I was sitting at the Vintage Drags at Little River Dragway outside of Temple Texas when I first saw Matt Sleeths 1949 Chevrolet Styleline Deluxe, come cruising in low and slow, with the sun bouncing off the metal flake in the beautifully done top and I just knew that I wanted to show y'all this car and share the story behind the owner and the car.
The car itself is a perfect blend of drive-ability and individuality. A small block and a TH350 found its way between the frame rails, and AC was added then as well. The car is also lowered 4" in the rear and 3" up front. With these changes Matt says the car is an absolute blast to drive and has spent the last 2 years doing exactly that with it.
When it came time for aesthetics, the choice was made to keep it simple, and those subtleties make this car an absolute joy to walk around. The one thing that Matt wanted to stand out though, was, again, that very well done, roof, visor, and window mount AC unit, with credit for that going to Matts friend, Josh Gonzalez at Inline Six Autobody. The rest of the car is period early lowrider style, from the foxtail to the louvered eyebrows and moon headlight covers, down to the club plate. InGear CC.
When asked about the club plate, Matt explained that the name comes from his fathers shop, InGear Speed Shop and Garage, that was started after his return from Vietnam and went on until it was no longer profitable. During that time there were several cars (see photos) that were built and raced at the very same track I met Matt at, and for which he credits his interest in cars. Bearing that in mind, Matt chose to name both his shop and the car club of which he is President of, in honor of his dads legacy.
When asked about his future plans, Matt says he plans to just keep enjoying it, and see what comes up next. We like that plan.
Big thanks to Matt for bringing the car out and sharing the story with us!!
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Photo Credit: Matthew Leland Photo
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