VW_GOLF ::Ryan Uhler -'95 Golf Vr6The milder of the two Dubheads, Ryan owned ten aircooled VWs before he too caught the watercooled addiction. The love affair started with an '83 Rabbit GTI and later an '86 Cabrio. It was after seeing Albert's GTI that he fell in love with the Mk3. "Riding in Albert's car and hearing the VR6, I knew I needed one," he said. "I'm not a Mk4 or Mk5 guy, but the Mk3 is a nice, affordable design that combines the old and new."
While he lusted after a VR6, when a '95 Golf 2.0 turbo came along, Ryan jumped at the opportunity. Unfortunately, the five-door was a money pit. He took delivery with it belching soot and barely running, but after fixing the TEC 2 standalone computer, the car ran flawlessly.
Ryan realized misfortune stalked him when the turbo seals went kaputt. Spewing oil, he parked the car and decided to ditch the motor. "The turbo was faster than my current setup, but I just didn't like it," Ryan said.
As luck would have it, he finally got a break, but at a friend's expense when his '97 Jetta GLX was rear ended en route to Dubs on the Lake '05. Ryan bought the totaled Jetta and transplanted the interior bits into his car, giving the motor to his brother.
After garnishing his hatch with a leather interior and power amenities, he also dropped the car with Bilstein PSS coilovers, adding Neuspeed strut and sway bars to tighten the ride.
Next he bought euro-licious RH Cup ZW1 wheels. They arrived in a fender-filling staggered formation of 17x8" front and 17x9" rear.
Although his hometown is small, Finksburg boasts a host of pesky imports. To ensure his hatch wouldn't disappear in everybody's rearview, Ryan delved under the hood and jettisoned the motor. In its place, he shoehorned an OBDI-controlled VR6 between the frame rails.
"I'd been wanting a VR6 since I first heard one with an exhaust, and didn't care what it took," Ryan said. So he bolted on an EIP exhaust, followed by a modified P-Flo intake and EIP chip. Ryan then installed a ported intake manifold and a pair of 262 Autotech cams. The combination turned the wheezing stocker into a 7000rpm screamer.
With his painting experience, Ryan wisely sprayed the engine bay Audi TT Aviator grey before the VR6 was fitted. "I wanted something subtle and thought Aviator grey would be a perfect compliment to Albert's orange," Ryan said.
Like his cousin, Ryan accumulated a menagerie of Euro parts. And before the new paint saw sunlight, the car wore Euro textured bumpers and moldings, Hella Mk4-style headlights and a Bonrath grille.
In keeping with Albert's car, he also fitted a roof rack. But to mix things up, Ryan retained the turbo timer and accompanying gauges from the original motor to aid future boosted plans.
With Dubs on the Lake '06 upon them, Ryan and Albert added some finishing touches and debuted their Audi-colored hatches. Each car looks amazing on its own, but together, they're the perfect combination. A truly dynamic duo, we can only imagine what their third pair of matching Dubs might look like.
Tech SpecRyan UhlerLocation: Finksburg, MDOccupation: Hardwood flooring contractor1995 VW Golf VR6
Engine: 2.8 liter VR6 12v with EIP stage 3 chip, modified Neuspeed P-Flo intake bracket and K&N filter 2.9-style ported intake manifold, Autotech 262 cams, EIP 2.5" stainless steel exhaust with high-flow cat, Neuspeed underdrive pulleys, Black Forrest Industries motor mounts
Driveline: Sachs stage 2 clutch, lightened flywheel
Suspension: Bilstein PSS coilovers, Black Forrest lower control arms and polyurethane bushings, Neuspeed front and rear strut bars and rear sway bar
Brakes: Wilwood 11" drilled rotors with four-piston calipers, stock rear drums
Wheels & Tires: 17x8" front and 17x9" rear RH Cup ZW1 two-piece wheels, 205/40-17 front and 215/40-17 rear Yokohama AVID H4 tires
Exterior: Euro textured bumpers, side moldings and chin spoiler, bumper lights, Hella Mk4-style headlights, Bonrath badgeless grille, antenna delete, Thule roof rack and air dam, Audi TT Aviator grey
Interior: Momo shift knob and boot, '97 GLX black leather interior, e/w, e/m, and heated seats, Momo steering wheel, Mk3.5 Cabrio door pulls, JOM chrome air buttons, A-pillar A/F ratio and boost gauges, console-mounted oil pressure and water temp gauges, GReddy turbo timer, Tigerwood hardwood trunk flooring
Audio/Visual: Pioneer DEH-P7500MP head unit, speakers
Thanks: Dave and Phil at Nyquist Paints, Albert, parents and brothers, Petry's junkyard