Oddball Update

The Knight Project is now in full swing! I’ve taken stock of my ‘89 Formula’s current condition and made a list of parts that need replacement, plus components that I’d like to upgrade before I really get into buying the Knight Rider parts for the vehicle. Although it may be more for my own information than my readers’, I decided I would lay out a roadmap for my project’s immediate future and the requirements I forsee.

The Formula I bought was exceptionally clean and very well-maintained. Most of its flaws are cosmetic, although there are a few notable exceptions. I’ve separated everything into two lists: Mechanical/electrical/safety items, and cosmetic/low-priority items. I’ll start with the former.

• The front wheel bearings need replacement.
• The rear shocks, while not in terrible shape, could use replacement.
• The car pulls significantly to the right when braking, suggesting a possible weak caliper in the left front.
• The air conditioning system is completely shot—condenser is missing, compressor is siezed up, etc. Needs total replacement.
• The dual catalytic converters have been cut off and replaced with welded straight pipes, resulting in higher exhaust flow, but also an extremely loud sound and an illegal emissions setup. I must also investigate whether the A.I.R. pump (also called the “smog pump”), which normally connects to the cats, has been removed or disabled somehow. I want to put a new set of cats on the car, but the dual-cat setup means it will cost $280 for parts alone, and that presumes the A.I.R. pump is still there.
• The rear tires are almost bald, for obvious reasons. I’ll probably buy two new ones for the back until I can find the Knight Rider style rims (they’re 15 inches, and my factory rims are 16s, so new tires would be required if I did that swap).
• The gas struts on the rear hatch need replacement (they no longer hold the hatch open).
• The instrument panel lights are on all the time, even if the headlights are off. The panel dimmer also doesn’t work. Not a big deal at all, but I’d like to correct this sometime.
• The turn signal/wiper stalk could stand replacement. Low priority.
• The gear selection indicator on the console shifter doesn’t work. Shifter needs adjustment as there are a couple of “half-clicks” between certain gears (these two issues may be related).

Now here are the other minor (mostly cosmetic) issues I want to get to sometime:

• Exhaust pipes bang against the rear valance whenever you drive on a rough surface, as they are clamped too far back for the tips to keep their distance from the bottom of the car. Clamps could be removed, pipes taken off and further bent to prevent this from continuing, at least until I think about changing out the exhaust system. An even cheaper, quicker stop-gap would be to stick some kind of rubber or heat-resistant material in there as a shim.
• Speaking of the exhaust, it’s incredibly loud. I suspect this is mainly due to the lack of catalytic converters, but I may see about getting a more subdued, durable stainless steel system (Random Technology, for instance) one day.
• Paint job is “good enough” for now, but the car’s recent repaint was a somewhat poor job with ripples and occasional fogging. At the end of my project I plan to put a real nice paint job on the whole thing, so I’m not concerned—plus, having a paint job I’m not too proud of will ensure that I won’t be upset if something scratches it while I’m working on the car.
• The “power bulge” hood scoop is missing its grille insert. Should be mega cheap to replace if I can find one.
• Aero-wing spoiler is cracked somewhat on the passenger side where it meets the hatch glass. Not a big deal since I was planning to remove this wing and add a D80 deck spoiler eventually.
• Front fascia is cracked at the bottom center (looks like it struck pavement on an incline) and has been bent upward enough to keep the hood from closing the last eighth of an inch on the driver’s side. This problem should be solved when I put a custom front end on it. Hood may require adjustment afterwards.
• I’d like a new stereo head unit that can play MP3s. Found a decent 50-watt Panasonic unit at Circuit City for $184.

So there’s my big list…I know I have forgotten one minor component of the front suspension that needs replacing, but I have it written down elsewhere. I plan to start with the front wheel bearings and the brake calipers first, as both are inexpensive and are safety-related. From there I’ll probably investigate the current state of the A.I.R. system and what it would take to put new catalytic converters on. I like the look of the Catco direct-fit stainless cats offered by Summit Racing. There are probably cheaper alternatives, but having an L98 engine (and thereby requiring this weird dual-cat setup) makes my choices limited. Plus, if I’m going to put parts on, I might as well buy quality parts.

First thing’s first, though…I have to get the flippin’ car sent down here to Florida! I also have to come to a final decision on insuring the vehicle. Right now it looks like I’m not going to be able to afford any collision coverage, as I haven’t hit that magic age of 25 yet. It’s $43/month with liability only, and probably around $66/month with collision & comprehensive ($500 deductible). By February of 2005, I’ll either be old enough to bring the rate down, or be making more money at work, or both, so that this will no longer be an issue. But for the time being I’ll just have to drive very, very carefully. (I won’t be driving the car much anyway, so that’s good at least.) Of course, I still intend to ask my insurer about doing a “suspended policy” that I can re-activate on demand with a phone call, but I doubt I’ll have much luck with that kind of request. Plus they have such surly receptionists over at that insurance office, they’d probably give me a problem every damn time I called.

Anyway, that’s the big roadmap for now! First priority: Get car. Second priority: Insure & register car. Third priority: Fix wheel bearings and look at the brakes. After that I’ll play it by ear…or rather, by the available money.

Categorized as Cars/Knight Project