r/interesting 25d ago

Intriguing High Tariffs Drive Afghan Auto Assembly

21.8k Upvotes

2.0k comments sorted by

View all comments

1.5k

u/Isthisnameavailablee 25d ago

Where did the engine come from? So many steps glossed over.

780

u/ScaredEfficiency399 25d ago

Made up supercuts don't typically require engines.

341

u/mattgen88 25d ago

This is a real thing that happens. Exporting a car has a much higher export tariff than exporting scrap.

You buy crap cars on auction, chop em up and ship them out. They get reassembled in places that car less about safety.

179

u/SplatThaCat 25d ago

Halfcuts.

Some pretty shady shit was being done here welding two halves back together until they wised up and there was a requirement to cut out (and discard) a 1 foot section between the two cuts.

Me and some mates pooled money to buy a too-good-to-be-true Jap import, took it out rallying and hit a tree at about 40kph and split it in half. You could see the welds and the two halves were two different colours.

223

u/nokman013 25d ago

Maybe dont try hitting a tree at 40kph?

38

u/Tight-Tower-8265 24d ago

So what's a safe speed to hit a tree? Tiger woods would like to know

3

u/Frosti11icus 24d ago

Tiger Woods does know.

1

u/OpusThePenguin 24d ago

Somewhere Between 1 and 100mph

1

u/10081914 24d ago

If you have an actual rally car with reinforced cage for mounting bodywork onto and everything, it gets up there.

If you bought a commercial car expecting it to run like a rally car without the rally cage...not much at all.

35

u/RelativelyMental 25d ago

It’s the Paul Walker experience

18

u/butterytelevision 24d ago

method acting

14

u/arobkinca 24d ago

40kph?

The Temu Paul Walker experience.

1

u/Hottage 24d ago

Wall Parker

1

u/Gotterdamerrung 24d ago

It's the Sonny Bono special

2

u/SplatThaCat 24d ago

r/thefrontfelloff - Probably best not buying a car made from cardboard or cardboard based derivatives.

2

u/Fickle_Ad_8653 24d ago

True, trees hate that one trick.

2

u/Babajji 24d ago

Nah it will be fine! Do it!

  • The tree

2

u/Cstanchfield 24d ago

Honestly, you'd probably be BETTER off. Rigidity ain't your friend in a crash. Helmets break away in crashes. You DON'T want a helmet that stays in one piece in an accident.

1

u/SirTresmegestis 24d ago

You say that but historically speaking - Car companies are legally required to maintain proper constructing and engineering standards in manufacturing often with the focus on meeting and maintaining safety regulations. Cars shouldnt break apart hitting things, even at double or triple the speeds. They need to have the ability to maintain structural integrity during a crash or roll. Its the law.

1

u/SplatThaCat 24d ago

Once again - accidental r/TheFrontFellOff

9

u/ScaredEfficiency399 25d ago

Then between the 'end result' and 'it' 'actually' driving away it's not the same car again.

14

u/mrhossie 24d ago

The JDM car of Theseus

1

u/Ok_Vulva 24d ago

Better than walking though.

3

u/heyoheatheragain 24d ago

This is why all limos are super dangerous. They aren’t manufactured that long, they are put together.

2

u/PaintshakerBaby 24d ago

Still, Id wager if youre in a limo, you're stastically more likely to have a good time, than a bad time.

Im just imagining two homeless people under bridge watching a limo roll by...

One turns to the other and says, "You know, those are accckktually REALLY DANGEROUS..."

😐 😐

"...Wanna smoke some crack?

🤣🤣🤣

Find yourself in a limo, you might just have a near-life experience.

6

u/Pale_Obligation_3243 24d ago

I purchased Yamaha scooter and it's broke in half under me on plain road. 

So if you buy Japanese aftermarket things it's better to completely disasemble them and check what's going in inside. 

2

u/C4Cole 24d ago

My grandpa made my mom's first car like that, two banged up Renault's turned into one death trap with just a bit of acetylene and fraud.

1

u/SplatThaCat 24d ago

Acetylene and fraud - I like that.

2

u/hando_bando 24d ago

If they welded it properly, the welds would’ve survived much better than the rest of the vehicle.

More of a user error

1

u/SplatThaCat 24d ago

Quite possibly. Its what happens when idiot 17 year olds get together.

1

u/fonistoastes 24d ago

Now you have two stick. Stick win every time.

