Member: Jean Hemelspeck

Car: 1965 Beaumont Convertible

Our ’65 Beaumont Sport Deluxe Convertible

Jean Hemelspeck, Smithers, B.C.

46 years and still purring like a kitten just like Dad at his current place of rest, I am sure. He passed away Feb 2006 and it’s been an honour to care for this car as he would have.

From the day he acquired this car it was his primary mode of transportation for about 15 years. Dad was a prospector and I know this car travelled roads no one would imagine taking their “Classic” on today. Somewhere I have a photo of Dad, pick axe in hand, leaning against the car somewhere out in the wilds.

In the early 1980’s, after the car had sat idle for a few years, Dad gave it to me. I ended up with an old car that had 100,000 plus miles on it and was screaming for care and love. It took 3 quarts of oil to travel the 100 miles home.

My good friend, Ray Brown, was a mechanic and budding restorer so I turned the car over to him for 9 months and gave him the authority to “fix” the body. He stripped it down to bare bones, removed every scrap of rust, replacing them with galvanized metal that he shaped himself using the old pieces as templates. We put in a new gas tank, exhaust system etc., but I changed spark plugs and rebuilt the carburetor myself. Every decorative part and all the chrome was strewn over my lawn and cleaned with a tooth brush. Ray painted the Beaumont a bit lighter than the original colour but it looked great. I couldn’t afford to do anything about the motor then so sped along on well oiled and lubricated three quarter power for the next several years.

In the early 90’s when I came back to Smithers, B.C. and Dad moved in with me, he and I had the motor rebuilt and converted to accept unleaded gas; finally, 100% plus power. We repainted the car in the original body colour and refurbished anything Dad thought I’d missed. We were very lucky to know a local upholsterer, Randy Stade. He found an “exact” match for the seat fabric and did a beautiful job reupholstering the seats and replacing the carpets.

Dad passed away suddenly February 2006. I miss him.

In 2009 Randy Stade replaced the convertible top. Shortly afterward I lost one of the original hubcaps. It flew off into the bushes, Arghhhh. The junkyard supplied me with a few Chevy caps that fit but I kept losing the same cap over and over …. so I removed the original rims and replaced the caps with brand new baby moons that seemed to fit the style of this car. After all these years, Randy still had a small supply of the fabric he used for the seats. Isn’t that amazing?

Thanks to several members here I ended up with a circa 1965 replacement hubcap and clips so that Randy can make a new protective cover for the roof when down, a summer 2011 project I hope.

My beauty is as original as it gets. These are things that haven’t been updated:

• the mechanism that makes the roof go up and down. (46 years and still works like a charm.)
• wiring, I think. (Nothing was replaced unless it had to be.)
• upholstery on all door panels and surround. (Only the seats and carpet have been redone.)

Of course, after all these years, there is a slight bit of wear and tear, a few tiny nicks here and there. I can say, though, that for the past 28 years this car has been under cover and well protected, and loved.

She is always washed and polished before the two of us go out in public together. Now that I’m older I don’t mind the attention.

Jean.

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