ImNoSaint's H3 Build

[Imnosaint]

I've since sold the Montero and miss it and getting back to overlanding I realized there were some lessons learned with that platform, and while I looked in ernest to find another Gen III, or even a clean 2.5, there's that law about nostalgia that says you can never go back. I'm also now without a garage, limiting my own wrenching and rattle-canning, and someone boosted my entire Craftsman mechanics set reducing me to scratch. In junior high I think we called this a do-over.

I thought I'd go the Jeep route: incredible aftermarket, proven platform, and huge user support systems. But, as we say in this area, you can't swing a gray-hair around without hitting one, the ubiquitous general purpose vehicle. Ditto the FJ. So I turned to the Hummer H3. I've secretly wanted one since they came out in 2005 and with its limited run and termination in 2010, the market hasn't quite figured out what to do with it.

I've made fun of Hummers since the H2 hit the market, and when the H3 came along I blew it off as GM's incarnation of Hummer culture on a Colorado platform. As I dug in and did the research I found out that wasn't such a bad thing. The biggest complaint is it's standard powerplant, an inline five that feels more Massey-Ferguson than GM Vortec. But even with one less cylinder it produces 242 hp and 242 lbf·ft versus Mitsubishi's 3.5 at 217 hp and 220 PS.

And while the Montero gave drivers and passengers an unparalleled view of the planet, the little Hummer feels like a deuced coupe, though an FJ is even harder to see out of. I wonder if the H3's driving position wouldn't feel so low had I not been conditioned by the excellent ergonomics and position of the Montero. However, the H3 holds it's own in performance and ability in all the ways I want to use it.

The last weekend in January I came across a 2007 base model in my favorite color, slate blue metallic, and I drove it home.

Planning it's purpose-build for a 3 trail rating indigenous to our area that supports long term camping, I'm looking to start with these modifications:

• Replace its 265/75/R16s with 285/75R16s
• Mount a Garvin Wilderness Sport roof rack
• ARB Awning
• Engineer a separate electrical auxiliary circuit system
• Add an N-Fab Pre-Runner grille guard and light bar
• Add supplemental lighting front and rear
  

As of June 15, 2015, these are the most recent images of the H3:

 

[Expedition.Report]

Welcome to the club! I love my H3T!

Your going to want to do add a T-bar crank, OEM UCP (under Carriage Protection) and sliders to your list!

Eventually you might want to look into an OEM cast iron front locking diff and a OEM rear diff but that will depend on the type of wheeling you do.

There is also a fix for the steering rack issue, you might want to look into that as well.

Also check your front differential crossmember bushing... There is a fix for that once it wears out too!

Again welcome and great choice!

 

[Imnosaint]

Gen III versus H3: Some Observations

The H3 has a solid-axle rear end on leaf springs with an independent front SLA torsion bar system up front where the Montero as independent suspension on all four corners. I crossed up the H3 on a ravine where I've done the same with the Montero, both in stock form. The extended suspension members of the H3 kept their wheels out of contact with the surface where the Montero kept all four planted.

Habit being what it is, I keep trying to flick the auto stick in the H3 to the tiptronic mode of the Montero, something I'll miss the most from Mitsubishi especially on the hills. Downshifting the H3's automatic is standard GM fare, clunky due to its locking and release to go from drive to third gear, and then selecting drive again runs the risk on an inadvertent free-wheeling neutral. There is a five speed manual for the H3, much preferred for off-road, but I opted for the automatic for better towing. Compromise. The Montero didn't have to.

Ergonomically, these two are from different planets. The Gen III Montero groups instruments and controls into clusters with a simulated wood surround. The H3 is more business-class in materials that look and feel on the cheaper side, but the layout and design is intuitive and accessible, easier to clean, manipulate and read - in the daytime. A bane of H3 electronics is the hardwired illumination behind the controls that requires a $450 pod replacement versus a .79 cent lamp replacement. The temperature and airflow controls on my H3 have no illumination. Good thing they're intuitive. Perhaps an alternative is an adjustable arm mounted led to shed light on the controls a la old aviation instruments.

The Montero seats turned me against leather. They're beautiful and comfy, speaking to suburban luxury rather than trail utility. The H3's base trim was a big attraction for me, textile seats with breathable, durable insert surfaces, well bolstered and supported. I'd appreciate another three quarter's inch in height, though.

The payoff in the H3's interior is in the simplicity of the rear seat compared to the center seat of the Monty. The need to access a seldom used third row in the Montero lead to an overcomplicated execution of a seat mechanism that fails in function and form. And when it fails it becomes almost impossible to work around. The H3 is without the necessity of complication allowing the rear seat to fold, stow and restore easily with welcomed access for removal. BUT, the suckers won't fold flat, making my Golden Retriever dance around like a skateless junior hockey coach.

My last ergonomic issue with the H3 is the placement of the power accessory switches on the driver's door, they're too far back. I don't know what considerations had to be made in the design of the door, but I can't imagine what is in the way fore of the arm rest that required its position so far aft.

