krblackbird

This seemed like the right place to post this considering I am giving a bit of my history and what I have fixed/restored on my car


Fair warning this is going to be a long post lol.Not sure where this post will go but felt like sharing this. I was reading a few posts about something like “are these cars worth saving?” Or something along those lines due to time and money; read a few stories on people’s first car and other things that I can’t think of off the top of my head. I have looked around and I haven’t seen a post of why people are into these cars like us (the very few in my experience) so I figured I’d post this and see where it goes

Im 24 and I’ve had my 91 formula for about a year and a half now. Its got the typical 305 tpi with all its smog problems and the T-5 trans. Whole reason why I have this car is Im putting together a childhood dream. When I was about 6 or 7 I saw the first episode of knight rider “Knight of the Phoenix” Back then my only care in the world was when I could play my super Nintendo, piano lessons and why do I have to go back to school. I never really cared for Tv much unless it was Saturday morning cartoons or Power Rangers but that all changed when I came home from school one day. For what ever reason my normal power rangers show wasn’t on and I was flipping around and I saw some guy get shot, little did I know this was a show that would make me into a car guy. After wondering why this guy got shot, I see this red light go back and forth, car pulls up and next thing I see is this black trans am or as I knew it or rather him as “Kitt” He could talk, drive himself around I mean come on how cool is that?

A few years went by and my Dad saw that I still loved that car so much, I remember him having issues with his town car and had talked about getting another car (If I can find the picture of it Ill post it up) After he went to work and I went to school, I come home and my Mom is making me go outside to see my Dad, in pulls up a black and grey bottom trans am that very much looked like Kitt or at least it did to me. I was like 8 I didn’t know any better at time. I was then THE coolest kid on the block I had a knight rider car in my drive way. Sadly he got rtid of the car only a year after he bought it. From that point on I said I will have one of these cars when Im older and everyone told me I would grow out of it.

Fast forward to about a few years ago, I am now a car guy, Im no mechanic but I know my way around how to fix things, Ive pulled a few engines with friends and I’ve got enough that I can handle myself ok, Im the go to guy among my friends when it comes to cars. I was having issues with just not being happy anymore in anything I drove, my father being a town car driver and my mother’s explorer; I just hated not having a car of my own that made me feel good. I saved a few grand and started looking at trans am’s, I never found anything near by or in my price range and if I did, it was the wrong color, with the wrong everything on it with a V6 that had way too many miles on it or it didn’t even run. Finally about a year later I found my car, it was beat to **** with little hope or so I thought, whole right side was banged up, salvage tile and I knew full well it wouldn’t pass smog but it had 110,000 miles, it was the only V8 in the area AND it was stick??? I had to take it. Guy wanted 1400 bucks for it, I came down with the mind set, “money talks, bull **** walks” Offered the guy 800 bucks and I drove it home that day. It didn’t make left turns, it needed tires, but I was happy that I was that much closer to getting that silly dream of mine; it had the correct hood, the right spoiler on it and it just needs the correct rims and tale lights heck it was even all black.

Once I got it home my Dad looked at me and said “damn, guess you didn’t grow out of it” Then I ordered new inner and outer tie rods, ball joints, center link, shocks, idler arm, new tires, new bulbs, seats from a 4th gen, radiator, hoses, new belt, new water pump, fuel injectors, right side door and fender. Once that happened I met a guy who has a smog shop and told me his first car was a black 83 trans am, my car didn’t pass but then he did their trick and next thing I knew he told me, come to him from now on, he’ll keep my beast on the road; that was super cool of him. Most have said Im wasting my money, which I guess you, can say I am and I haven’t even started with my Knight Rider conversion yet but I am THE only guy I have seen running around with on of these cars in my area. I cant tell you how many people ask me “Is that the knight rider car?” Not even really knowing what it is. Its hard to say how many hours I put into this car and how much time Ive spent with it, now I look forward to finally converting it into a knight rider replica and getting it painted.

