few bucks and get a car with a good paint job.

you can get a good running thirdgen that everything is in decent shape and you can just leave it as is and just drive it.

but if you want to learn how to do stuff and customize your ride. start with a car that really needs it.

i can go on and on but in the end its up to what you want and what your prepared to do. and make sure its something you'll be able to finish.

nothing worse than a unfinished 3rdgen that might end up in the crusher.

 

next week im bringing the car to the shop to fix a rear pinion seal in the differential. and at the same time im going to have them install my new spohn tubular LCAs and Panhard bar.

I cant get to the bolts when the car is at ride height without a lift to do the final torque of the bolts.

also i dont wana deal with the bolts incase any are rusted or ceased shut. spent 2-3 days on rear rotors few yrs back using hammers and penetrating liquids. enough of that crap.

then the next day im taking the car to fix a rust hole that has developed from one of the rear ground effects mounting holes. guy quoted me 150-250 for the patch job and they'll try to keep it under the ground effect line. but if the heat bubbles or effects the paint above in any way i got some paint left over and they said they can do it in a day.

so fingers crossed and i can do most of this work myself but i plan to just get it over with and enjoy my vacation. im goin back to school online for a bachlors and this will be the last major adjustment to the car for a while. so ill keep you guys posted.

 

Ghettocruizer was asking about a wiring diagram for that oldmosbile compass temp unit i used.

so here it is.

the part of the diagram where is has a splice line. the harness has some kind of in between connector where the colors are different on the other end of the splice connector.

and theres a parts number list in the corner. i was able to buy a brand new temp sensor. im sure some of the other parts are still around as well. i got it at advance.

 

Thanks!! That def helps out some. Just a couple more questions. On the picture, I circled two areas. Is the main plug the one on the left or on the right? Im guessing on the left. If so...whats the one on the right?

The compass module is enclosed in the black plastic part along with everything else right?



The connector part number 12102747 is for the temp sensor and looks like this:



Just gotta find the main connector for the unit to work. I think its either this one:



or this one:



Thanks for the info! This'll make a fun project in the upcoming days.

J.

 

hey gettoc where did you get that unit ?

 

ill look at my unit and find out the connectors. but in the end i was happy with buying a rear mirror with built in comp/temp. alot less fabrication.

but whatever you want to make your car unique.

 

KITT..they're on ebay. Or junk yards. I dont have one yet...gonna order one and start playing with it.

Bobby... yeah I wouldnt mind the mirror one. A lot of the ones Ive found that are cheap enough, have the onstar buttons and stuff on them. I dont want all that stuff, and I like my map lights under my mirror that I have now. I like fabbing and making neat stuff for my car. Figured it would be fun to find a place to mount the display, and try to make it show up in red vs. blue/green.

I tried this once with a Grand Prix GTP drive info center. The big red screen they have... I got most of it working, but the main thing I wanted was temp and compass...and those features were really small and in the background on the Grand Prix unit. So I ditched the idea, sold the parts and Im startin over.

Just another project to add to my laundry list of projects for this car

No biggie on the connectors. I found a unit with the pigtails included. So that'll work for me. Thanks!

J.

 

ghettocrusier, im glad you found one. i keep forgetting to look for you. my bad.

let me know how it comes out. yea i spent 2 bucks on mine at first haha. but in the end i wanted red display and coughed up for like you said the exspensive mirror.

im happy with it. kinda hard to see in the day time with the t-tops. im gona make some t-top sun shades and problem solved.

 

No worries man. I actually just won the auction. $25 and the buttons are nice and clean. That was the cheapest price I found on ebay, and it comes with all the pigtails with some wire. And the temp sender with pigtail. So its a killer deal to me.

Ill PM you when its finished and Ill post the pics in my build thread so I dont clutter yours up any more haha.

Gonna experiment with some gel filters and see if I can get it looking nice and red. Or even orange would work for me. Thinking about mounting the display in the overhead console where the factory 'trip computer' rollers are. I guess I dont see any need for the buttons other than calibrating the compass. I dont think the VSS and serial data from my LS1 will talk with it...but maybe Ill try just for fun. It sorta talked with the grand prix parts...so who knows.

