OT - Yank Tanks

[J T]

Ran across a referenc to a DVD called "Yank Tanks" in a car magazine the other day. It's kinda a documentary, filmed in Cuba, in Spanish, with English sub-titles. It seems that when Castro took over there were about 150,000 American vehicles in Cuba. Supposedly most of them are still on the road. This documents how they are kept on the road. Small shops hand make replacement parts from sheet metal. One guy mixes brake pads. Another uses chain link fence as welding rod. If you're any sort of a car guy, and like old cars, I think you'll really like this. Some of those old cars look like they just rolled out of the show room. Of course with a tractor engine replacement doesn't sound quite the same. LOL I'm not associated with the DVD, just got one, and think it' great. Do a search on Amazon using Yank Tanks.

JOAT Catapultam habeo. Nisi pecuniam omnem mihi dabis, ad caput tuum saxum immane mittam. (I have a catapult. Give me all your money, or I will fling an enormous rock at your head.)

[rich]

Also more recently in Brazil, and other So American countries. Someone told me the countries buy the dies, etc. from Ford or GM, and then produce the cars locally, using a lot of local parts. I still see a lot of VW Bugs and vans in Brazil. New car - old design. Anyone know of other countries that do this?

[jeremy]

rich wrote: New car - old design.

India makes 50's and 60's British motorbikes.

JJ

[Swingman]

On that same note ... when I first visited New Zealand in the early 60's I was surprised to see what looked like old cars from the 30's, 40's and early

50's were in use. Apparently all the tool and dies from these old models were still being used, to make "new" cars.

Pretty neat to see.

[Don Fearn]

jeremy opin'd thus:

And Russia makes 40s BMW copies; with sidecars.

'd like one with two-wheel drive for winter commuting.

[J T]

Fri, Apr 6, 2007, 4:55pm (EDT- 3) [e-mail] (rich) doth sayeth: Also more recently in Brazil, and other So American countries. Someone told me the countries buy the dies, etc. from Ford or GM, and then produce the cars locally, using a lot of local parts. I still see a lot of VW Bugs and vans in Brazil. New car - old design. Anyone know of other countries that do this?

But the guys in Cuba don't have dies. They're small shops, hand-making body parts from sheetmetal.

Brazil and Mexico mae VW Beetles, but I think they both stoped just a few years ago. You can still buy new manufacture body parts tho.

JOAT Catapultam habeo. Nisi pecuniam omnem mihi dabis, ad caput tuum saxum immane mittam. (I have a catapult. Give me all your money, or I will fling an enormous rock at your head.)

[nailshooter41]

JT - I saw that special on the HD channel. It was great, and I was surprised to see how those guys had "specialized" over the years.

What in the world did that guy make those brake shoes from?

Robert

[J T]

Fri, Apr 6, 2007, 11:30pm (EDT-3) [e-mail] doth query: JT - I saw that special on the HD channel. It was great, and I was surprised to see how those guys had "specialized" over the years. What in the world did that guy make those brake shoes from?

Home Depot has its own channel?

Asbestos fibers (poured out of a sack), graphite, and something else as a bnder, forget what. Brake pads actually. Mix, mold, bake.

There's not too many movies I care to see more than once, so I dn't buy a lot of videos or DVDs - definitely happy I got a copy of this.

And, for any insomniacs, get a copy of the orignal movie version of the Hitchikers Guide To The Galaxy. I enljoyed the book, so when a VHS copy came up, I nabbed it. Every time I play it I fall asleep. I've probably played it eight times, and have never seen the ending. It's even more boring than Lord Of The Rings - and I thought that was a great book.

JOAT In the rough is just enough.

[Charlie Self]

They should ship those dies back here: there is already at least one company building '57 Chev components. The company will build you a new '57 convertible (or, I guess, a Bel Air hard top), too. Stick the key in and drive away.

God knows the cost, but restored '57 convertibles are going for 125K and up. Survivors are higher. It makes me wonder what happened to the '57 convertible I had...my first new car.

