Expedition H3
- Thread starter cgalpha08
- Start date
cgalpha08
"Like Nothing Else"
Went and weighed the H3, surprisingly easy to do. Clocked in at 5720lbs, includes half a tank of gas and me (185lbs).
That puts me at 5535lbs with a SAS, SOA, 37s, Thorparts front bumper, winch w/synthetic line, rock sliders, and schwartzzy t-case skid.
If you strip the hypothetical weight of the bumper, skids, sliders, and winch, the SAS probably doesn't add too much weigh to the factory curb weight of the Alpha.
That puts me at 5535lbs with a SAS, SOA, 37s, Thorparts front bumper, winch w/synthetic line, rock sliders, and schwartzzy t-case skid.
If you strip the hypothetical weight of the bumper, skids, sliders, and winch, the SAS probably doesn't add too much weigh to the factory curb weight of the Alpha.
cgalpha08
"Like Nothing Else"
I had been working on a rear cargo platform for more storage, especially on longer trips. I decided to take the rear seats outs. FYI they weigh about 90 pounds.
This isn't really designed for camping, but more for just storage of gear, parts, etc.
I made supports for the platform from 4x4's, bolted a post support to the studs that are already in the vehicle, drilled out a hole in the 4x4 to slide over the stud, then through bolted them. I put some rubber washers between then metal and the post support bracket as well.
For the platform, I started with a 4'X4' 3/4 plywood. Cut it down to about 32"×40". Drilled out all the holes I would need.
I also bought some OEM cargo tie downs to match the existing ones in the back. Then I covered the whole thing in some generic indoor/outdoor carpeting.
Used the platform on a recent trip up north to Drummond Island and it worked phenomenally well. (more in next post)
This isn't really designed for camping, but more for just storage of gear, parts, etc.
I made supports for the platform from 4x4's, bolted a post support to the studs that are already in the vehicle, drilled out a hole in the 4x4 to slide over the stud, then through bolted them. I put some rubber washers between then metal and the post support bracket as well.
For the platform, I started with a 4'X4' 3/4 plywood. Cut it down to about 32"×40". Drilled out all the holes I would need.
I also bought some OEM cargo tie downs to match the existing ones in the back. Then I covered the whole thing in some generic indoor/outdoor carpeting.
Used the platform on a recent trip up north to Drummond Island and it worked phenomenally well. (more in next post)
cgalpha08
"Like Nothing Else"
Hit up Drummond Island Michigan this last weekend with some hummer peeps. Absolutely beautiful, fantastic weather.
Trip was largely uneventful, had a ZJ in the group that broke a rear axle shaft, a H3 front driveshaft boot tore and lost all the grease and had to be swapped out. H2 cracked a rim.
This was the first true long hard test of the SAS. I have taken it to some local trails in Indiana, but never really more than a couple hours from home. Drummond is 9 hours away from me, about 570 miles one way. So over 1100 road miles, plus all the wheeling miles. The axle swap performed flawlessly. Didn't have a single issue with the axle or the suspension.
I did however have some transmission problems.
The clip that holds the trans line into the cooler came out and I lost all trans fluid. The trans was revving and like crazy and not moving the truck. And the transfer case wouldn't shift into any gear as there was no power from the trans. The theory was that when I shifted into 4 hi unlocked there was no power going from the trans to the t case, so the t case wouldn't shift. Originally thought it was a t case issue, until a keen o server noticed red fluid everywhere. Luckily we sourced 3-ish quarts of trans fluid that a couple people had to get me to the parts store. Added a quart and everything seemed fine, however I called it quits for the day. Trans fluid temp never got over 150° on the trail. The next morning when it's time to leave, trans fluid looks low again, so I add half a quart. Then proceed to drive 5 hours and check it again....looks low, still not reading om the dipstick at all. Add the last half a quart I have and look for an auto parts store. I then ended up adding 6 more quarts of transmission fluid for a total of 10 all together. Every time I added a quart and rechecked, and moved the H3 forwards and backwards a few feet, I couldn't get a reading. I figured with 10 quarts in there I could probably drive home and be fine.
