Remember those Cubans that tried to drive to Florida in a Chevy truck and later a '59 Buick? Well they finally made it and Car and Driver magazine has an article on them in the current issue. Luis Grass was a trained naval engineer who used the '51 Chevy 2 1/2 ton truck to haul sugar cane. The government confiscated the truck after they caught him running an illegal car-repair shop. He stole it back from the military depot where it was impounded, then kept it hidden while he built a hull under it. The oil drums were there to stabilize the flat-bottom craft. It was a true dual-drive amphibian. Grass planned on driving it up onto the beach like a DUKW landing at Normandy, get gas somewhere, and head to Miami. Unfortunately the old 235 had trouble making headway against the Gulf Stream and the Coast Guard intercepted them 40 miles form the coast. When the story of his attempt broke, the Cuban community in Fla. dubbed them camionautas ir "truckonauts". After he was sent back, Grass spent 7 days under house arrest and was later harrased by the Cuban government. His next attempt was with this '59 Buick Electra. This one had a true vee-shaped hull, bilge pumps for dewatering, a trunk full of Styrofoam, and of course Nailhead power. They got within 10 miles of the coast in this one. Grass's friend Rafael Diaz and his family came along this time, and they made their own attempt to reach Florida in a '48 Mercury airport limo. The Diaz family had already arranged US visas so they got to stay. "license and registration por favor" This time Grass and his family convinced the US that they would be persecuted by the Cubans if they returned, so they spent 10 months at Guantanamo Bay until granted asylum by Costa Rica. From there they hitchhiked 2100 miles north in six weeks and crossed the border at Matamoras, TX. They were granted political asylum at Brownsville TX. two days later and headed to Miami. Luis Grass is now a line mechanic at Maroone Chevrolet of West Dade. This is a very good article. The amphibious jalopies were far more sophisticated than they looked, and the author give plenty of technical details. I can't wait for the movie!
That's what I call determination!! I remember seeing the truck on the news. If I recall the Coast Guard sank it after removing the passengers.
Glad he and his family finally made it...hope they have great success in their new home. Too bad they sank the vehicles. Bet they would have made a good tourist attraction with the story they told. They might have made it to shore in a Ford product....you know what Bob Seger used to sing about the Chevys! LoL
If you have to build a boat and sail to our country you should be able to stay... wait isn't that what happened the first time around...
That guy can move next door to me if he wants. A great story and a decent amount of engineering too. I agree it's a shame they were all sunk.
The Buick is supposed to be stored somewhere here in the US. Diaz filled all the cavities with expansion foam and had a water pump hooked up to pump out the water. He said it couldn't sink. There was some article I just read about this guy and his escapades to get here. He is living in Miami with his family and all have jobs now. get this, a cuban guy that owns a Chevrolet dealership hired him as a mechanic and is helping him build a replica of the truck with the pontoons for show. Maybe it is going to go in the showroom.
I found in an online article somewhere that Grass said that the Coast Cuard tried and couldn't sink it, and later at Gitmo an officer told him it was stored and would go to a museum. The Car and Driver article showed him in front of the '53 truck that he plans to build a replica of.
Not bad. FYI, there are no Cuban illegal immigrants in this country. If they set foot on American soil, they are granted refugee status.
i second the motion for an honorary HAMB membership maybe then he could write an article for tech week on the dynamics of making your truck float across open waters. maybe sometime in the near future i could combine my love of fishing and old cars. if you drive your vehicle straight into the lake to fish i say you shouldn't have to pay the park fees.
I had cuban live in for 7yrs She came on the Marielle? Boat lift in 1980. I believe she was all of about 4yrs old then. Her father also tried to bring their family over in a boat kinda way, he was arrested & was political prisoner for a short while. 1979 The family had to give up all of their belongings and get ready to make passage by boat, It would be 17yrs before I'd meet Kenia. She and her family settled in the Maimi-Dade area of Hialea and her mother & brother still reside there to this day. Kenia came out to CA. in 97 after doing mechanical claims over the phone with me. If any body was to meet her- she has the consumate car girl personality. On her visit here the 1st time,she jumped right in 34 roadster and drove the wheels off of it, for Valentines Day in 98 I decided that she wore out the old skins & slammed some Wide Whites on it for her, She drove that car exclusively for 5 out of the 7yrs. On rainy days she also saw the USA in a Chevrolet-my LeMans Blue 69 Camaro S/S 350. Those 2 cars she calls her babies. She was instrumental in helping me with the aquisition of Cyclone & Partnering up with Cook's, she to this very day is business savy & still loves Hot Rods! although she is no longer "the gal pal" she will always be considered my pal. Cubans coming to America have a hard life ahead them, they need to able to prove themselves as well as becoming contributing members of society. I always joke with her re: The Cars of Cuba. I always say that when they make Cuba a democracy,we're jumping on a boat & going & getting some of those cars. If ya talk to an ol timer, they'll tell you that Cuba was way better than both Vegas & Atlantic City for gambling. That's my Cuban experience way edited of course!
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