Grandson removes blindfold from grandpa and watches him break down when his restored 1957 Chevy is revealed
Ever since he could remember, Cam Dedman has always had his grandfather, Fred Lamar, by his side.
“My grandpa is like my best friend,” Cam told FOX News. “He does everything with me. We’d go drag racing, watching racing all the time. That and he got me into cars when I was young.”
And it’s no secret that Fred has always shared the car that he loved with Cam: a 1957 Chevy Bel Air.
“That was their family car,” Cam shared. They got the Bel Air in 1958 as payment for Lamar building a transmission for a man who couldn’t afford to pay in cash. They drove it every day until 1976. Their kids, my mom, rode in it.”
As a gift to his grandfather, Cam wanted to restore the classic car to its former beauty.
“Since I’ve been a little kid I’ve always been real close with my grandpa, and he always had hoped to fix it up like he wanted,” Cam told TODAY. “I told myself one day I would be the one to do it.”
Finally, Cam asked Fred if he could take the Chevy off his hands for a while because he wanted to try and get it running again.
It would eventually take Cam more than a year to finish the job. Every day, Fred would ask Cam when they’d start working on the Chevy and he’d always say soon because he was still busy.
The truth is, Cam wanted to give it the works.
He wanted to outfit the car with air conditioning, mag wheels, custom-tufted seats, and a high-grade carpet.
“I figured if I was going to do it, I was going to do it right,” Cam said.
Plus, he had to move the car from house to house so he can continue to keep it a secret.
Cam knew he needed at least $20,000 for the restoration. He worked hard to save up for it, including selling one of his cars. But it was all worth it for his grandpa, his best friend.
And finally, the day of the reveal has arrived.
Cam purposely wanted to reveal the restored car on January 13, 2018, two days before Fred’s 81st birthday. It’ll really be the best surprise for his grandpa.
Cam’s family brought Fred to his home with a blindfold over his eyes.
They guided him out of the car and let Fred take his blindfold off. It’s a good thing Cam was behind him because Fred’s knees buckled at the sight of the restored Chevy Bel-Air.
Fred could not believe what was in front of him!
“I didn’t have any idea that that car was anywhere close to being like that,” Fred told TODAY. “I just thought he was not even working on it because he was running out of money.”
Cam said his grandpa deserved it. He had always put his family first and now, Cam was putting his grandpa first.
“I’d never think I’d see that car,” Fred said. “I love it.”
Restoring the car has also made Cam realize this was his dream.
Because of his grandpa and his father, Cam has always loved cars.
“I always wanted to own my own hot rod shop,” Cam said. “I think this was the final kick.”
And he’s hoping he can pass his love of cars to his seven-week-old son, Cainen.
“I’m planning on making a custom car seat to match my grandpa’s car,” Cam said. “I can’t wait.”
Would you like to see what the Chevy Bel-Air looks like after the restoration? Watch the video below.
Please SHARE this with your friends and family.
Source: ABC News, FOX News, ABC News, Facebook/Cameron Deadman, Inside Edition
