Lake County >> Back country roads, 1950s tunes, a warm breeze fluttering in through the open windows of a 60-year-old classic car, this is probably the closest we have to a time machine. And it’s why many classic car enthusiasts do what they do.
“When you’re behind the wheel, you’re kind of back in that time,” said Bill Hillman, a member of the Lake Lords car club.
Going on five years now, Hillman has been restoring, driving and showing his white 1957 Chevrolet. Being a popular family car back in the day, people often ask to take photos with the Chevy, for nostalgia’s sake — they remember times gone by when they would take road trips and sleep up on the shelf behind the back seat.
Through the car, Hillman is revisiting his youth in a way. He was only a junior in high school when the 1957 Chevy rolled onto lots, and he couldn’t afford the brand-new car back then. Now, the Chevy is all his. But not without some improvements, of course.
His car is what is called a resto-mod, meaning the vehicle has all new running gear, so that it’s as reliable as a new car. Everything has been improved, from the engine to the transmission to the interior. Lift up the hood, and the silver chrome is blinding in direct sunlight. The white paint job is polished to a high shine. Yet, it’s still a 1957 Chevrolet.
Hillman particularly enjoys the anticipation that comes with making changes. He likes to contemplate what the Chevy will look like with certain paint schemes, interiors and wheels. “You try to imagine in your mind what all this will be when you complete it,” he said. “It’s kind of like artwork, like doing a painting.”
Plus, the satisfaction of fixing up an old car to its former glory with your own two hands is another reward in itself. Similarly, Hillman also restores old fishing gear from the ‘30s, ‘40s and ‘50s. Both activities leave him with a nice sense of accomplishment.
Hillman obtained the Chevy from a man facing health issues who could no longer work on his classic cars. “I was so fortunate to find it,” he said. “It’s kind of a rare memorabilia.”
But he isn’t afraid to drive it. Rather, the Chevy is what’s called a driver, and Hillman hops behind the wheel to cruise all over the place. He could load the car into a trailer and haul it to shows, but that wouldn’t be nearly as much fun. In five years, Hillman and his ‘57 Chevrolet have been to roughly 50 car shows.
While Hillman loves and cares about his car, he admitted that compared to other classic car aficionados, he’s not quite as enthusiastic. There are some people who find frames and parts at the junk yard, building the vehicle from scratch until the wheels can take to the highway again. Other car club members have enough vehicles to fill five garages.
Many owners are in their 60s, 70s and 80s. The average age in the Lake Lords is about 65, Hillman said. The club gives people a way to fill their time and keep their hands and brains busy. “Most people who are in their 80s aren’t doing much,” he pointed out.
Lake County is home to many a car lover. Hillman said he heard a statistic that the county has 20 percent of all classic cars in Northern California — approximately 900 cars in all. So when enthusiasts get together and caravan to whatever show is on the books that week — such as the Lake County Show and Shine Car Show that took place at the Lake County Fairgrounds in May — it’s quite the sight to see. “We all know we’re not really going back in time,” Hillman said. “We had a whole bunch of cars in a line and it’s kind of like you wish it would have been back then.”
Jennifer Gruenke can be reached at 900-2019.
