Bugg Coupe - Camilleri`s Auto Works

Photography: Scott Killeen
BLACTG WHITE OR BLUE
Regardless of the Golon Bubba Bugg's Goupe is a Classic
PRESENTED BY
Second-generation hot rodders
are a common thing in our sport, and
Gilbert "Bubba" Bugg Jr. is one of
that select group. As a youngster
growing up in Germantown,
Tennessee, Bugg did all the things
most kids do during those long, hot
summers. You know-play a little ball,
hang out with your buddies, go swimming and put a lot of miles on your
bike. But he also did things most of
the other kids rarely got to do. He
traveled around the country in street
rods to major rod runs, hit cruise
nights and went to the drag races with
his dad, the late Gilbert Bugg. lf this
family name sounds at all familiar, it
should, as the Bugg family was instrumental in founding, guiding and directing the National Street Rod
PtEFeeOnlwt
Our story begins back in 1971
when, at the age of 15, Bubba's mom
and dad let him embark on a search
for a street rod of his own. The
search was a narrow one, since anything manufactured after 1948 wasn't
serves as vice president of the organi-
f
.J
!
2003
SIREEI R0ll BUltllER
P/A /< T'S
zation and is instrumental in its direction.
Association. Today, Bubba Brgg
78 June
a,t\rctE
Jven
j"d
to,
a consideration. The young man
good taste earlY on, with an eYe
'32 Ford couPe, and his Prefer1n." was for the five-window model,
"
rot the three-window. lt took awhile,
>ut he finallY settled on a '32 Ford
-oupe that he located in Texas and
rrought home to MemPhis.
The little couPe had been a hot rod
for some time, and it was sPorting
a
blue paint job, a chromePlated '40
Ford rear and drum brakes on a
dropped axle uP front. A Flathead
was under the hood, hooked to a'39
toploader; in short, it was an earlY
hot rod, and a darn good start for a
1S-year-old street rodder. lt took
them a Year or so, but finallY the car
was running with Flathead Power, and
it remained that way for a short time
before Bubba decided to jumP in and
cut his rodding teeth on the Deuce'
The Flathead driveline was
replaced with a "iunkyard fresh" 3 50
Chevy engine, and the backYard
rebuild continued. Bubba, along with
a lot of friends and family, managed to
build a pretty nice five-window' When
it was done, VW Metallic Blue covered the coupe, and it was driven that
way for years. Then it was time for
another rebuild, as the couPe was
once again showing its age.
This time around, a comPlete chassis from California Street Rods was
ordered, and the couPe bodY was
stripped and recolored in white with
turquoise steelies. Once again, Bubba
and his friends did most of the work
on the car, and when it was done, it
SIREEI RtlD BUIIDER
June 2003 79
received a Butch Adams paint job and
an interior by CasPer.
Bubba and his wife, Barbara, took
to the open road and enjoyed the car
A
rr'\--l
In this latest reincarnation of Bubba's Deuce coupe, a Ford engine once again resides between the fiamerails.
transform ation.
The clate engine is topped off with polished aluminum bits from Ford SV0. A Walker radiator cools the 351
with help lrom a Cooling Components fan and shroud combination. Much like everything else on this coupe,
The coupe body was lifted off the
old chassis, and the body was stripPed
and brought to a state of absolute
perfection. Meanwhile, a comPlete
Brizio chassis was built for the car,
and a 36ohp/351ci Ford crate engine
was hooked to a C4 transmission.
The power winds back to a chromeplated , g-inch '57 Ford rear, so once
again this street rod would have a
chrome rear-axle housing. While the
team atBrizio was boxing up stuff for
the level of detail under the hood is extraordinary.
f.;
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e
Black leather blends with wool carpet for a timeless and tasteful interior. The combination of black and
chrome reflects the fine details 0f the inteilor, which include a Lokar shifter, VDO gauges and steering from
Mullins. The seat pattem is a time-tested rolled-and-pleated treatment.
A Chassis Engineering dropped-beam axle supports the
Evidently, Bubba never forgot the chromeplated '40 Ford
coupe up front, while chromeplated tube shocks damp
rear that was located under the coupe when he first
the road. Bell disc brakes slow things down, and the
bought in 1971. Today another chromeplated Ford rear is
Stoneguard on the undersides of the fenders indicates
located with Brizio-built radius rods. Polished stainless
that this car will be driven.
steel and chromeplating abound under the car.
80 June
2003
SIREEI RllD BUltllER
in white for another 10 years, and
then came the urge to have the fivewindow rebuilt to contemPorarY standards. After years of driving a homebuilt coupe, the Buggs decided to
have a professional work on the car.
Roy Brizio was contacted, a Plan was
concocted, and the couPe was
shipped to northern California for the
the chromeplating shop, theY sent
along the Chassis Engineering front
axle, the Durant mono sPring, the
shocks and just about anything else
that wasn't polished stainless steel
under the car. The resulting mix of
black paint and polished brightwork
makes for a beautiful undercarriage.
When the body was complete, the
mile-deep black paint was apPlied by
Camilleris Auto Works in San Carlos,
California. The flawless bodywork is
readily apparent on the car, but a
closer look will show panels that fit
much better than they did in 1932.
Modifications are minimal, and the top
remains stock height, while a threepiece hood, shaved grille shell and a
dropped headlight bar with King Bee
lights are the only major changes on
the car. The stock door handles, running boards, rear bumper and taillights all remain, but they are assembled in such painstaking detail that
they somehow appear better than the
originals. Of course, part of the magic
that is a Brizio-built rod is the perfect
stance, and this coupe is no exception. The rakish stance just shouts
"street rod" and accents the stock top
and the beautiful lines of the '32 Ford
five-window coupe.
On the inside, Sid Chavers spent
time sewing the fine rolled-and-pleated leather interior, while wool carpet
covers the floor. VDO gauges monitor the Ford under the hood, and the
Lokar shifter handles the gear selection. Mullins steering components add
a traditional touch of beauty to the
interior. A Vintage Air system fends
off the wicked summer heat and
humidity of Tennessee.
Phase three of this coupe's street
rod heritage was complete. Looking
formal in its sensuous black garb, the
coupe strikes* a purposeful profile.
The tall top exaggerates the low
stance, the black paint illustrates the
fine bodywork and, in m any people's
eyes, there is simply nothing to compare to an all-black Deuce coupe.
However, if you think this car
is
"too nice to drive," think again. lf
Bubba has learned anything from his
long years of involvement in street
rodding and NSRA, it is this: Street
rods belong on the street. To that
end, the undersides of the fenders
have been treated with Stoneguard,
and stainless steel was employed
wherever possible. This is a coupe
that will be worn out from driving it
many miles over. When we broached
the subject of the next makeover,
Bubba just smiled his usual, comfortable smile and said, "You know, when
the time comes, I think l'll do it blue
again." $Rf,
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June 2003
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