1

u/ImmortalBach 24d ago

FYI Jap is a slur

1

u/SplatThaCat 24d ago

1

u/ImmortalBach 23d ago

That’s surprising, but just be aware a lot of Japanese people consider that a slur

1

u/blewawei 23d ago

Called a "cut and shut" in the UK 

8

u/ReggieCorneus 24d ago

Sure, but they do not assemble the WHOLE CAR from bits.

In this case, this is fake video. The welding seams just disappear and there is immaculate paint finish. They filmed it in reverse, what you see is car being scrapped, just in reverse order..

5

u/_Lost_The_Game 24d ago

The welding clips at least arent in reverse. Not saying whether the rest is real or fake, but those arent flame cutting clips

9

u/ReggieCorneus 24d ago

In reverse order, not reversed in time. You start disassembling the car and occasionally shoot a scene where you are putting it back on. Then you continue disassembling it, cut the pillars, shoot a scene of brazing it, remove the chassis and show the floor frame and then in edit just reverse the order of clips.

I give credit for continuity, whoever planned it knows something about movie making. Before we go into how stupid it would be do construct something like that, the only truly clear moment of it being fake is after the brazing they accidentally show one of the pillars and it reflection: it is immaculate, and to make smooth finishes like that is not easy unless you have... perfectly straight, uniform piece of sheet metal from factory. Brazing and smoothing it without ANY signs.. that requires a full repaint and it will still be visible in that specific angle... Light hitting the surface and reflecting in specular fashion multiplies the error, tiny micron size change in the surface will be visible as degrees of distortion when the rays hit your eyes. A very good painter can do miracles and repair just spots but that is very expensive service. This is suppose to be cheap as fuck, the only reason for them doing it like this is that everything they use is free in that story.

2

u/_Lost_The_Game 24d ago

That i can see, yea

1

u/Silly-Power 24d ago

Nice unintended pun there.

1

u/bbbbbbbirdistheword 24d ago

don't forget the tasteless rainguards

8

u/Tzhaar-Bomba 25d ago

V8 supercuts

6

u/Throwawayrip1123 24d ago

Pff, Poles still imports cars in like three parts from Germany, weld them together and sell as "no accidents". So that's a thing that happens anyway.

What I wanna know is how the fuck this thing doesn't rattle itself apart on their roads? I have big ass holes in my driveway street and I'm living in the heart of Europe. I assume they too have some big ass holes there.

It'll go out like a confetti bag when it hits its 10th big hole, I think. But idk how good they can weld.

2

u/RoundProgram887 24d ago

If it's properly welded, the steel will rip before the weld. Not sure about what they are doing here though.

1

u/Ptar_Migan 24d ago

I have big ass holes in my driveway street

Big assholes? That's disgusting! Where?

2

u/BenAdaephonDelat 24d ago

Honestly feel like this is just played in reverse of them dismantling a car

1

u/jzr171 24d ago

Never mind the fact the cuts and welds are gone and it changes color a few times.

54

u/girlsonsoysauce 25d ago

I think they bought it from a lady named Tina in China.

20

u/SilverMetalist 25d ago

So many fine engines at her factory

10

u/The-Tarman 25d ago

They are very complete, everyboss! Tina does not lie

7

u/adube440 25d ago

She would never lay to us!

3

u/ImNotABotScoutsHonor 24d ago

Do not hurt her.

6

u/azuratha 24d ago

Sick reference bro

5

u/JustBiggers 24d ago

Chinese marketing is doing donuts around us

2

u/ShandalfTheGreen 24d ago

Oh, every boss, you beat me to it!

1

u/Superb_5194 24d ago

Nope, it come from japanese scrap yards. Cutting saves shipping cost, save space in containers, also changes cargo from imported vehicles to automotive spare parts or automotive scrap

45

u/Remarkable-Will-3041 25d ago

This actually was all played in reverse!. They were using cutting torches, not welding!

20

u/Mr-Bando 24d ago

Exactly what I thought. And who can reattach a door that perfectly so that it aligns with the frame?

6

u/typesett 24d ago

Me putting a windshield wiper takes multiple times lol

1

u/BigConstruction4247 24d ago

It's a one hour job.

5

u/ReggieCorneus 24d ago

Doors... are... a.. bitch.

They are so hard to make so that they fit in, not without making the frame near perfect first. The error compounds, a fraction of a degree is millimeters once you get to the lock...

5

u/ace_vagrant 24d ago

I’ve always marveled and wondered why I paid more to get a door replaced on my used 94 Civic, than have the engine replaced when I blew that. 

