Bernie-01

If you’re a car guy or gal then you definitely remember your very first car (no matter how many you’ve owned since). The way it made you feel, the freedom it gave, the doors it opened, and the countless paychecks that would soon be poured into it over the years. However, one thing most of us probably didn’t realize at the time, was the beginnings of the never-ending obsession…enter the “Project Car” who quickly took over and became the “mistress” in our lives.

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When we first met Bernie M. Chacon III, founder of Dub Nation, it was at a friend’s open house and shop grand opening. We talked to Bernie about VWs for hours that day and when we asked him if he’d always been a Volkswagen guy he answered:

“No, in the very beginning I was actually fascinated with custom trucks, but my first car was a 1996 Honda Civic Coupe modded with everything Nuespeed to the max. Everything really changed in the car scene for me when I got my first VW.”

You may not know Bernie by his full name, but if you’re in the VW/Audi scene you most likely know his cars and have visited his website and might have even read up on his “how to” front-end conversions, which is where the term “JTI” and “Getta” were created. In September of 2010 Bernie decided to purchase a 2010 Volkwagen Golf TDI and instantly the modding began. Within 24 hours the car was de-badged and the rear wiper was deleted. Even though the car was purchased as a daily driver, Bernie still wanted to add some personal touches and as usual – it was all downhill from there!

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While speed isn’t the focus of Bernie’s Projekt MK6 a few engine mods were added to bump up the power to a respectable level. An exhaust upgrade from Borla and a few items from Nuespeed including a P-Chip tune, P-Flo air intake and a power pulley gave Bernie just enough to be satisfied with the performance. Wheels on the other hand were a whole different story for this build.

Bernie-02Bernie has gone through quite a few sets of wheels on this his MK6 always striving for that perfect combo and fitment. Remembering back to when he played with die-cast cars as a kid, he really loved the old school Ferraris, Lamborghinis, and Porsches. So when HRE Wheels came out with their Vintage Series line-up he instantly jumped on board and had to have a set. Bernie chose the HRE 454 Vintage Series; with its old school Italian 5-spoke design he knew this would be the final piece to the puzzle. The wheels are 19×9 all around, with a front offset of et33 and a rear offset of et30, and accompanied by the right amount of camber to properly tuck in for the ultimate in low.

Speaking of low, like most of Bernie’s current builds, suspension mods usually lead to air suspension mods and management systems. And for Projekt MK6 it’s sitting on a set of Air lift Suspension front air struts and custom rear ‘bags along with Air Lift’s AutoPilot Digital Management. After installing the air suspension and wanting to go even lower, Bernie took it to his buds over at Empire Fabrication to assist with C-Notching the frame and a few other custom touches to get her even lower.

Next up, a few stress bars from Euro Sport Accessories were added and now the car sits perfect and drives like it should. Not one to leave well enough alone, body mods are next up on Bernie’s never-ending “mod list” of things to do. Like he shared with us, “Nothing is ever completed, it’s just in different stages.” This isn’t the only ride in his fleet that is awaiting more mods either. He’s also currently building a custom EuroVan and an old school MKI proving yet again, that his love for cars is truly with the Veedub. Stay tuned for more on the EuroVan tow combo, as we’re sure that we haven’t seen the last of Bernie and his wild creations here in Slam’d Mag.

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Special Thanks From Owner:

Bernie would like to thank his wife Kristin and his daughters, Kaeleigh and Bella. Along with a bunch of friends and companies that have made this all possible. Aaron at Neuspeed, Sean and Gino at Empire Fabrication, Lon at HRE Wheels, Corey at Air Lift, Rich and Josh at OEMplus, Rich at Auto EssentialsAdam’s Rotors, Peter at OrientalParts, Alyse and Alvin at Borla, Greg at Eurocode Tuning, Raffi and Ivan at Euro Sport, Bruce at Unibrace,  Bakari at Falken Tires, Scotty “Flames” at Risk Vs Reward, Dave and Mike at MeisterWerks, Guido at Speed-Tech. Jay at JCaps Online, Eugene at RdefinedVWvortex.comGolfMK6.com, Mike Alexander, Nico Jarrett and the entire Slam’d Mag crew, and anyone else who has helped along the way!

