Passion, fanaticism, obsession ... in the world of car audio, we know it all too well. What else can explain $50,000 installations in Pontiac Fieros? It all starts simply enough. You get some new speakers for your daily driver, Fiero or otherwise, and next thing you know you've spent your entire yearly income to get the biggest trophy at every car show you attend. We aren't knocking die-hard enthusiasts. How could we when obsession results in such amazing installs as Sandra Gandara's Jetta?
Gandara and her boyfriend Noe Sanchez dipped their toes into the car show arena a few years ago. Since then they've taken the plunge, aiming for Best of Shows all over the country. After more performance modifications than we can list (we'll do our best in the Tech Box), Gandara brought her Dub over to Kindig-it Design in Salt Lake City, UT. In addition to some fierce ICE, Kindig-it gave the Jetta some new body parts, including custom-built bumpers, side skirts, speed grilles and 4" extension, widebody front fenders with 5" rear fenders. All four doors were chucked in favor of Diablos in front with custom-made gullwing doors for the back. Kindig-it shaved just about everything they could and tossed on an APR carbon-fiber wing with custom brackets.
Look DeeperNo matter how great the body, it's the inside that counts. If you've had trouble believing that in the past, this Jetta might turn you around. With an elaborate system in mind, Kindig-it Design had to lay the proper foundation. To damp down extraneous sound, they covered every interior surface with Dynamat Extreme. The electrical system also needed a boost. Under the hood, the factory battery got switched out in favor of an Optima, with two more lodged in the rear. That still wouldn't cut it for hours on the show floor, so a Stinger power supply was installed, enabling the Jetta to be plugged into a 110-volt outlet.
CornerstoneWith the foundations laid, setting the first stones could begin. A Pioneer AVH-P5700DVD heads the system from where it can't block the air-conditioning vents, the factory dash location. Chosen for its ease of use, the head unit features the first of the install's five screens. Hiding in the trunk, an AVG-VDP1 allows the head unit to display real-time performance data-perfect for riders interested in how the Jetta drives as well as how it sounds. The last accessory is the Pioneer CD-IB100 iPod interface, which is stowed in the glove compartment yet allows the AVH-P5700DVD to control an iPod.
Take 6, Then 4For speakers, Kindig-it took a simple approach, at least when it came to ordering. Both front and back door speakers as well as the rear fill are Memphis 15-MC60 coaxials. Since the front factory locations provided a front stage that satisfied everyone, Kindig-it recreated them in the new Lamborghini-style doors. They built hardwood plates to accommodate the larger speaker size and depth. For the rear, they fabricated sheet metal pods and hardware to mount them in new gull wing doors. The placement of the pods maximizes clarity from outside the Jetta at shows.
Four 12" Memphis 15-PR124D subwoofers butt up against the new center-mounted rear seat. Kindig-it Designs built the sealed fiberglass enclosure with the exact air space recommended for the quartet. The result is clean, tight and accurate sound. The final pair of coaxials are built into the edges of the sub enclosure in individual fiberglass chambers. This provides extra rear fill for the back seat passenger.
Gamer's ParadiseWhy does the back seat passenger get extra fill, you ask? Just look at the additional steering wheel mounted on the width-spanning roll cage and you'll see why. Designed to be the ultimate in in-car gaming, the Jetta has not only a PlayStation 2 built into the ledge adjacent to the rear seat, but also an Xbox. For viewing your favorite racing game, a huge 30-inch AcceleVision monitor suspends from the ceiling.
Installing that 30-inch monster required custom housing and brackets. Stainless steel and aircraft flush-mount rivets give it some flair, as if it needed it, and custom latches secure it when closed. In the gullwing doors, the 10.4-inch Directed Electronics monitors also required precision. Custom braces and brackets had to be fabricated for the perfect placement for outside viewers. The last extra monitor, a 12-incher in the trunk, motorizes up from a shallow swathe of black-painted fiberglass.
Wide LoadWhen the 12-inch monitor in the trunk motorizes down, a Memphis Belle 16-MCH1300 amp obstructs the view. This large 5-channel hybrid amp stretches across the width of the trunk. A custom amprack elevates it from the fiberglass shell. With the monitor off, the bright blue of the Stinger Expert RCAs plugged into the amp is the only color. These interconnects were very important to Kindig-it, given the risk of noise from all the A/V equipment. Additional accessories included Stinger Expert wire and power cables as well as JL Audio battery terminals and distribution blocks.
With the ride finished and multiple Best of Shows won (let's count: NHRA in Denver, CO; HIN in Dallas, TX; NOPI in Atlanta, GA; NHRA in Pomona, CA), Gandara proves that girls can win Best ofs. She's not about to sit back and relax, though. There are always more shows, more coverage to get and perhaps another car to build. Considering this Jetta, she shouldn't have any trouble getting sponsors.
Driver ProfileCo-owner of a pair of restaurants along with boyfriend Noe Sanchez, Sandra Gandara has certainly gone all the way since entering the car scene three years ago. Her Jetta has no manufacturer sponsors-the $120,000 it took to build it came entirely out of pocket. Now that's obsession. The cosseted ride is only driven on and off the trailer at shows. Though she doesn't take up two spaces in a parking lot, she does require two spaces at a show to have enough room for the inevitable crowd. At shows, Gandara says she and Sanchez "listen to Spanish music and watch movies back to back while we wait on trophies." Special thanks go to Jotech Motorsports, Kindig-it Design, JS Custom Interiors, VF-Engineering, Papa Poblano's Mexican Cafs "and to all our family and workers who support us and work hard while we are out showing off our baby."
TechWheels: HRE 542R 19x11 front, 19x13 rear
Tires: Pirelli Pzero 305/25/19 ZR front, 355/25/19 ZR rear
Suspension: fully chromed Bilstein shocks and springs, Neuspeed sway bars and springs
Brakes: Brembo 13.5" chromed front brakes, Bahn Brenner 11.5" rear brakes, polished calipers, and Neuspeed stainless braided brake lines
Engine by VF-Engineering: MK4 VR6 12v, VF-Engineering Stage 3 Supercharger, 3" polished high-flow intercooler, Neuspeed carbon-fiber engine cover, Neuspeed spark plug wires, Neuspeed short shifter and Neuspeed chromed engine caps
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