It’s often said that if you do what you love that you will love what you do. The difficult part is turning what you love into a sustaining lifelong career. For Aaron Baker, it just happened to work out.
Photos and video by TK Akiyama. Text by Matt Haugness.
When Aaron first bought his G35 in 2005 he didn’t know a thing about cars. With the help of his friend Marko, his skills developed with each modification they installed on the car. Eventually, he became knowledgeable enough to be employed as a Nissan tech at a local dealership. “After working as a tech for a few years, I decided to go back to school. I recently graduated with a degree in mechanical engineering. I guess you could say the G35 kind of led me down this path. Without it, I don’t think I would have been a mechanic or a mechanical engineer,” Aaron explains.
From the beginning of his build, Aaron focused on performance first and aesthetics second. He started in the area he was most familiar with—the suspension. KillerBee 12kg coilovers, Stillen sway bars, Energy Suspension bushings, and GT Spec stiffening bars were some of the first mods he installed.
To improve the performance of the VQ35DE engine, Aaron started with various bolt-on parts. These helped with throttle response and made the car sound significantly better, but it wasn’t enough. He knew that he needed forced induction to be truly satisfied. He sourced a kit comprised of twin Garrett GT2871 turbochargers with Forge wastegate actuators. With the addition of the turbo kit and the supporting mods, the car produced 430 RWHP and 400 lb/ft of torque on a Dynojet at 10 psi.
After he was happy with the power of the car, Aaron decided to focus on improving the exterior. The stock lines were what made him want to buy the car in the first place, so he knew he was going to keep it mild. Rather than making the permanent decision to the change the color of the car, he opted for a 3M flat black vinyl wrap. To offset the look of the wrap, he went with a set of bronze Nismo LMGT4 wheels.
G35’s aren’t the lightest sports cars, and most of their weight comes from their heavy interior. Once Aaron discovered that the front seats made up a lot of this weight, he decided to replace both of them with a set of Recaro SPG XL racing seats. To keep tabs on the modified engine, a set of Defi gauges were mounted on the driver side A-pillar. Boost pressure is controlled using an HKS EVC 6 mounted on the center console and AFR’s are monitored using an AEM wideband sensor.
The car is mostly reserved for street driving but Aaron occasionally takes it to lapping days at Bremerton Motorsports Park. “I plan on continuing to attend lapping/road racing days this summer,” Aaron says.
Aaron would like to thank his girlfriend Dona for all of her support with the build. “She is always supportive of my hobby even when I spend all day and night in the garage. She even buys me shiny car parts for my birthday—she seems to only like the shiny parts though,” he says, laughing.
Modifications:
Exterior/Wheels:
3M flat black vinyl wrap
Gunmetal painted headlight housings
Emblemless grill
Lip spoiler
Nismo LMGT4 wheels
Interior:
Recaro SPG XL seats
Personal steering wheel w/ quick-release
Pioneer AVH-P8400 double din
Defi gauges
AEM Wideband
TurboXS knock light
HKS EVC 6
Valentine One radar detector
Engine/Transmission:
Twin Garrett GT2871 turbochargers w/ Forge wastegate actuators
APS downpipes
APS dual 2.5″ Exhaust
APS oilpan
Exedy twin plate carbon clutch
Solid motor/transmission/differential mounts
AIS methanol injection system (trunk mount)
Rogue short shifter
Stillen adjustable sway bars
SPL endlinks
Earls oil cooler
TurboXS UTEC
Deatschwerks 600cc injectors
Suspension/Brakes:
KillerBee 12kg/12kg coilovers
Project Mu brake pads
RacingBrake slotted rotors
Brembo calipers
Stainless steel braided lines
Energy Suspension bushings
Stillen adjustable sway bars
GT Spec strut bar
GT Spec rear lateral and tie bar braces
