realistically how practical would it be to drive an old 50s car forever like the cubans do?only downside is i live in the rustbelt
>>28933312they have replaced the engines and they don't salt their roads
It would be a whole lot more feasible if we had more cottage industries mass producing replacement body panels for people in rust wastelands
>>28933312tannic acids are your friend, followed by triple layer epoxy and lots and lots of globs o' grease.older cars are actually pretty easy because there's not a ton of wiring and bullshit in the way, you can coat and wash almost every part of the underbody. But you will want a way to wash the underbody, so you're looking at a proper lift, or more usefully a grease pit with a water-pump-out.
>>28933315They did more than replace engines.The didnt have small block V8s to swap in, or even simple shit like bearing kits to rebuild what they had so they swapped in shit like boat motors.Im not talking about some crazy 500hp Honda outboard off a race boat.Im talking about a 25hp evenrude like your neighbor has on his 12 foot fishing boat.They didnt even have access to shit like brake shoes so they cut the brakes off the axle of a Lada and welded them on.They kept them running out of necessity and as soon as imports were allowed all those old cars were dumped. They basically dont exist in Cuba now.
>>28933348They didn't even have an ample supply brake fluid, some people used palm juice. The old shells are mostly used as cabs these days and have been passed down as family heirlooms. Things are much worse these days post covid.>t. been there
>>28933348>They kept them running out of necessity and as soon as imports were allowed all those old cars were dumped. They basically dont exist in Cuba now.Why would you just make something like this up? If they used them for 50+ years they're not suddenly going to toss them because it's such a poor country.
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>>28933650
>>28933312Lanolin based undercoat spray for the rust management. If you have fabrication skills or access, you could keep it running till you kick the bucket.
>>28933312You'll need to learn to make things work that aren't originally intended for your car.
>>28933652
>>28933312Depends on the car, but it's easier than people think, you just have to either put up with not having creature comforts or pay to have them retrofitted. Oh, and keep up with maintenance; you can't just change oil and call it good, you need the grease and adjust shit on occasion, or pay someone who deals with classics and is aware of what needs doing.One of the French teachers at my school dailied a Morris Minor Traveller, I myself own and daily drive cars from '50, '64, and '73, and there was that one guy from Hagerty who daily drove a 1930 Model A for an entire year.
>>28933312I used to drive a 50's M38A1 Jeep daily. It was fine, as long as you weren't in a huge hurry.Yes, you had to do a lot of maintenance, but once you established a routine, it was fine. The only real hassle was getting the weird military combustion heater tuned up in the fall, otherwise it'd occasionally backfire and scare the shit out of people.
>>28933312can be done, know a couple of rockabilly/raggare who do here. but salt will kill it unless you give it constant maintendance. best way is not a car was now and then, they help but its not enough. you need a fire hose soak wash couple of times each salt season. you know if you just spray your car with a garden hose and it never stops running dirt from certain places. you need to soak it until it stop running dirt from thoose places, because that dirt is salt. underside and inside frame most important. then spray it with fluid film.
>>28933711those oscillating sprinklers would seem useful for undercarriage washing.
>>28933348most of them run old gaz engines, but also;>>28933649its true that cuba has been getting access to new cars, but according to some probably ai generated article i read online a lot of these old cars are family heirlooms and are kept on the road on purpose. just because they are communist doesnt mean they are stupid, they know people like the cars, they know they look great and they know theyre a part of cuban culture, it would destroy a part of cuban national identity if they went away completely.
>>28933312You ever seen crash tests with these cars? They might as well have been made of cardboard.You could weld a cage inside, but that defeats the purpose of the classy look.
>>28933348Could a 25hp engine even move this steel beast?
>>28933916oh and the cage will also kill you without a helmet on because its like a steel pipe hitting you at 40mph.
>>28933955La Famillia is able to race it, i believe it can win any real racers.
>>28933348Why even hold onto the white man's tech at that point? Just go back to riding donkeys or walking.
>>28933916This, just buy a tesla model x and be done with it.It's faster, safer, more reliable, more luxurious and all around better than some old piece of shit.
>>28934175>Cuba, a country prone to electrical blackouts and lacks EV charging infrastructure>"Duh, buy an EV"Holla el Retrardo
>>28934241thats why you buy a diesel generator duh
>>28934246If your solution is to hoick around a genny you might as well buy a proper car to begin with.
>>28933766>those oscillating sprinklers would seem useful for undercarriage washing.They are, if it will fit.I used to use the old "Square Spray" sprinklers, they fit under cars better.
>>28934142Pride and clout.Your neighbor is riding a burro to work.You have a bel air.How much effort would you put into the bel air so you didnt have to get a burro?And the vintage american vehicles werent as prevalent as photos would have you believe.Sure there were thousands but thats in a country of 11 million people. It was basically one weekend's worth of Barrett-Jackson.They werent stashed away in garages, they were driven daily.
