Chrysler New Yorker

My An Arkie's Faith column from the January 31, 2024, issue of The Polk County Pulse.

The 318 V/8 engine roared to life for the first time in over eight years. The putrid smell of old gas overwhelmed me as the engine raced. It was satisfying to hear the engine running even though there was still a lot of work to be done on the 1940 Chrysler New Yorker Convertible.

Ten years ago, my Daddy purchased the Chrysler New Yorker. It was not running, there was no convertible top, and the interior was terrible, but something about the car intrigued him. The body was decent, and the car was rare. In 1940, Chrysler built fewer than 1000 of these elegant New Yorker convertibles.

After purchasing the car, Daddy took it to his friend Roger, who installed a 318 V/8 engine, automatic transmission, and new modern dash instrumentation. When he received the car back from Roger, he could drive it, but there was still a lot of work to be done.

 

I have a video of the car in this rough but running condition, showing my six-year-old granddaughter sitting in her Daddy’s lap driving the car down the street in front of my house. The Chrysler is unpainted, and there is no convertible top, but it is driving down the road filled with squeals and laughter.

The transformation of the New Yorker was complete after Daddy painted it maroon, installed a new convertible top, and had the seats reupholstered. It wasn’t long before it was sold. The new owner loved the car and drove it regularly.

One day, the man who had purchased the Chrysler New Yorker visited our shop and looked at cars. He loved Daddy’s latest acquisition, a beautifully restored 1948 Lincoln Continental Coupe. He told Daddy that he wanted the Lincoln Continental but that the only way he could afford it would be to trade in the Chrysler New Yorker. After negotiating a sale price, Daddy once again owned the 1940 Chrysler New Yorker Convertible.

Daddy drove the convertible inside our storage building because he didn’t want it sitting out in the rain. Before long, other cars were parked behind the convertible, and he never drove it again. The car had been sitting in the building for over eight years when my friend Chad and I decided to try to get it running again.

The first step was to put new tires on the Chrysler New Yorker. The old tires had rotted, and there was no way to get them to hold air. After installing tires and purchasing a new battery, we were ready to try and start the car. We were able to get it running, but it wouldn’t idle. We also noticed that the water pump was leaking.

After Chad installed a new water pump and rebuilt the carburetor, we were ready to see how it would run. The V/8 engine ran smoothly and idled adequately, but we still had a small water leak. What could it be? We also noticed that the charging system wasn’t working. After taking the alternator off to get it checked, Chad noticed the hidden freeze plug behind it was leaking.

Once the freeze plug was replaced, the Chrysler was ready to be back on the road. After eight years of neglect in the back corner of a building, the car was ready to drive. This weekend, we drove the New Yorker to Papa’s Mexican Café for lunch and then went to Wal-Mart. The car attracts attention wherever it is. 

While driving the Chrysler New Yorker on a beautiful, sunny Sunday, I thought about a parallel between rebuilt cars and our spiritual lives. “God showed his great love for us by sending Christ to die for us while we were still sinners.” Romans 5:8 (NLT) Just like I saw the potential in the New Yorker while it sat in the corner with its tires rotted into the ground, God loves us in our broken-down condition. But even though he loves us in our sinful condition, He doesn’t want us to stay in that condition. He has a vision for our lives. He wants to restore us.

In Job 33:26 (NKJV), The Bible talks about restoration. There, it says, “He shall pray to God, and He will delight in him, He shall see His face with joy, For He restores to man His righteousness.” God has a plan for each one of us. He plans to restore us to righteousness. The difference between you and me and an old car needing restoration is that the old car is passive. It isn’t part of the decision to restore. But you and I must be willing to be restored.

Old cars that aren’t chosen for a restoration project will eventually rot and rust away until no one can see the possibility of saving the car. They end up abandoned, crushed, or destroyed. Fortunately, God wants to restore all of us regardless of our condition. “For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.” John 3:16 (NKJV) God doesn’t want us to be abandoned and crushed by this life. He doesn’t want us to perish. 2 Peter 3:9 (KJV) tells us that God is “not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance.”

Unlike the old car that is passive in the restoration process, we have a part to play in our restoration. God wants us to repent. Repentance says to God, “I know I need to be restored. I want you to restore me.” In Romans 2:4 (NASB), the Bible says, “Do you think lightly of the riches of His kindness and tolerance and patience, not knowing that the kindness of God leads you to repentance?”

What leads us to repentance? What leads us to confess? We are led to repentance by the kindness of God. When we experience God’s kindness and feel his love, grace, mercy, and forgiveness, we want to love Him. When we love God, we want to please Him. We want to be restored.

Gentle Reader, I hope you will spend some time today reflecting on the kindness God has shown you and tell Him that you are sorry for what you did to hurt Him. God has promised that “if we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.” 1 John 1:9 (NKJV) He will restore us if we let Him.