KITT Replica engine/fuel question

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JJohnson
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What year did the original Knight Rider start: 1982

KITT Replica engine/fuel question

Post by JJohnson » Wed Sep 25, 2013 4:07 pm

I was looking at the stats for the 1982 Trans Am, and I'm guessing it's roughly the same for the 83/84/85 models, but it appears there's only a 14 gallon fuel tank and it gets between 16 and 22 mpg as a car. Is there any way to improve this? Can the car fit a larger gas tank? My current car has an 18.5 gallon tank. If I were to fit a modern engine in the car would it necessarily get better mileage? And is it possible to rebuild a Trans Am with a diesel engine? Would that help with mileage at all?

And last question, the show used the 1982-1985 Trans Am. How difficult is it to use 1986 to 1992 Trans Am as a base to start a replica? Does it require more alteration to get it to look 'screen-accurate'?

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Dave Knight
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Re: KITT Replica engine/fuel question

Post by Dave Knight » Thu Sep 26, 2013 2:20 am

sadly there is no real way to get better MPG than what came from the factory in those 80s cars. Mainly cause the fuel systems they used (most were throttle body aka a fancy electronic carb), that and the transmissions were not really made for MPG most were 3 speeds some were 4. as for the gas tank again, there is no real way to get a bigger than what came from the factory mainly cause they would not fit unless you modded the car like taking the rear seat out or removed the rear cargo area and floor and spare tire well (spare tire stored vertically inside one of the rear inside fender panel towards the back of the cargo area). as for the exterior, any 82 to 92 Firebird or trans am can be made into KITT as the 3rd gen cars had the same basic sheet metal in those 10 years of production. The only things you need to 'back date it' to a 82 car would be:
replacing the tail lights
replacing the rear bumper
removing the lower body extensions aka the ground effects, from the rear bumper (this is not needed if you replace that bumper from a 82/83 car) side moldings, and front fender moldings (same applies for the front bumper cover as the back one)
replace the front fenders from ones from a 82/83 (unless you do not want the front fender extractor vents)
swap out the hood for the one that had the off set hood scoop that KITT had (Note: that hood was used on the Firebird Formula model all the way up to 92, it only has the scoop stamped as one piece and does not have that part that attaches to the part of the scoop that is near where the hood meets the windshield).
replacing the wheels with the correct style.
for the interior, its just a matter of swapping out the seats, and replacing the shift lever with the round version with the button on top (83 and up cars had a T handle shifter, the round one was only in 82 and some early 83 cars).

if you have any other questions feel free to ask ;).
Michael: "You know, your as much fun as a divorce, which is not a bad idea!"
KITT: "I want custody of ME!"

Knight Rider: The Pilot

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