November is an excellent month. A month to spend time with your family and friends, a month to get bloated from consuming half of your own body weight in turkey meat, and a month to try all of the limited "Winter Brews" that all of the beer companies release this time of year. For Eric "Dallas" Ledford it also means a month for spending time breaking down this once 1320 fighter of a GTI. For those of you who are not good with math, the "1320" is the amount of feet in a quarter-mile, and in thirteen hundred and twenty feet it only took this N/A VR6 13 seconds.....well a mid to high 13 seconds, but mid-summer California heat doesn't like faster times. Neither does low-end wheel spin. Dallas will be spending some time transplanting the VR6 out of the race prepped body, and into a new project. This GTI will see a new 2.0L auto-cross motor, one complete with a turbo, but that's another feature altogether. I wanted to document this current state of the mk3 before it was given a new life as a cone hugger.

Dallas bought this 1995 GTI from the first owner in perfect condition, and slowly turned it into a purpose weekend track terror. The 2.8L VR motor pretty much remains in stock form, of course with some tweaks. A Neuspeed P-chip was installed for gains over the stock ECU settings, Neuspeed plug wires were also installed for the correct spark. The a/c, smog pump, and air-compressor were removed while Unorthodox power pulleys and a shortened drive belt were added, gaining power and shedding weight in the process. Custom made engine mounts and a custom welded engine shock/brace pretty much eliminates any sort of engine movement, thus putting even more power to the ground. The engine breaths through a custom short ram intake, and gases leave through custom 2.5 to 3 inch side exit exhaust piping. While cleaning up the wiring in the engine compartment Dallas decided to add a fuel psi gauge and relocate the battery to the hatch, adding a battery kill switch and a fan override switch in the process.

Surprisingly a stock OEM tranny and clutch is what transfers all of the brute VR6 power to the ground....with some tweaks. Stronger transmission bolts were installed for better support, and a VF engineering tranny mount was installed as a must over stock. A stock VR6 flywheel was shaved down for weight, and a Neuspeed short shifter handles the gear selecting. Also surprising is that it only takes a good set of brake pads and some front slotted rotors to bring this VR to a stop at the end of the track. Dallas says that this set up has been good for 3 years worth of weekend racing.

The GTi sits on Ground Control springs mounted on some Koni Reds adjustable dampers. Some people would say that the Neuspeed 28mm front and 25mm rear sway bars would just be added weight on a drag car, but they actually help keep the car stiff down the track at high trap speeds. Dallas made his own custom rear stress bar, and upgraded to stiffer poly A-arm bushings and rear strut bushings to further add to the rigidity of the car.

This GTI looks mean just standing still, first thing you'll notice is the Jetta front end, complete with Euro bumper, badge-less grill, and carbon hood. The headlights are single rounds taken from a '89 cabby, they do their job on the track for night runs. Going smooth, the side moldings have been shaved and DTM cup mirrors replaced the stock mk3 mirrors. A custom vented intake fender was add to feed the hungry cone filter, sitting above the slots of the fender are one of the many green painted death skulls, the GTI's battle paint. The hatch has been lightened by removing the glass and adding lexan instead, same goes for the two rear windows. The front and rear bumper supports have also been removed for even more weight savings. Hella clear tail lights finish off the rear of the car, and add to the whole black/white theme, the stock tail lights just wouldn't look right on this car.

The whole stock interior of the GTI has been ripped out, that includes the head liner, rear seats, carpeting, misc plastic pieces, and the dash was also stripped of all the "useless" components such as the airbags, heater, a/c, and stereo. That's right, no tunes, race cars don't have ICE! All that remains is the dash shell, and the stock gauges. The front seats have also been removed and a single Corbeau Forza seat has been installed for the driver, complete with 4-point Corbeau harness. Dallas also replaced the factory steering wheel, and added a Momo shift knob and shift boot.

Next time this car is seen at a track, it will most likely be on one with turns. The VR6 will be put into a new street legal mk3 4-door golf, a car he will actually be able to take out to the meets and gtg's. Still Dallas shows that with some choice mods and some major weight shaving, you too can have a 13 second weekend drag toy. Thanks Dallas for the feature and good luck with the future project!!

-Insidious

:: FEATURED VEHICLE SPECS :: Owner :: Eric "Dallas" Ledford WCM Username :: ?? Vehicle Specs :: VW 1995 MKIII GTI 2.8l VR6
Performance Mods : Drivetrain : Stronger transmission bolts VF engineering tranny mount Shaved stock VR6 flywheel Neuspeed Short Shifter Front Slotted Rotors : Suspension : Ground Control springs Koni Reds adjustable dampers Neuspeed 25mm rear sway bars Neuspeed 28mm front sway bars custom rear stress bar Poly A-arm bushings Poly rear strut bushings : Ice : "...race cars don't have ICE!...."	: Engine : Neuspeed P-chip Neuspeed plug wires Unorthodox power pulleys Shortened drive belt Custom made engine mounts Custom welded engine shock/brace Custom short ram intake Custom 2.5 to 3 inch side exit exhaust Fuel psi gauge Relocated: Battery to Trunk Battery Kill switch Fan Override switch Removed: a/c, smog pump, and air-compressor : Exterior : Jetta Front End w/Euro bumper badge-less grill carbon hood '89 cabby single round headlights Shaved side moldings DTM cup mirrors vented intake fender Rear hatch window lightened w/lexan Two rear windows lightened w/lexan Hella clear tail Removed: F&R bumper supports Green painted death skulls : Interior : single Corbeau Forza seat 4-point Corbeau harness Removed: Stock Interior Removed: All but the dash shell, and the stock gauges Replaced factory steering wheel Momo shift knob & shift boot.

:: Article by :: Insidious :: Pictures by :: Insidious :: Layout :: Will O.

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