 

Slam’d Specs

Bernie-03Engine/Performance:
Borla Performance Exhaust
Borla XR-1 Turndown 4-inch Tip
HPA Core Interlock Lower Motor Mount
Neuspeed P-Chip Tune
Neuspeed P-Flo Air Intake Kit
Neuspeed Power Pulley Kit
Neuspeed TDI Turbo Discharge Damper
Forge Motorsports Billet Gas Cap Cover
JCaps Online Oil Dipstick Cover (Type B / Polished)
JCaps Online Washer Bottle Cap (Smooth & Black)
Meister Auto Werks 3D Emblem Center Caps

Exterior:
European LED “Cherry Red” Tail Lights
European HID Projector Headlights with LED DRLs
Bell License Plate Adjustable Bracket
Blackworks BWR Gold Quick Release Bumper Fasteners
De-Badged Honeycomb Upper Grille (Golf 6 GTI-Look badgeless grille)
Color-Match Rear Bumper Lights
Rear Wiper Delete
LicensePlate.TV 1963 California State License Plate DUBDZL
Mono-Wiper (one-off) by Empire Fabrication
Risk vs Reward Color-Matched Paint Bumper Marker Lights
Rear Hatch Shave And Blend By Empire Fabrication
Shaved Exhaust Opening in Rear Valance
Speed-Tech Rear Wiper Glass Blank
Westfalia Euro Tow Hitch, Hidden Behind Rear Bumper
Whispbar Roof Rack with Yakima SkyBox Pro 16S Roof Box

Bernie-06Interior:
DMP Fasteners Rhino Bed And Dash Kit
Neuspeed Short Shift Kit
Chrome Fire Extinguisher
Cleaned Core Support And Plugged Holes
European 30th Anniversary Golf Shift Knob
European Dash Cubby
European Seat Drawers
False Floor with Golf Theme Air Setup
Astro Turf with a real golf play area
Newsouth Performance Vent Pod
ProjektMK6 Billet Aluminum Plaque
Recaro ProBOOSTER High Back Booster Car Seat
Risk vs Reward Color-Matched Paint Interior Trim
Shaved Spare Tire Hump
VW R32 Pedals (Manual)
Cobra 75 WX ST CB Radio
LED Door Handle Illumination (Red)
European RNS-315 GPS Navigation Headunit
Dynamat Xtreme Sound Deadening (Doors & Rear Hatch)
Newsouth Performance TDI Boost Gauge
Rear View Camera integrated into 3rd Brake Light

Bernie-11Suspension/Chassis:
Air Lift Autopilot Digital Management
Air Lift 5 Gallon Tank
Air Lift XL Front Air Struts
Air Lift Rear Slam Air Bag And Rear McPherson Struts
3/8 Inch Air Lines
C-Notched At Empire Fabrication
Euro Sport Accessories Upper Front Stress Bar
Euro Sport Accessories Lower-Front Stress Bars
K&N Air Filter for Air Compressor
K-Sport Rear Camber Upper Control Arms (-10.5 degrees)
Modified Rear Lower Control Arms
Modified Rear Spring Perch (0.5 inches lower)
Neuspeed Upper Rear Tie-Bar
Stern Lower Subframe Brace with UNIbrace UB (Under body brace)
Viair 444C Air Compressor

Wheels/Tires/Brakes:
HRE Wheels Vintage Series 454 (19×9 et33/30) Polished with a Brushed Face
Falken FK453 Tires (215/32-19)
H&R 15mm Spacers (Rear) With Extended Wheel Bolts
Trik Topz Custom Valve Caps
Adam’s Rotors AR Sport II Slotted
ATE Super Blue Brake Fluid
Hawk Brake Pads
Neuspeed Sport Brake Lines


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