During this time when people across the world are stuck in their homes, many are going a little stir crazy. That said Checker fans worldwide may have an excellent chance to do some big jobs, perform a little tinkering or leverage other options to enjoy the Checker hobby during this difficult time.
Checker owner Bill Buerkins is using the down time to strip a couple of cars for his current project Checker, a car he recently purchased from Matt “rat fink” Thomas (note the nice Checker in the header being parted out). According to Bill’s Facebook post at the start of the Covid 19 out break, “1977 parts car awaiting the torch” along with “always a work in process”.
More recently on April 3rd, Bill posted more progress, apparently top priority was given to save of the front disc brakes. Bill was pretty clear in his post, “ we have to save the disc brake conversion kit from the scrapper!”. Ultimately pulled out Bill was extremely satisfied, he posted on Facebook “Like new disc brake conversion kit.” Note from the picture, that Bill is dismantling a rare Checker A11 from the Chicago Taxi fleet.
Parts pulling is not the only thing that is being done during this difficult period of stay at home orders across the world. ICTA member Kevin Hahn took the opportunity to conduct a Checker photo session with his son.
Kevin Hahn’s Checker
Kevin posted in the ICTA Facebook page “Due to the current situation my son is living in my basement. He is a Journalism Major at Michigan State. I thought if I pulled out the Checker and have him get me some pics”. With that Kevin posted fifteen great photos that his son shot of his beautiful Checker Marathon this weekend. This writer loves the period correct wide whitewalls and the fender mounted factory spotlight.
If you’re not pulling parts or taking photos, there’s always the opportunity to just plain work on your Checker. The stay at home orders are going on in Europe too, and ICTA member Chris Monier is certainly taking advantage of the time at home.
Chris Monier’s 1975 Checker a work in process
For those who may not remember, Chris purchased a Checker last summer from Checker collector Bob Kerkel. Chris flew to Arizona and took delivery. He then drove across the US to New York City where his 1975 Checker was packed and shipped home to France. Now at home, Chris is in the process of converting his Checker into a NYC taxi.
As one would expect, when working on a Checker, many surprises will pop up, Chris’ biggest surprise would most likely be the moon grater roof.
Elbow grease yields shiny chrome
Chris has also been working on the jewelry, he posted “Some elbow grease and good Belgom chrome product and the grille will look brand new !” Indeed it does look new! Chris is also making progress on his steering column and other small parts. He posted a series of progress photos of his recently stripped assembly, he wrote “Another day at work with Old ‘75 ! The steering wheel is coming nicely … repainted today … tomorrow a coat of varnish. The hood latch mechanism is like new again, thanks to sand blaster God!”
Model A9 door panels
Joe Fay has also been making progress on his 1967 Checker Marathon wagon. Joe is currently in the process of putting a new Checker model A9 interior into his Texas hunting wagon. This weekend, Joe was working on door panels. According to Fay “This will certainly give the Checker a more utilitarian appearance.”
So what is you don’t need to pull parts, restore parts, photograph your Checker? Well as long as you socially distance yourself from other, maybe a good old ride in a Checker is in order.
Best photo of them all Steve and Jennifer Fiorenzo’s kids in the back seat of their Checker sleeping during a ride in the Checker!
Please stay compliant with the various rules of social distancing. If you can safely work on your Checkers, have a ball. We at the ICTA want to make sure that all Checker fans are safe.
Fiorenzo children in the back of their Marathon
