OK guys, so that was exactly one of the reasons for NOT choosing the Torq Thrust II's for the Beaumont. When the time to choose came, the "obvious" decission in the musclecar community (maybe even at a worldwide level), were the Torq Thrust. The "Magnum" style wheels seemed a little more defying option but also some outside-the-box thinking. I was reluctant at first, thought it over a few nights, but as soon as I layed eyes on rim-and-tire I was immediately astonished by the appearance and was eager to see the wheels on the car already.
So, "How does it look?" right? The wheel alone already is quite something. The tires are 255/40 R17:
The tires might as well have been an inch taller but as for now I'll try out this setup and also I'm still not sure what differential gear ratio the rear axle has right now. Would sure be interesting to find it out at some point.
Next business in order was to see how this combo would look like on the side of the car:
You'll tell by my face I really liked the appearance, even though the height of the car will still have to be adjusted. At this point the radiator and all the cars fluids were still not in there, the driveshaft and the gas tank were also not on the car along with the front and rear windshields as well as the trunk lid, front grille, front and rear bumpers, interiors, carpets, bla bla bla... so most probably there were at least somewhere around 150 kilos (aprox. 300 lbs) still missing in the car.
Me and the paintshop guys agreed that the rear wheel had to be tucked in at least a couple of inches more to give it the right look, at least in the rear, so a couple of fatty's hopped inside the trunk adding around 400 pounds to the suspension. I expect the car to look just like this as soon as it is ready painted and assembled:
Hope you guys are not disappointed with the wheel decission and I'm really looking forward to all sorts of comments.
It's going to look great! And it doesn't matter if any of us are disappointed, it's your car and you get to make it look the way you want! I enjoy seeing your updates.
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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
Hey Claudio. It is so good to see pictures of your project. I'm obviously curious if you have received your parts from your buddy in Florida. Looks like you are off to a great start and I like your choice of wheels. I have a similar style of wheel on a little project truck I'm working on.
'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.
Ok guys sentence has taken more than expected and also got more expensive on the go. Im already starting to move to the US so things are definitely turning upside down in the personal aspect of things. I expect to be able to pull the car over to the US to keep enjoying it and hopefully be able to drive it too. Ill be posting some pictures of what news there have been.
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Claudio
Trying to make some history with a '65 Acadian Beaumont SD south of the Equator line...
After the last update there's been quite good stuff happening. First, the rear quarters had to be completely redone due to that the centerline was off and not defined. So... we assesed importing new rear quarter skins but due to the pandemic shortage, none were available in the US nor anywhere else so no chance with that. The guys at the body shop had to cut them out, get them redone by hand and reweld them to the body. During that process, they found that the rear pillar reinforcement had become loose over the years so that was repaired also.
In the meantime I got an upholsterer to start working on the buckets, rear bench, door panels, etc..
I think this will be one of the last posts I'll write from Chile. I'm moving for Tennessee in April and I plan to export the car to the US somewhere in June or July this year. Fortunately, the body shop guy got to paint it and assemble most of the exterior moldings along with the front and rear windshield, bumpers, lay out the carpet, install the steering column and the upholsterer installed the headliner, door panels, etc.
Due to that the seats are ready but the car will be exported to the US as a "in-restoration-process" the interior will not be assembled and it'll leave some work for me as soon as I get the car in Tennessee.
