gta_knight

Hi all,

been posting on here quite a while but ive never started my own build thread, so here goes !

I was obsessed with Knight Rider since i was a little kid, compared to all the crappy cars we had in the UK back in the 80's, when i saw that Trans Am it looked like a space ship and i never let that dream go.

I got my car back in 2004, it was in a real sorry state, someone had already started the conversion but had made a real crap job at it. GTA's are usually best left alone but my car was already removed of most of its true identity so i sort of saw it as rescuing the car anyway.







So thats the day it arrived home, the only thing going for it was that it ran and drove ! that was the selling point along with it already had some of the knight rider parts on the car like the cowl hood.



The car was painted and looked good, i managed to get some PMD seats, turbocast wheels etc in the process. Ordered all new interior like carpets, seat covers, door panels and drove the car around for a while like that.

Fast forward a few years when i started really getting stuck into the car, especially when i finally got a garage for it.

Since having the car ive done the following.

Replaced all the brakes front and rear, EBC vented discs, greenstuff pads, new calipers and Earls stainless braided hoses up front, and new drums, shoes, cylinders at the back.





New shocks, struts, end links, swaybar bushes. all steering linkages replaced with Moog parts including the idler arm. GM wonder bar fitted up front, Hotchkis rear pandhard bar. Ive also got a set of Eibach pro-kit springs coming soon.



Ive had a full custom stainless exhaust made to go with the hooker headers i fitted a few years ago, i removed all the stock manifolds and exhaust myself at home and spent a weekend lying under the car wire brushing any surface rust away and then undersealed it all, that was fun !





More to come...

Scott

gta_knight

As i mentioned, a few years ago i finally got the car a permanent garage at my aunties house. This is a game changer as my car was always a bit tatty not being able to do certain things having it outside.

So i started pulling the car apart to get things done, mainly the leaky windshield, rusty doors and fenders !



lots of rust when i got the screen out. my dad cut the rot out and welded all new panels in for me, then i stepped in to prime and paint it





Ive fitted new doors, i painted the door jambs with the doors off, and also painted the inners and undersides of the doors before installing them with a new kit from TDS, they shouldnt sag ever again





Also fitted a new set of front fenders, the correct vented ones then set about lining the nose cone up properly





Then it was off to paint

gta_knight

After the car was back together i started on the interior knight rider parts like the dash and consoles. I prepped and painted all the parts myself











I havnt got my full set of electronics yet so the dash will have to come back out at some point to fit the full new set so it does everything

gta_knight

So i drove the car round like this no problem for a while, then a friend in Scotland smashed his 87 GTA up, but his was a hardtop, with a 5.7...... hmmmm, basically he offered me the engine for a great price and i thought oh go on then !

I had wanted to spruce up my engine bay and engine but this gave me a good reason to remove the engine all together and set about it properly

So out came the 5.0



Then i started bare metalling the engine bay



Painted the crossmember and steering linkages while i was in there



Primed, painted the engine bay, bought new bottles etc



I sent the engine away to a shop and it was stripped, inspected, everything was great as suspected but i had the valve stem seals changed, new oil pump fitted then it all re-gasketed so it should be good for a long time, then once it was back from the shop i painted the block. i knew i wanted to keep the theme of the car going inside the hood so i went for black with red accents.





The more you get into an engine though the more stuff you want to do ! i wasnt happy putting all the old parts back on the block so i ordered new Bosch 3 injectors, and adjustable fuel pressure regulator, 9th injector delete kit, i had the ECU remapped by Tuned Performance to get rid of the EGR valve as ive deleted all my emissions stuff, along with the AC.

