First published in the May 2008 issue of Street Machine

It’s big, it’s black, it’s loud, it’s Yankee, it wins trophies, and the owner always wanted one. That, in one sentence, sums up why there’s a group of us milling around on a street corner in Hamilton, New Zealand, shooting Bruce Fuller’s Impala SS. And while the camera clicks, there are tales to be told and laughs to be had about how it all went together.

“It was oxidised calf-shit yellow with odd wheels,” begins Bruce from New Plymouth but in Hamilton for our shoot on his way home from the Kumeu Classic and Hot Rod show. “You know how old American cars are all blistered to shite and the interior is ripped? That was what it was like.” Thing is, Bruce didn’t buy it like that, he already had a nice ride.

“I had a 1969 Impala four-door pillarless that I’d just rebuilt and a bloke rang me up and wanted to swap. So I did.”

Bruce says these words with a shrug of the shoulders, like there’s no question that any perfectly sane street machiner swaps a freshly rebuilt old Impala for a tatty older one. Bruce was happy with the trade but certain others weren’t too impressed.

“My wife and daughter burst into tears when it rolled into the driveway,” Bruce recalls. “But I knew what it was — a numbered car that was worth a few dollars even in that state. But chicks just don’t get it, they just see the flowery shite.”

Usually, US-import cars with sun-scorched paint don’t have much rust. It’s the shiny ones you’ve gotta be careful of, which Bruce knew having imported and worked with a few US cars in the past. It’s a hobby and a business and among his works are a ’55 Bel Air, an El Camino and an assortment of recent-model US trucks.

“The car had a small-block in it when I got it, but I’m a great believer in the no-substitute-for-cubes mentality, so I plonked a big-block in it. It has a cam, too, so it’s a bit of bitch to drive with the manual. Anyhow, we blew over a quick paint-job with some 20-inchers and lowered it. It was Candy Apple Red and was in that condition for little more than a year; it won a couple of trophies and was a tidy cruiser.”

But it isn’t Candy Apple Red now, is it? That’s right, if you read between the lines, you’ll realise that he’s given the car two make-overs. And he’s only owned it two years.

Build number two began with a ceremonial farewell to the old identity. “It took it down to McDonald’s,” says Bruce with a grin. “I did a big skid, went through the drive-through, did another big skid and took it straight home to pull it apart. That was seven months ago and I wanted it [to debut] at Kumeu.”

So why the second fix-up?

“When I first built it, I wanted to paint it black but my mates talked me out of it,” Bruce says. “I regretted it – I had a picture in my head of how it should look. Anyway, a couple of trucks that I sold gave me a bit of spare cash so I popped it apart and it all snowballed from there.”

However, his mates changed things during the second build, too. “It was going to be a quick rebuild — not much more than the black paint really — but I got influenced by other mates so it was a full frame-off. Every nut and bolt.”

The modifications to the body are minimal but immediately apparent: a blunt shave of door handles and locks, and that cowl-induction bonnet. With the black paint, they give the Impala the perfect balance of formality and menace. Bruce credits a pair of New Plymouth businesses for the looks — Bell Block Panelbeaters carried out the body mods and The Paintshop applied the deep black paint and charcoal stripes.

Another body mod will be required in the near future: the front lower guards just snick the tyres on part-lock. No wonder — the wheels are enormous 20×8.5 Chip Foose Nitros wrapped in 255/40 Dunlops. Similar 20x10s fill the rear guards, wrapped in 285/35 rubber.

The Air Ride Technologies suspension needs a little future fettling, too, as the sump hits the ground when it’s fully lowered! In fact, during our photo-shoot, Bruce was concerned that a bag might pop or an air line let go. None did on the day but we spoke to Bruce a few weeks later.

“I was racing this Willys and I whopped its arse. But then a bag popped — I hate bags! It smashed the sump and tore out the drain plug. There was oil everywhere.”

Sourced from Charlston Imports in Gore on the south island, the big-block was built with a grumpy attitude thanks to an Edelbrock Performer RPM package of heads, intake and cam by Blair Corbert.

“He’s a mate of mine who works for the well-respected Steve Hildred Motors, which does a lot of muscle car stuff,” Bruce says. “He did it as a homer, but the boss knew about it. When the car was red, it had a stock, mint secondhand engine but I got a bit bored with it!”

The lot was installed with hand-made HPC-coated headers and a dual three-inch exhaust with Delta Flowmaster mufflers. Other mechanicals include a Griffin radiator to keep the big-block cool and a polished Muncie four-speed. A new Painless Wiring harness has been strung through the car and a 16-gallon fuel cell was installed. There was plenty of effort invested making the engine bay and underside look as appealing as the exterior.

The second effort was worthwhile because the big, black Impala scored pole position in the Meguiar’s Show Hall at Kumeu and picked up Runner-Up People’s Choice and Best Chev. More importantly, Bruce is now satisfied with how it looks. “My mates thought I was mad,” he says. “But now it’s the car I wanted.”

GUN INTERIOR

Many of us have a horror story about modifying a car, but Bruce’s story is much better than yours or mine because it involves blokes with guns.

“I stripped the interior and took it to Bali with me on holidays,” he says. “I have some friends there who do trim and I took the old seat covers for them to measure from. So we’ve got off the plane and I’m carrying this big bag. Anyhow, I’m a tattooed mongrel and I get held at customs. These three fellas with machine guns come over, look at me and say: ‘Come this way.’ I’m like: ‘What?’ My wife went into hysterics.

“So there I am with this big suitcase and an hysterical wife with me. It was because my bag was so large but so light — there was almost nothing in it except for the seat covers. That raised the suspicion with the authorities. It was a bit dodgy looking. After I explained it to them, they were cool.”

BRUCE FULLER
1965 CHEV IMPALA SS