A Cuban shows how he repaired a destroyed Ford: "This is a battle of pure wit."

"When I brought him along kicking and screaming, many mocked me, saying that I couldn't do it, and little by little, I silenced them. Today, those same people flatter me," said Gabriel Gonzalez.

Gabriel González en su Ford © Facebook / FORD 52 EN CUBA / Gabriel González
Gabriel González in his Ford.Photo © Facebook / FORD 52 IN CUBA / Gabriel González

A Cuban mechanic fulfilled his dream of owning a car, for which he had no choice but to practically build it himself.

Gabriel González, a resident of Playa Baracoa, Havana, shared several photos of the process of repairing his car, which show the deterioration it had when he bought it and its current state after months of hard work and sacrifice.

"I'm showing you here how I picked up my Fordcito and how it is now," he said in the Facebook group "Ford 52 in Cuba."

Facebook screenshot / FORD 52 IN CUBA / Gabriel González

Dozens of Internet users have congratulated him for the merit he has in bringing "life" back to such a damaged vehicle.

Photo: Facebook / FORD 52 IN CUBA / Gabriel González

González said that this is the result of many hours of work and that at this moment, he is not thinking about what is missing, but about the good that can come out of it.

"I am doing it alone, without any help," he emphasized.

Photo: Facebook / FORD 52 IN CUBA / Gabriel González

The young man, who lives in Playa Baracoa, Havana, said he has never been a fan of Fords, but he had the chance to acquire one for very little money due to its condition. "I picked it up with a magnet from the floor, it was more dead than alive."

The good thing is that I do everything myself: mechanical welding and part of the bodywork, as well as brake modifications and everything. The only thing I don't do is turning," he specified.

Photo: Facebook / FORD 52 IN CUBA / Gabriel González

His goal was to have a good car and that's why he embarked on that project, even though it was completely rotten.

"He was missing many things, in short, almost impossible to put together. So much so that when I dragged it along, everyone mocked me in an ugly way, and little by little, I have been silencing all those people who did not believe in me. That is why I want to publish my story with even more strength, which is about overcoming, achievement, and fulfilling a dream," he explained.

Photo: Facebook / FORD 52 IN CUBA / Gabriel González

Gabriel admits that you have to be a little crazy to put together a car in Cuba in this time of crisis, but for him, the desire to have his own means of transportation is greater than the need in the country.

"What I collected was not just a car, it was an illusion," he stressed.

Now your Ford is equipped with a Volga 24 engine with a fourth gear box and a Mitsubishi 4.1 differential, with disc brakes on all four tires and 18-inch wheels with 12-inch rims.

Photo: Facebook / FORD 52 IN CUBA / Gabriel González

He also had to install a zipper (a component of the steering system) that he doesn't like, but for now, his economic possibilities don't allow him to install the worm screw from a Cherokee that he would prefer.

Photo: Facebook / FORD 52 IN CUBA / Gabriel González

"I just left the body shop, now what I am going to do is paint the bodywork underneath before assembling it on the chassis," he commented.

Photo: Facebook / FORD 52 IN CUBA / Gabriel González

"This is a battle of pure wit, because we really have nothing, everything is made up," he added.

Photo: Facebook / FORD 52 IN CUBA / Gabriel González

At the moment, Gabriel is not sure if when he finishes it he will have the courage to sell or trade it in; most likely he will keep it, because it is his first car and he would like to keep it.

To an internet user involved in a similar project, he advised, "Don't focus on what you lack, think about how you want it to turn out. Many people made fun of me when I started. They told me I couldn't do it, and now I am proud because those same people praise me."

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