Travel Stories Gas Logs 1967 PONTIAC Beaumont Custom 283 2 bbl MPG= 11.5 City / 17.2 Hwy/ 12.5 MPG Overall average
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| 1967 PONTIAC Beaumont Custom 283 2 bbl MPG= 11.5 City / 17.2 Hwy/ 12.5 MPG Overall average |
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Written by Double Dragon
Sunday, 26 December 2010 18:49
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1967 PONTIAC Beaumont Custom 283 2 bbl MPG= 11.5 City / 17.2 Hwy/ 12.5 MPG Overall average Story and photographs copyright D. S. Brown, except for brochure images copyright GM Canada. Prior to 1970 import tariffs limited Canadian Pontiac dealers in their selection of imports. It was worthwhile to import the top US models like the GTO or Grand Prix, where price-point wasn't the crucial issue. However, it didn't make sense to import low and midrange Pontiac models like the Tempest. The tariffs inflated the economical price of the Tempest to the level where the buyer may as well have moved up to a higher model. In order to maintain good prices on low end Pontiac models, Canadian Pontiacs were built in the Canadian GM plant in Oshawa, Ontario using Chevrolet mechanicals and body. The 1967 Pontiac Beaumont is very similar to the USA Chevelle, but uses some unique body parts that don't exchange with either Chevelle or Tempest. The interior has some unique Canadian features combined with a USA Tempest steering wheel and dash. A GM service bulletin from 1968 emphasized to dealers that tourists visiting the USA in Canadian built Pontiacs were to have their Protecto Plate warranties honored at Pontiac dealerships throughout the USA. Any Chevrolet parts used were to be outsourced and billed back to GM. This bulletin was in response to feedback that USA Pontiac dealers were sending Canadian Pontiacs to Chevrolet dealers. GM evidentially wanted to retain the Pontiac identity for these Canadian cars. The Beaumont Custom model has extra trim and chrome as compared to the base model Beaumont. Below are two pages from the 1967 Pontiac Beaumont brochure which feature the Custom convertible as well as the Custom four door.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- MPG of the Beaumont when the car was released. 13 MPG City/ 18 MPG Hwy appx. The OOCC Beaumont is a Custom model which includes extra chrome, higher end trim and a rally clock. The Beaumont wasn't available in USA where the majority of road test magazines were published, so there isn't any data. We will look at road tests of Chevrolets. MOTOR TREND Feb 1966 ran 283 and 396 Chevelles side by side. The MT 283 2 barrel 195 HP Powerglide 3.08 axle car has the identical drive train to the OOCC Beaumont, but more weight. The MT Chevelle Malibu is equipped with A/C, power brakes and steering, radio, clock and bucket seats. Weighing 3,540 curb pounds it took 14 seconds to hit 60 MPH (the 3,800 curb 396 did it in 7.9). Around town MPG was 'Just less than 15 MPG' and the overall range was "13-18 MPG". (396 was 10.4 to 14) MECHANIX ILLUSTRATED OCT 1966 tested a 1967 Chevelle. POPULAR SCIENCE 1967 tested a 1967 Chevelle with a 283 and recorded a 12 second flat 0 to 60 MPH time. They saw 16.4 MPG out of this car. The 283 2 barrel in a 1967 Chevrolet Impala returned 13.2 MPG city and 16.1 MPG Hwy according to owners reports filed in the May 1967 issue of POPULAR MECHANICS. The Chevelle/ Beaumont's smaller frontal area and several hundred less pounds accounts for the marginally better MPG the MT Chevelle and the PS Chevelle turned in comparison to the PM Impala. Interestingly, the 327 engine in the 1967 Impala posted the same MPG figures as the smaller 283. According to engineers, a small engine in a larger car uses as much or more gas than a larger engine in the same car because the smaller engine has to work harder. The main MPG factor is frontal area and weight, which also explains the 283 and 327 similarities. The 327 may use slightly more gas in a static scenario than a 283, but the weaker 283 working harder cancels this out. This also may explain how a tiny 283 Beaumont uses just as much gas as the 400 LeMans also profiled in these pages. The OOCC Beaumont produces MPG similar to other 'A' bodies with larger engines. The OOCC Beaumont runs strong but lacks the freight train torque of the LeMans 400, so it works harder than the LeMans. The 'A' bodies have similar frontal areas, shapes and weights which is crucial to determining the MPG. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 1967 PONTIAC BEAUMONT CUSTOM MECHANICALS AND CONDITIONS The OOCC Beaumont Custom was built on a Monday June 5, 1967 in Oshawa, Ontario and shipped out the next day June 6 to a Vancouver, BC dealership Carter Pontiac Buick Ltd. A couple of decades later the Beaumont was traded back into Carter. To read a story about this dealership see the listing in DEALERSHIPS on this website. The Beaumont was painted Nantucket Blue Metallic (code DD) with a black interior (759) cloth and vinyl bench seat. The option list is short: Powerglide 2 speed automatic transmission, hydraulic power steering, heavy duty suspension, window and door frame moldings, pushbutton AM radio and full wheel cover hubcaps. The car has manual drum brakes. The 283 2 barrel Econoflame engine is date coded May 31 1967, matching the factory serial number listed on the original GM factory records. It has never been rebuilt, but has a rebuilt 2 barrel carburetor. Mileage showing 20,000 has obviously turned over at least once, and should logically be 220-320,000 by now but owner transfers say otherwise. The first owner change occured Jan 15, 1974. Ten years later almost to the day, Jan 