It Looks Like a Chevelle, But What’s Up With That Grille?

“It looks like a Chevelle, but what’s up with that grille? Why does this Chevelle have a Pontiac dash in it? Where did you get the special side trim?” These are questions often heard by muscle car enthusiast Nick Hedgecoth, shortly after pulling his ’64 Acadian Beaumont into position at a car show or cruise-in. This mixture of components puzzles many enthusiasts, but it makes for a great-looking car that will always get attention because of its unique styling.

A Unique Evolution in Canadian Muscle Cars

Since the Pontiac Tempest was not available in Canada, Pontiac dealerships needed a vehicle to fill the “compact car” void. The original plan was to use the Chevy Corvair platform, but with the introduction of the Nova in 1962, plans quickly changed and the Acadian Beaumont was born—as a modified Chevy Nova.
Just two years later, Acadian switched from the Nova to the midsize Chevelle platform, which sent it directly into the muscle car market. Obviously, these cars didn’t receive the fame of early Chevy or Pontiac muscle cars, but they did hold their own against them in terms of performance, since it was basically the same car, available with the same engines as the U.S. Chevelles. The Acadian Beaumont models were a blast to drive, and on top of that, they had a certain look all their own.

A Powerful Upgrade for a Rare Ride

The example here is a nicely restored Beaumont hardtop, and although it no longer calls upon the original engine for motivation, its owner gave it a nice upgrade in the power department. In 1964, Chevrolet was still in the development stages of its new big-block engine, but it would be the next year before this powerful engine would hit the streets in a production car. Hedgecoth knew this from the start, but he wanted a big block under the hood of his ’64 Acadian Beaumont. Starting with a tried-and-true 454 block, Roberts and Sons of Chattanooga, Tennessee, bored the cylinders 0.030 inch over and assembled the bottom end for Hedgecoth.
A host of new components found a home in Hedgecoth’s engine, including a Comp Cams 280 hydraulic camshaft, which makes this big block play an even meaner tune through the ’70 Chevelle manifolds and exhaust.

Details Make the Difference

Topping the block is a pair of ’66 square-port cylinder heads, equipped with stainless steel valves and a dependable valvetrain that rarely needs maintenance. An original tri-power setup from a 427/435hp engine rests atop the healthy big block and sends a steady supply of fuel, thanks to the three Holley carburetors. Details are always important, and Hedgecoth’s Beaumont is immaculately finished with a nice blend of Chevrolet Orange, chassis black and cast aluminum.
Behind the nicely equipped big block is a 700R-4 transmission to keep the rpm low at highway speeds and help with fuel mileage, since the good stuff isn’t cheap. An aluminum driveshaft sends power to the ’66-model 12-bolt rearend, which has been narrowed 3 inches to fit. Inside the narrowed housing is a 3.31 gearset, a Positraction differential and a pair of Moser axles.

The Perfect Stance and Handling

Rolling stock for Hedgecoth’s Beaumont consists of American Racing Torq-Thrust wheels, measuring 15×7 inches on the front and 15×8-1/2 inches out back. The vintage-style rollers look great with the cast center and polished lip and fit nicely in the wheel wells, thanks to a pair of 2-inch-dropped spindles up front. To keep it level in the corners, Hedgecoth bolted on a rear sway bar and a larger 1-1/8-inch sway bar up front, and installed a pair of late-model disc brakes for increased stopping power. Hedgecoth performed most of the chassis work himself, and he also handled the bodywork and paint on this rare Canadian muscle car.

Meticulous Body and Paint Restoration

Obviously, the Acadian trim is extremely rare and hard to obtain, so Hedgecoth restored most of the Beaumont-specific trim instead of replacing it. After hours of bodywork to straighten and align the panels, Hedgecoth applied the DuPont ChromaBase materials, consisting of Goldwood Yellow and several coats of ChromaClear to allow for color sanding. Ultra-fine sandpaper was used to remove any orange peel or trash in the fresh clearcoat, and a great deal of time was spent bringing the shine back with a buffer and a variety of compounds.

Classic Interior Finishes

Inside, Hedgecoth spared no expense to restore his car to its original condition and called upon PUI for a full interior restoration kit. New seat covers, door panels and carpet are in place, and Hedgecoth chose the Pontiac pattern on the seats and door panels, as that was standard Acadian Beaumont equipment. Bucket seats and a console remind us a Beaumont is equal to many other muscle cars in terms of styling and performance, and an original-style shifter is in place for the classic look.

Built to Impress and Drive

After lots of work, money and time, Hedgecoth rolled his ’64 Acadian Beaumont out of the garage in the condition you see here. It’s polished to perfection and nicely detailed, but most important, the car received a much-needed update in power and handling. And although a ’64 Acadian was never originally equipped with a 454ci big-block engine or overdrive transmission, who cares? The car runs great, drives well and stops as it should.
Hedgecoth likes to get some use out of his muscle car, so he equipped it to fit his tastes and needs perfectly. Any way you look at it, he’s accomplished that and more—this Beaumont is unique, and Hedgecoth will be busy answering questions about the car for as long as he owns it.