Published: October 04, 2007 04:28 pm            

Dig my ride: Joel's checkered past

By Doug Hill

For The Transcript

You might say Joel Simmons has a checkered past, present and future.

He just loves Checker Motors Corporation vehicles; the big utilitarian automobiles used mostly as taxis and built only in Kalamazoo, Michigan from 1922 to 1982.

“When I was 12 years old my dad’s friend had a green Checker with the jumper seats in the back. We used to drive around in it and I thought they were really neat,” Simmons said. Then when car love usually blossoms and can become a life-long obsession, he fell head over heels.

“When I was 18 and going to Norman High I bought my first ’69 Checker station wagon. It was white and in way worse shape than the one I have now. I didn’t have enough money to maintain it and the engine needed an overhaul, so I ended up selling it to buy a motorcycle.”

Then last year in his late 20’s, working a good job as bar supervisor at the Riverwind Casino, Simmons received insurance settlement cash from a collision and decided that he really needed another Checker.

“I saw it advertised on-line at Checkertaxistand.com, an enthusiast website, and the emotional side got a hold on me and I decided I had to have it.”

The new love he found was in Ellicottville, NY, a 1969 yellow Checker Marathon station wagon powered by a bullet- proof Chevrolet 327 V-8 engine. He bought it from a snowboard shop owner whose college-age daughter drove it and decorated the car with flower power stickers. Simmons flew one-way to Buffalo with his girlfriend, took possession of the Checker, and stopped in Manhattan on the way back to Norman to visit friends. He frequently got some long, nostalgic looks driving the large yellow station wagon around the Big Apple.

“My friend Steve said, ‘Old guys look at your car and just start misting out.’ ”

Simmons said he likes his Checker’s unique character. “It fits me and I fit it. The look, feel and size are just me. It’s big. In a sales brochure I have it says, ‘Only 16 feet long!’. Big steering wheel, seats fold down in the back, it’s just so much fun and I love old cars. My dad joked to his buddies when I got my first one that his kid could have got a late model sports car but instead picked a 25 year old station wagon. Probably my next choice after a Checker would be a ’63 Lincoln Continental,” Simmons said. “She’s reliable and parts aren’t hard to get. I got water in the distributor cap recently but replaced that and have new cables and spark plugs to change those out too.”

A brief ride in Simmons’ baby revealed a need for new shocks and exhaust system, but those will be minor maintenance. It has factory-installed a/c and crank windows, but both power steering and brakes.

“Another cool thing is that it doesn’t feel like you’re driving a huge car. I can parallel park this thing with no problem,” Simmons attested. “You can lay the back seat flat and it will hold a 4’ by 8’ sheet of plywood which was a selling point back in the day. I slept in the back of it once.”

Simmons denied his Checker had ever been a love mobile, at least since he’s had it. Currently it’s his every day ride to the job and co-workers often ask if he’s the one with the yellow car. “It’s been mistaken for a Chevy Nomad, which I just don’t understand,” Simmons said, shaking his head.

The paint and chrome trim are original and the data plate inside the engine compartment is corrosion-free and easy to read. This is all amazing considering years of service in the upstate New York Snow Belt. Its bench seat interior has been updated but all four wheel covers and optional chrome luggage rack on the roof are original. “I believe I’m the third owner,” Simmons said.

Certain design features such as the tail lamps and steering wheel logo are genuinely adorable.

The Checker website says that engine cooling is a common problem, especially when driven over 70 mph. “I believe the lack of aerodynamics impede air flow through the radiator,” an engineering opinion posted there states. One glance at Simmons’ Checker, named Bridgett Effingham (don’t ask), tells you immediately that this old gal was built for comfort, not for speed.

If you have a classic or unusual vehicle you’d like considered for a “Dig My Ride” profile, contact hillreviews@hotmail.com or 405-360-9624.

        

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