Finis Lavell Chisum of McAlester, OK, the inventor of what became the Chief EZ Liner, a frame machine he developed while running his own body shop in Alaska in the 1960s, passed away May 7, his family announced. He was 98.
In 2018, the 50th anniversary of the EZ Liner, Chisum spoke to Autobody News’ Ed Attanasio about how he came up with the idea and got it off the ground.
“I had it all in my head for several years before I invented it," Chisum, then 92, said. "One day, I thought if this thing works, boy, it would help me. I was not doing the kind of quality work that I wanted to, so I started coming in on weekends and designing the machine."
After Chisum built his first prototype in his shop, a local dealership started sending him pickup trucks to straighten. Soon, the dealership wanted to buy its own machine.
In 1968, Chisum took his machine to an automotive equipment show in Los Angeles.
Lavell Chisum. Photo provided by family.
"There were six or seven frame machine companies there, so I talked to all of them, including Bear, Marquette, Whitney and Guy Chart," Chisum said. "Nobody got excited about it, except for one guy from Minneapolis who understood what I was doing. They had a machine that was too big and it required a pit in the ground. He took me up to his suite at the trade show and showed me what they were doing with the Marquette machine, and I thought, ‘Mine is better!’ So, I began working with a company that started making the machines for me."
Eventually, Chisum secured a loan to take over manufacturing from that company, and the EZ Liner took off. In 1972, he sold the patent to Chief, and it went on to become one of the best-selling frame machines in history.
The EZ Liner was far from Chisum’s only contribution to the collision repair industry. He founded a shop in Alabama that he later sold to the shop’s manager, Joe Hudson, who grew it into Joe Hudson’s Collision Center, an MSO that now has 255 stores in 18 states.
In the 1980s, Chisum also helped establish two other MSOs, Collision Automotive Repair Services and Collision Center International, both of which lasted five to six years. In 1993, he founded Prodigy Advance Repair Technology.
Chisum’s influence on the industry continues through two friends and business associates, Kevin Lombard and Greg Marion. Lombard’s company, Chisum USA, produces the Chisum Workhorse frame machine, while Marion’s MARP Engineering company is refining the original repair technology behind the EZ Liner to produce the Multiple Automotive Realignment Process.
In 1982, Chisum was named Inventor of the Year by the Patent, Trademark and Copyright Law Section of the Oklahoma Bar Association.
He earned more than 20 patents in his life. Among his other inventions was the Chisum Log Mill, a machine that cuts raw logs into a uniform size and shape to build log homes. He invented that in Alaska as well, where he built hand-hewn log houses. Chisum later owned Beaver Log Homes in Claremore, OK, where he applied his craftsmanship to create beautiful and enduring structures.
“Lavell's hands were rarely still, as he was always seeking new projects and challenges to tackle,” his family said in his obituary.
“Lavell's legacy is one of creativity, perseverance and a relentless pursuit of knowledge. He was a man who never stopped learning and never stopped building. His memory will continue to be a beacon of inspiration for all who had the pleasure of knowing him.”
Chisum was born Aug. 25, 1926, in Mangum, OK, to Earl Daniel Chisum and Josephine Pearl (White) Chisum.
On March 18, 1945, Chisum married Lura Mae Habeck in Carter, OK. They raised four sons.
Chisum was a U.S. Navy veteran who served in World War II. An Oklahoma resident most of his life, he also spent time in Alabama and other southern states before homesteading in Alaska, where he embraced new adventures and experiences.
Among Chisum’s other interests were rodeos. He was a bareback bronc and bull rider, and he and Lura Mae produced many rodeos in Alabama, Georgia and Mississippi.
Chisum is survived by his sons, Tony Chisum and his wife, Chris, of Oologah, OK, Tom Chisum of McAlester, Todd Chisum and his wife, Julie, of Claremore, and Travis Chisum of McAlester; grandchildren Kristi, Karen, Joe, Stormy, Tyler and Trevor; numerous great-grandchildren; and many more family members and friends.
He was preceded in death by his parents, Earl D. Chisum and Josephine P. (White) Chisum; his wife, Lura Mae Chisum; a granddaughter, Patricia McClish; and brothers Donal and Bill.
Cremation arrangements are entrusted in Chaney-Harkins Funeral Home. A celebration of life will be held at a later date.
