As the title says, this ’82 Rabbit is far from perfect, but it’s wheel fitment game is as on point as it gets. It belongs to Dustin Pannone out of Pennsylvania and luckily when he came out for H2Oi couple of days ago he was able to get together with our photographer Ronaldo Stewart for some quality photos! We don’t really know Dustin like that, but it’s obvious that he built the car to his liking, no one else’s. So instead of trying to convince you to like this slammed Rabbit, we will just let the photos and specs do the talking. What we will say though is that no matter what your budget is, if you have the right vision and any kind of automotive knowledge, you too can build yourself a really awesome ride. Money does play a huge roll but you’ve got to learn to work with what you have.
Photos By: Ronaldo Stewart exclusively for StanceNation.com
The 1.6L NA diesel was converted to turbo diesel and Dustin also threw up a 2.5″ turbo back straight pipe just because. He actually plans on upgrading to a true turbo diesel engine swap running on 30psi of boost (which is already being built). While that sounds like some serious fun, what most of you are probably enjoying right now is the way this thing sits. Bags are pretty much a norm in the Euro community, but Dustin is actually rolling on Raceland coilovers and then some. He modified the early strut mounts by extended them by 1.5″, the driver side axle was shortened 5/8″ to solve axle binding issues, rear swaybar was added and the list keeps going. Last but not least came the shoes!
Dustin’s choice were a set of Diamond Racing steelies in 15×8 (12) with 165/50 tires all around. Not the most original setup out there, but a touch of custom paint set these apart from others. Besides things like 16v Scirroco front brakes and MK2 recaro seats, most of the other stuff that was added is all relatively small and simple. Just like we always say, less is more. Big shout out to Dustin as well as Ronaldo for making this happen and we hope that this slammed ol’ thing inspires some of you! You know what to do to see more, just click the Read More button located under the image below.
