Ok, yeah that makes sense about replacing the elements/wiring. Attached is a picture of the wiring of the 1997 kiln. There are a few components that I am not sure are depicted on the wiring diagrams sent from Alpine so I was having trouble piecing things together.
Also when I talked to Joe from Alpine he stated:
So I am not sure if I am just "Lucky" to get a 18kw, or what is going on there...