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| Article & Photos by Larry Crain |
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Dick Mathews of Jackson, LA has been collecting cars or trucks and hot rodding all of his life. His current collection runs the gamut from car to truck, from stock to performance. He has a little bit of it all. The shop that is home for Dick’s collection is about 4 years old with plenty of room to keep all of his toys nice & clean. A trio of lifts - count them 3 - from Direct Lift makes storage and maneuverability of the cars a breeze and keeps the shop from looking too crowded. Dick will tell you real quick that all of his vehicles are drivers not trailer queens. Some of the vehicles are in show shape and some are not but he drives them whenever he gets the chance to hit a cruise night or show.
The vehicle that really catches your eye first would have to be the big `53 Ford truck car hauler that looks stock but is all updated to current drive train and chassis. This big red beast is also his favorite to put on the boulevard during Cruisin’ The Coast in Biloxi, MS. The other red truck that will catch your eye is the bright red `55 Ford F100 that is a true all Ford hot rod. Another big ride in this stable is the `60 Pontiac Catalina station wagon that packs a kick thanks to a factory 428 big block. The pair of black T/A’s is a `77 running a 6.6 with a 4-speed and a `78 with a 455 and 700R4. The `78 T/A has been with Dick about 8 years now and he even took it on the Hot Rod Power Tour a few years back. The `78 T/A also sports an autographed dash by Burt Reynolds that he signed while on movie location in the area.
Other cars Dick has in his collection include a `74 Corvette that he has a love hate relationship with and a `70 Olds W30 Cutlass. The newest car to join the collection is the `68 Firebird convertible that was just finished the week before this photo shoot. The car scheduled to leave the collection is the `86 El Camino Royal Knight clone that can be seen in our classified section.
Whenever it is time to take a break from tinkering on or cleaning his collection, Dick has a super nice break room that could almost qualify as an apartment. In this room, you can view memorabilia and photos of cars, trucks, motorcycles and even planes Dick has enjoyed during his life around our great hobby.
After working hard for many years as owner of his own heavy equipment and truck repair company, Dick is now retired and enjoying every minute of it thanks to his collection of cars & trucks that are parked in his garage.
Tell us What’s In Your Garage! Send CSM pics and a short story to Ray@cruisinstyle.com.
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