J.

 

Hey dude...I just read through the entire thread...at work!!
Nice car and great job on getting an old turd looking sweet...it's nice to see someone get on a big project and actually finish it.

 

Haha thanks so much GICATA, this car is never done. i plan to get it repainted, engine re-build aftermarket exhaust etc.... but thats like in 15yrs down the road.

im doing tiny things just to keep me occupied but i do have the car at the point where i can drive it daily and bring it to shows and i love it when people walk by and take pictures or come over and talk to me.

heres a quick addition i did tonight.

i once locked myself out of the car with the car running. ever since then i looked for a way back in.

i went on ebay and bought a kit for like 30-50 bucks and its aftermarket number code pad to unlock your doors.

newer cars have this on the door or handle. i wanted to be sneaky and creative and hide it in a convienent spot.

i bought a camaro rear lisence plate bracket. it folds down. on a camaro it folds down to reveal the trunk lock.

i have it fold down to reveal the key pad.

i havent tested it yet. this weekend ill wire in the receiver module to the door lock wiring.

 

here is the finished product for the lisence plate/key pad

 

Nice, Nice, Nice.
A mind full of neat ideas. And carrying through with them.
Awesome work bobby.

 

thanks astro. i know some people are going to ask where i got it or the name.

i dont know the name, look on ebay for like door lock key pad or something like that.

if you cant find it let me know and that goes for anyone.

thanks guys

 

Was just flipping through your build thread again and am loving your car. I finally got myself another early third gen T/A, and I am not letting this one go, lol. I am going to be doing basically the same thing you did with the exterior of your T/A as far as the bumper, lights, etc. goes. Where did you find that KR bumper? I like it better than the ones that have straight flat spots in front of the lights and turn signals.

Got any more updates?

 

glad to know people are still checkin in on me and my ride.

please let me know how your project comes along id be happy to help where i can.

my bumper i bought from someone on ebay. as far as i know its a rob louisell knight
rider 1st season/pilot bumper. http://www.roblouisell.com/

I have many big plans for my car but waiting for it to get warmer before i try to work on it. im tired of using a propane heater and putting on 3layers of clothing to work on it in the winter. I bought most of the parts i need already.

my plans to get done quickly in the spring are.....

make all my front driving lights brighter/white i bought H3 fog driving light bulbs for a more whiter look and a brighter whiter looking headlights. I'm tired of the yellow look these older car lights have.

I have a manual flip up license plate bracket but i bought a remote controlled motorized flip up bracket which will be very neat.

I am replacing my car computer with a Pioneer Avic-x190bt which if u look it up you'll see it has everything! bluetooth, gps, dvd/cd player, ipod control, voice control over phone and ipod and gps, sd card slot, usb slot, 6.1 inch touch screen etc....

Its going to take alot of customizing my passenger side dash to hold this double din unit and make it look right.

i have also misc. electronic stuff i wana do. like have red led lights built into the brake pedal and have it light up dim when headlights r on and then go bright when pressed down. its basically going to mirror the taillights.

I'm going to copy a project someone on here has done and make a digital led gear selector readout and have it facing me so i dont have to look down anymore to know what gear i'm in. plus it will look cool if i can blend it in right.

Also i'm going to attempt to build a circuit with a bunch of green leds built on both sides of gas pedal and feed off the TPS sensor signal and as the gas pedal is presser further and further the green leds light up like in the knight rider show.

I need to replace my dome light with a 82-92 dome light with built in map lights since my comp/temp rearview mirror didnt come with map lights and this would be the easiest solution.

I also bought a single piece lexan blackout for the rear taillights. i think im going to use it just for car shows but the led taillights r very visible through it in the day.

also got matenince to do on the engine, re-oil the dirty k&n filter, fresh spark plugs, need to see now that i am done with emissions if i can staight pipe my cat converter because the flange keeps scrapping on inclyned driveways and gas stations and pissing me off.

i also need to grease up my suspension bushings.

and i need to finish my dynamat on the front feet area on both sides and do both doors. i might put some in the t-top bar because i have a leak that i need to track down and the dyanmat will hopefully atleast keep water away from my electronic upper console buttons.
so i'll keep you guys posted once i get started in spring.

