Hi Guys some of you may have noticed that I have made an occasional reference to buying a 66 Beaumont about a month ago. For various reasons I wasn't able to go a get it until yesterday when we had a window of good weather and roads. Now that I have it finally stuffed in my garage I hope you guys can help me to figure out if it's truly a creampuff or just a tarted up old girl.
It is originally from Amhurst NS so may have been exposed to more weathering than I usually see on a western car but the body seems very sound under a fairly new and not show-winning paint job so I haven't really dug into what's under there. The door seals and door openings seem pretty tight, the dash is not cracked, everything I tried seems to work including the power windows. The interior is really pristine except for a slight tear on the drivers seat and some cracks in the rear door pillar covers.
The odometer reads 3800 miles and doesn't show a miss-alignment so I really wonder if it is gone over once as it doesn't look generally worn enough to be a 100000 miler.
The wheel and the brake pedal have been covered so again a bit of a head scratcher there in terms of assessing wear.
The back bumper doesn't seem to fit well at all and makes me wonder if it's correct.
The 283 is clean and seems very original but has the look of an engine with a fair number of miles on it. Certainly more than 3800.
Runs very nicely with dual exhaust and has the classic power glide whine. I really haven't been able to drive driven it much at all as the roads have been crap so I cant assess how tight it is generally.
Still I really like what I see so far as it is my plan to use this little sweetie as a daily driver in the summers so if it isn't a show car that suits me just fine as long as it is a good runner.
X2! That is a really cool and unique Beaumont. Check out the factory 2-tone. Like I said before, GM Canada seemingly would do almost any 2-tone. Power Windows! Back in '66 I never would have ordered them (theoretically, I was only 4 years old) but today they are a big plus. That is if you have something beyond the standard 37 amp Delcotron.
I saved pictures from when that car was for sale in 2013 when it was wearing a set of 1962 Impala SS wheel covers, plus 1 pic from 2016 when it was shown wearing Magnum 500s.
I would truly say that car is 1-of-a-kind. Canadian cars generally were not as loaded up as typical American cars.
Interesting how the roof line actually cuts into the opening for the rear door when the door is open. The roof actually restricts the access slightly. I've never noticed that on these cars (as if I've ever seen many 4 door hardtops like this....)
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1966 Strato Chief 2 door, 427 4 speed, 45,000 original miles
1966 Grande Parisienne, 396 1 of 23 factory air cars
'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.
do you have the Canadian DOCs for the car and what shape are the back up lights in?
Thanks guys, makes me feel like maybe I did a good thing buying it! I had the numbers run by Vintage Vehicle Services and it did come with all the stuff it still has. I will post the letter once I find it.
I'd like to find out more about it in terms of its history so if anybody here has a link to its past I 'l like to find out. The guy I bought if from bought it in 2013 but before that don't know much
I just kind of imagine that it was mostly sitting in some eccentric old guys garage in Amherst. Funny that it is now doing the same in Northern Alberta, heh heh.
Good for you Ken and a warm welcome. We finally have someone in our club who has a sense of humour! Parted out a similar 66 Custom 4 door hardtop 4-5 years ago. Still a few small things kicking around like a wiper motor and such. Enjoy.
Seem like a very well set up car as a really nice cruiser. I was kind of thinking of changing the 283 2 barrel to an L77 220 horse 283 4 barrel configuration (not available in Canada as I understand it) for a but more oomph but we'll see.
Anyway here is a pic of the VVS letter. Seems to still have all that stuff except for the wheel covers.
Love it! You picked up a real gem there! I don't recall seeing too many of those back in the day, and can't remember the last time I saw a 4 dr ht '66 in person. The 708 produced explains why.
Congrats! I'm sure you will have many satisfying miles of driving in that beauty.
......love the 283..
