SP Rides: The Ultimate Showstopper
BY MICHAEL KITCHENS
Name: Brandon Haleamau
Age: 34
Occupation: Coca-Cola distributor
Hobbies: Cryptocurrency, and cars
Year, Make, Model: 2004 Nissan 350Z
Color: Supersonic Blue with Fire & Ice Pearl
Engine: Greddy (twinTD05-20G turbos, front mount intercooler, ultimate ecu, turbo timer, blow off valve, oil pan, coolant reservoir, strut tower bar), DeatschWerks (600cc fuel injectors), Walbro (255lph fuel pump), HKS (iridium m-series spark plugs), CP (sport compact pistons), Carrillo (h-beam rods), NOS (purge kit), Mishimoto (radiator), Samco (silicone radiator hoses), Exedy (stage 2 clutch kit), Buddy Club (short shifter), Carbon Creations (battery cover, brake fluid cover, engine bay cover, radiator cooling plate), NRG (carbon hood struts), Baid Polish (intake plenum, timing cover)
Interior: Momo (steering wheel), NRG (quick release hub), Bride (ergo seats, rails), Takata (3-inch 4-point harnesses), Cipher (harness bar), NOS (10-pound bottle), Greddy (turbo gauge, oil pressure gauge, water temp gauge, shift knob), One-off (custom center console, roof, door panels, trunk)
Audio: Alpine (DVD player), Rockford Fosgate (6.5-inch separates, 6.5-inch components, power1000 LE amp, 10 farad capacitor), JL (12-inch W6 subwoofers), Direct (7-inch monitors)
Exterior: Mastergrade (wide body), Asuka Carbon (hood, roof, a-pillars, hatch), Carbon Creations (b-pillars, mirror covers, eyelids, license plate frame), Spyder Auto (V1 black headlights), OEM (blacked out 06-08 LED taillights), Battle Aero (V3 chassis mount wing), One-off (splitter, diffuser), Street Glow (body lighting)
Suspension: Air Lift Performance (3P suspension)
Wheels/Brakes/Tires: iForged (Aero three-piece 20-by-11 front, 20-by-13.5 rear), Nitto Invo (285/30/ZR20 front, 345/25/ZR20 rear), StopTech (4-piston front and rear calipers, slotted brake rotors)
There’s nothing subtle about this twin-turbo, banzai blue bomber. Owned by Brandon Haleamau, this incredible 2004 Nissan 350Z is an unstoppable force when it comes to the import enthusiast scene. Dominating show categories since its completion, this ride is the epitome of customization. Every inch, inside and out, is a culmination of hundreds of hours of custom work, and oodles of moolah — from the bottom to the top, this is about as insane as it can get.
The first thing that hits you is the clean, deliberate lines of the full, wide body conversion kit by Mastergrade and installed by GXAuto. Fully molded into the existing sheet metal, this kit is one out of only six ever made. Every component locks together in an impressive display of uber-sleek components that simply leave you breathless.
Working your way from the back to the front is an expedition full of wonder and awe as you take in the gorgeous Spyder Auto V1 headlights, continuing onto the Asuka Designs carbon fiber hood, roof, a-pillars and hatch. Carbon Creations accents the clearly clean exterior with the addition of b-pillars, mirror covers and the svelte eyelids. This is one case where seeing tail lights is a pleasurable experience thanks to the blacked-out LED tail lights and the extraordinary Battle Aero V3 chassis mount wing. Custom one-off diffusers were also added by GXAuto, and leave your eyes aching when this car rolls on by.
Featuring an Air Lift Performance kit, this Z sits low on glorious 20-inch iForged wheels — three-piece 20-by-11 in the front and gigantic 20-by-13.5 in the rear. Wrapped in Nitto Invos, enormous Stoptech 4-piston front and rear calipers are matched to slotted brake rotors.
It’s not every day that you find a car where the interior is able to compete and even outshine its exterior modifications. In this case, however, the interior is absolutely, jaw-droppingly incredible. This custom setup by Chad Paredes of Extreme Audio Systems Hawaii is probably the most unique and thorough sound installation I’ve ever seen. Twelve-inch W6 subwoofers are integrated into a rear trunk setup that features a Power1000 LE amp and 10 farad capacitator. The install works itself into the roofline and down into the interior doorframes with handcrafted molds. These door panels are pure insanity and are filled with Rockford Fosgate goodness. The entire setup looks straight out of a sci-fi movie and glows in an appropriately soft blue light.
The interior further features plenty of functional components including a Momo steering wheel and NRG quick release hub. Bride seats matched with Takata harnesses allow proper command and control alongside the set of Greddy gauges for monitoring, and a NOS tank also is featured prominently in the interior setup.
Powering all of this gorgeousness is a Greddy twin-turbo setup mated to a full engine and transmission build.
All of the modifications to Haleamau’s car is nothing close to ending here. Whether it is power or dress- up this 350Z has it all, making his vast list of mods too much for this space. Once thing is obvious, however, Haleamau’s goal for his ride was for it to be a showstopper, no matter what. He certainly went for it, and undoubtedly achieved it.
