DON DIAL
My Feature story...
as written in The Seminole Producer
Local Man Builds America's Racecars
"To go to the racetrack and see
one of the cars I built on the track is just awesome," says Don Dial with
exuberance. "It’s even more awesome to see several of them on the
track."
Dial, of Dial’s Race Shop north of Seminole,
builds unique racecars for the serious enthusiast
The smell of dusty steel and hand cleaner filled the
air in the shop where racecars get their beginning. Led Zepplin sang on the
radio in the background.
The man sanding and smoothing the body of the car and
frame does his work with purpose and intent. It is something he has a special
touch for, as one can tell by looking at the cars.
Dial smoothed and caressed
into perfection the bodywork and framing of a 1999 Firebird for Stacie Johnson.
It had to meet the unspoken standards Dial demanded from it.
"It began as
nothing," he said. "Just a fiberglass shell resembling a firebird and
a pile of steel tubing on the concrete next to it."
Dial, a former airframe
and powerplant mechanic and lifetime welder, builds racecars from the ground up.
He will design, mold, weld and perfect every system and part in these cars.
A jig sits in the center
of the metal shop building. The cool autumn breeze comes through the open doors
as he explains the purpose of the jig.
"I start here with
building the cars," he said as he pointed to the mass of heavy steel welded
into a large rectangular frame. "This is a guide to make sure the racecar
chasis will be perfectly straight and aligned."
"I will build the car
right on top of here," he continues. "When I get almost done I will
lift the body off of the frame to complete the details of the framing
underneath."
Dial, who works out at the
gym every morning before sunrise, tells of how he has friends help him
physically lift the car by hand when moving it from the jig. The car cannot be
rolled off the jig because of the way the frame is made.
From the chasis down to
the suspension, brakes, and steering, Dial will be responsible for the art of
fine tuning a perfectly sound racecar.
The owner of the racecar
will put in the engine that will complete the car. The sleek paint work on the
car, both interior and exterior, is done by a professional racecar artist in
McAlester.
Dial gently touches the
car as he speaks of his work. He wipes away speckles of dust as if the car is a
piece of delicate china.
"I have went hungry a
few times while trying to establish this business," said Dial. "If I
had a family, there’s no way I could have done it."
"I am starting to
make a little money now," he chuckled. "I am paying my bills and
eating at least."
Quick with a smile and
eager to demonstrate the workings of racecar building, Dial
points to the other projects in the shop as he speaks.
"I work on several
cars at a time," he says. "It breaks up the monotony and gives me a
break from one project to another."
Several cars in different
stages of completion are neatly arranged in his workshop. A 1964 Ford Fairlane
on blocks is primered gray. The bumper and other accessory parts are held on
with clecos, a type of pin used to hold the bellyskins on airplanes before they
are riveted into place.
"I learned a lot of
good techniques from my profession as an aircraft mechanic," Dial said.
"Some of the things I did then, I still use now when building these
cars."
A 1974 step side pickup is in one corner, it’s
bed completely removed and standing on end. Several Camaros are in the shop. One
of them, a 1986 IROC, is nearer to completion then the others. It gets pushed
outside several times a week to be worked on in the sunshine of the day.
The first car Dial ever
built was a 1970 Camaro.
"It was
beautiful," he exclaims. "I built it for Stacie Johnson also. It won a
lot of money."
Some of his cars have been
pictured in Hotrod Magazine.
"It is really
something to see one of my cars in a popular magazine," Dial said.
"And to know that people across America are seeing my work."
"I do a lot of
Mustangs.... A LOT of them," he said. "Usually in the 1967 to 1969
model range."
"It is an expensive
sport," Dial says. "Some people get into it and don’t realize what
they’re getting into."
The 1999 Firebird,
recently completed, is valued near the six-figure range. It took almost a year
to complete.
Dial said he likes to keep
track of the cars he builds, but it is sometimes impossible when they are
relocated to different states.
With a quiet, reflective
voice, Dial said Johnson has been his inspiration to building racecars. Seeing
his cars on the race circuit is also motivation, he stated, although it appeared
this man already has a mountain of motivation.
As written by Cheryl Phillips, feature writer, Seminole Producer.