ThievesMart Collectables Blog

He sticks the key in the ignition and starts the engine. Suddenly, a deafening lion-like roar breaks the sound barrier of the little storage garage. He backs it up and the engine quiets down to the comforting purr of a tiger. It’s not a muscle car. It’s not a hot rod. It’s a 1957 Chevrolet Bel Air entirely restored with a shiny, yellow paint occupation that makes this timeless car a finelooking piece of machinery. “You’ve in truth got a car that’s (more than) 50 years old and you may run down the road in it 85 miles an hour, which makes it finelooking nice,” Larry Utterback, the man behind the wheel said. “A lot more usable.” Utterback has been restoring cars for decades and the classics have always sparked his interest; so much to the point he’s opened up his own classic car restoration and storage shop on the outskirts of Hannibal. “My dad was a car salesman and he would buy cars and fix them up,” Utterback said. “Everybody’s idol is their dad, so I just grew up doing the same thing he did. I’ve always had a classic car.” He farmed for 12 years and had other jobs here and there, but fixing up cars has always been his second love and backup job. It worked out conveniently when he had a career in construction. “I was always laid off in the winter when I was working for the construction companies,” Utterback remembers, “so I started buying cars and fixing them up and retail them. And that’s been in all likelihood 17 years ago.” Eventually his winter occupation turned into the full business he runs today. Many of his clients not only pay to have their own classic cars restored by Utterback, but they likewise pay to use his storage garages so their cars from generations past aren’t exposed to the parts of the outdoors. There’s everything from vintage trucks, a 1969 Jaguar, a Firebird from the ‘80s, but it’s the 1957 Chevrolets that closely each other client has repaired and/or stored at numerous point in time. “I’ve done more ‘57 Chevys than anything. And they’re still the most sought after and the most collectable car in the United States. It’s just a good deal of persons like ‘55s, some people like ‘56s, most persons like ‘57s better,” Utterback said. “It was a popular year for a lot of things; boats, cars, trucks — ‘57 was just a hot year for anything new on the market — Rock ‘n Roll, Elvis Presley, Buddy Holly. It was just a good time and people had money, and they could buy things. People were starting to come out of the Depression and live life.” Fixing up an old car may be rather highpriced these days though.   “Today, half the cars are plastic, and back then everything was metal. Today’s cars, all the trim and interior, and a lot of your wheel wells and exterior trim is all plastic, so they’re a lot lighter today so that motor doesn’t have much weight forward,” Utterback said. “Some people want 100 percent original. I may buy a lot of parts for old cars, a lot of people make all the parts. If you wanted an introductory ‘57 Chevy, I may buy it right out of a catalog.” All of the cars come out looking just as new as they did when they rolled off the assemblage line, but the classic paint, like the car, also may be pricey. But a shiny car from the ‘50s or ‘60s is the best reward after the dollars are spent. “Just the paint, in the can, in all likelihood was $2,500,” Utterback cited when it comes to the yellow Bel Air. “I did a ‘33 Ford a few years ago and we used a purple with a lot of pearl in it — metallic, kinda sparkly stuff. And that paint was $550 a gallon. Luckily we only had to use one gallon of it.” Visitors to the Loafers Car Show in downtown Hannibal this weekend will see a number of the cars Utterback has cared for. Showing the car off is all percentage of owning a car from the past. “That’s what you do it for; that’s one reason,” he said. “Most people do that. They buy that old car ‘cause it makes them feel young again, makes them feel like a kid. That’s what it’s all about, making that person feel good.”

He sticks the key in the ignition and starts the engine. Suddenly, a deafening lion-like roar breaks the sound barrier of the little storage garage. He backs it up and the engine quiets down to the comforting purr of a tiger. It’s not a muscle car. It’s not a hot rod. It’s a 1957 Chevrolet Bel Air to the full or entire extent restored with a shiny, yellow paint occupation that makes this timeless car a gorgeous piece of machinery. “You’ve genuinely got a car that’s (more than) 50 years old and you may run down the road in it 85 miles an hour, which makes it beauteous nice,” Larry Utterback, the man behind the wheel said. “A lot more usable.” Utterback has been restoring cars for decades and the classics have always sparked his interest; so much to the point he’s opened up his own classic car restoration and storage shop on the outskirts of Hannibal. “My dad was a car salesman and he would buy cars and repair them up,” Utterback said. “Everybody’s idol is their dad, so I just grew up doing the same thing he did. I’ve always had a classic car.” He farmed for 12 years and had other jobs here and there, but fixing up cars has always been his second love and backup job. It worked out conveniently when he had a career in construction. “I was always laid off in the winter when I was working for the construction companies,” Utterback remembers, “so I started buying cars and fixing them up and retail them. And that’s been probably 17 years ago.” Eventually his winter occupation turned into the full business he runs today. Many of his clients not only recompense to have their own classic cars restored by Utterback, but they also pay to use his storage garages so their cars from generations past aren’t exposed to the constituents of the outdoors. There’s everything from vintage trucks, a 1969 Jaguar, a Firebird from the ‘80s, but it’s the 1957 Chevrolets that almost each other client has repaired and/or stored at a heap of point in time. “I’ve done more ‘57 Chevys than anything. And they’re still the most sought after and the most collectable car in the United States. It’s just galore persons like ‘55s, a good deal of people like ‘56s, most humans like ‘57s better,” Utterback said. “It was a standard year for a lot of things; boats, cars, trucks — ‘57 was just a hot year for anything new on the market — Rock ‘n Roll, Elvis Presley, Buddy Holly. It was just a good time and people had money, and they could buy things. People were starting to come out of the Depression and live life.” Fixing up an old car may be rather pricey these days though.   “Today, half the cars are plastic, and back then everything was metal. Today’s cars, all the trim and interior, and a lot of your wheel wells and exterior trim is all plastic, so they’re a lot lighter today so that motor doesn’t have much weight forward,” Utterback said. “Some humans want 100 percent original. I may buy a lot of constituents for old cars, a lot of people make all the parts. If you wanted an original ‘57 Chevy, I may buy it right out of a catalog.” All of the cars come out looking just as new as they did when they rolled off the assemblage line, but the classic paint, like the car, likewise may be pricey. But a shiny car from the ‘50s or ‘60s is the best reward after the dollars are spent. “Just the paint, in the can, in all probability was $2,500,” Utterback noted when it comes to the yellow Bel Air. “I did a ‘33 Ford a few years ago and we employed a purple with a lot of pearl in it — metallic, kinda sparkly stuff. And that paint was $550 a gallon. Luckily we only had to use one gallon of it.” Visitors to the Loafers Car Show in downtown Hannibal this weekend will see a number of the cars Utterback has cared for. Showing the car off is all share of owning a car from the past. “That’s what you do it for; that’s one reason,” he said. “Most persons do that. They buy that old car ‘cause it makes them feel young again, makes them feel like a kid. That’s what it’s all about, making that person feel good.”

Restoration To The Past Hannibal Man Brings Life To Classic Cars Picture

Restoration To The Past Hannibal Man Brings Life To Classic Cars Image

Restoration To The Past Hannibal Man Brings Life To Classic Cars Pic