Well a kind passerby on the highway informed me I was smoking. So I pulled over and see trans fluid everywhere underneath. I definitely overfilled and a lot came out of the vent hose. It was still oozing a couple hundred miles later as well. Made it home though and trans temps never for over 215° either.
Having it flushed and checked for leaks out of caution.
[video=youtube_share;OWNCjtqyiwI]
Trip was largely uneventful, had a ZJ in the group that broke a rear axle shaft, a H3 front driveshaft boot tore and lost all the grease and had to be swapped out. H2 cracked a rim.
This was the first true long hard test of the SAS. I have taken it to some local trails in Indiana, but never really more than a couple hours from home. Drummond is 9 hours away from me, about 570 miles one way. So over 1100 road miles, plus all the wheeling miles. The axle swap performed flawlessly. Didn't have a single issue with the axle or the suspension.
I did however have some transmission problems.
The clip that holds the trans line into the cooler came out and I lost all trans fluid. The trans was revving and like crazy and not moving the truck. And the transfer case wouldn't shift into any gear as there was no power from the trans. The theory was that when I shifted into 4 hi unlocked there was no power going from the trans to the t case, so the t case wouldn't shift. Originally thought it was a t case issue, until a keen o server noticed red fluid everywhere. Luckily we sourced 3-ish quarts of trans fluid that a couple people had to get me to the parts store. Added a quart and everything seemed fine, however I called it quits for the day. Trans fluid temp never got over 150° on the trail. The next morning when it's time to leave, trans fluid looks low again, so I add half a quart. Then proceed to drive 5 hours and check it again....looks low, still not reading om the dipstick at all. Add the last half a quart I have and look for an auto parts store. I then ended up adding 6 more quarts of transmission fluid for a total of 10 all together. Every time I added a quart and rechecked, and moved the H3 forwards and backwards a few feet, I couldn't get a reading. I figured with 10 quarts in there I could probably drive home and be fine.
Well a kind passerby on the highway informed me I was smoking. So I pulled over and see trans fluid everywhere underneath. I definitely overfilled and a lot came out of the vent hose. It was still oozing a couple hundred miles later as well. Made it home though and trans temps never for over 215° either.
Having it flushed and checked for leaks out of caution.
[video=youtube_share;OWNCjtqyiwI]
cgalpha08
"Like Nothing Else"
Since CB radios are still very prevalent in the offroad community, I decided to up my game from a handheld and get something small and compact that would work like the big units. In comes the uniden cmx760.
Since I have the platform in the back now. I decided to mount it on the underside. The perks of this model are that all the controls are in the speaker/mic part. So the box part doesn't really need to be accessible. It's nice and hidden. For when it's not in use, which beats the big box CBs imo.
Since I have the platform in the back now. I decided to mount it on the underside. The perks of this model are that all the controls are in the speaker/mic part. So the box part doesn't really need to be accessible. It's nice and hidden. For when it's not in use, which beats the big box CBs imo.
cgalpha08
"Like Nothing Else"
This past weekend went down to Windrock ORP in Tennessee with The Hummer Club Inc. Had 3 H1's, 3 H2's, and 7 H3's. Ran a wide variety of trails over the 2 days. Only carnage was a CV shaft and an oil line that came loose and was luckily caught before the engine burned up.
Also crossed over 36k miles on the way home. One of the H2's almost had a shattered rear window due to a falling tree.
Solid axle swap has continued to perform flawlessly and I haven't had any issues with the axle and suspension itself.
Also crossed over 36k miles on the way home. One of the H2's almost had a shattered rear window due to a falling tree.
Solid axle swap has continued to perform flawlessly and I haven't had any issues with the axle and suspension itself.
TwinDuro
Well-known member
Just found this thread, what an awesome rig and great wheelin' adventures @cgalpha08!
