I think Wes Wright (66 Beau) was a member for all of 5 minutes when I sent him a PM asking if I could feature his immaculate 66 Beaumont SD. In my opinion it has "The Look" - the right colour both inside and out and those wheels are the perfect finishing touch. Here's more about this Beaumont from Wes:
I searched off and on for about 8 years for a nice 1966 or 1967 Chevelle or Beaumont. I can handle mechanical problems OK, but I have zero body experience so my objective was to find something with a good body and frame. I looked at a lot of junk. Bubbling bondo over rust, fiberglass over rust, bondo an inch thick over major crunches, rusty frames, floorboards and trunk pans, cut up dashes and firewalls. Then one day in 2000, I saw a little print ad in the paper for a 1966 Beaumont, excellent condition, must see.... Arent they all in excellent condition before you actually look at them? I was headed into the city anyway, so I gave him a call and arranged to see it. I was surprised. I couldnt find any signs of rust, original interior, an SD to boot and it was priced within my budget. Wow! A few minutes later and a deal was struck.
When I got it home, I did an inventory and made up a list. The carpet was faded and had shrunk a little, pulling away from the edges so a new carpet, some weatherstripping and a few odds and ends were ordered up.
After that, I started looking at the drive train. The 283, 2 bbl and a powerglide all ran perfectly but they sure didnt have that muscle car feel. I also worried about ever hurting the original drivetrain. So I started planning a swap. The original skinny tires didnt really match the picture in my mind either.
I decided on a 350 HO Deluxe from GM Performance Products. Comes complete with 330 HP, carb, HEI distributor, water pump, chrome valve covers and air cleaner even comes with plugs, plug wires and a GM warranty. Behind that, a 4 speed overdrive auto should satisfy that feeling of anticipation you get driving a powerglide in this day of overdrive. You know what I mean, you get up to speed then hang there waiting for at least one more shift thatll take the engine back down to near idle.
I swapped it all out with the help of my 8 year old daughter, put the original drivetrain to bed under my workbench and have been having fun ever since.
It gets out for the odd drive around town, show n shine and sunny Sunday cruise. Winters its on blocks where I can start it and let everything turn over for awhile on one of our rare warmer days. I did do a few summer vacations with the whole family in it, but that got vetoed after we got a minivan with air conditioning. The car is still not finished likely wont ever be finished until someone else gets it which is years away. The single master cylinder has always bothered me, and while Im at it a set of disc brakes would be good, maybe with lowering spindles. The peg-leg rear gets old, especially with directional tires that make it difficult to swap left to right so they both wear out - a posi would be nice. There are a couple little dings that didnt crack the paint but they detract from the appearance. Maybe a hidden stereo because AM stations seem to be getting scarce and the original speaker really is getting insufferable.
I have a spare tail light, but there are a bunch of other pieces that would be good to have just in case. Sometimes I wish Id found just a regular Chevelle. Sure be easier to find parts and I wouldnt feel so guilty every time I make a change to the car. But all the changes are reversible, and I would have missed out on all the Is a Beaumont a Pontiac? and What in the world is that car anyway? type discussions. Having a little piece of Canadian history right there in my garage is kind of nice bonus too.
The build sheet under the seat says the car originally came with: 73617 = model number for a Beaumont Custom V8 two door sport coupe M = lower/upper body exterior paint colour Aztec Bronze 393 = interior trim code for ivory vinyl A02 = tinted windshield A51 = Sports Option package or front bucket seats F40 = HD front & rear suspension J50 = power brakes K05 = block heater M35 = powerglide two speed automatic transmission N40 = power steering PO1 = full wheel covers P58 = 7.35-14-4 ply white wall tires U63 = AM push-button radio
It was built on the afternoon shift on June 9, 1966. So its one of the later SDs to come off the line. Another few weeks and itll be the cars 44th birthday! A little over a week after my 50th. Sometimes I think the car has aged better than me!
-- Edited by Carl Stevenson on Friday 25th of January 2013 11:58:48 PM
I think I'll be revisiting this thread every for the next month. Beautiful car, and a great story. Nice to see that it ended up in such good hands! (I'm curious if your daughter become as attached to your car as our 7 and 9 year olds have to ours?)
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"So when you spot violence, or bigotry, or intolerance or fear or just garden-variety hatred or ignorance, just look it in the eye and think... The good outnumber you, and we always will." Patton Oswalt
Beautiful car Wes! By the pictures, it already looks finished to me!
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Prince Edward Island
'64 Parisienne CS "barn find" - last on the road in '86 ... Owner Protection Plan booklet, original paint, original near-mint aqua interior, original aqua GM floor mats, original 283, factory posi, and original rust.
Thanks for your kind comments everyone! I feel honored to have it featured. It took me a long time to find "the" car but I think it was worth the wait.
03cts sport wrote:
I think I'll be revisiting this thread every for the next month. Beautiful car, and a great story. Nice to see that it ended up in such good hands! (I'm curious if your daughter become as attached to your car as our 7 and 9 year olds have to ours?)
The photo is a few years old and my daughter is now driving , so there seems to be a renewed interest in the car!
Beautifull car, and nice story! 
, so there seems to be a renewed interest in the car! 