Plymouth Dale's 58 Belvedere

  The Magazine Feature Story #2

 https://classiccarsworldwide.com.au 

CLASSIC SHOTS OF CLASSIC CARS 

– PLYMOUTH DALE PHOTOS

Every classic car owner would love to have, if they haven’t already, a sensational, colour photo of their pride and joy beautifully framed and on display for all to see whether it be on the wall at home, on the mantlepiece or in the office. Every time they see the photo they are filled with satisfaction and pride. Dale McKeon is just the man for the job.

Forty-Nine years old Dale, who is married, started Plymouth Dale Photos in 2018 after a series of chats he had with Car Torque which is a website for automotive enthusiasts to connect with and keep abreast of the large number of car shows around. He says “I had been taking pictures for my own enjoyment and through mutual friends, they approached me to provide photographic content for their site. The name Plymouth Dale Photos came about as my name is Dale and I own a 1958 Plymouth.”

A BOOK, MOVIE, FINS AND A COVERSATION STARTER

Dale’s current classic car is a 1958 Plymouth Belvedere four door sedan, a purchase influenced by the 1983 Stephen King/John Carpenter book and movie, Christine. He says “I saw that movie on video many times growing up and I always loved the style of the 50’s Virgil Exner Forward Look cars. The huge fins were always a big drawcard for me. I was lucky to be in the position to purchase this car and jumped at it. I bought it in Croydon in January 2018.”

The Plymouth has a modern (2003 vintage) 5.7 Hemi V8 engine from a Dodge RAM. It is fuel injected, has a six-speed transmission and disc brakes on the front. It had been rebuilt in the USA before being imported into Australia.  “Most of the major work was done in the States” says Dale. “Paint, interior, chrome, mechanicals etc. After I bought it I had it fully engineered to tidy up some of the under par chassis work. Many thanks to Shaun and the staff at Erickson Auto in Lilydale for all their hard work and ironing out many frustrating bugs. Occasionally it has some quirks which I put down to “Christine’ moments but it’s been a great car.” 

“I love driving it as it always gets attention” says Dale. “It’s a great conversation starter. It’s a typical late 50’s American car, a big floaty barge that doesn’t handle particularly well. However, it does have a lot of power which can be a bit scary sometimes although it’s great for highway and freeway cruising.”

Dale’s main job is buying and selling antiques and collectibles. He has two stalls at Market Fair in Ferntree Gully under the name RePlay Design. He restores and repurposes all sorts of items for resale at the market. He has a background in metal trades having worked in foundry/ engineering and fabrication/sculpture from 1991 to 2013. 

Unfortunately, Dale developed a serious spinal injury in 2013 which required several surgeries and some big occupation and lifestyle changes. He says “after my injury I was forced to find other things in life to keep myself active both physically and mentally. I’ve always had a love of classic and vintage cars from a young age and photography was a way to combine my love of cars and the creativity that I was no longer using after giving up my previous job.” 

IT’S ALL IN THE DETAIL

Dale likes to take shots of a lot of details of classics and says “I like to focus on things like taillights and badges. Things that are often overlooked. I also like editing my pics that evoke memories of old car artwork. The old stylized and airbrushed illustrations from yesteryear.”

CARS OWNED

Apart from being handy with a camera Dale has a bit of history with classic cars and they have been in his blood from an early age. “I’ve been interested in classic cars for as long as I can remember” says Dale. “It started when my Dad had a ’39 Ford V8 in our shed at home for a rebuild which he bought in the early ‘60’s which eventually got sold. The first normal car I owned was a Magna wagon and my first classic car was a 1955 Studebaker Commander which I bought out of the Trading Post when I was 15. It was a resto project for Dad and myself. We got the chassis and the mechanicals completed before we sold it.”

The first classic car that Dale actually drove was a 1962 Vauxhall Cresta sedan. “I was still on my P plates” says Dale. “It was a GMH built Hydramatic. Unbelievably, I acquired this for free. Again, with help from my Dad, we got it going, registered it and even had it resprayed. It was a great car!”

Dale sold the Vauxhall to buy a 1960 Chevrolet Bel Air four door sedan which was another locally produced GMH car with a 283 V8 Powerglide engine. After that he had a 1957 FE Holden Ute, another Vauxhall Cresta, a 1961 model, and a 1955 Fargo Ute. Quite a collection! 

There are other cars in Dale’s possession. “At the moment we also have my wife’s, Amanda, 1986 Suzuki Mighty Boy Ute and a 1986 Honda Acty Mini Truck. These two tiny Kei classic cars are so much fun to own and drive.”

CAR SHOWS, ASSOCIATIONS & MAGAZINES

Dale attends as many shows that Covid restrictions and bad weather will allow. Mostly local but he will also travel a fair distance to participate and take photos.  “Kustom Nationals at Philip Island is always great” says Dale. “I’ve been to that many times. Hastings Cruise Night is massive and my usual show is Coffee ‘N’ Cars at Mount Evelyn as I share my pics with their Facebook page. I’ve recently attended Broadford Cars and Coffee which is great. I must mention that anything that Kingpin Kuztums put on is totally worth making time for. I’ve been to many of their shows from Rats, Tatts and Pinup events around Melbourne to Lygon Street breakfasts. 

They are all fantastic and attract some of the best cars you will ever see. They are well run and welcome all people and classics up to 1978. I am hoping to attend their ‘Christine’ movie night at Coburg Drive-In later this year. Rob does a great job and has been a great supporter of mine.”

Dale supports Car Torque and Coffee ‘N’ Cars (Mt Evelyn). He reads Collectible Automobile and The Rodders Journal which he regards as awesome quality magazines and also Cruzin which is good for a look at the local scene.

Written by Keith Watts 

Photos Plymouth Dale Photos  

Produced by John Markham