I saw your SAS thread on the H40 forum and the way you documented it was top notch!
Keep up the good work!
I saw your SAS thread on the H40 forum and the way you documented it was top notch!
Keep up the good work!
cgalpha08
"Like Nothing Else"
Thanks!
I can't take credit for the actual build/documentation though. THORparts was the builder, all credit goes to him.
cgalpha08
"Like Nothing Else"
Been working on installing some rock lights, I see them as practical and flashy lol never know when the additional light will be handy on the trail, especially for repairs. I went with the KC cyclone 6 light kit. Comes with everything you need, plug and play really.
https://www.kchilites.com/cyclone-led-6-light-universal-rock-light-kit.html
I'm happy with the placement of the rear wheel well and mid frame lights but the front wheel well ones are off center more than I'd like. Largely due to where I had to mount them due to where the body came in relation to the wheel well liner. They are super bright.
To run the wires into the cab I had 3 options, drill a hole, poke through an existing boot, or splice into the factory auxiliary wires that are there.
I had tried to poke through the big boot that is there but decided to not push it too aggressively for fear or hitting the factory harness, and i chose to not use the wires that were present as i didn't want to cut/splice/solder the harness that came with the lights.
I opted to drill a hole and install the daystar firewall boot. (https://www.daystarsuspensionparts.com/daystar-firewall-boots.asp)
This way I can easily add more wires as needed. The firewall in that small square that's pictured below is only 1 wall thickness, about 1/8 inch thick. On manual transmission H3's, it's where the clutch would go.
For those wondering I used a step drill bit to get to 1.25", then a Dremel to smooth out the edges, and some touch up paint to cover the bare metal.
I still want/need to run some silicone around the edge of the boot in the engine bay out of caution.
Obviously I did a bad job centering the drill bit, but it worked out.
Sent from my SM-G950U using Tapatalk
https://www.kchilites.com/cyclone-led-6-light-universal-rock-light-kit.html
I'm happy with the placement of the rear wheel well and mid frame lights but the front wheel well ones are off center more than I'd like. Largely due to where I had to mount them due to where the body came in relation to the wheel well liner. They are super bright.
To run the wires into the cab I had 3 options, drill a hole, poke through an existing boot, or splice into the factory auxiliary wires that are there.
I had tried to poke through the big boot that is there but decided to not push it too aggressively for fear or hitting the factory harness, and i chose to not use the wires that were present as i didn't want to cut/splice/solder the harness that came with the lights.
I opted to drill a hole and install the daystar firewall boot. (https://www.daystarsuspensionparts.com/daystar-firewall-boots.asp)
This way I can easily add more wires as needed. The firewall in that small square that's pictured below is only 1 wall thickness, about 1/8 inch thick. On manual transmission H3's, it's where the clutch would go.
For those wondering I used a step drill bit to get to 1.25", then a Dremel to smooth out the edges, and some touch up paint to cover the bare metal.
I still want/need to run some silicone around the edge of the boot in the engine bay out of caution.
Obviously I did a bad job centering the drill bit, but it worked out.
Sent from my SM-G950U using Tapatalk
cgalpha08
"Like Nothing Else"
So I've been trying to figure out a good place to mount my CB mic, which in my case also contains all of the controls. I didn't want to drill or mount with an adhesive something to the dash. So then I was thinking of something to mount to the daystar panel, as in just screwing something to it. All of that led me to this:
https://expeditionessentials.com/co...ended-arm-cb-mic-handheld-radio-mount-package
I also discovered something called the ram tough track:
https://www.rammount.com/product-lines/tough-track
So then I thought, hmm what if I mount one of them to the daystar and so I did.
I went with the end loading composite as it would give me the most track space and given the short length of track I could mount.
It mounts with 4 #8 machine screws. Which 2 of them I used oversized washers to help distribute the load on the plastic. The other 2 I stacked a #10 and #8 since I couldn't fit the oversized washer in there.