I guess there are a number of reasons why I love these cars and why I love to drive mine, I **** off all my import friends! Haha that’s always fun; kids normally yell at me “Hey mister, that’s a cool car” but personally, it just takes me back to a time when life wasn’t hard, back when baseball and skateboards were the extreme and friends were around you all the time, family was all around me and the world didn’t seem like such a dark place, the days when a guy in a cheesy 80’s tv show drove a hot car doing good things for people, makes me think that “one man can make a difference” These cars just put a smile on my face and driving it makes me feel good. Sure they aren’t new or luxury, stock they aren’t the fastest things in the world, they make noises, most have a hard time passing smog and most of them require a lot of tlc these days but its mine, I dont have to make 500 dollar car payments, my insurance is a bit cheaper, it has a connection to my childhood and I can still spank some ricers (that’s a cheep shot to my friends lol) And in my area of Perris CA I dont see these cars often, if not at all. Can't wait until I start my knight rider conversion, then I will really turn some heads!

I could go on all day but if you have read this whole thing, I thank you and please do share your 3rd gen story. Im curious to see what everyone has to say

Cheers everyone! I look forward to seeing the replies and thanks again for ready my essay

Ricscamaro

Interesting story. So now I have competition huh, lol. I have an 89 camaro I am slowly turning into my own version of KITT. You can normally see me driving every day. You know it's me because I have "knight rider" lettering on the driver side of the car. Sounds like a cool project. Keep it up!

iceblast

iTrader: (1)

thats cool man almost sounds like my child hood, thats what got me into these cars have always wanted my own kitt from knight rider.. im 33 yrs old this march and i never could miss a episode of night rider... and then i seen somkey and the bandit and booom i was all firebird frome there on my 3rd gen is a 91 firebird bandit 2. and i love it.. all the f-body cars are sweet looking rides but to me the 3rd gen bodys are the best looking cars to ever be put on a road...

erik69&85

iTrader: (1)

Ok, so I am little older....but I came of age in the 1980's (born 1974) and KITT was the coolest car. I actually saw one of the KITT cars in a museum in the Chicago area a few years ago.... Got a pic somewhere.

I don't remember the second gen cars on dealer lots but I do remember the third gens... To me and my friends, IROCs were the coolest, most awesome cars around. Given when we were born, we thought 200hp was a truly awesome number! Given our parents drove Cavaliers, Citations, Chevettes, Dodge Omnis, Grand Ams, etc.....practical people.

Of the 5 gens of Camaros, I LOVE the first gens, like the 2nd gens, LOVE the third gens, don't get excited about the fourth gens, and admire the fifth gens. My parents offered my their base model 2002 convertible a few years ago but after having driven the car numerous times, it just didn't excite me.

Why do I drive a couple of third gens? Because I love the way the steering wheel drops in your lap. The cockpit feels like a sports car should. My third gens are the best handling cars to my taste. And I still get excited looking at them. Its a totally different type of excitement that pulling off the cover on my 69 Camaro. I love looking out over that long hood, rowing the gears on the 5 speed(s), and checking gages on that dash..... They are built like a sports car should be, long hood, short deck. They can be had on the cheap, repair can be a pain, but i can be done.....and the satisfaction is mine

Dartht33bagger

When I was little my grandpa used to watch Smokey and the Bandit with me. I always loved the Trans Am in that movie and I still think it is a badass car. I'll probably never own one, but they sure are nice.

To be honest, I was never really into cars. Elementary-middle school I always said that the Lamborghini Countach was my favorite car because I had seen it in The Cannonball Run movie and thought it was cool. Since I wasn't too into cars, I went with that because it was what I had seen.

What really fueled my love for Camaros was the Camaros my family owned. My parents had a 1980 Camaro that we had until 2003 or 2004. My mom ordered it new from the factory in 1980 with a V6. By time it left, it had a 350 V8 in it. It was a real beater though because my parents let it go downhill for some reason. It was my dads daily driver for as long as I can remember. It had no carpet, no radio, the leather seats were gone and foam was all you sat on, the interior was falling apart and it had terrible paint. I wanted the car but my parents said it was too far gone and donated it to the salvation army I think.