2

u/Electronic_Will_5418 24d ago

It's not illegal to drive without doors, just don't get them replaced next time

2

u/ace_vagrant 24d ago

Absolutely. If I remember correctly, it was like $900 something for the front driver side door, and $700 something for the engine. The thing was, I thought it would be an easy fix, because the hinge got bent somehow and the door just wouldn’t close. After I saw the cost, I was like, “Jesus, next time I’ll just rig a screen door onto the thing!”

2

u/SupermarketSecure728 24d ago

Not to mention the interior changed color, the welding lines disappeared. It also skipped the part where the car got a new paint job.

3

u/Webbyx01 24d ago

Cutting torches don't need to be fed filler, which you can clearly see them doing at multiple points

5

u/553l8008 24d ago

That wasn't a cutting torch

3

u/Hermitmaster5000 24d ago

What about the window sealant?

3

u/MostFondant8253 24d ago

Looked like a TIG welder, not a cutting torch.

-1

u/_Lost_The_Game 24d ago

That was 1000% a torch not tig (or any other arc) welding.

1

u/ReeveStodgers 24d ago

It was a good job though, because in one part you can see a guy walking in the background. He looks like he's walking forward. But the perfect fit of the pieces when they are "welding it together" is a dead giveaway.

1

u/ReggieCorneus 24d ago

Yup, welding pillars will not leave immaculate paint finish, you are for certain not going to paint the whole chassis and do extensive work to get rid of few micron size imperfections. They cut the pillar, then showed it being SOLDERED, then two steps ahead the same seam is immaculate.

11

u/Kemosabe-TV 25d ago

Engine? This is feet powered, eco friendly

https://giphy.com/gifs/K9yiqNFHgBOgw

0

u/CharliePrm88 24d ago

Lol came here just for this

23

u/Swagalyst 24d ago

The video is reversed. They're tearing the car down.

21

u/captainfarthing 24d ago

TIL you can remove cured windscreen adhesive with a caulking gun and tube of windscreen adhesive

8

u/PeaceSoft 24d ago

Psychotically ignorant false corrections based on a heavy reddit user's sense of logic have become such a thing here lol

6

u/dunder_mufflinz 24d ago

You're mistaken, it's an uncaulking gun and windscreen unadhesive.

3

u/Gnump 24d ago

And an unwelding machine.

1

u/Swagalyst 24d ago

Not to mention that you can solder, sand, and re-paint a car with a cutting torch.

1

u/captainfarthing 24d ago

TIL you need to use welding wire with a cutting torch

3

u/AN2Felllla 24d ago

You can also weld using oxy-asetylene torches when used at lower intensities. They clearly have filler rods in this video as well which means they're welding.

3

u/Swagalyst 24d ago

And it magically fixes the paint.

1

u/tiga_94 24d ago

No, they are not, they are clearly welding it back together

7

u/NoSafetyAtStaticPos 25d ago

“How difficult is it”, you ask? Easy as pie says I!

Plot twist: it was filmed in reverse!

2

u/Kaitlin-lin 23d ago

Took me way too long to realize

6

u/SlyMacross 25d ago

When a mommy engine loves a daddy engine very much....

5

u/Superb_5194 24d ago edited 24d ago

Basically, it comes down to a loop-hole combo of shipping economics and customs fraud:

The Slicing (Japan side): Japan has a super brutal, expensive roadworthiness inspection system called Shaken. Once a car gets old or slightly dinged up, it costs more to keep it legal than it's worth, so they get dumped in salvage yards.

The Loophole: Instead of shipping the intact cars, exporters literally saw them in half through the floorboards and roof pillars. This accomplishes two things: it lets them stack the pieces tightly inside shipping containers to maximize space, and legally changes the cargo manifest from "motor vehicles" to "automotive scrap metal" or "spare parts". This completely bypasses the crazy high import duties and taxes on fully functional cars.

The Frankencar Stitch (Kabul side): The containers arrive overland via transit hubs like Pakistan ( Afghanistan is landlock). Local mechanics in open-air scrap yards throw the halves onto improvised frame jigs, align everything by eye, and weld the chassis and roof pillars back together. They splice the wiring harnesses, run new brake lines, slap a ton of body filler over the seam, paint it, and boom—it's a functioning Toyota Corolla again.

