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RUNNING ON EMPTY: REPAIR SHOPS IN THE STREETS

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PRIOR TO 2010, EDUARDO MESEJO MAESTRE, DIRECTOR OF THE DEPÓSITO DEL AUTOMÓVIL—HAVANA’S ANTIQUE CAR MUSEUM—HAD NEVER BEEN TO A PROPER AUTO-PARTS STORE AS WE KNOW THEM IN THE STATES. THE AUTO-PARTS “CHAIN” IN CUBA IS CALLED SASA, AND IT PROVIDES BASIC AUTO PARTS TO RESIDENTS. THE CHAIN IS OPERATED BY THE COMMITTEES FOR THE DEFENSE OF THE REVOLUTION, AN ARM OF THE CUBAN GOVERNMENT. THERE ARE TWELVE SASA STORES ACROSS THE COUNTRY.

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You fix it where it breaks! When a car breaks down, Cuban drivers can’t call AAA for a tow truck. The driver of this Chevy is trying to get it fired up again. Walter Bibikow/Getty Images

The stores are small and neat, but not very well stocked. Until he visited the United States, this is what Eduardo believed was an average auto-parts store. Then he was invited to Jacksonville, Florida, on a cultural exchange to participate as a judge at the 2010 Amelia Island Concours d’Elegance. During that trip, he visited an Advance Auto Parts store and walked around with his mouth agape. Instead of there being just a few quarts of oil on the shelves, there were dozens of types, and varieties of viscosities, both synthetic and organic! Rows of shelves neatly stacked with batteries, car waxes, light bulbs, tools, and on and on. And there were dozens of pints of brake fluid, a chemical in short supply in Cuba.

He was in shock.

We Americans are spoiled. Within a mile of any suburban center, we’ll usually have an Auto Zone, an Advance Auto, and a NAPA store. Cubans, on the other hand, must search far and wide to find the right part—or one that will work in its place. Parts are so scarce in Cuba that when word gets out that a car has been in an accident or was taken off the road, mechanics rush to the scene in an attempt to buy or barter for the parts. Chemicals such as oil are recycled after major engine repairs because replacement fluids are expensive and in short supply. Our translator, Abe, told us that the SASA store is where you can buy both new and used parts, and even new cars, if anybody could actually afford one.

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The owner of this Plymouth taxi makes repairs to his front end in a traffic lane. And no jack stands in sight!

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This bursting-at-the-seams Pontiac wagon shows the industrial front and rear axles that many American cars have been converted to. Poetic license seems to have been taken on the car’s grill and bumper selection.

“Occasionally there are as many as a dozen engines lined up on the floor for sale,” said Abe. But when we walked into one of the SASA stores in Havana, there was only one engine for sale, a Renault unit that had previously powered a front-wheel-drive car. Nobody could tell us what model it had been removed from, but our bet is on a later-model car because it was extremely clean. We were told it probably had been shipped from France.

The asking price was CUC$2,436.15—not terrible. We learned that brand-new engines were also for sale for between CUC$6,000 and $7,000.

Imagine trying to convert this front-wheel-drive engine to power, say, a rear-wheel-drive 1953 Cadillac convertible. What gearbox would you use? How would you make the bellhousing adaptor? Would an early clutch assembly work with a modern flywheel? These challenges had us scratching our heads, and thinking about them further convinced us that Cuban mechanics are amazing self-taught engineers.

Looking at the SASA showcases allowed us to see some of the accessories they sold: steering wheels and steering wheel covers; spray paint; speakers; light bulbs; stereos; lug wrenches; antennas; mirrors; Ferrari decals (a popular item, and about every third car we saw had them displayed, regardless of brand); and a number of VW Beetle parts, which explained the huge number of non-Volkswagens driving around with Beetle taillights mounted.

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This lucky mechanic has walls, a ceiling, and shelves. Some repair shops have simply a roof, but most repairs are made in the great outdoors.

ROLLING ACCESSORY DISPLAYS

In an effort to individualize their cars, Cuban owners of vintage American cars sure like accessories—the gaudier the better. And because the selection is so limited in their country, we saw many of the same items over and over again.

Most popular are the previously mentioned Ferrari decals, which because of their low cost might appear in several locations and in several different sizes on the same car. Another popular add-on is the late-1950s Chrysler Imperial “sparrow strainer” taillight, which has a Flash Gordon–esque rocket ship design surrounded by a vertical “halo.” The nickname comes from the fact that a small bird, such as a sparrow, could be squished between the components.

