Skyline in Tokyo
While traveling around Tokyo on vacation, Zack walked into the Ginza Nissan dealership where he saw the 2005 Skyline coupe. The car was identical to the US model Infiniti G35 with a few exceptions – the name, the Nissan badges, and the fact that it was rhd. Upon his return home, Zack started to research the differences between the US and Japanese models, and eventually fell in love with the car. He purchased a 2005 G35 Coupe after a quick test drive and began the task of completing a JDM conversion on the car.

Some parts were easy to find, and very readily available through local online vendors. Other parts, like the JDM Nissan airbag cover and the Skyline digital clock, were all but impossible to find. After having no luck in finding the remaining parts locally, Zack turned to the internet and started contacting Japanese shops directly. This proved to be another dead end, since none of the shops would ship the parts internationally, no matter what the price. This was also the case on Yahoo Shopping Japan; the sellers simply did not trust a buyer from the US, so while the parts were available, there was no way to get them.

A Japanese Connection
Still determined to get those final parts, Zack began browsing the Japanese auto forums in hopes of finding a solution. This was extremely difficult since he could neither read nor write Japanese, but with a little patience and persistence he managed to contact a few members that spoke English. One member in particular, Keizo, caught Zack’s attention with the modifications he had made to his car. Zack sent an email to the member asking about his custom Recaro seats along with other questions about his car, a 2004 V35 Skyline sedan. Keizo responded several weeks later. Zack was pleased to discover that not only did Keizo speak English very well, but he was quite excited to write back to someone in the US.

Keizo asked if Zack would be interested in trading some parts. It turned out that a small group of the Japanese car enthusiasts in Japan were looking for the same hard-to-get parts, except they wanted the US version. After discussing the details, a trade was agreed on the first part, the airbag cover. The initial trade was a success and eventually both parties were asking for other parts, as well as parts for friends. This continued for a few months, and many small shipments went back and forth between the two. Both parties wanted larger items, and even some new hard-to-find items… however, it was difficult for either party to commit as they had never met in person.

Zack knew that in order for the arrangement to grow, the two new friends would need to meet face to face. In March of 2007 Zack flew out to Japan for two weeks to meet with Keizo. Despite coming from different cultures, the two got along very well and could easily discuss cars and performance parts for hours at a time. With Keizo serving as a guide around town, Zack got to experience a lot of the Japanese car culture not easily found as a tourist in Japan. He was able to travel to specialty shops, meet local teams, and see how Japanese tuners built their cars.

After this great trip, Zack returned home and immediately suggested to Keizo that they sell larger parts to each other, as well as continue to trade the harder to get items. Keizo eagerly agreed, and the arrangement is still going on to this day.

Building to Show
With the hardest to find OEM Skyline parts out of the way, Zack started to build his daily driver for show. With Keizo’s help getting a hold of parts that normally took months to acquire locally, the wait time was reduced to only 1-2 weeks. Zack started like most other tuners by replacing the wheels, and opted for Volk Gt-7’s. Next came some minor body work, which included the addition of a KurumaZ front bumper, KurumaZ rear diffuser, and authentic Impul sides. Happy with the new look, Zack entered his car into a few shows towards the end of 2007.

The Next Phase
A few shows under his belt, and a bunch of new ideas brewing in his head, Zack decided to mod the car further. What started with a simple polished upper plenum turned into a fully polished engine bay. Once again Zack contacted Keizo and ordered all of the ARC engine parts for the CPV35. Along with the plenum, the timing cover was polished as well. To cover the radiator overflow and power steering reservoir, Zack fabricated an ARC-styled cover to match the ARC Super Induction Box and bring some symmetry to the engine bay.

With the engine bay looking sleeker, the next step was to give the car a new stance. Zack purchased Tein Basic coilovers, SPC rear camber/toe kit, and Stillen Sway bars. After working with Keizo for a few months, Zack fit the G37 paddle shifters onto his 5AT G35 and wired them up with a custom relay made by an employee of Nissan Japan. The car was shown throughout 2008, from San Francisco to Arizona, as well as daily driven.

Take it to the Track
The next step was to get the car on the track. After attending a few local autocross events, Zack wanted to get the car on the big tracks. First up was changing the suspension. As luck would have it, Zack found a used set of Zeal Function V6 coilovers with very aggressive track settings on the G35 forum (16kg/12kg). Next came the Nismo 1.5 LSD, 4.08 final drive gears, A’Pexi ExN1Ti single exit exhaust, Rare JDM differential cooler, Rare JDM transmission cooler, Rare JDM aluminum under tray, and Rare JDM rear strut tower bar. When it came time to fully commit, Zack stripped out all of the interior (everything behind the driver’s seat), removed all of the sound deadening, stitch welded the chassis, and applied full Rare JDM vinyls to the exterior of the car.

Zack attended a couple of track events after this round of changes. He also started a new team for both racing and showing, eventually picking up a couple of sponsors. WORK Wheels and Nitto tires helped out with a set of dedicated track wheels/tires, and the car currently runs 18×9.5 all around with WORK XT-7 wheels wrapped in Nitto NT-01’s when racing. On the street and for autox events, Zack traded in his Volk Gt-7’s for WORK XD-9’s and Nitto NT-05’s. Smartwax supplies the products that keep both the inside and outside looking good.

The Present – Updated 3.7.10
The car has undergone another round of changes. All of the vinyls were removed, and the car has been completely wrapped in matte black vinyl. The hood was also changed out in favor of an authentic Top Secret hood that has been extensively modified, and Aerocatch hood pins to keep it latched down. An APR GTC-200 rear wing was also added to keep the rear planted on the track.

The new race prepped NA engine is nearing completion. The specs are as follows:

Next up is a roll cage and racing seats. Zack would like to thank his sponsors, friends, and team mates for all their help and support!

Nitto Tire
WORK Wheels USA
Smartwax
Bride USA
Cosworth USA

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