Clages A4
The story of Nicolas Clages' '02 Audi A4 started last year. "Not many people like naturally-aspirated motors in the VW/Audi scene, especially automatic vehicles with tan interiors. So I always try to go a different way and take on a bigger challenge, which is why I continue to work on this somewhat unloved 3.0 liter A4," he explained.
Traveling the road less traveled, Nicolas began overhauling his B6 last year in his own garage. He started by acquiring parts to update the blank canvas, including an Oettinger front bumper, S4 rear, carbon hood, 17" BBS replica wheels, H&R springs and a Magnaflow exhaust.
All the parts served a purpose but Nicolas was left wanting more. So he decided to do his own body- and paintwork to put new life into the A4. The door handles, door strips and turn signals were shaved. Then, the bumpers were sanded to continue the clean, street rod-look.
Working by himself in his own garage has proved challenging, but progress is being made quickly. In the coming weeks, the fenders will be pulled along with preparation for paint. Nicolas intends to follow a murdered-out look with a satin black repaint.
By the end of this summer, he expects to have air-ride suspension and a manual transmission conversion.
Dow GTI 16v
We began following Robert Dow's '92 VW GTI in et 3/09. He's been through many hardships to rebuild his GTI, including a fried motor and stolen car, so the last four months have been dedicated to bringing his Mk2 baby back.
A revived motor has gone in the bay, using a '95 Golf block and ABA 16v head. The internals were changed for ABF 10.5:1 pistons secured by Total Seal piston rings and ARP bolts. More airflow is realized thanks to a ported intake manifold and Techtonics cams, valve springs and exhaust.
After months of meticulous work, Robert finally started the car but had problems with the Mega Squirt fuel injection system. He's now switched to a 034Motorsport stage1c ECU. "Once I installed 034's ECU, the car started on the first try. It's going to the dyno next week to be tuned." Robert will give us power numbers in next month's issue.
While the motor underwent extensive work, Robert also made progress on the exterior with a modified hood to fit the new motor. "I had to cut a hole around the engine so it would shut. I purchased a '90 Fox hood from a wrecking yard, separated the skin from the supports and raised the section out of the middle to stitch-weld it onto the GTI hood."
Flis Rabbit
Meet Chicago native Greg Flis. A diehard VW enthusiast at heart, he's been participating in track days and auto-crossing in his '97 VW Jetta GLX for eight years. But for this year's track season, he's preparing a different car - an old school racer!
The snow-covered Rabbit here will have a built motor using an ABA 2.0 bottom-end with ported and polished Audi head and Techtonics cam. Greg decided to keep the original Mk1 electronics and fueling to keep the system close to factory. The previous owner had installed a close-ratio transmission, which should help on tight autocross courses. An H&R Cup kit was used, while the original brakes were refreshed with ATE rotors and Hawk pads.
Greg belongs to the Chicago VW Club (www.chicagovw.org) and his club members hit the track on a regular basis. Be sure to check out the action with his buddies if you're in the Midwest.
Contact: to be included on this page, email details of your vehicle to: eurotuner@sorc.com