In the world of sport compact tuning, there are a lot of innovators and a lot of enthusiasts. While we try not to say there are people out there that copies one another, there are most certainly those that do something or build something very few others even attempt. It’s no surprise that coupes are more stylish and more appealing to the masses, but Pnut of Southern California followed some wise words from Robert Frost: “Two roads diverged in a wood, and I – I took the one less traveled by, and that has made all the difference.” You see, Pnut has always been a fan of sedans and when the G35 was first introduced into the market, as appealing as the coupe was to Pnut, he knew taking the sedan down the road less traveled would make all the difference for him. Starting with one of the more uncommon six-speed equipped G35 sedans, Pnut began modifying his G35 to surprise the general public.
Knowing that the chassis was unique already in the scene, Pnut wanted to take it up to another level by ordering a kit no one else in America would have. The Sportec front bumper and side skirts arrived and Pnut was pleased once it found its way onto the G35 sedan’s body. Enhancing the rear of the car, Pnut opted for a Nismo rear lip. From there, a series of body modifications was done as the car went to the body shop to be sprayed a whole new shade. Pnut elaborated to us on certain things that were done to the car while it was at the body shop: “I started by shaving the front bumper clear corners and the door moldings, giving the car a much sleeker body. I couldn’t find a rear spoiler that I liked, so I had a custom one molded onto the trunk. It’s nice and simple, keeping with the theme of the car.” With all the body work completed, Pnut decided to have the entire car sprayed in a Candy Cobalt Blue shade, while repainting the roof of the car Bentley black. For the extra unique detail, a set of Brabus LED puddle lights were installed and a Starshield clear bra was applied as this is Pnut’s daily driver.
Having to balance the car as a daily driver and a show car, Pnut decided that the stock performance of the VQ35DE was lacking for his demands. Sourcing out an option for additional horsepower and torque in a reliable form, Pnut became one of the first G35 six-speed sedans equipped with the Vortech supercharger. “The Vortech supercharger was the perfect modification for the performance aspect of the vehicle. It bumps the horsepower well in the mid 300 range with plenty of torque. It’s perfect since I daily drive the car to and from work and to the shows.” Along with the supercharger kit from Vortech, Vortech also supplied a fuel pump, larger injectors, a by-pass valve and a piggy back ECU to help get the car a base tune. Pnut decided to enhance the performance of his Vortech kit by installing a Spearco intercooler and a stage 1 nitrous kit from Nitrous Express. Opening up the airflow is a JIC Magic y-pipe and cat back exhaust system. Extra show points are added thanks to polished piping, matched painted components and a gleaming oil cap and radiator cap from Nismo. Now that his G35 was putting out an ample amount of horsepower to fit Pnut’s needs, Pnut decided to also install a new clutch and flywheel combination from Nismo, ensuring that each drip of horsepower finds its way to the rear wheels.
Speaking of rear wheels, Pnut’s G35 sedan is equipped with a very unique set of wheels. Coming from Modulare Forged’s catalog, Pnut has a staggered set of their M2 brushed wheel with a 19×8.5-inch in the front and 19×10-inch in the rear. Pnut also opted for none other than Dunlop Tires to wrap his wheels and provide him the grip he needs for everyday driving. Dunlop’s Sport Maxx tires in a 235/35/19 in the front and a 265/30/19 in the rear wrap up Pnut’s Modulare wheels. One of the more unique aspects of Pnut’s G35 was also the addition of a Project Mu 355mm big brake kit. Equipped with brand new rotors and calipers, Pnut also tossed in Project Mu’s level max 900 brake pads and Teflon brake lines.
So far Pnut had done a fantastic job retaining the luxury of the G35 sedan while enhancing its performance and without a doubt making the aesthetics stand out from the crowd. We decided to ask Pnut what suspension setup he had to retain the fine ride that the G35 offers: “I did a lot of research and it was tough to decide on a suspension setup on the car. At the end of the search however, I found that the JIC Magic FLT-A2 VIP coilovers were a perfect fit for the G35. Its adjustability and emphasis on a luxurious ride had me sold!” Working along with the JIC coilovers to make the G35 handle like a true sports car is a set of 3-way adjustable sway bars from Hotchkis. Wanting to preserve wear and tear on his rear tires, Pnut also had Hotchkis’ rear camber links installed.
Now we personally know that Pnut’s daily commute to his job isn’t a close one. Spending a lot of time in the wonderful Southern California traffic in his G35 sedan, Pnut wanted to keep most of the interior intact but alter it just enough to appeal to the judges at the shows while representing Ar-Kan. The door panels and seats were revamped with perforated gray suede, while the pillars and roof was rewrapped in black suede. The stock shift knob has been replaced with a Project Mu unit, while the stock pedals have been overlapped with a set of Project Mu pedals. A series of Defi BF series gauges display boost and oil pressure while the Link II unit keeps everything in control. Stereo wise, Pnut’s G35 doesn’t cut any corners either, with a beautiful setup in the trunk thanks to Crossfire Car Audio amplifiers and subwoofers in a custom fiberglass housing. Several Icon TV monitors are added throughout the cabin, along with a pinhole camera, TV tuner and DVD/MP3/VCD player. There are some long nights at those shows where most of this entertainment is needed, but trust us – Pnut’s daily drive is no easy task either!
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