When I first glanced at this shot of a Kaiser Henry J posted at the Cohort by RiveraNotario, I did a double-take. What’s going on here? Has Chip Foose set up a shop in Havana? The bumper from some unknown (maybe one of you will recognize it) car really changes the front end, and this little Henry is sporting a one-piece windshield! Now where in Havana did they find a windshield that would fit (reasonably well) on a Henry J? It took a bit of body work, especially at the top, since the new windshield is squared off. But it works, and gives us some idea of what the Henry J might have looked like in later years had it not had such an early demise. Great find. BTW, here’s what the original looks like.
The windscreen has been done “onepiece” and another bumper and gravel tray the rest looks stock, Note the Hyundai van behind it Cuba is modernising.
That bumper has a definite Russian look to it, which would also make sense in Cuba. I looked at photos of all the slightly updated older Soviet cars I can think of, and none match. But that’s the impression I’m getting from the newer looking lenses, but older chrome style, as well as how small of a car it would be off of.
Shiploads of used Japanese cars leave Japan every day maybe one landed in Cuba. The US is the only country that boycotts the place noone else is that sad.
Cuba is a closed market, so private importation of the Japanese cars wouldn’t be allowed. 99% of those cars you mention wind up in NZ, Australia and Western Russia. It has nothing to do with our embargo, it has to do with the Cuban government not allowing citizens to just go out and buy a car, there are no car dealerships in Cuba. Any car owned by a citizen must be pre revolution. Hence the ubiquity of the “Yanq Tanks”.
If you just look at photos and videos of Cuba, you’ll see when they had what options. Until 1960’s, almost exclusively American, then nothing except Russian cars until the collapse of the Soviet Union. Then they brought over a hodgepodge of European cars throughout the 90’s and early 2000’s for primarily government use, most seeming to be Peugeot. This was until the Chinese makes got their foot in the door, and now they comprise a majority of the government market.
With the Henry J’s well-deserved reputation for being cheap and flimsy, it is amazing that the thing has survived this long. I can only imagine how it must have felt when the embargo went in. One neighbor was left with a Plymouth, another with a Buick, but poor Juan was stuck with a Henry J that he could not possibly have intended to keep forever. This is what losing a game of automotive hot-potato looks like.
Actually the Henry J had a repution for being quite rebust. My father bought a late ’53 for $500, drove it like hell for 4 years and then made a couple hundred bucks when he mutated.
I being but a child was always embarassed being seen in it and hid under the dashboard.
But it never once stopped running, rain snow sleet or 100% plus temperatures. It was a Jeep after all!
Sorry to be pedantic, but that’s not a “Kaiser Henry J.” It’s just a “Henry J,” which was its own marque.
Looks like a lot of caulk would have been required to seal that windshield. It doesn’t fit down into the corners.
I did that partly on purpose, to give the car some context for readers that might not have a clue as to who made the Henry J. But you’re right.
I’m sure I remember the Revell model of a Henry J drag racer in the shops as a kid in the 60s.Never seen a Henry in the metal though
Amazing what these folks can make do to keep their fifties and sixties cars running. I bought a painting in Varadero of a street scene with old cars and I swear it was like one of the photos I took. Little had changed. I am told saftey inspections are not a big issue on the island yet there are a surprising amount of new cars from Japan, Italy, Spain and Slovakia.
I saw a couple of these while growing up but the place I remember the most was the drag strip. Stick these bodies on a reworked chassis with anyone’s engine and you had a light weight screamer. The other really popular car to get that treatment way back when was a Tompolino (sp?) by possibly Fiat. I’m sure someone knows. I just saw the dragster.
My problem with cars from Cuba is really no problem. They are like Grandpa’s ax. The show a lot of workmanship and ingenuity. Or maybe it’s desperation.
The modernization looks quite good from the angle of the photograph. The Cubans are nothing if not creative and thrifty (albeit through necessity).
Henry Js (and the Allstate version sold through Sears) were not all that uncommon when I was growing up in the midwest in the 50-60s. Indeed, one of my grandfather’s best friends since childhood – a character straight out of American Pickers, bib overalls, chewing tobacco, and all – drove an old faded blue Henry J he bought new right on through the early 60’s, when rust overtook the body and it went to an eternal resting place beside the barn. The man had a J.D. degree and was loaded with money (he owned hundreds of acres of farmland) but was really cheap and tolerated lots of jokes about “Henry,” a car he claimed to be his favorite. I don’t think it was; truth is he didn’t give a damn about cars and preferred his 39 Ford truck or Farmall tractor over any car.
This gentleman gave my grandfather a hard time for wasting money by buying a new car every four or five years, most especially in 1958 when we arrived at the farm in a new, two-tone blue 58 Chevy Bel Air. Too damned big and flashy, he announced – who was my grandfather trying to impress? My grandfather, who himself was a very wise, tolerant, and compassionate man, later told me that while he respected his friend’s point of view, he also knew that the friend had no understanding of car guys like himself, my Dad, and eight-year old me – we wanted nice cars because WE liked and were impressed by them – the heck with what others thought.
Anyway, for me the Henry J brings back good memories of these two wonderful men.
When I was in high school, a friend’s parents had one – he said it had the 6-cylinder engine and was a good performer.
Several years ago I had the chance to go to Cuba and the minute I came out of the La Habana Airport I felt as if I were in the middle of the XX century, although I was born in 1960. Anyway, Cuba is a paradise for any Curbside Classic fan. If you have the chance to go there, don’t waste your time in the beach or chasing Cuban girls! Go and get the most photos you can of the old American iron still running in the dilapidated streets and boulevards of the Cuban capital city.
And I’ll tell you that Cuban are the most resourceful and skilled mechanics you can find in this continent. They duplicate any mechanical part they may need for their cars with a high degree of precision, and also, try to repair body parts missing or rusted to keep their treasures running. They work in the streets, there are no workshops as we know them, they are too expensive and the Government is rigid as to issue the permit to install one.
Several Mexican auto clubs have tried unsuccesfully to sell parts for these cars, but the Cubans lack of resources to get them. It is possible to do so if the good imported does not come from the US, I was told. But that is a different story. Rust is a big issue in Cuba. One day in La Habana we were riding on a ’55 or ’56 Chevrolet Suburban, which most of them are used as public transportation and intercity transport. The car’s floor was like the Flintstones’ Trunkmobile: You could see the highway! The seats were precariously attached to the floorpan, the doors loose, the windows squeaky and so. It was really an adventure. So, I hope that this situation between the US and Cuba soon finds a good solution for both countries, because you, US people, can’t be deprived of such a pleasure as to see the endless parade of old American automobiles in Cuba!
We have done a number of longer posts on Cuban cars here, and I’m seriously hoping to go there this winter. Curbsidelandia!
Paul, if you go there, stay away from trinket vendors and men trying to get you a girl. They are pickpocket and dangerous who want to steal whatever they can from the tourists. There is a tourist agency at José Martí International Airport in La Habana that can recommend you the safest way to have a good and fun time in Havana. We, Spanish speakers can deal with awkward situations, but if possible, try to stay away from these people.
Thank you. Stephanie speaks quite good Spanish, and even I can get by modestly. But we’ll be aware.
Thats daewoo espero front bumper