It's my pleasure to feature a 1967 Beaumont SD that many CP members are familiar with. Wayne and Carol Johnson are the lucky owners of this rare 396 equipped SD. It's nice to see this Beaumont is still in good hands and will continue to get the love it deserves. Wayne fills in the blanks:

I bought my first ’67 Beaumont in 1978 with summer wages at 14.  I spent the next couple of years rebuilding the car.  My Dad an auto mechanic by trade and Collision repair shop owner did most of the work, but with him as mentor I learned automotive and auto body skills.  This included replacing metal in rear quarters, color change from a gold, to a  ’70 Chevelle Silver w/black roof.  Replaced the tired 283 with 350 sb and 2 speed with TH350.  Unfortunately in winter 1980-81 car was totaled.  Always missed that Silver Custom with Black Hard Top.  

Jump ahead 32 years later.  I begin looking in earnest for another Beaumont, but not just any, I was only interested in a ’67 Hard top.  Just poking around on the internet at first, I began to see why I had had so few opportunities to acquire one over the years, just not that many on offer.  Looked at a couple of adds on Kijiji but nothing seemed to enthuse me.  Didn’t want someone’s retired drag car or highly modified restoration.  By the next summer I was beginning to lurk around sites like C.P. and others. 

I began to contact some of the sellers and owners to get more information.  Made inquiries to dealers in British Columbia and sent an email to some guys on car sites.  One response I got back was from a fellow in Kentucky (C.P’s “Jerhra”) and he mentioned that he had not been considering selling, but for a price - (that was out of my budget) - he might let his Deep Water SD go. 

Another winter goes by and as the weather warms and I begin looking for cars again.  I see that the car in Kentucky is now in Pennsylvania and for sale.  I contact the seller and after some negotiation, and an appraisal, purchase, and shipping that seemed to take forever, on Aug 6, my car arrived in Edmonton and I took possession.   Altogether, it took two months after I seen that the car was for sale to get it, the seller Gary was very patient and super nice guy.  Timing was great though as it turns out, at the time we were spending some vacation days with my father and his wife just East of Edmonton and the bunch of us got to see the car come off the trailer.  Two days later Dad and I trailered the car to its new home.

I plan on leaving car original or at least looking that way.   I have done some repairs to car so it would pass the Out of Province Inspection – front brake hoses, washer pump, new T3 high beam, and backup light bulb.

We do plan to drive the car some; we have put about 400 miles on it since we have got it.  According to the Multi-State Vehicle History Report that I purchased this car may only have been driven ~600 miles since the fall of 2001, it the records are correct.  That might explain some oil leaks and things.

Others recent upgrades  include New Carburetor and  I have gone to pointless ignition, new suspension center link and front end alignment.   Radial tires and 17” wheels, to give the F70-14 Bias ply’s a break now and then.  The plan is to keep the Red Stripes at the ready as we like that look, especially my Dad. 

Future plans include:

- new exhaust – header pipes are rotten. 

- major overhaul to the date correct carburetor.

- shocks

- fix some oil leaks.

- “Out of Sight” stereo or something invisible.

- get AM radio working if possible

 Wayne