The Starter Car
Every Knight Rider car project starts somewhere. Our conversion project began with a 1984 Pontiac Trans Am with 65,000 original miles. The car was purchased in the Spring of 2018.
Originally, the car was brown with a 90 horsepower 2.5L 4-cylinder engine (nicknamed the “Iron Duke”) and a five-speed manual transmission.
The first owner passed away, and his widow left the car in the garage for two decades.
The second owner painted the car black and silver and dropped in an 8-cylinder 350 small block engine.
First Phase: Front and rear (2018)
Original front end
The first part of the conversion consisted of removing the stock front bumper and ground effects. The bumper was made by Jacob Knight (California).
Converted front end
Steal bracketing holds the custom fog lights in place, and the outside orange lights function as turn signals. Significant modifications had to be made to the front end and the popup headlights for this setup.
Original rear end
In the TV show, KITT had a custom rear end taillight blackout. We removed the stock taillight assembly and built a custom aluminum frame for a piece of transparent fiberglass.
Modified rear end
The brake and reverse lights of the car shine through the blackout.
Phase two: Wheels and hubcaps (2024)
For several years, no additional work was done to the car. However, in 2024, we decided to finish the conversion project.
The next phase required tracking down the turbine wheels and bowling ball hubcaps that KITT had in the show.
The original bowling ball hubcaps are also very difficult to find. I found a set of authentic hubcaps in St. Augustine, FL, but they were in very bad shape.
The wheels are a necessary step toward the iconic look from the show.
Phase three: Interior (Early 2025)
The next large task was to restore the entire interior, including insulation, carpet, seats, upholstery, seatbelts, headliner, and interior plastic. The first step was to tear it all out.
Original interior
The original interior had grey seats and interior plastic, with a dark green carpet. All of this had to be removed.
Gutted interior
We stripped the interior down to the floor pans and laid all new insulation.
PMD seats acquired
In the TV show, KITT had PMD (Pontiac Motor Division) seats that are key to the look of the interior. A mismatched set was acquired.
Seats reupholstered
We reupholstered the PMD seats and the rear seats ourselves for a fresh clean look.
All the interior plastic was painted a new color using a seven-step process for maximum durability.
The old grey seatbelts were removed and replaced with brand new tan seat belt webbing.
New insulation was laid down and brand new carpet was installed.
The interior turned out beautiful.
Phase FOUR: Dash and electronics (Late 2025)
The biggest job in any Knight Rider build is the interior electronics. The dashboard, upper and lower consoles, gullwing steering wheel, and any other electrical components require extensive planning and preparation to wire them safely and correctly.
Dash electronics
Upper console
Fiberglass dashboard
The fiberglass dashboard, consoles, and gullwing steering wheel were all made by Ricardo Vera (KITT’s Customs).
Modifying original dashboard and wiring
The final interior build speaks for itself. At the end of the build, the whole car also received a new paint job.