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Speaking of George Barris, this Mercury trolling the streets of Havana looks like a white canvas for the Kustom King to ply his talents on top-chopping and lowering.

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You can imagine how the taillight got its name, but it makes one wonder how many sparrows actually lost their lives as a result of coming in contact in the 1950s.

Multiple antennas are also a popular treatment, although we’re not sure customizer George Barris would think very highly of that modification. When the hood of a vintage American car in Cuba is open, you can see other popular chrome accessories: valve covers and air cleaners. Of course, multiple Buick-style “portholes” are always in fashion, whether mounted on an actual Buick, on a Henry J, or on a Corvair.

Other popular bolt-on items include American Racing–style five-spoke mag wheels that resemble the original Torq Thrust design. These wheels make almost any car in America look better, and they do the same thing to Cuban cars. We spoke to the owner of a 1953 Mercury who had just installed a new set of chrome American Racing wheels and wide whitewalls. He told us he traveled to Mexico City and bought them for $1,000.

Similarly, it’s not unusual to see a 1951 Chevy with what look like Mercedes-Benz factory wheels. Like in the States, aftermarket wheels are important to Cubans.

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Another Lada, this stretch limousine shows again how innovative Cuban mechanics can be. Most likely, this was produced from two Ladas, one crashed in the front, another from the rear. It’s a whole lotta Lada.

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Equipped with all the accessories that can fit, this Russian Lada must be the envy of many young Cuban car enthusiasts.

THESE CARS ARE SMOKERS

Look at the average vintage American car cruising the Cuban streets, and the chances are that it’s smoking. And not just little puffs, but huge plumes of dark smoke that can momentarily make the back of the car disappear until it dissipates.

Breathing in this city can be hazardous to your health.

Seen from the roof of our hotel, the Parque Central in Havana, the gray-brown smog resembled those awful photos we’ve all seen of downtown Los Angeles before smog requirements were mandated on cars and factories. There are no emission laws in Cuba that penalize motorists, or factories for that matter, for pumping tons of pollution particulates into the air, and it made us wonder how many days we were shortening our lives by taking breaths of the dirty air.

Aside from the human health concerns, the cars themselves are unhealthy as well. The reason for these unburned hydrocarbons and diesel fumes pluming out of a car’s tailpipe is one of two things: either the piston rings and cylinders are totally worn out, or the car has been converted to aging diesel power.

Finding new piston rings for a sixty-year-old car is hard enough if you live in Pennsylvania or Oregon, but finding new rings in Cuba is next to impossible. So what to do? A Cuban owner could attempt to have a set of rings shipped from the United States through a third country, such as Mexico. When the new parts arrive, the challenge is then gaining access to a competent machinist with boring and honing equipment.

So, because of the expense and trouble of rebuilding a vintage engine—never mind the down time during the rebuild—this route is often a troublesome option. As a result, many owners leave the original engine in place, despite the smoke.

Unless…

DID GM PUT DIESELS IN ’55 CHEVYS?

We spent several days with our friend Quico, a terrific man who heads whatever motorsport activity takes place in Cuba. We met with Quico and his friend Albert at a road rally, the largest motorsport activity currently held on the island. Albert was an amazing resource on cars and racing in Cuba and could answer our questions in English.

We asked him why so many vintage cars here have straight front axles and what appear to be industrial rear ends. It’s common to notice familiar old models sitting at an unfamiliar ride height compared to stock. And the front and rear suspensions seem to be too narrow, especially when mounted under a huge car such as a Cadillac or an Oldsmobile.

Another mechanic had told us that the suspension components were actually sourced from Russian Volga automobiles. “You can buy the Volga engines directly from the government,” the mechanic, Pastor, had said. This made some sense, because finding replacement parts—bearings, seals, brakes, ball joints, and so on—for a later-model Volga would certainly be easier than sourcing those same parts for a dozen different sixty-year-old makes and models, especially with the close ties that Cuba and Russia had for nearly half a century.

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Russian, or Belarusian, diesel engines—usually sourced from elderly tractors—are used to power everything from front-engined Corvairs to this Chrysler.

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Vintage car enthusiasts who walk across the street to look under the hood of an old American car are nearly always disappointed to find a diesel Russian engine residing in the engine bay.

But something didn’t add up. When we inspected the many Volgas we saw on the streets, we found that none of them had straight front axles or the industrial rear ends like the ones we had seen on so many cars on the road. That’s why it was so helpful to talk to Albert.

