Good grief ...

[NutmegCT]

Posted on another car forum:

"a bunch of us guys were sitting around trying to figure how to make money off this Cuba thing. One way is to sell junker American cars as "just in from Cuba". Then take the money and buy cars from Cubans who don't realize how much their cars are worth to flippers."

already it starts ...

 

[Guest]

I thought about buying Cuban cars years ago as we have a contact there. Believe me, those guys already know what their cars are worth.

 

[BustedKnuckles]

Poor morons will be very disappointed when they find out how much the Cubanos really DO know about the value of their cars!!

 

[sail]

I'd love to go there and hire a classic and it's owner to show me around.

 

[DrEntropy]

Russian tractor engines in fifty-seven Chevys aren't worth a whole lot.

 

[judow]

Unfortunately the cars have been so plagiarized, their value is questionable. They do and have done whatever they had to just keep them running. They truly are a one of a kind.

 

[DrEntropy]

Shiny exteriors with useless mechanicals for the most part. And owned by those who would...

...oh, nevermind.

 

[Gliderman8]

And there's no inner tubes in the spares… just saying

 

[Guest]

Shiny exteriors with useless mechanicals for the most part. And owned by those who would...

...oh, nevermind.

I dunno Doc, saw a PBS documentary about Cuban mechanico's or whatever they're called; never saw any tractor motors in anything. Gotta give props to a guy who can home brew asbestos brake shoe lining and reline a 60 y.o shoe that's been redone God knows how many times. Those cats lived SHTF automotive-wise and still made it happen. Sixty years latter and their shizzle still sizzles; can't argue with results. ...and we think we have trouble with "substandard parts" :wink:

IMO, som'ma those are the baddest dudes onna planet! :thumbsup:

 

[DrEntropy]

I laud their ability to "MacGyver" the vehicles. I've seen the same PBS vid a couple of times. It's just that most of 'em are so bastardized they aren't worth the cost to ship 'em back home. A better scheme would be to offer aftermarket/original parts for sale to them, to make the things what they were originally engineered to be. THAT'S where the money would be after a bit of (two way) commerce is allowed. Your local NAPA can supply brake boosters and master cylinders for a '55 DeSoto ferheavens' sake.

 

[PAUL161]

In Cuba for over 2 years. Drove a 38 Chevy 2 door, all original. Salt air destroyed the running boards, but it ran great. Rusted out hole in the passenger floor would spray the passenger if I ran through a puddle. Didn't go over very well with the wife! :highly_amused: . Swapped it for a 47 Studebaker, great little car, ran and rode like a dream. Wife though it was ugly as sin, painted dull putrid Green, but it didn't leak! .Those cars are probably still there and still running. PJ

 

[BustedKnuckles]

As for parts for these cars, both Canada and Mexico maintain trade relations with Cuba and both have very strong markets in American cars.

 

[PAUL161]

I forgot about the Cushman Eagle scooter I had down there. Had a blown piston and seeing how none were available at the time, we made a new piston for it out of aluminum bar stock in the machine shop, when I left there it was still running like a banshee! You make due with what's at hand, as those people have been doing for years. PJ

 

[Guest]

In Cuba for over 2 years. Drove a 38 Chevy 2 door, all original. Salt air destroyed the running boards, but it ran great. Rusted out hole in the passenger floor would spray the passenger if I ran through a puddle. Didn't go over very well with the wife! :highly_amused: . Swapped it for a 47 Studebaker, great little car, ran and rode like a dream. Wife though it was ugly as sin, painted dull putrid Green, but it didn't leak! .Those cars are probably still there and still running. PJ

Unless somebody made 'em into'a boat....:laugh: