Have any of you see this show, Cuban Chrome? I haven't seen any yet, except for 5 minutes at the tail end of one episode. How does it stack up, for those who have seen it?

Frankly, I'm glad to see this show is on the air. The reason is though I disagree with Obama on most things, lifting the embargo and normalizing relations is one area I agree with. We did with Vietnam, and the only significant reason I can see for keeping the embargo was stupid pride over Kennedy implementing it. History with iron curtain countries has shown that one of the quickest ways to change them is letting them get a taste of America, information flow, etc. Nothing sows discontent like learning what you don't have.

 

I've been able to see 3 episodes now (had the DVR record them). I like it! Some of them don't speak a lick of English and it has subtitles for them. Others speak perfect English with a slight American / Cuban mixed accent because they receive TV broadcasts from southern Florida.

It's old school ingenuity to get the job done no matter the hurdles....

if that includes your son selling his bicycle because you're out of cash, the car you planned to use as a taxi service has taken longer than you thought....
using coil springs from two different cars with an adapter on one to make it fit...
painting your car a darker color than you really want it now because paint fades in the hot Cuban sun...
fabricating a house door lock be the inner workings of a trunk lock....
horse trading with friends...
fabricating body panels by hand from a flat piece of sheet metal....
having some guy scrounge up a used but working battery that still has some life left in it...
searching everywhere for motor oil because it's so hard to get...
using a 60 year old Black and Decker power tool (with no safety guard!) to take rust off sheet metal....

And the finished work... stunning.

It doesn't appear to be the least bit scripted. Real crying when a guy is half way through a project and out of money, real crying for joy when his son tells him he sold his bicycle to help out, etc. From what I can tell this show is the real deal.

And another great thing? When they can get their hands on American made parts, both old and new, they appreciate it like no other, saying they are the best made auto parts in the world.

Next week they are supposed to air an episode were they see Obama's tv announcement that the USA is lifting the embargo. You only get a split second of their reaction in the preview, but from what I can tell it was as if Jesus himself showed up.