Hot Rods Cuban Cars

Headed back on Wednesday for a week. My friend Jose has two 55's and working on this one. Both 55's look like a Chevy on the outside but he has a Mercedes engine in one and a Hyundai in the other. These guys need to run diesel and buy it on the black market. Most of the suspension is Fiat, Toyota, Yugo etc. I have been past old oil companys and see 1947 -1950 Chevy pickups with just the cabs left. I am taking Jose a Air conditioner blower this week.

Here are some pics of the one he is working on now

 

I've got a few photos but they would have to be scanned. I was there legally with a US approved visa. I was a part of Team USA for the Pan-Am bicycle race.

I saw quite a lot of the island. Beautiful place. And the people are awesome.

dka

 

My wife commented just yesterday "I bet you would like to get your hands on some of those cars there" and I replied with much of the same reasoning in this thread why I wouldn't. Plenty of nice rust free (or at least minimal rust) project cars right here in the southwestern US.

I would love to go bass fishing there - I hear it is awesome!!!

 

4HawkRod, Thanks for posting up those pics. Nothing better than three pals working together in the garage on a '55 Chevy even if it is powered by a Mercedes diesel.

 

Don´t get me wrong, nothing wrong with pondering...Just speaking out loud what I always had to think of whenever the topic of Cuban cars came up with an American. Kinda like "going out fishing past the shore"...Literally, too, LOL. Although I must admit I did think of the same thing. What might´ve been stashed away for the past 50 yrs in barns and garages somewhere along the back roads of the island, far from the beaten paths...Though that would be something You´d never learn of by looking at someone else´s "tourist" and especially press photos... Of course the odds of stumbling across something like that on Your own and it being the exact thing You´ve been forever looking for would be equal to hitting the lottery...

 

Some pictures from Cuba!

 

More pictures!

 

And more pictures!

 

I watched a documentary about american/cuban cars...Since they have a hard time getting parts into their country the cars are rather rough. In fact, a guy there reproduces trim pieces, for 40's and 50's era cars, by hand because parts are so hard to get. Their cars appear rough, but they are driving them...some of them are diesel powered! They are doing the best they can with very little!

 

Great pics, Tor. Check out the household plumbing galvanized pipe with union running something into that motor.



The best pic of them all. You better
be a real mechanic to own one of those
cars.

 

The fact of the matter is whats there no one here would want.

ingenuity IS the mother of invention.to make something out of nothing is what happens over there EVERYDAY.In all aspects of life.

if you want to see a society deeply involved in recycling Cuba is it.everything gets used,several times over.

I wont go into the politics but lifting the "embargo" is not going to help the everyday cuban.

I feel for them.95% of my family lives there.

 

Looks like some of my old cars have under the hood...Pieced together with whatever was lying around to keep it running cause I didn't have money for new parts!

 

I've been in many countries (including Cuba). Always come home humbled...My God, are we blessed!

 

I doubt you'd have problems finding buyers for the '55 convert and '32 (?) Vicky pictured above.

 

Mom came back from cuba a few days ago, spent a month down there visiting childhood friends. Took maybe 200 car pics for me. Lots of chevy models I don't recognize. I'll post a bunch of them once I re size them, cause she took everything in like 3MB size pics. There are quite a few diesel engines out there, lots of Chinese and Russian engines, but hey, you have to keep the cars running somehow. On the documentary everyone talks about, the guy who is working with Asbestos bare handed with no mask, etc.., It's because that's what he has to do to make a better life for his family. The cuban people are very resourceful. whatever it takes to keep moving, keep improving, keep bringing in what the family needs. I have no idea where they get the money, but alot of New Chevy parts, even some parts to be chromed and repaired are shipped here from there, and shipped back all the time. I remember being at Little Joes rod shop when some guys came in and were ordering up thousands of dollars worth of stuff, I was translating for Joe and all the parts were for ONE 56 or 57 chevy 2 door hard top. Chrome valve covers, Vintge air AC system, a bunch of show parts too. Guy tells me it was the final pieces for the finish of his car in Cuba. I'm not sure how he does it, or what he does for a living, but apparently he travels there every month and says he has a house there... Must work for the Cuban Goverment or something. But man was he loaded with cash that day...
Will post some pics tomorrow night hopefully....
Ozzie

 

Anybody else got some pic's?

 

************************************************
I watch one too,said they had there own machine shops making parts and adapting other parts to fit.Also people have to carry water to there home every day.Most don't have electric.Some still use ice boxes.One couple received $9.00 a month to live on from the goverment (if thats what you call it)...Crazy huh?
Cuba might have some neat old cars but i'm staying in the good old USA...LOL

Steve

 

headed back to Cuba July 16th for 10 days.

Will be working on a few projects again this time. Will be spending time in Matanzas so I will take plenty of pics.

 

Here are some pics....

 

I saw a 1952 chev sedan fitted with atruck steering box and column as it seems the original was passed its use by date.
The guy had trouble fitting so he set up a lever system to make it work in the car.
I was amazed at the effort to keep this car running.

Here is a couple of pictures in Havana at the round about just out side the Hospital that Fidel was staying in when I was there.

Got detained for a whole day over that, thought I was going to lose a few teeth during the interrogation. Nervous bunch.

 

This thread makes Cuba look like a fun place.

 

I wonder if that guy that hand sifted his piles of asbestos and stuff to make new brake shoe linings is still around, or if the dust has taken him yet.

 

Hey Ozzie, is that an old Powell in the last pic?

 

love the green chevy wagon,looks like a 3/4 ton rearend? under it. i gess it is aTAXI.
looks like they'r smarter then us, we throw away the good parts and import junk to put on our cars.for instance, new import balljoint life exp 2 mo. old lasted 156000 miles. replased both sides within a year twice, mabe the made in china should have been a red flag.
i gess i'm oldenough to remember quality parts made by proud american workers!! and a product name ment quality!! those days are looonnnggg gone.

 

I'm sure most if not all of them are pretty tired sh!tboxes, and mostly 4-doors.

 

They must have some parts in Cuba. That's where Al Bundy got the fuel pump for his Dodge.

 

I think that there are a lot of Red Green style cars in Cuba.

 

Watching the news about the possible change in relations between the US and Cuba I was amazed at the cars in the videos . They certainly have a lot of 40's ,50's and 60's cars on the road.

 

There have been a couple of threads about these cars with some pretty cool photos. Do a quick search and check 'em out.

 

Just think, if they get internet access there will be a whole new group of "wanted ads" in the classifieds.