 

Wow, seems like you've got your hands full. Make sure you post pics and update us!

$1,100 for a nose? OUCH.

 

yea i was fortunate to get a used unpainted nose for 600 on ebay. all depends on timing and a little luck.

yes i do have my hands full. but i just wish it would be warmer sooner. i just want to get it done so i can enjoy it on the road.

it will be probably another 2-3 months before i can post any progress.

 

ok im getting super anxious to start my new projects.

its amazing how i have been able to mix parts from different cars and make it all work and flow/looks nice.

i just bought my pioneer avic-x920tb
heres an example of the model i bought on amazon.
http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/Pione...item2eb31e0ecc


and my newest discovery is i bought a 99-03 acura cup holder split door lid
you push a side button and the 2 doors are spring loaded to open and the cup holders are inside. but these are just the doors i bought.
http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/99-03...Q5fAccessories

Now i thought i would have to do alot of dremel cutting and fabricating to make this work because i wanted to use these spring loaded shutters/doors to hide and reveal my new pioneer gps touchscreen system! really sweet idea.

the great thing is both items came in yesterday and i find that its almost like they were made for eachother. the dimensions are perfect. i might have to replace the doors themselves with something thinner but the frame inside is perfect.

im waiting for it to get alil warmer and i will start the process on customizing and installing.

also im taking a epson printer that doesnt work anymore and going to attempt to take the front door lid and turn the caseing into a passenger side glove compartment.

so excited to get started!

 

I purchased a front set of custom black mats with the silver firebird logo.

i'll post pics at later time im going to use them strickly as car show mats.

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/Custo...item5ad92f9858

 

How do they fit? I'm usually not into that kind of thing, but those are really sweet looking...

 

fit a heck of alot better than stock plus have the hooks to keep them in place instead of steadily getting tucked under the gas pedal lol

 

Alright the mods continue, nothing too amazing yet but i took apart my passenger door and did the following...

-first lubed and cleaned alittle for smoother door lock and power window operation with white lithum grease and some silcone lube spray

then...
-Dynamat layer
-88-92 double rod clip... went to the junk yard and grabbed those double rod clips that keep the rods for the door lock and handle going to the latch from moving around and just makes it more solid and it was a direct swap upgrade i wish everything was so easy.
-Overkill layer on the door cover from second skin audio as a extra layer of sound deadener, then put back the plastic sheet to block water.

And now for the finishing touch

4th-Gen outer window sweeps... no junk yards had any and i had to shell out 75 bucks for the set o well... The installation was pretty straight forward I just followed the step by step thread someone else posted.

and i took care of the gap at the mirror people worry about. i was able to loosen the triangle trim bolts and adjust it closer to the sweep, then i wedged in between a thick piece of universal weather strip i got from lowes. its mostly used for air condioners but its sticky on one side and faced that on the triangle piece and used a flat head screw driver and u cant see it after i forced and wedged it in between the sweep and the triangle piece. no water getting in and you can't tell what i did.

when i shut the door now it seems more "solid" no rattleing or shaking. i let the second skin over kill layer continue up into the top door trim so theres no rattling of plastic against metal sound. not saying there was just covering all the possibilities

 

more pictures of the process...

finished sweep on the door much sleeker and no more trench to catch dirt and pine needles

 

and at the triangle piece the sweep is thicker than you think. there really isnt much of a gap and whatever is, is being taken care of with that weather strip piece that is hidden just underneath and in between.

 

That was probably my thread, yay! Good to see you still working on her!

 

yes it was and i appreciate all the effort to post that thread in such detail. it sparked my interest, i didn't even think of it before. so thank you just sucks i couldnt find cheaper ones

 

No problem, I had always wanted to make a write-up but I couldn't think of what to do it on, and I needed new sweeps and this idea had been jumbling around in my head for a long time, so I just took pics as I went. It does suck that you couldnt find them cheaper, there seems to be quite an abundance of them in the yards around me..

