After cutting his teeth at a body shop and other hot rod shops, fabricator Matt Gurjack established Sled Alley about eight years ago and hasn’t looked back. The Detroit-area shop quickly earned a reputation for turning out top-notch hot rods and has become a go-to source for Pro Touring conversions. That has been helped in no small part by high-profile clients such as Mark Stielow, who has relied on Gurjack to do most of the heavy cutting and welding on several of his past Camaro builds. In fact, Stielow’s latest project—a 1969 Camaro, naturally—was the reason for Car Craft’s recent visit. The lineup of other projects under construction was too interesting to pass up and deserved to be highlighted here. “Metal fab has always been my thing, and working for myself was the only way to build my cars and my customers’ cars the best way I knew how,” Gurjack says. “At the end of the day, it’s my reputation on the line, not someone else’s.” With a good reputation comes expansion, and Gurjack is finalizing plans to double the 4,000-square-foot floor space seen here, turning Sled Alley into more like Sled Boulevard.
1. Holley had the initial chassis work on this 1973 Camaro done at Detroit Speed, before sending it up to Sled Alley for completion. A T56 Magnum will back a 442-inch LS7 under the hood. Additional enhancements will include a Bosch ABS system and Forgeline wheels.
2. Mark Stielow’s latest Pro Touring project is this 1969 Camaro that will be driven by a new supercharged LT4 engine, which is good for 650 hp and 650 lb-ft straight out of the crate. Unlike his previous builds, which featured mile-deep paint jobs, he’ll leave the patina of the original Fathom Green paint as it is. Stielow found the amazingly unmolested first-gen in Oregon, although its original 307 small-block was long gone.
3. Longtime California enthusiast and collector Charley Lillard sent this 1967 Camaro to Detroit for the full Pro Touring makeover. Detroit Speed front and rear suspension systems are going into it, along with an ABS system and the other requisite track-capable components, but as of our writing, the powertrain was still to be determined.
4. Hold onto your Concours judging sheets, muscle-car purists, because this is an authentic, 1-of-754 1969 Ford Torino Talladega in for the Pro Touring treatment. It belongs to racer Tom Bailey, and when sparks quit flying, it will sit on a Roadster Shop chassis with custom mini-tubs created by Sled Alley. Even better, motivation will come from a twin-turbocharged Coyote 5.0L engine. We’ll be waiting at the door with our cameras when this one is finished.
5. This box hidden by the Talladega is Holley’s “G-Force One” 1987 Grand Prix, which was originally fitted with an LS9-blown 7.0L built by Brian Thomson, but will now—like the 1973 Camaro also in the shop—receive a naturally aspirated 442-cube LS7. It also has a Morrison chassis, Baer brakes, Forgeline wheels, and more.
6. The lone shoebox in the shop belongs to a customer who is also taking the Pro Touring route. Complete details are still to be worked out, but mini-tubs and a boosted LS engine of some sort are part of the overall plan.
7. Another customer’s 1969 Camaro will receive a Detroit Speed QUADRALink rear suspension and mini-tubs, but retains the original front subframe. The car will also receive Gen 5 Camaro brakes and Budnik wheels. Power will come from a heavily-breathed-on LS1.
8. Rounding out the shop’s roster during our visit is Holley’s innovative “Corner Horse” 1966 Mustang fastback project, which began life as a Kentucky-based, six-cylinder car. It now boasts a Ford Racing Aluminator XS Coyote engine (with Holley fuel injection, of course), a D&D Performance-prepped T56 Magnum, Detroit Speed chassis parts, Holley’s EFI-friendly gauges, and an Ididit steering column.
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