A Louisville man has given his grandfather a birthday present he’ll never forget. He restored his grandfather’s old ’57 Chevy to working condition.
For years, Fred Lamar cherished his ’57 Chevy. It was the car he had when he was raising his family. However, it hasn’t seen the road since 1976.
A little over a year ago, Lamar’s grandson, Cameron Dedman, had the idea of restoring the car to its former glory, and that’s exactly what he did.
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For the past year, Dedman has spent countless working on his grandfather’s ’57 Chevy, trying his best to make it look like it did when it was brand new more than 60 years ago. Dedman kept friends up to date on his work with updates on Facebook and Instagram. But he never told his grandfather what he was doing.
“I always said I’m going to pay him back one day and today’s that day. I spent every day I could working on it,” says Dedman. “My grandpa is my best friend.”
Finally, the car was ready, and Dedman arranged to give it to Lamar has a present on his 81st birthday. Family members who knew what was happening flew in from out of town to see the unveiling of the restored car.
As you can imagine, Lamar was shocked in the most delightful of ways to see his old car look brand new again.
“Oh man it’s beautiful,” said Lamar, as he started to tear up. “I never think I’d see that car. Oh
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lordy, I love it.”
For Lamar, it was the gift of a lifetime. In an emotional moment in front of friends and family, he gave the car a kiss and vowed that he would even sleep in it.
“I saw his real reaction,” says Dedman. “I couldn’t help but tear up myself.”
With the ’57 Chevy restored to its former glory, Dedman and Lamar now say that they’ll spend the spring and summer taking it to car shows.