 

As always, great job. Just when I thought I was done with upgrades for a while....

 

thanks cruzer, much more to come just customizing a car as you know takes so much longer than just restoring a car

i still gota do the driver side door with all the sound stuff and simple upgrades and cleaning.

im just beginning to figure out how im going to mount the pioneer system and i got the flip doors working beautifully. but lots of work ahead of me.

then once the upgrades are done i still need to take my car to the shop to beef up the alternator and install a second car battery and store it in the trunk under the little cargo door on the driver side

will be nice to finally have all the gauges and lights on during car shows

 

Alright the wait is over, finally seeing the fruits of my labors.

heres a list of the updates/upgrades. and I will follow up with pictures.

motorized license plate with 2 remotes but 1 is converted into the door with 2 hard wired buttons to become part of the interior.

pioneer system is installed, it has gps, bluetooth, ipod control. cd/dvd player, radio etc...

flip doors to hide and reveal the pioneer system.

extended dash pad wrapped in black vinyle

new front mats by lloyd mats with silver firebird logo.

did the driver side door like i did the passenger side with dynamat on the door and some sound deadening foam glued to the door panel. with plastic on top to block water

also upgraded on the driver side door like i did with the passenger side with 4gen window sweep.

installed a rear view camera after removing the trunk lock which works with the pioneer system when i am in reverse.

also dynamatted the t-top roof

upgraded all fog lights and headlights with whiter silverstar bulbs. i didnt like the yellowish lights look.

 

license plate hasn't changed but the track is now motorized and with a remote with two buttons it will hide the plate or extend it out and flip it up

it came with 2 remotes, i converted one to be hard wired with bigger buttons and installed it into the back of a door trim panel

 

since the relocation of the radio system to the passenger side where the computer screen used to be and it sticked out passed the barrier of the dash pad. i picked a junk yard pad, put a metal bracket extention, sprayed insulation expanding foam then trimmed and sanded it down to the right shape. then put a thin layer of foam from a fabric shop on top then had it wrapped in black vinyle.

 

between all my versions of gutting the passenger side plus just not liking the style all that much, the passenger side had it from all the customization i have done over the years.

it needed fresh skin. i had a spare camaro dash and used my dremel to cut it in half and here u will see the dash pad the pioneer system with the flip doors and the new passenger side of the dash finished and meshed together.

 

passenger side continued

 

pioneer system, the welcome screen i made in photoshop and uploaded it into the system it says knight industries 2000 with the firebird logo in the background

the flip doors work great i'm just sad they arn't motorized and only spring loaded.

the red scanner light in the front came with its own control box which is in previous interior photos. it never flowed with the interior so i took out the circuit board and drilled holes into the front of a spare lower dash piece and it flows much better and blends in.

its tough to see the clock on the screen since its tiny in the corner of the screen so i got a external clock which illuminates orange and tells me outside temp/humidy and calander and time.

 

i finally got around to doing the driver side door. its been dynamated and upgraded to 4gen window sweep which looks 100% better than stock.

and upgraded the metal door handle and lock beams with the double plastic clip taht was used on later models and used white lithium grease for smooth door opening and locking and no banging metal against metal since one was free to linger around inside

 

door continued...

sound deadening foam, forgot the name and plastic water shield

 

bought this because it the red led display matched my interior, it tells me the interior temperature the red light above it is the illuminating switch for it. every gauge or gaget has a corresponding switch somewhere in the car. either in the dash or roof or center console or in the ashtray section

plus more interior pictures, i installed red led floor lighting strips. there was nowhere to hide them so u can see them even when they are not on.

ill take a better picture later but i had a my pontiac logo from the headlight trim and put it on the passneger side camaro spliced in dash to cover the holes that are for the camaro interior emblem

 

i removed the rear trunk lock and installed a rear view camera which is on a switch and video connected directly to the pioneer system.

when i go into reverse the pioneer displays the rear camera view.

i am not too worried about losing my trunk lock, i have my remote starter remote connected to the trunk solenoid and the stock switch is still in the center console.

also have a brand new oem firebird emblem from modern day muscle.com