27 Dec 14th–Dec 20th, 2023 phoenixnewtimes.com PHOENIX NEW TIMES | NEWS | FEATURE | FOOD & DRINK | ARTS & CULTURE | MUSIC | CONCERTS | CANNABIS | installers in the early 2000s in which the installers create fiberglass panels in the trunk, which are painted and installed. The trunk appears smooth and almost seamless. “And everything I do in the trunk, I’ll have Bugs paint as well,” Fernandez continues. “So that way, all the chrome and hydraulic tubing accent (one another).” A fiberglass box houses four batteries. The pumps, solenoids, dump valve, hoses and connecting hardware are mounted artistically atop a fiberglass trunk lining. From the trunk, it pumps the hydraulic fluid to the wheels to raise the body and lower it at a flick of a switch. The hydraulics are ample enough to lift the body off the ground when Booker needs to elevate the vehicle to clear speed bumps or dips leading into the Footprint Center. Once the shooting guard and small forward pulls into the Suns’ garage — as witnessed by the world when ESPN ran the viral clip — Booker drops the Bel Air back down almost impossibly low. The bodywork, paint and pinstriping were predominantly done by Gonzales, with some work done by his family. He says, “My son Mikey, my brother Chubs, my cousin Fernando and even my wife, Tiffany, helped me with the body; they prepped it.” That includes taking apart the car and sand-blocking it. “We were here like day and night,” he says. “Normally, a build like that can take almost two years.” In the build photos, massive amounts of pinstriping tape were used on the vehicles to help create the paint job’s intricate fusion of stripes, candies, pearls, pinstriping and airbrushing. From specific vantage points, the symmetrical lines on the body panel by the rear wheels appear to be sun rays. House of Kolors hooked up the paint materials. The upholstery was designed, stitched and installed by Jeremy’s Upholstery. They even made a purple-colored boot to cover the convertible top. The wheels are classic Dayton wire wheels wrapped with low-profile tires. And since a lowrider is only complete with lots of chrome. Pelone’s Chrome and Polishing chromed and polished the side mirrors, front and rear bumpers, trim package, taillight housing, steering wheel and a lowrider plaque mounted atop the rear seats, which reads “El Valle.” Gonzales, who used to cruise Central in the early ’80s, now resides in Chandler. At 60, he still plays oldies and cruises in his lowriders. “The car came out way better than I imagined, especially with the time given,” he says. “We had no time to second-guess any of it. This car is for the Valley; it’s for all of us. It is a tribute to the lowrider art, a dedica- tion to our culture. It’s for the kids to inspire them to dream and never stop believing. It’s also for all of the artists of the lowrider art from then until now. We are extremely honored to be able to complete such a beautiful tribute and piece of history,” Gonzales adds. “The world knows my dad as ‘Bugs,’ but my brothers and I know him as ‘Daddy,’” Coury adds. “In our backyards, in his shops, in my Nana’s carport, there has always been a car or vehicle under a cover. The light in the garage has never been turned off. My dad has always been the first to wake up and the last one to sleep. For our whole lives, we have watched stars be born.” And now, the latest star is the Suns’ El Valle lowrider. Efrain “Bugs” Gonzales and Samson Fernandez pose in front of Fernandez’s Impala, which Gonzales painted over 20 years ago. (Photo by Mike Madriaga) Driving in Suns Style from p 24