I can mount 3, maybe 4 balls on the track. Right now I have a mount for the CB, phone mount, and I'll be adding one for a gopro.
All of this also helped me avoid making a permanent mod to the actual dash itself.
https://expeditionessentials.com/co...ended-arm-cb-mic-handheld-radio-mount-package
I also discovered something called the ram tough track:
https://www.rammount.com/product-lines/tough-track
So then I thought, hmm what if I mount one of them to the daystar and so I did.
I went with the end loading composite as it would give me the most track space and given the short length of track I could mount.
It mounts with 4 #8 machine screws. Which 2 of them I used oversized washers to help distribute the load on the plastic. The other 2 I stacked a #10 and #8 since I couldn't fit the oversized washer in there.
I can mount 3, maybe 4 balls on the track. Right now I have a mount for the CB, phone mount, and I'll be adding one for a gopro.
All of this also helped me avoid making a permanent mod to the actual dash itself.
cgalpha08
"Like Nothing Else"
Going to update alot of stuff here from the past couple of years
I've been getting the H3 ready for Moab.
Some of the major things as of late, hardwired the CB radio to the battery, rushed through the previous install so it was just plugged into a cig outlet.
Also had the steering box rebuilt by redhead steering. Night and day difference. Sector shaft was replaced as well due to it being twisted. I also replaced the high and low pressure power steering lines, as the old ones had some wear on them. I covered the 2 new lines in nylon wear guard to hopefully prevent some of this in the future.
I also added a 1/4 inch plate to the outboard side of the frame to put the steering box every so slightly further away from the power steering reservoir, clearances are much better now. You can kinda see in the picture just how close the return line is to the pump itself.
I also in my own stupidity broke the power steering reservoir nipple. Sadly that part is no longer made, so I had to buy the pump and reservoir combo. I didn't want to bother pulling the pump so I just installed the new reservoir, and on the bright side I guess I mow have a spare pump. Fair warning, it's not easy installing the reservoir onto the pump whole its still on the engine, tiny hands would have made this a lot easier.
Only major thing that is left is to replace the leaf spring bushings with the poly siberian ones.
Also picked up a pro eagle jack, 3ton "kratos". I'm ditching the Hi-lift.
I've been getting the H3 ready for Moab.
Some of the major things as of late, hardwired the CB radio to the battery, rushed through the previous install so it was just plugged into a cig outlet.
Also had the steering box rebuilt by redhead steering. Night and day difference. Sector shaft was replaced as well due to it being twisted. I also replaced the high and low pressure power steering lines, as the old ones had some wear on them. I covered the 2 new lines in nylon wear guard to hopefully prevent some of this in the future.
I also added a 1/4 inch plate to the outboard side of the frame to put the steering box every so slightly further away from the power steering reservoir, clearances are much better now. You can kinda see in the picture just how close the return line is to the pump itself.
I also in my own stupidity broke the power steering reservoir nipple. Sadly that part is no longer made, so I had to buy the pump and reservoir combo. I didn't want to bother pulling the pump so I just installed the new reservoir, and on the bright side I guess I mow have a spare pump. Fair warning, it's not easy installing the reservoir onto the pump whole its still on the engine, tiny hands would have made this a lot easier.
Only major thing that is left is to replace the leaf spring bushings with the poly siberian ones.
Also picked up a pro eagle jack, 3ton "kratos". I'm ditching the Hi-lift.
cgalpha08
"Like Nothing Else"
I also installed an odyssey extreme 34/78 battery
This one in particular: https://www.summitracing.com/parts/ODY-3478PC1500DT
Top part of the factory box becomes irrelevant at this point. I also had to trim part of the bottom to get this to fully seat. I did a similar mod on my 08 alpha years ago with a different AGM battery.
This one in particular: https://www.summitracing.com/parts/ODY-3478PC1500DT
Top part of the factory box becomes irrelevant at this point. I also had to trim part of the bottom to get this to fully seat. I did a similar mod on my 08 alpha years ago with a different AGM battery.
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