My grandparents had a 1978 Camaro that was in pristine condition. 305 V8 with an auto trans. They kept it in perfect condition but sold it in 2004 when they bought a new Chrysler. I grew up driving around in both of these late second gens, so they mean a lot to me.

Then what fueled my love for third gens was my Uncle. I had always seen Third gens driving around when I was a kid and I thought they were cool. At the time I didn't know that cars with the same name could have different styles (I wasn't aware of generations). I had always liked the third gen look, but I could never tell what year they were. Then late in 8th grade (2007) I went to my Uncles house and went behind his barn. Behind it he a 1982 Z28 Camaro that he had ordered new from the factory. It had every option available and was really nice back in the day. However, in 1982, after owning the car for 3 months, he got two DUI's in one night and lost his license for 10 years. Over the course of that amount of time, the block cracked and the car deteriorated. Up until 2006, it used to sit in his barn, but he moved it outside during 2007.

So in 2009 when I went to go buy my first car, I wanted to get my uncles 82 Camaro. Well we went and looked at it in depth and it was a wreck. It needed some body work, paint, all new interior, new motor, new differential. Pretty much everything was shot. So we gave up on that and started looking online. In Novemeber 2009 I found my car on autotrader and on December 26th 2009 we drove to Washington and bought it. The rest is history from there.

On a side note, my uncle has since sold his car to a guy that was going to restore it.

SweetRevelation

Well I wanted an older car that has a sort of pizaz to it when you're driving down the street, like a weekend/weeknight car as opposed to just driving around my HD truck all the time...

I turned to third gens because they are the best bang for your buck.
They have that 80s iconic look.
Mild power, great handling, SBC reliability, parts are easily obtainable, newer tech.
The whole package just does it for me, right down to that vintage GM sound system.

Everybody else loves it.
bums love it, this one elderly asian guy loved it, random 30 or 40 year old guys, neighbours, old guys with those 80s porno moustaches, guys who used to have Trans Ams, kids/guys with C6 vettes are always breaking their necks when I drive by... I get a real kick out of it to be honest.

I sure as hell don't need this car, I'm more of a homebody y'know...
Yeah, I enjoy driving it and taking care of it but the actual number one reason I drive it is just to keep it going.
I own a great example of a low mileage GTA and it would be a shame to just let it fade away...

SR71BLKBRD

iTrader: (1)

Great Stories! theres def something about these cars...once your Bit you just cant shake it! after Smokey and the Bandit Everything just went down hill!

First Car: 84 Z28. parents said they were going to the store came back with a 84 Z28 5speed 305 H.O. with ttops...

17th birthday had my birthday at the local park so the football team could have a fun little game. I get sent on a wild goose chase through the woods/hills to find a keychain in a tree my dad had hid...walking down the hills towards the party I was pissed cause I thought they were messing with me. as im walking down I saw a BEAUTIFUL 92 Firebird. I remember saying to my buddy with me.."Damn that thing is SICK!" The car I had been talking to someone on CL about for months! they went behind my back and told him to keep me out of the loop. took me about 5 minutes a bunch of laughter and pointing and a couple people calling me a dumb a** to realize it was mine....

Had a 77 Formula too...

Also Recently acquired a 91 GTA and currently drive that daily. I work at a local Auto Shop and out of everything ive driven Very few things float my boat like a Thirdgen...I mean the 2011 CTS-V was pretty amazing but everything else just falls short for some reason. the way they just grip the road, and eats any corner I throw at it...you just cant beat it!!!!

libolt

Like others in this thread i got interested in Trans Ams and thirdgens thanks to KnightRider/KITT. I grew up watching the show in the 80s, mostly reruns on a local station. Ever since then I wanted my own KITT. Also my mom briefly had an 86 IROC she bought new. Actually she had 2 86 IROCs the first had an overheating issue so she swapped it for a working one. Then my sister borrowed it one day and ended up rear ending a guy, messing up the front end.