13, 1984 this person traded the car into the Carter Pontiac Buick location in Burnaby, BC. The car wasn't driven for 2 years when it sat on the lot, finally selling Dec 23, 1986 to a person who insured it for pleasure use. On June 21, 1988 the Beaumont was bought with an odometer reading of 74,610 miles by a woman who used it for school. The mileage theoretically should have really been 174,610 at this advanced stage in the car's life. The new owner averaged 3,500 miles per year and sold it with 88,000 miles to a collector on July 17, 1992. His Aircare records show 6,000 miles per year of use until he tapered off to 1,000 miles per year after 1995. The assertation of a mere 120,000 miles in 1999 is supported by one amazing testament to the low mileage: the presence of the original factory lower radiator hose. It's looking brittle but not leaking yet! The interior is very good without rips or sags in the driver's seat or wear in driver's door pulls and handles. The door jambs are perfect and the doors close like new. The paint is battle scarred from being parked outside all of it's life, but wheelwells, floors and trunk are all solid. The two speed Powerglide transmission is original as is the Chevy rear 3.08:1 axle. The car runs well, but suffers typical Chevy weak points, such as low compression in the rear cylinder on the passenger bank and some spark plug fouling. Upgraded non factory dual exhaust aids power and MPG. The car retains original master cylinder, radiator and starter. The starting motor is temperamental in summer when the engine is hot from highway driving. The alternator is new. A base Beaumont V8 weighs 3,260lbs. The radio adds 8 pounds, while Power steering adds 32 pounds. The Powerglide is 14 pounds more than manual shift. The total weight comes to 3,314lbs. There are no figures for factory heavy duty suspension which the car was equipped with or for the optional clock but they add some weight, too. The OOCC Beaumont Custom presently has 8 inch wide 14 inch steel 1970s Chevy mags and oversized 225R70x14 radial tires which add some weight to the car. It also gains weight through the addition of the dual exhaust and under dash stereo and rear package tray speakers, circa 1975. These items were installed back in the late 1970s when it was mandatory to add mags, dual exhaust and a stereo to your car. It's safe to say the car is still less than 3,400 lbs with these add-ons. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 1967 PONTIAC BEAUMONT CUSTOM 283 CITY MPG= 11.5 The OOCC Beaumont Custom had two different drivers in this early period. The female driver is erratic and usually drove on side streets, increasing the stop and go ratio per mile. Her city MPG numbers were down at 8 or just below 8 MPG. The male is a smooth driver who uses main through streets whenever possible consistently logging 10 to 12 MPG. The OOCC Beaumont was parked outside year round, used for short trips in cold weather normally carrying minimal items. The gas tank was kept at the full level. Adding both driver weights and dividing by two provides an average driver weight. Adding occasional items puts the payload at approximately 150 lbs sending curb weight up to about 3,500 pounds. MILES GAL OCT FILLUP? MPG (uncorrected reading) 21,310 16.2 92 Full Tank 16.3 MPG ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 1967 PONTIAC BEAUMONT CUSTOM 283 HWY MPG= 17.2 The OOCC Beaumont Custom was taken on several trips back to back with a brief stint of city driving sandwiched between them which are removed from the figures. The first 3,000 mile trip was made with a driver, passenger, and large supplies of food, water and luggage totaling 560 lbs. The trip was made in 70-100 degrees F dry weather with windows partially rolled down. Cruising speed was usually 70- 75 MPH on interstates and 60 to 65 MPH on secondary highways. Cruising speed occasionally ran as much as 90 MPH on isolated roads. There were brief jaunts on dirt and gravel roads. This trip netted exactly 17 MPG. It could have been a higher number, but the car registered 15 and 16 MPG for four fill-ups before a fouled plug was replaced. Mileage immediately jumped back up to 19 after the plug was changed. MILES GAL OCT FILLUP MPG The second trip began before the fill up at 42,901 but the MPG figure reflects prior city gridlock driving, so it's kept aside here as CITY mileage of 11.6 MPG. MILES GAL OCT FILLUP MPG The second trip taken in the car featured the driver with minimal luggage for a total payload of 220 pounds. A portion of the trip was made with two passengers plus plenty of luggage at 600 extra pounds for a total load of 820. This trip used Interstate and secondary roads at a steady 70 MPH in 50 to 70 degrees F dry weather. This portion of the trip averaged 17.6 MPG highway despite the additional weight. MILES GAL OCT FILLUP MPG The two entries below were purely city driving, and are removed from the overall total. Once again, the city mileage hovers at the usual point, around 12 MPG for an unladen car with passengers about a quarter of the time in warm weather. MILES GAL OCT FILLUP MPG Back on highways in an unladen car with just the driver, the lower HWY MPG of 17.2 is explained by a higher cruise speed of 75 to 80 MPH. MILES GAL OCT FILLUP MPG The various highway figures of 17, 17.6 and 17.2 average out to 17.2 MPG HWY Taking all the miles covered the OOCC Beaumont Custom used 1,083 gallons to drive 13,623 miles. This figure comes from taking the 11,409 miles of missing entries off from the 25,032 miles between the first entry and last entry. 12.5 MPG overall is the result.
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