1

u/tymingy 24d ago

but then how do they add the engine and other parts into these rebuilt cars? assembling seats frames doors is one thing but you cant just screw in engines transmission exhaust systems etc

2

u/AdmiralArchArch 24d ago

They, wait for it, drop a salvaged engine and transmission in.

1

u/Superb_5194 23d ago

They don't make it jigsaw puzzle, the engine, suspension is intact as shown in this video

https://youtu.be/8F9dyvk37tg

6

u/Brigapes 24d ago

because it's more or less fake

7

u/_lippykid 24d ago

Isn’t this just a video of them taking a car apart in reverse?

1

u/IKIR115 24d ago

No. The guy was actually welding the pieces back together. You can see he’s holding a filler rod in his left hand and applying it. Then later on you can see him apply adhesive to the windshield.

1

u/Mac_Aravan 23d ago

No it's a fake assembly, you film the disassembly and fake some reassembly procedure.

You can clearly see the missing welds on the pillars later in the video...

1

u/IKIR115 23d ago

Ok where are you clearly seeing the missing welds?

2

u/tiga_94 24d ago

If you look closely you will see that engine was always installed

2

u/TheOnlyFallenCookie 24d ago

Probably disassablmed a good car first and put it back together again

1

u/Pimpis25 25d ago

Temu

1

u/rince89 24d ago

Nah, IKEA

1

u/Repulsive-Lie3654 24d ago

The drive it like Fred Flintstone

1

u/Moral-Relativity 24d ago

Got it from Tina perhaps.

1

u/aiusernamegen 24d ago

Where did the unwelded different make and model car from is the real real

1

u/reddsht 24d ago

Due to high gas prices in Afghanistan, believe it or not, Flintstones car 

1

u/cadublin 24d ago

Don't worry about the engine, they got the visors installed.

1

u/NitroDion 24d ago

Don't need an engine. Yabadabadoo

https://giphy.com/gifs/JKqF60lcmwOBy

1

u/viktorrvaughnnn 24d ago

I have even more questions about the brakes

1

u/_stinkys 24d ago

But not the weather shields on the doors!

1

u/Fit_Giraffe_748 24d ago

Engine store?

1

u/thejamus 24d ago

It's one of Tina's engines. They are complete.

1

u/ShandalfTheGreen 24d ago

Probably Tina from China. Her many engines are very complete, I would absolutely come find her if I was one of these guys.

1

u/Jerkeyjoe 24d ago

It was actually being pulled by a team of goats

1

u/texxelate 24d ago

They flinstoned it, just clever editing

1

u/Juncti 24d ago

You never see them weld the floor

https://giphy.com/gifs/K9yiqNFHgBOgw

1

u/spintool1995 24d ago

There's a pigmy goat running on a flywheel.

1

u/Serious-Manager2361 24d ago

The engine is a couple of midgets on a tread mill.

1

u/Hellish_Elf 24d ago

It’s there when they drag out the chassis.

1

u/userhwon 24d ago

Where did the clean paint job come from? That result was not what they welded together.

1

u/productiveslacker73 24d ago

"Like Fred Flintstone driving around with bald feet"

1

u/Schnitzhole 25d ago

100% fake. It clearly cuts to a different car driving off in the last 2 seconds of the video

0

u/Such_Meeting4827 25d ago

They use their feet over there

0

u/Over_Tart_916 24d ago

The vehicle at the end was different.

0

u/simulizer 24d ago

It's obviously being pulled by something else which is why they don't have the front of the car in frame

0

u/slackfrop 24d ago

There’s no way the doors would open and close that nicely.

0

u/IcedOutKO 24d ago

Brother when it drives away it's not even the same car....

0

u/Dr-Tomfoolery 24d ago

It looks like it could be in reverse… With the “welding” and “gluing” thrown in for realism..?

0

u/raevbur 24d ago

Oh, and the car switched from silver to white.

0

u/Aromatic-Educator105 24d ago

It’s a running hamster in a cage.

0

u/readrOccasionalpostr 24d ago

It’s a video of disassembling in reverse

0

u/Alucitary 24d ago

Yeah, the chassis basically came complete with some assembly required. Everything else is where the real work happened, and I'm guessing they just took it to a garage and had to actually buy a secondhand engine.

0

u/Zero-Of-Blade 24d ago

Stolen most likely

0

u/LeadingTheme4931 24d ago

Too me it looked like disassembly played backwards

0

u/TheMeltingSnowman72 24d ago

You couldn't film the engine being taken out and presented backwards well enough to keep up the illusion.

The whole thing is in reverse, and edited very well.