Also fitted a new water pump, new radiator, thermostat, hoses, pressure gauge etc etc



While the front end was apart again i fitted some nicer more accurate fog lights, with LED bulbs, new external speakers for the SFX and ive also rebuilt my headlight motors and fitted new lights themselves

gta_knight

So the car is back together once more



Ive been lucky enough to do some cool stuff with the car, ive been in national newspapers, local newspapers, done some weddings, conventions, and lately i was asked to do a feature on my car for Barcroft Cars which was pretty cool

luvofjah

iTrader: (2)

Sweet, nice job!
I've been working on mine for years... suspension, drive train stuff, mostly done now... I have all the KR and other parts (car PC, Stereo, etc...) working on wiring inside for all that, and saving up for paint... can't wait until mine is as shiny as yours

Rafael

DynoDave43

iTrader: (11)

While I was never a fan of the show, I can certainly appreciate the amount of work that went into this transformation. Nice work!

kymmee

Great transformation!

sorrys70

love the third gen love in the uk! how does it hold up as far as rust is concerned ? from what i understand the uk is like a death sentence to most cars

gta_knight

Thanks guys, i know KITT isnt to everyones tastes which i respect, i truly appreciate these cars in general so im trying to make it a really nice TA, along with a nice KITT too.

Rust. Yeah it can be bad over here as we get all the seasons ! but like anything else it just depends how well you look after your car. im lucky enough now that ive got a garage for it, its all undersealed, and its got all new weatherstripping on too. I tend only to use the car when its dry, if i do get caught in the rain though its not the end of the world as it doesnt leak, i just drive along thinking ah man, the underside is getting wet, lol

IMissMy86TA

Watched the video. very nice!
the only issue (and I am picky I know).. is the location of the fog lights should be towards the outside like this... right? any thoughts on moving them or replacing the nose when you get it painted the third time? also the top of the nose is not very flush with the hood/lights. while I know the original wasn't either it was closer. or it has three lights across (best IMO)

gta_knight

The foglights differed between seasons, and sometimes between episodes ! im doing a season 2 car so the lights are where i want them. Ive got a side/turn light at the end but ive tinted them so you cant see them





You are right about the nose, ive got the Knight Passions nose which is famous for its already moulded in sag ! I had it lined up better previous to the last paint job and i havnt been back and adjusted it properly, just one of those things but i will get it lined up better than what it is, it can be a real pain adjusting the fenders, hood lights and bumper all around to get the fit

gta_knight

The camera guy shared this clip of the car in the underground car park which i was greatful for, it sounds mental echoing off the walls

IMissMy86TA

It is great that you added the sound effects do you have an external speaker? where do you mount it? very nice clip. I appreciate that you showed me the errors of my ways. I didnt know that abt season 2. If I did such a thing my wife would kill me. How long did this take you?

Phenom-1

HA-HA I saw this video last week on YouTube and wondered if the owner of this KITT was on Thirdgen.

Nice to meet you man and Great KITT! Excellent build. I see you're rocking the Wolverine Sideburns LOL

hope to get my own KITT replica in the works someday, the sooner the better. I hope to make it as functional as this dude's Life -like KITT

gta_knight

Yeah got 2 external speakers behind the nose, so the turbine is always on when the engine is running, along with the scanner, or if im at a show i can leave KITT talking away

gta_knight

lol, yeah man thats my other 'vice' in life, Cosplay, so i do Wolverine, and just starting to get all the pieces for my 89 Batman

That replica is Marco's from Italy and it truly is incredible, he is an electronic genius so can programme his car to just about anything, ive seen the behind the scenes pics of what goes into creating his stuff and it makes me wonder how he manages to stuff all the relays and boards in the car without being seen ! ha ha

Phenom-1

Yes, I've concluded that he's got to be a Mad Scientist or something to hook up all the computer circuit boards, wiring and tuning to make KITT appear to have a mind of his own. There's even a video where he's successfully made KITT drive himself

Staggering, If I look at wiring I already get a headache, I wonder if I offered him like a Million dollars if he'd build one exactly like that for me Lol

luvofjah

iTrader: (2)

gta_knight,
Did you use the "real sound" for the turbine sound, hooked up tho the throttle? It sounds great...

Not to take away from your post, again, amazing work, looks beautiful...