Now my mom looks forward to the times i bring my '91 TA by her place. Hopefully I will be able to start doing that again soon once I replace the injectors.

greggie82

iTrader: (1)

Here is Mine and IceBlast's 3rd Gen's that we will be bringing to TGF12 !!!!!!!

TreeFiddy

I too am an 80's kid and came of age with KR (thanks American tv!), like many of the posters here it was my inspiration to get one. They're pretty rare over here, looked around in the mid 90's when I was finally making money, and they were still 20 grand plus for the worst ones - all low volume imports of course, usually RHD converts (naturalised Aussies).

I found mine in '02 for $8000, cheapest (barely) running one I could find, after searching for a year. A complete basket case mechanically, but no rust, no dents, and a couple month rego left - rego running out on something like this over here is pretty much a death sentence.

Discovered very quickly that the romance of the TV show and the actuality of working with a car so f'd up by po's were two very different things!

So why do I drive it? After ten years work it runs great (well when she wants to...), looks great, and from what I've seen is now pretty much the only game in town. Used to see maybe 2-3 a year around, but not for several years now. Gets attention all the time, so I get a real kick out of that. Plus it's real fun to drive, pulls hard and a great corner carver. Still my car of choice to drive.

One thing tho - looking back at Knight Rider re-runs now - jeez that show was cheeezy, now I'm long past being a kid any more!

spoazzy1

I came into my car purely by chance. I have always loved any older car with muscle. I used to drive an 86 Caprice, and although I loved how it rode, quickly got sick of every slim shady wanna be asking me if I wanted to sell my car so that they could jack it up on 24's and chrome it out. We ended up finally selling it and I figured I would get something that was newer and more reliable...should have re-thought that idea through...and we ended up with a ford focus sedan. That thing ended up with more problems than I could ever imagine. After driving it around for almost four years I was more than happy that it finally was going to cost more than it was worth to be fixed.

My little sister had lucked into an awesome first car, it was an 89 Firebird 305 tbi, and she was only the third owner. The second owner was the son of the original owner so we know the history of the car from the lot! She could not afford to keep it up and decided she needed something more reliable and bought herself a totyota camry and put the firebird up for sale. After the debaucle with the focus I decided to throw a figure at her and she said that I could have it. So far the most major things to be done to it were the brakes and new tires. She had 75's that she got used for $100 and they made it ride horrible. I got the stock 65's put on it and it glides smooth! We just got our tax refund and the rest of the money is going to go into all tune-up and maintenance work. For a 22 year old car, it runs really good. My sister already had the exhaust redone with a 3" stainless catback system and hollowed out cat, so this baby growls, but is overdue now for all the works. I never thought that I would be one driving a firebird around as a daily driver, but I love this car and even though my sister keeps telling me if I ever sell it, she wants to buy it back from me, I keep reminding her that its not going anywhere any time soon! I am not looking to gain massive amounts of horsepower, and do massive mods, but plan to replace the stock air cleaner, and install some other "bolt on" type mods. Then hopefully in the next year or so I can afford the body work and get it repainted.



Here is a quick peek at the interior, it needs updating, but for her age and non-tinted windows, I must say is in pretty good shape! (the driver's side has a seat cover on it).



It needs some paint and has some dings, most especially in the passenger front quarter where my sister dinged into a pole. It pushed the quarter panel over just enough where the headlight rubs, making it not want to open and close so currently I have them locked up. To me that is cosmetic, my priorities are under the hood right now .

I get quite a few looks around town and have had some compliments just in the shape she is currently in which amazes me, plus I think some of them are just because they are shocked to see a chick roll out the driver's side. Even my husband knows when we are going somewhere, I have to be driving!

These were the only pics I could snap real quick, leaving a 2 year old to her own devices longer than one minute could be catastrophic!

Starbug

I blame Knight Rider for my love of third gen Firebirds. I lusted after KITT for years. Now I finally have my very own, LOL. :-D I remember telling my dad that I wanted a car just like KITT when I grew up. I must have been around 8-10 years old when I said that.

keeslinger31

I blame seeing them all ragged out and thinking, you know that has alot of potential.