“They are from tractors and trucks,” he said. “Belarus shipped seventy thousand diesel tractors to Cuba. Those have been dismantled, and the suspension components and engines are used to keep our cars on the road.” Finally, an answer that made sense.

And an explanation for why so many of the cars rattled and smoked so profusely.

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And just how did a pink 1962 Pontiac convertible find its way to Cuba during the embargo? This Poncho engine long ago bit the dust, and a Russian diesel engine now powers this car.

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Resembling a Gasser drag racer, this overcrowded wagon has a tractor front suspension with two parallel leaf springs installed.

BLOOD FROM A STONE

Cubans are generally poor, whether they participate in the underground economy or not. So, because they don’t have a lot of excess cash, and because proper car parts and supplies are not readily available, they have to make do.

During our 2009 trip, we figured that Cubans must subscribe to an extreme recycling philosophy and that, as a result, junkyards must do a brisk business. Plus, who knows what cool old stuff might be hiding in a proper junkyard? Our minds went to aluminum-bodied Jaguars and Maserati Grand Prix cars.

But our tour guide, Abel, had no idea what we were talking about.

“What’s a junkyard?” he asked.

“You know, it’s where old cars go after they are no longer usable. And you can buy the old parts.”

Abel looked confused, then said, “My friends, my whole country is a junkyard.”

Now we were the confused ones. But eventually we realized what Abel was trying to tell us: there is no such thing as a junkyard in Cuba because nothing ever totally wears out! Parts are used virtually forever, then are stored by the owner when finally worn out, potentially to be used as trading fodder with another mechanic.

Abel laughed as he told us about all the years he has been a tour guide in Cuba. He is often asked by foreign tourists to take them to churches, historical sites, beaches, museums, cigar or rum factories, even to brothels. “My friends, you are my first clients to ask me to take them to a junkyard!”

Obviously Abel hadn’t heard of El Relámpago, a General Motors dealership that also owned the largest junkyard and parts house in Cuba in the 1950s. But that was decades before he was born.

Abel told us the two rules of auto repair in his country: “Rule number one, the Cuban way is to do whatever you need to do to keep your car running.

“And rule number two, refer to rule number one.”

MAKING A SILK PURSE OUT OF A SOW’S EAR

As we’ve seen, Cubans must make do. When they can’t find exactly the correct part or supply to repair their car, they find something that will work.

“The Cuban people can paint a car under a tree or in the street,” said Abel. Which, after driving around Havana for a couple of days, we actually witnessed.

Of course well-heeled Cubans might actually prefer that their cars be painted in a proper spray booth with filtration and downdraft, but that would be the minority.

When we visited the SASA auto-parts store, we noticed a limited selection of spray paint in various colors, so we deduced that was a common method of Cubans painting their classic rides. But we also heard of another popular method: the “Cuban Way,” as Abel was fond of saying.

We were told that some Cubans paint their cars by dabbing a sponge in a jar of paint and brushing it on the car’s body. This often leaves an uneven and blotchy finish—so how do they buff out the cars afterward?

“Toothpaste is the best car polish,” said Eduardo Mesejo, the museum director.

Other “Cuban Way” methods of car repair and maintenance?

“We use Coca-Cola to break rusted bolts and nuts free,” Eduardo said.

And to keep old tires looking nice and black?

“We use water and sugar. We put four or five tablespoons of sugar into the water, wipe it on the tire, and wait. Or else you take an old inner tube and soak it in diesel fluid. Then light it on fire and wait until it melts. When you wipe the hot liquid on the tires, they become black as night.”

We’re lucky in America; we can just go to the auto-parts store and buy a bottle of Armor All.

NECESSITY IS THE MOTHER OF INVENTION

There was an amazing story broadcast on National Public Radio about a Cuban mechanic who either couldn’t find or couldn’t afford a set of piston rings he needed for his vintage engine. So he found an old piece of cast-iron plumbing pipe the approximate diameter of his piston. Using a hacksaw, he carefully cut slices of the pipe, then used a file to make his own piston rings in the proper diameter.

Amazing.

Brake fluid is something else that’s expensive and in short supply in Cuba. Inventive Cubans have a solution for that as well, Eduardo told us.

“We use shampoo in the brake lines. It contains silicone and works good at slow speeds.”

(The lesson to be learned here is not to step in front of a moving Cuban car.)

Not sure what the United States Department of Transportation would think about that, but it seems to be working in Cuba.

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When the owner of this Chrysler decided he needed more room for his taxi service, he simply cut the roof from another car and applied it to the top of his car. “Taxi!”

