Return to the BUILD
“In this issue, the upper part of the transmission housing and the center console are assembled.”
Contents
Parts
Materials: The Hinge is metal while the other parts are plastic.
Magazine
- The Series – Mouth of the Snake (Part 2)
- Build Your KI.T.T. – Step by Step
- Secret Files – David Dalton and the Code of Vengeance (2)
Build
Upper Part of the Transmission Housing
NOTE: I have slightly changed the order of these steps from the magazine instructions to make the assembly process a bit easier on us.
Step 1
Retrieve your Air Conditioning Controls assembly from the previous stage. Fit the long rounded tab of the Controls to the matching posts on the underside of the Upper Part of the Transmission Housing, as shown:
Secure these Controls into place from below with two (2) BP screws:
Step 2
Fit the pin end of the Parking Brake Lever into the pivot at this location on the Upper Part of the Transmission Housing, as shown.
On my model, I needed to use a small drop of super glue to keep this Lever in place:
Step 3
Fit the Lower Central Control Panel 2 (51G) into the matching opening of Lower Center Console 1 from behind, orienting it as shown:
To keep this centered as I wanted, I did use a couple tiny drops of super glue to hold it in place, as shown:
Press the Lower Central Control Panel 1 into the matching opening of Lower Central Control Panel 2 from behind, orienting it as shown.
I felt like the clear plastic buttons of this Lower Central Control Panel 1 will end up being brightly lit, so I wanted to tone them down a bit. First, I stacked a couple pieces of clear tape on the back of this Panel. This should help diffuse the light and dim it some:
Second, I used some Vallejo Game Wash 73.201 Black to highlight the lines between the buttons and add even more light blocking:
Once this dried, I use some small drops of super glue to secure it into place, as shown:
Then, fit the Lower Center Console 2 to the bottom of this Center Console assembly, as shown.
This Lower Center Console 2 is angled and has a thicker end. This is designed to match the shape of the Console 1 housing, as seen here:
As I wanted to super glue this Console 2 into place, I lightly sanded off the chrome plating around the top edge for better adhesion:
Then, I glued it into place as instructed:
Step 4
Fit the post of the Center Console assembly into the matching hole at this location on the Upper Part of the Transmission Housing, as shown:
Secure this Center Console assembly into place from below with one (1) BP screw:
Step 5
Retrieve your Chassis assembly from Stage 44. Disconnect the Lower Center Console Wire and Light (marked ‘V’) cable from the Circuit Board:
Step 6
Retrieve your Transmission Housing assembly from the previous stage. Feed the LED of this Wire and Light up through this hole of the Housing, as shown:
Next, push the LED into this hole of the Upper Part of the Transmission Housing, as shown:
Then, fit the Upper Part of the Transmission Housing on top of the Transmission Housing, aligning it as shown.
Gently pull the slack of the LED wires through the hole as you place this:
Finally, secure the two Transmission Housing assemblies together from below with two (2) DP screws:
Step 7
Fit the smaller tab of the Hinge to the matching holes of the Glove Box Cover, and secure it into place with two (2) HP screws.
TIP: I have heard from other builders that this Glove Box Cover was incorrectly colored tan in early versions of this partwork. However, I received the updated black-colored part. If you received a tan Cover and want to be accurate to the real car, you should spray paint it with a flat black paint:
Make sure this Hinge is correctly positioned, as shown. If it is installed backwards, it will affect the operation of the Glove Box Cover:
Step 8
Fit the larger tab of the Hinge to the matching holes at the rear of the Upper Part of the Transmission Housing as shown, and secure it into place with two (2) HP screws:
You should now be able to open and close the Glove Box Cover:
Step 9
Press the D-shaped pin of the Gearshift into the matching hole at this location on the Upper Part of the Transmission Housing, as shown.
This was originally step 3, but I wanted to wait on installing the Gearshift so we would reduce the risk of damaging it as we assembled the Housing.
The Gearshift supplied with my model had this small Firebird logo printed on it:
However, in all the episodes of Knight Rider I can remember, the top of the Gearshift did not have any logo on it. Therefore, I soaked my Gearshift in isopropyl alcohol for about 15 minutes to soften the logo and then wiped it off with some cotton swabs:
With the logo removed, I simply popped the Gearshift into place, as shown:
Step 10
- Fit the Driver’s Seatbelt Buckle Plate (marked ‘L’) to the Driver’s Seatbelt Buckle (also marked ‘L’) as shown, and secure it into place with one (1) IP screw.
- In the same way, secure Passenger Seatbelt Buckle Plate (marked ‘R’) to the Passenger Seatbelt Buckle (also marked ‘R’) with one (1) more IP screw.
I did not want these black screws to be visible after the Seats were installed, so I decided to try a different method to build these Buckles. First, I used tiny drops of super glue to secure the Buckle Plates to the Buckles, matching ‘L’eft to ‘L’eft and ‘R’ight to ‘R’ight, as shown:
Next, I put a blob of super glue into each screw hole to ‘plug’ it up. Once this dried, I used a small brush to drip Vallejo Model Air 71.028 Sand Yellow acrylic paint into the recess to fill in the hole. I found this to be a very close match to the Seatbelt Buckle color and will help disguise the screws. I am going to let these dry until the next stage to see if the paint will shrink – we can always add more paint into the holes:
I realize there are a few ways we could have done this. We could have just painted the screw heads (but then the head would still be visible and it sticks out a bit). We also could have filled the holes with a plastic putty, let it dry, sanded it down, and painted the whole Buckle in the new color. But, I wasn’t yet sure if the paint color I chose would match. That is why I did it the way I did.
Thoughts
I love the look of this Center Console! For some reason, the Gearshift did it for me. I can picture the lever moving by itself when K.I.T.T. was in ‘Auto’ mode and that imagery has always stuck in my head! I am also happy with the way the Seatbelt Buckles turned out, but we will see how they look once installed.
Next Up
Stage 52 – Interior Floor Panel, Connecting Plates