I want to point out about Marco... Yes, talented with graphics and electronics, but many people think he is a recaster, making copies of others fiberglass molds, changing a small bit and calling it his own..... I don't want to clutter up this post, so if you want more details, look here...

http://knightrideronline.com/forum/v...hp?f=2&t=19492

http://www.knightriderrevolution.com....php?f=3&t=825

gta_knight

Yeah ive seen and heard all the recasting arguements for years and years being an admin on Knight Rider UK (Newcastle_Knight) Ive tried to stay neutral to it all, at the end of the day his nose looks pretty much identical to the knight designs one ! i cant say if he did remould it with some changes or if he did sculpt it like that, urgh, the whole thing gives me a headache.

My turbine isnt hooked upto the throttle no, it 'powers up' when turned on then holds the steady idle sound, however as i found out when actually driving the car through videos, when i actually drive past someone you do get the sort of effect like in the show lol

luvofjah

iTrader: (2)

Yes, Wolverine and Kitt, I remember How "loud" does the turbine sound have to be? I saw you have a TPI... I got one too, with Hooker 2055's and 3" exhaust, muffler is not so obnoxious...

Rafael

gta_knight

I usually keep it at 3/4 volume and its loud enough you can hear it over the engine even when on the move ive spliced in the scanner too so the scanner and turbine go together, or i can have the turbine on its own, or the scanner on its own etc.

The car originally had the 5.0 TPI but i swapped it for the 5.7 last year from the same year GTA, it runs so well its great. Ive got Hooker 2460's on mine as i dont need any emissions stuff, then the full stainless exhaust too. Any videos of how your car sounds ? mine is exactly how i wanted it, just a nice V8 burble when idiling or cruising around but if i step on the gas it really wakes up and roars

luvofjah

iTrader: (2)

It may be a bit until I get some sound / video...
I'm currently wiring my lower console, so EVERYTHING is undone... I got a wire I have to ground and hold for ignition, and another to tap / crank... and no buttons at the time... so only in car video at the moment....

The 3" Flowmaster I got is a 1 in 1 out, it flows better than the 1 in 2 out and has a Race 30 series muffler... I'll get a clip in a few weeks...

gta_knight

Cool man, im more than happy with mine. I dont even know what muffler is on it as the whole system was custom made, i think i was just so happy with the noise it makes and the quality i didnt even ask the place that made it lol.

KR81

Awesome car mate! Any info on where you got the turbine/ scanner/ KITT recordings and how you wired them all up ? I actually met the Hoff at a pop culture expo in Sydney a few years ago and he signed a copy of Kitt's number plate for me, I put in on when I go to car shows lol. Great work.

gta_knight

Hi mate,

I have all the info yes.....i made all the sfx myself, lol. People have been selling the sfx and voice cd's for years, and like most i bought one, only to find the quality of the sounds was crap ! So i decided to sit and make my own from the DVD's making sure they are nice and clear

I met the Hoff in Manchester a few years ago, we took 2 KITT's down and filmed an advert for a play he was in, great guy ! he signed my Semi model and hes also signed my dash too

gta_knight

Another video the photographer shared with me, i just added in the Knight Rider music

luvofjah

iTrader: (2)

I sell one... 4,841 files / phrases sound FX....
Details here...
http://www.ebay.com/itm/291315745034...84.m1555.l2649

All files faded in / out, normalized, etc...
Includes programs for voice recognition and other things & instructions...

Rafael

gta_knight

4841 files ! well, ive certainly never had one of your CD's Raf, ha ha ! cant remember who i got mine off originall but they were all wav files and terrible quality

luvofjah

iTrader: (2)

Yeah, that took about 6 months of work to complete... I typed up the phrases for every file, organized them in the order, per season, per episode, per happened during the show... the final document with every phrase I typed up was 187 pages... Also includes Audacity to remove noise and the "raw" files to work with if needed...

I built a car PC last year, i5, 8gb ram, 240 gb ssd drive... will be doing the voice recognition stuff soon...

gta_knight

Sounds awesome man, id like to add voice recognition to mine at some point but the ones ive tried arent really upto the task, i will probably add it in further down the line when all the other stuff is finished.

Nice picture of the car from the photographer again that he shared with me, i really need to get a HD camera to take pics of my own with instead of my phone !

IMissMy86TA

its a sweet ride man