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TWO KINDS OF CHROME

Ivan, the Porsche owner (see page 112), brought us to a friend’s chrome shop in downtown Havana. He explained to us that there are several such shops in Cuba, but this one was the best.

Manuel’s chrome and polishing shop does work on some of the higher-end restoration projects going on in the Havana area. In addition to chroming, the owner also does welding, fabrication, and mechanical repair.

His shop was different from the others we had visited. It was very neat, without a lot of junk lying around in the corners. Clearly Manuel was very proud of his work. He had a series of tanks that allowed him to apply various finishes, such as copper, onto the metal surface before the actual chrome is applied.

Manuel’s personal project was a very nice 1956 Chevy restomod, which was one of the best cars we saw on the island. Obviously he makes good money and has good connections, because the exceptional white and turquoise Chevy is equipped with a 305-cubic-inch engine, a four-barrel carb mounted on a high-rise manifold, chrome headers, a billet front-drive system, electronic gauges, a GM 700R automatic transmission with verdrive, power disc brakes, and polished American Racing Torq Thrust wheels.

Most cars in Cuba are not prepared to 20 percent of this Chevy’s specifications.

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Four-door sedans rule in Cuba! This fuchsia-colored 1956 Chevy taxi can’t be missed as it cruises the streets seeking customers.

TAXI!

In the United States, two-door coupes are always in higher demand among enthusiasts, but in Cuba, four-doors rule. Four-door sedans, you see, can more easily be used as a taxicab than a two-door, and taxis are what most of these vintage American cars have become. These taxis are usually overflowing with passengers, packed with residents on their way to work, home, or shopping. Residents can commute for just a few pesos a day, far less than the taxi rates for tourists.

Tourist taxis are often pretty, colorful convertibles—though many we saw were in fact chopped two-door sedans or hardtops. (We had to check the windshield headers or look for a folded top to tell for sure.) These cabs usually take visitors for a CUC$35 one-hour sightseeing tour around the city. “Excuse me, would you like a ride?” asked the owner of a bright red 1959 Buick Special convertible, which he used to transport guests around the city. “It has original engine,” he added, as if that would steer more tourists in his direction.

Some Cuban taxi owners charge money if tourists take photos next to their cars. They definitely charge if the tourist wants to have their photo taken in the driver’s seat.

We were told that private taxi drivers must pay the government CUC$45 a day as the fee for picking up passengers. Once that fee is paid, and the fuel purchased, everything else is profit.

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Hailing a cab in Havana can result in any number of vehicles. This horse-drawn cab is a popular option for tourists visiting the city.

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Maxi-Taxi—Scenes like this are visible every day in the Cuban countryside. Citizens who cannot afford a car are herded like cattle into trucks like this.

COCO CABS

There are also popular little three-wheeled tourist taxis that scoot around town at nearly full speed. These are the tiny Coco Cabs, which are powered by a single-cylinder lawn mower–type engine. They are distinctive because of their round fiberglass bodies, which resemble large yellow coconuts.

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Coco Cabs can be seen zipping all over the city. The exhaust makes a tinny sound and usually spews smoke, but they are a certainly an efficient method of getting across town. ArtMarie/Getty Images

GRANCAR

We visited a company called Grancar, which is a taxi and drivetrain conversion company that operates out of an open-air garage. Because of the summer heat and the temperate conditions in the winter, walls are not necessary.

“We install front and rear suspensions out of Russian Volgas, so we can swap ball joints, tie rods, bearings and seals,” said Pastor, the head mechanic at Grancar. “The parts on the newer Volgas have newer parts, and replacements can be found easier than a 1953 Cadillac part.”

Pastor was in fact working on a Cadillac when we spoke to him. It was a 1947 station wagon, and it had a total steel body, which was in very rough condition. We wondered what body company had built it.

The ’47 Caddy was powered by a four-cylinder diesel engine and had disc brakes on the rear axle, drum brakes on the front. A strange mixture of parts, for sure.

NOSTALGICAR

We came across another company that provides a similar service to Grancar. But NostalgiCar was a little more contemporary, offering mechanical restoration services and installation of new drivetrain components and accessories, such as air-conditioning systems, into older cars. NostalgiCar will also rent out their cars to tourists and provide taxi services and special-event limousine services for events such as weddings.

“All the parts we install come from the States,” said a man who appeared to be in charge. “We just completed a 1959 Chevy that we installed a Mercedes five-cylinder diesel engine.”

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It is now possible for tourists to rent “restored” American cars to tour around the island. This 1957 Ford is an example.