Motion Pictures New show...Cuban Chrome...not bad

I just finished watching the new series on Velocity and the Discovery Channel called Cuban Chrome. It documents what's happening car-wise in the country, and what all the guys have to go through to keep their old cars running...I actually enjoyed watching it. You think it's hard to put together a ride in your neck-o-the-woods...try Cuba.

Anyone else see the show?

 

It was worth the time last night. I didn't realize the owners of many of the cars use them as unofficial taxis for locals.

$30 for a u-joint from a guy who knows a guy working out of a box van container.... and here I thought NAPA was steep

 

I liked it, I thought it was neat to see their culture. Thought it was weird they were looking for a steering box bearing and come home with a large truck u joint.

 

Do I have to have cable(or a dish) to watch it?

 

Their challenges make me feel kind of bad when I get feeling low going through what I have to here where all of it is available and from multiple sources. It was kind of enjoyable to watch.

 

Could be alot of possiblities for parts to be shipped over from the US and maybe sell some stuff, Don't know if they now about the HAMB YET

 

Cubans are very resourceful people. Anyone that can strap a Buick to a couple of barrels and make it across 90 miles of ocean have my respect.

I watched a little of the show but was too tired to watch all of it. As soon as they open it up I am going to go there just to see the culture and the cars.

Don

 

Yeah, Three guys and a taxi for income, what do they do run the taxi 24/7? I understand the jist of the culture but too much fabrication for me...Maybe the next episode will be better, I'll watch and see...

 

One word comes to mind,,dedication!

The Cubans love American Cars and these guys go through overwhelming difficulties to keep the running,many of the old American cars are powered with Soviet engines and parts from many other makes. HRP

 

also thought it was kind of an eye opener when they pop the hood of the old chevy and see it needs small block stuff. They are really concerned about not finding what they need when if they were here, they could go to any salvage yard and I mean any and find the SBC stuff they need. Somebody could make big money selling junk yard engines, whos going to be loading up a shipping container first?

 

That was a definite continuity glitch, like they cut ten or fifteen minutes out of the show somewhere between those two scenes.

 

Larry.You should of video taped it. And posted on here. We all like to look at pictures and videos. Bob...

 

Or maybe they made that universal joint go in the end of that steering box..
details next HOT ROD rag... er mag

34 ford coupe... my ass.
Maybe it will get better. with tech advisors

 

Think they called it a 34 model A hot rod.......

 

Yep, we caught that one too !


Don

 

I thought the characters were interesting...I could do without the big voice over dude though. I thought some Americans were going to go over there and work on cars with locals....liked the show as it is though. Eye opening to see the REAL Cuba...

 

They suffer from a lack of parts available and also lack of disposable income to buy what they need. That is the recipe for ingenuity in solving problems that is far beyond what we face, luckily.

 

more power to them for doing what they do with what they got. but, this is only one problem of the life that these people have had to live with. hopefully now things will start changing for the positive for the average person but, will not happen overnite.

 

I watched a bit of the show and thought it was good, gave a good overview of life as a car guy down there. Should have taped it, will watch the next show. Bob

 

It's a reality TV show. I doubt it has very much to do with real life. Replacement car parts have been made in Canada and Mexico for years. I do not understand that the USA embargo has stopped them from getting parts to fix those cars. I watched the show. Seemed to me they like doing donuts with the cars.

 

I think they simply lack the funds to buy parts, even if they are available. They said something like the average Cuban makes $20 a month ! Not sure if that is true, but I think that is what I heard.

A lot of us have probably thought we could ship some parts to Cuba and make money after everything is open, but I bet there will still be obstacles put up by either their Government or ours to keep that from being a reality.

Don

 

been waiting a long time to go there. our sr. hischool class was going there on our sr. trip [1959] but castro tookover christmas 1958. my stepfather was growing tomatos there when castro tookover they were shot at while getting to the airport, the last flight out. he was dressed in shorts &t shirt, plane flew to NY, was dead of winter there said they almost froze befor they got more clothes, lost lot of equipment there probily still running.

 

Google the documentary 'Yank Tanks' . You will love it.

 

Seems like they "Cherish" even the 4-doors. We at one time cut up our 4-doors and used them for parts cars. Go figure that one out................ Jeff

 

I'd like to have any of those guys co-pilot or be mechanic on a cross country trip or one lap of America. Extremely resourceful, not much would phase them. I just hope they keep it real.

 

They're resourceful as hell by necessity. Watching them work made me wonder how many old world craftsmen that the country of Cuba may hold!? Could be a veritable goldmine of talented dudes squirreled away in back alley shops and garages. Hammer welding with a torch and a handful of coat hangers, painters, pinstripers, machinists, upholsterers....
Discovery Channel should do a Cuban Monster Garage.
Watching the guy have to "slightly overpay" $30 for a $25 part reminds me of buying '34 parts. Sellers always pushing the envelope...

 

I liked it.
Similar to other shows you see the reality mixed with a little entertainment value to keep the viewers interest. Having a broken bearing in the steering box and showing them replace a U-joint to fix the problem might raise a few questions. It still demonstrates the point of what I had always heard about the Cuban people and their cars. I also found it slightly similar to what I saw in Guadalajara Mexico years ago when I traveled there for my job at Kodak.
Also reminds me of the good old days when the guys in our own car club did things like dumpster diving at the local repair shops to find things to use on our builds. Today you might still find some good deals at a swap meet or go on the internet and order just about anything. I am sure you will eventually see a similar transition in Cuba. Like the Father and the two Sons, the Father will be the more interesting character to watch.

 

honestly, I think the tv world has already screwed the show up. If you noticed, they show the next show about the old man taking his car apart to rebuild into a club worthy car and then show him not having a replacement motor and being stressed about it being apart.
Heres where I am going with this: I think, real life, that dude makes $5-$20 a day with his car, its his life source, his cup of water, however you want to look at it, I see no way in hell would he tear his car apart to "belong" to a club instead of keep using it to live and pay his bills in the real world.
Basically, they are gonna pay him and his garage antics will keep the show going.

 

I liked the show. I did have to call bullshit on the steering box U joint thing. I think if it was accurate I would have enjoyed it more.Did anybody notice the big disc brakes under the front of that oldsmobile that they had the issues with the steering? Over all it was good.

 

it lost me at a 1934 Ford Model A and the sons bringing back a U-joint when they were sent to find a steering box bearing