As sweet as a stock G35 coupe looks, we wanted to give ours a bit of a face-lift, something that would set it apart from the other “lowered with rims” Gs out there. We also wanted a front bumper that would improve airflow to the radiator (and maybe a front-mount intercooler in the future) as well as the brakes. Improving airflow over the front and down the sides of our big Infiniti, such that aerodynamic drag is reduced and downforce increased (or lift reduced) was also a consideration. But just as importantly, we also wanted OE-level durability and a high level of fit and finish that looks at home on a luxury sports coupe like our G.
Which is exactly why we ended up opting for a Stillen front fascia along with its integrated splitter and brake ducts, Stillen rocker panels (side skirts) and a Stillen roof wing. The Stillen front fascia is particularly unique, in that it offers greatly improved airflow to the rad, has optional molded brake ducts that fit perfectly into the left and right openings in the fascia, and also matches up perfectly with their front splitter. No other front bumper on the market offers these features and options, and because Stillen makes these parts (and the side skirts and roof spoiler) in-house using its proprietary OE-quality direct molding urethane injection process, they’re all flexible, durable and impact-resistant, just like you’d expect from factory urethane parts. In fact, Stillen is so confident in the durability of its urethane body panels that they ship with a limited lifetime warranty against cracking or breaking, so they should also stand up very well to the track abuse we throw at our G.
Just like we did with Project Silvia Tech, we took the G and all the Stillen pieces to Discovery Truck & Auto Collision for prep, paint and installation. As anyone who has installed an aftermarket bodykit will tell you, any new body panel is going to require some fine-tuning to make it fit perfectly. As good as Stillen’s parts are in terms of initial fitment, the company’s own instructions specify that installation should be done by a pro body shop, so don’t expect to just throw a quick coat of paint on these (or any other bodykit) and bolt them up in the driveway.
Richie Bhawan, the body and paint specialist at Discovery, did all the work on our G. Richie was impressed by the high-quality urethane construction of the Stillen pieces. As expected, due to vehicle-to-vehicle variances, he did have to spend some time tweaking the fitment of the front fascia around the headlights and where it meets up with the front fenders in order to ensure a 100 percent perfect fit. A little trimming of the side skirts where they meet up with the floor panel was also required, but again this is to be expected when properly and professionally fitting any bodykit.
As you can see, Richie did an amazing job with the prep and paint work. It took a lot of effort to seamlessly match the tricky three-layer OEM Ivory Pearl paint, but Richie and the whole Discovery Auto Collision team were determined to make our G look show quality and that’s exactly what we got.
To protect Richie’s hard work and keep our G looking brand new, in the next installment we’re applying a high-quality coat of wax and a clear protective film from Lamin-X. We’ve also got plans to make the G perform even better with a Super Silent ATS limited-slip differential, a higher final drive and plenty more!
Stillen
Your One-Stop Tuning Shop
As Project G35 has progressed, you’ve probably noticed that we’ve been working closely with Stillen. The main reason we’ve chosen to stick with Stillen is the company’s extensive knowledge of how to make Nissans go faster, much of which stems from company founder and president Steve Millen and his 30-plus years of racing experience (including two IMSA GT Championships in 1992 and 1994 for Millen in his famous twin-turbo Nissan 300ZX).
To better understand how Stillen has mastered the art of making Nissans faster, we toured the company’s facility during its 12th annual Nissan/Infiniti Open House. The process of making go-fast goodies that fit properly and deliver real results—as we’ve proved with Project G35, from a 33-whp gain with its bolt-on intake, headers, cats and exhaust to a 50 percent drop in brake temps and a 2.5-second drop in lap times around our test track thanks to its AP Racing big brake kits—all starts in Stillen’s R&D Center. Here, the in-house engineering staff handles everything from prototyping development, tooling and CAD-CAM design to final production.
Newly developed products are then put through a lengthy series of fitment, durability, and real-world performance tests to ensure they live up to the high standards Stillen sets in all these areas. Once a new product has graduated from the R&D department, it’s passed over to Stillen’s in-house manufacturing department that includes some of the latest computerized machining technologies such as CNC lathes and mills as well as mandrel benders and an injection molding press.
But it’s the in-house team of highly skilled fabricators and welders (part of the 120-person team at Stillen’s 90,000–square foot Costa Mesa, California, location) that allows Stillen to maintain strict quality control over its full lineup of American-made parts—from the company’s CARB-legal supercharger kits to its OE-quality urethane bodykits.
To further ensure a high-quality experience for their customers, Stillen also offers installation and tuning services in its six-bay Service Center, equipped with four lifts, a Dynojet dyno and a four-wheel laser alignment rack. Drop by Stillen’s headquarters any day of the week and you’ll find all types of Nissans being tuned with Stillen’s full complement of go-fast and look-fast goodies, making it a true one-stop tuning shop.
