In their iconic song “409" the Beach Boys sang of a four speed, dual quad,
posi-traction 409! Bragging that “when I take her to the track she really
shines,” and “she always turns in the fastest times”. And all the giddy-up
from just saving pennies and saving your dimes. The romance of burning rubber,
the smell of Sunoco 260, and the threat of the man just waiting to write you a
ticket. Ahh, the joys of youth 50 years ago. When speed was king, their was no
replacement for displacement and no substitute for cubic inches. Put the top
down, get your favorite girl, tune the AM to your favorite station, and let the
good times roll. Just waiting for the next red light and someone to pull up
next to you and challenge you to a race. But the crossed flags on the front
fender of your Chevy, with 409 above it, told them to back off, you had power
under the hood, and weren’t afraid to use it. And all your friends were
impressed, and so was your girl. Speed was king, and you had the most of it.
Only a foolish MOPAR or Ford would challenge you. Pontiacs were a threat, but
that little GTO was still a few years off. And to top it off, they even wrote a
song about your car. “That’s me they’re singing about,” you’d tell your girl,
as she snuggled close to you on the bench seat. With only the shifter on the
floor coming between you. Oh for the good old days.
For those of you who don’t know, a four speed referred to the
transmission, four on the floor, like racers had, not the three on the tree like
your dad’s sedan. A dual quad as to four barrel carbs, drinking gas at an
alarming rate, but building power at the same time. Posi-traction got the power
to the ground via the rear wheels, remember those crazy burn
outs! The romance of the road all combined into one package, and you behind the
wheel of it. But what do those things mean to kids today? How will our kids
remember their fast cars? No more four speed, dual quad, posi-traction, no more
409. Today it is replaced by a 6 speed auto transmission, electronically
activated, that has learned your shifting points. Never have to take your foot
off the gas. Point and steer. Even the steering is power, allowing you to keep
your arm around your girl. Except there is a console between the bucket seats,
and she can’t get close enough to snuggle. No more dual quads, as your car is
now fuel injected, a fuelie in 1960 terms. Now again controlled by a computer.
Self tuning your ride for all situations. No more posi, you have traction
control. No more burnouts, unless you have it turned off. Power to the front
wheels? And no more skids either, ABS has cancelled that. No wonder we don’t
hear any songs about a “6 speed auto, fuel injected, traction control..." And
no 409 either, now we are trendy using metric, and would be a 6.7 litre, but
more realistically a 3.8, as engines now are smaller. No more Smittys, or dual
exhausts. No capped headers, we sit in silence isolated from the world so we
can hear our satellite radio. Listening to oldies. All alone, safe and secure
in a vehicle with all the romance of dad’s car, yours being just a smaller
version of his. So what do the gear heads of today dream about? What do they
sing about?
Just 50 years before, they would sing “all I need is a fast
horse,” now it is about horsepower. Hopefully always will be. But for every
409 on the street back then, there was a sleeper, with no emblems announcing
what was under the hood. Maybe the lumpy idle from the cam would give it away,
but in a four door sedan? And that is exactly what my friend did, put a race
motor in a four door sedan, a 1966 Chevelle. Blue with roll up windows, and a
turbo-hydromatic transmission, shifting on the column. No wide ovals, but an
idle that should have given it away. And more than one sucker was enticed into
racing him, and shut down as John pulled away from them. Soon the word was out
about “look out for a blue Chevelle,” and the competition had caught on. But
for that summer, four doors beat four on the floor. And we all learned to ask,
“what’s under the hood?”
The Bible is filled with warnings of evil, and how to recognize
them. Wolves in sheep’s clothing, and many who promise but don’t deliver. From
those out to steal your money, and your soul, to those who seek signs, instead
of God, we all need to be careful. It seems natural to seek God in bad times,
we really need Him then, but in Deuteronomy we are reminded to not forget Him in
the good times. How He took us through the tough times so we can be enjoying
the good. But many forget, and claim they did it. Even Old blue Eyes sang “I
did it my way..” But the successful Christian will stick close to God in all
situations. For it is in the good times we are more vulnerable. We get proud
and think no one can get to me, I’m fill in the blank. Never realizing that
there are blue four door Chevelles out there just waiting to embarrass or defeat
us. For the devil is devious, and can appear as an angel of light. Note the
word appear, he cannot be one, but imitate one. Just as what’s under the hood’s
best asked before you race, the 1John 4 tells us to test the spirits, to see if
they are of God. Does what the person say match up with the Word? Do they
recognize the deity of Jesus Christ? Beware the wolves are out there, in white
shirts and ties, passing out literature about Jesus, just not the Jesus in the
Bible. Even using His name in their religion, again not the Jesus of the
Bible. So be wary of who you join forces with, whose teaching you sit under.
And what they teach. Jesus tells us he is the way, not a way as Jehovah
Witnesses lie. He is deity, He is God, not a brother of the devil or created as
Mormons will tell you. They may even tell you they are Christians, but they
know they are not, as taught in their churches. But will lie to get you to join
their church, rather than seek God. And for them there is hell, whether they
believe in it or not.
So don’t be afraid to ask “who do you say Jesus is?” Even
Moslems will admit He was a great teacher, again denying His deity. He is God
incarnate! Spoken of from Genesis 11 to the end of Revelation. And loves you
so much He gave His life for you, so you could get back to God.
So beware of flashy sayings, trendy music, and promises not
found in the Bible. Ask to look under the hood. You may be surprised as to
what is really there. In Jesus you will find meekness, power under control.
Posi-traction for the soul, no matter the engine size. So if someone asks you
to race, and you notice his rear tires appear bald, they may be racing slicks.
Remember the lesson learned of the blue 4 door Chevelle. It is what is under
the hood, and in the heart of man that matters. Make sure Jesus is in your
heart before you accept the challenge. Will you accept His challenge?
love with compassion,
Mike
matthew25biker.blogspot.com