[Lowell Holmes]

God knows the cost, but restored '57 convertibles are going for 125K and up. Survivors are higher. It makes me wonder what happened to the '57 convertible I had...my first new car.

I wonder about my 59 Corvette.

I didn't realize you are an old codger.

[Swingman]

LOL ... know the feeling. Back on a rainy December day last year, while waiting for the shop to warm up, I finally (and accidentally) saw the end of "Breakfast Club", some 20 years after attempting to watch it the first time ... and I'm still unimpressed.

AAMOF, I've only watched three movies to the end on the first sitting in the last 15 years: "Secondhand Lions", "The Notebook", and "As Good As It Gets".

SWMBO can watch three a night and, after 25 years, has finally given up trying to get me to either watch them with her, or worse, take her to see one ... ain't no way in hell I'm gonna sit in a movie theater and suffer "art imitating reality" at those prices.

[J T]

Sat, Apr 7, 2007, 9:22am (EDT-2) [e-mail] (Swingman) doth sayth: AAMOF, I've only watched three movies to the end on the first sitting in the last 15 years: "Secondhand Lions", "The Notebook", and "As Good As It Gets".

I've got a copy of Secondhand Lions, great movie, reminds me of me. Never even heard of The Notebook, and As Good As It Gets is a one time only movie. When there's no good realiy shows on (and I do not mean Survivor or that Race seies), like Cops, Forensic Files, etc., and I want to watch something, I usually stick in one of my full-length cartoon movies - Leroy and Stitch, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, Wizards, you know, a movie that makes sense.

JOAT In the rough is just enough.

[B A R R Y]

There are two companies currently building identical replicas of 1946 Piper Cubs.

One of them has 100+ pre-orders @ $100,000+ per copy.

I'm not surprised at all that somebody can make money reproducing classic cars. There are far more drivers than pilots!

[Robatoy]

One of the most notorious examples were the Lada cars from Russia. Those were all made from Fiat 128 stampers. Except, the Russians used a thicker sheet metal of a thicker gauge, but it was cold-rolled and therefore more porous. As a result, ..boy could those car rust in a hurry. I recall an accessory shop in Toronto bringing in Lada floormats and exhaust pipes. The 'bends' in the pipes were wrinkled like a sharpei pup. Just absolute trash. The floormats were of the cocos variety..'cept they'd shed on the way out the store.

[J. Clarke]

But are you Duvall, Caine, or the kid?

Ever see any Miyazakis? "Porco Rosso" might be a good intro, but it's a bit different from his others.

[B A R R Y]

It's funny that you mention Lada!

Just last week, I was in an auto parts store with a Polish immigrant co-worker, and we were making Lada jokes, as Lada was mentioned in the filter / wiper catalog.

I always pictured them as looking like fat BMW 2002's.

[Robatoy]

That's flattering them..LOL

They were Fiat 128's. Almost impossible to tell apart for about a year or two.

The going joke at the time was: Lada car, lada trubble.

They were worse than the Trabant... better than the Yugo. (welded house-style hinges on the doors..I shitteth thou not.)

The Russians also had a knock-off of the DKW (Auto Union, now Audi). It had a 2 stroke engine and went like stink. Mind you, Saab ran a two- stroke for years. It wasn't all bad.

[Robatoy]

importer has built up a bit of a clientele. One fellow, in town, draws quite a crowd when he parks under the Blue Water Bridge. That's where the freedom fries trucks sell their chips to walkers, cyclers and generally relaxing people on Sundays. Fit and finish isn't the greatest...I mean they paint right over the dross left on after the castings...but he claims it hasn't let him down yet. It WAS once built after a BMW, but over the years, the only thing left, is the lay-out of an RS 69. Brand new... under 10K Can$ with side car. (Side cars should be outlawed like Radial Arm saws.)

[B A R R Y]

That's another car my Polish friend brings up on occasion!

[Lew Hodgett]

Back in the 90's somebody tried to import Ruski farm equipment.

I have a picture of a load of it on a flat bed setting in a rest stop in Nebraska. Looked like pure trash.

Hell the Ruskis even screw up plywood which is Finland's private joke on the cheap skate buyers.

Lew