Williamson's Instruments Information

Paul W. Williamson (1937-2005) founded Williamson's Instrument Services in 1980. In 1991, his son-in-law, Ronald Beliles became his apprentice. Under Paul's guidance, Ronald learned to repair all the gauges and is now the resident tachometer guru as well. Paul's daughter, Sandra joined the team in 1992 as office manager to maintain daily operations and he taught her the graphic arts department. In the late 1970's Paul originally owned a small Mercedes Benz auto repair shop in Fort Smith, Arkansas. When the U.S. economy was strong, importing German automobiles was a profitable business. Being the consummate entrepreneur, Paul saw an opportunity: Kilometers to Miles per Hour speedometer conversions. Dealerships around the country needed this service and sent him much business and Paul learned everything possible about the process. A downturn in the import business, combined with the growing need for classic speedometer and gauge restoration shops, led Paul to create an instrument restoration business. We are still located in Chester, Arkansas in the building that Paul constructed. Business grew rapidly, and it wasn't long that he found himself expanding the building as his dream flourished. Over the years, Paul taught himself how to repair other gauges in the dash, such as the oil, temp, fuel, amperage meters and clocks. Paul had a life long passion for anything mechanical, electronic or electrical. Paul could take anything apart, study it and put it back together. With his immense skills, Paul devised a method to convert the classic SUN tachometer transmitters (SUN sending units) to a "No Battery Needed" operation. This conversion allowed auto enthusiasts to maintain the classic look of the interior of their restored cars, while using modern engines and ignition technology under the hood. This highly popular conversion earned him prestige and respect with classic car enthusiasts. In addition to all the other services provided, Paul wanted his business to be a "one stop shop" for restorations. In order to do so, he bought books on screen printing and learned the restoration process of gauge dials. Due to EPA regulations, the only service not provided in-house is the chroming process. Williamson's Instruments was incorporated in 2005 after Paul's sudden death and has always been a family owned and operated business since it's inception. Following in Paul's footsteps, his daughter, Sandra, operates the cosmetic restoration side of the company's business, continually self-teaching her way through extremely challenging restorations. Ron's son-in-law, Shawn has worked at Williamson's intermittently over the years while continuing his education and is an asset to the company. Paul's grandson, Daniel worked with us for 10 years and still helps out occasionally. We worked with Paul during those early years, all of us, side by side striving to establish a small business. We only succeeded in this business because of Paul's vision who was an integral part of our lives and we were devastated by his passing. He not only taught us how to run a successful business, but much about life and we are working diligently to keep that vision and legacy alive. Javascript must be enabled to view the Photo Album on this page. Content copyright . Williamson's Instruments, Inc.