Another thread got me thinking about all the big American cars from the 50's still being maintained, rebuilt, and run as daily transportation in Cuba. It's fascinating in so many ways. The creativity and resourcefulness it takes to rebuild and repair these cars with no new parts availability, there must be some absolutely amazing mechanics there. There have got to be car fanatics, clubs and rodders... what does a Cuban hot rod, or Kustom look like? Considering the natural beauty of Cuba, the "romance" of pre-revolution Cuba, the popularity of 50's "retro" and rough, ready hot rods and customs, I'm surprised this hasn't been a topic in the Jalopy Journal yet (or has it?). I just did a quick search and found the following site that's got some decent pictures. http://www.danheller.com/cuba-cars.html Got any more?
There is a cool movie on the sundance channel on occasion called "Yank tanks" it is all about those Cubans and their cars. Prettty impressive really.
There was a great show on PBS about a year ago......................told all about American cars in Cuba. They did everything from using fork truck motors in '50's Chevys to using liquid soap to replace hard to find brake fluid..............They have to work out of "under ground" shops, though I can't remember why.......? I would love to see it again.
there are lots of cool cars popping up in cuba...a guy found a gull wing merc a while back, sans engine though...(sbc canditate if i ever saw one)
I can't remember if I saw a show or read a story about the cars down there, but it was a story of their resourcefulness to keep the cars running. I remember one guy had a 56 chevy or the like which had been retrofitted with a russian engine bucase that is what they could get. Just the fabrication or ingenuity involved was pretty amazing.
Come on, someone show the car boats pictures, you know you have them.... Seriously, Cuba could be one hell of a place, like it used to be. I've read books about how it was back in the day when sea planes would ferry tourist from Miami to Havanna, how cool would that be! Someday hopefully Cuba will come around and be friendly with the states. and that's as close to politics as I want to get
I remember an article, hot rod maybe, about a guy who made piston rings from "seasoned" water pipes, gaskets from cardboard and glue, to keep the cars running. Ingenuity that's long forgotten in our throw-away society.
I think I read that same article Heck, I still make some gaskets that way. Usually a water neck or carb gaskets. Everytime my wife buys clothing that has one of those blank pieces of cardboard in it, I steal it for my "raw materials" bin. That or she pulls a cereal box off the shelf to find that there is a big how cut out the shape of a water neck gasket.
Canadians can visit there with no problems. A friend was there recently and from what he gathered, the old cars belong to the state. The people are allowed to use them. If you do not take care of "your" car, the state takes it away and gives it to someone else. They are not for sale.
it's been on here before.... of course one phrase explains it "necessity is the mother of invention"...
I was in Cuba for a week in March. I saw a number of old American cars. They are a little worse for wear --some held together with chicken wire and Cuba's version of duct tape. It's amazing they are still running. It's a testament to American quality in the 50's.
I spent a couple of months in Ankara, Turkey in the late '80s and that place was also full of old American iron. Most of the taxis were tri five Chevys.
It's a myth that Cuba is full of mint old cars. I've been to Cuba leading educational trips more than once. Most of the nice-looking old cars are government-owned. They're mechanically worn, but look pretty until you hit a bump. The private-owned ones are generally as horrible as you would expect any car to be after 50 years of constant use and no maintainance. My favorite was a '57 DeSoto on a military chassis with a tank motor. Seriously, there are just as many really nice 1950s cars running around southern Missouri as there are in Cuba. 98% of the ones in Cuba are so chopped up, used up, crumpled up, and gutted that no one here in the U.S. would even want it for free. (Then, of course, a sweet original Mercury coupe rolls by and you swoon, but that's rare.) It IS, however, fascinating to look out into a parking lot and see mostly '50s cars. Like a time warp, as long as you don't get too close. (The closer you get, the worse they look). The owners/mechanics are very resourceful, but no more so than poor people anywhere in the world. (Here in the U.S. if we see someone driving a car with a trash bag in place of the rear window, we think "why doesn't that lazy bastard replace his window?" See the same thing in Cuba, and every says "Oh, they're so resourceful!" Necessity is always the mother of bastardization.)
Well put. I'm sure those cars are butchered and patched pretty bad and if they ever became for sale to us we would probably be wise to stay away.
that web site was awesome....lots of cool cars there. do we have any HAMB'ers from Cuba...wouldnt that be great!
those car/boats are cool /////////////but the coast gaurd sinks them too bad ...................................
hi guys, i bought the show yank tanks on e-bay a while back and it was very interesting to watch what these guys do do keep these things going, there is a guy that makes curved windshields in an alley, another guy that makes all the stainless moldings (and a beautiful hand made 55 chevy grille). lot of things i had never thought of making, these people have to make out of necessity. the vidio is worth the 10 bucks is you are wanting one. gary
I worked with a Machinist from Cuba. Boy talk about someone who could do the impossible. He had some great stories about things done and parts made to keep the old American cars on the road.
You can tell at a glance: if it's intact and looks clean, then it's a good body that just needs every single mechanical part rebuilt or replaced. I rode in a '56 Belair cab that I'd kill to own (once I replace the shocks, springs, bushings, etc.). If it's missing all of the trim and it's been painted with a brush, then you'd be better off finding a car in a field somewhere to start with. It's not that there aren't nice cars in Cuba, it's that the ratio is about 100-to-1, and driving around my home town reveals just as many solid old projects as you'll find in Havana. Now, if the Cuban government starts auctioning off those taxis, THEN we're good to go!!
At first glance, this appears to be a '58 Desoto export model, with a Plymouth body and a Desoto clip, judging by the fins. But take a close look at the windshield in this car.
There's another movie called Buena Vista Social Club about the old school musicians also, that shows a lot of cars & Havana in the background. They say the cars are all hacked with foriegn suspensions and drivetrains though, you pop open the hood on a 52 Chevy and it's a Datsun truck motor. At least the're keeping them going. I was reading where you're considered pretty well off to have an old American car there also, it's not like everyone has them, kind of like people who have a real Duece here. Yes, the place is beautiful, I'd love to go, and am going to someday. I checked into it a little while back and the thing to do is leave from Canada, what I was told is they want our American dollars and tourism, so they don't stamp your passport to tip off you've been there, coming or going. I can't believe that damn Castro is still alive...maybe he really isnt ?
man that thing looks mean with no headlights!! so what is with the rear window grafted to the front. as soon as ol'castro up and smokes his last havana i am buying property down there.
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