OK....here is the before. About four years ago. This was during the long repair process......Nice shop, eh? At the paint "shop"... And this is how it looks today...Finally!!.....a few more things still need to be done; like the interior upholstery. (I guess there is no exterior upholstery...ha, ha, ha) I know there are a few parts from other makes, but....that's Cuba....you use what you can find. A couple of details. The holes for the rear fender trim were on the wrong place....I only noticed when I went to put the trim on...Next time I'll correct that. I had to cut the bumpers in three pieces to be able to re-chrome them ( a very thin plating). Could not find a vat large enough.... The transmission is an adaptation from a Russian Volga 24.....that's why it's on the floor. We don't have all those nice tools and resources I see in most of the pictures here, but we get the job done.....it takes a bit longer, and some creativity though. That's it for now. What do you think?
wow! your car looks great. did you guys paint it right there on the blocks? thats a nice paint job for painting it where you did. Your car is really cool.
Yes Sr.....It was painted right there where you see it. With a old ripped tarp around. The "plaster" we used is something that you might not even heard of. Its a mixture of paint and something called (I think) in English "whiting"or "white lead"...?? It's a white powder...It takes a lot longer to harden....
That is some great work! I like the color combo, what are they namewise? I thought the shifter was cool also, won't be many copycats with one like it.
Yaragc, great work, you guys in Cuba do a fantastic job on the old cars from what you have to work with and the adverse conditions. (from what I've heard, anyway. Never been there myself). Any of you guys seen "Yank Tanks" a movie about cuban autos? Available on Amazon http://www.amazon.com/Yank-Tanks-Ca...ef=sr_1_4?ie=UTF8&s=dvd&qid=1264872202&sr=8-4 Good Stuff...
Well....I don't think those colors have a name....I showed a picture to a guy in Havana and that is the closest he came up with. The photo was an old Ford ad. Just to give you an idea: I had to go all the way to Havana to get the paint....I come frome the other end of the island -900 kilometers from Havana. I also went back to get nice rims; but lock that time....no rims anywhere. Some of the sheet metal I used for the repairs on the body came off those 55 gallon tanks used to put oil, lubricants and stuff like that....I tell you the guys that do that there are real magicians.... Now, I am not happy with the steering. The old steering box had a lot of play, so I put another one (53 Ford), but it doesn't turn much. Do you know if there is a rack and pinion steering box that would be easily adapted there ? It doesn't matter what make. I can try to find it in Canada.
Wow! That's a great job you've done on your car, especially when you consider the difficulties you've overcome! Nice work!
Put "shoe box ford rack and pinion" in search on Google,tons of info there as 49-53 Fords were kingpin suspension.In 1954 Ford changed to ball joint suspension the steering box itself is interchangeable 49-56.The companies that make kits are expensive and getting them shipped to you would be a big pain,so count on doing some fabrication you might check this out for ideas as there are some good pictures www.wurthitdesigns.com/54-56FORD&MERC.html Your best friend is a tape measure and a camera,take pics and measure your car and compare it to what parts cars you have available there since most of us would have little knowledge of the russian vehicles I would say post pics and ask questions.Keep us up to date on how it works out as it should be interesting.
good looking car you got there . theres plans for using cavalier type racks on these cars . just have to make a plate to weld to the center link and make some brackets to hold the rack . cut off the steering shaft and weld on a u joint . realy any rear steer rack should be adaptable . make sure its a rear steer not a front steer or you will be going the wrong direction when you turn you wheel , lol
Thanks a lot ! I'll look into that. I would like to keep as much as I can the original way, but it also have to be practical -which is more important in Cuba. ....and going the wrong direction.....that already happened to a friend.
Hola I was fortunate to visit Cuba a few years ago and was impressed with the " make do with what you have got" ability of the Cubans who maintain and drive these old american cars. Downtown Havana was like stepping back in time to 1959. A great experience for any gear head. Best of luck with your project, greg
That is really cool man! I don't know what I would do without all the connections to parts I've got, man you've got not only dedication but resourcefulness. Great job!
Nice car! You mentioned the chrome on the rear fenders being wrong. Those pieces are actualy acessory pieces that mount an inch or two below where they are now. They go on the rounded part below where they are and ****e up againest the chrome on the scoop. I had a set of them one time to put on my 53 but I never used them.
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