As it is, in order to hit the driver's window switch, the elbow and shoulder have to lift back and up to get the hand in position, even more awkward for the rear-window controls.

 

[Imnosaint]

Tire Upgrade, Grill Blackout & Dash Mod - February 9, 2014

I've knocked off the top item on the modification plan; replace the 265/75/R16s with 285/75R16s. I went with Hankook DynaPro ATM RF10s to take care of both on and off road duties.

I also blacked out the chrome grille - too much shiny for my tastes in an adventure vehicle.

This H3 came with Pioneer's AppRadio but had no reasonable place to install and iPhone mount. ProClip makes a clever two-piece mount that attaches to the top and bottom of the plastic surround on the center ventilation pod. It puts the iPhone high for a quick glance and secures it well with easy removal. I wish Pioneer's AppRadio were engineered this well.

 

[Imnosaint]

Welcome to the club! I love my H3T!

Your going to want to do add a T-bar crank, OEM UCP (under Carriage Protection) and sliders to your list!

Eventually you might want to look into an OEM cast iron front locking diff and a OEM rear diff but that will depend on the type of wheeling you do.

There is also a fix for the steering rack issue, you might want to look into that as well.

Also check your front differential crossmember bushing... There is a fix for that once it wears out too!

Again welcome and great choice!

Thanks Ramrod. Great looking T Alpha. This H3 has OEM UCP and I'm looking into sliders as well. The list at the top of this thread is just for starters.

 

[Imnosaint]

Garvin Wilderness Sport Roof Rack - February 15, 2014

I considered two roof racks, a Gobi Stealth and the Garvin Sport roof rack, the latter being a third the the cost. While the Stealth would offer storage the length of the H3's greenhouse with a different construction, I'd be using a rack to stow recovery items and serve as a mount for an awning. While one of the laws of overlanding is the stuff you carry expands by 1.5 times to the available space, I won't be using the square footage of the Stealth and want to resist overloading the top of the rig.

That's why I went with the Garvin.

I researched to no avail to find how it mounts to an H3's existing rack system, so I thought I'd provide that illustration here.

The front of the H3's rails have a plastic cap that clips into place, finishing the line of the rail to the front of the cab. This has a tab that when compressed and lifted, the plastic insert can be removed to access the rail.

With this removed the cleats to which the feet of the Garvin rack mount to can be inserted and positioned along the track.

The rail's channel depth makes it awkward to reach the cleats with the mounting bolts. I found that if I used one bolt without the washers to thread into and pull the cleat up into position, I could easily thread the opposite bolt with washers in place, and then replace the assisting bolt with its washers and complete the mount.

I left all of the hardware hand tightened on the feet to allow easier positioning and centering of the rack once all the feet were mounted into the rail.

The rack ships with the box in four pieces, front and rear ends and sides that need to be assembled, along with six rails that mount longitudinally.

The front of the rack is tapered and the upright stanchions are welded at diagonals to eliminate excessive wind noise cause by parallel supports.

I like the flexibility of configuring the rack to meet the needs of stowing recovery gear like a shovel, a Hi-Lift jack, TREDS, and Roto-Paxs. The channel created by the twin cross-members creates a solid mount for Grip Fists that I'll be using to stow the shovel and jack.

 

[Imnosaint]

N-Fab Pre-Runner Grille Guard - February 22, 2014

Another lesson gleaned from adventuring in the Montero was worrying about its front-end vulnerability; there was little protection for the radiator and oil cooler. The H3 is definitely more robust, but the frame terminates at the shackles leaving everything above them at a bit of a risk.

The N-Fab guard has a stinger-like design to part away through brush and debris and it has tabs to mount auxiliary lighting upon which are mounted a pair of Hella 700ff lamps. I bounced back and forth between this design and the more conventional brush guard that integrates better into the H3's facia, but given our off-road history the N-Fab hardware will serve us better.

The guard mounts using the stock hardware that attaches the shackles to the frame. This will also serve as a foundation for a fabricated winch mount.

 

[Imnosaint]

Rear Door Utility Shelf Mod

One of our favorite interior modifications on the Montero was the addition of a utility shelf that provided a place for food rep.

The H3's rear door stows the jack and hardware assembly behind a removable plastic panel, a perfect place to adapt a shelf to the rear door access cover versus adding one like what was done on the Montero.

Looking at clearances and how the panel is engineered to fit into the plastic surround I decided to use one-quarter inch oak veneer for the shelf and thought to hinge the panel to the surround.

I used a band saw to rough cut the outline of the oak shelf insert going back and forth to the door to test fit, rasp and sand until I was satisfied with the fit and clearance.

Once I had it fitted I stained it with MinWax Cherry stain, three coats, and after proper drying time shot it with Cabot's marine grade gloss spar varnish, five coats. It's far from perfect in finish and craft but it will do the job.

 

[Imnosaint]

Next, I hung the panel to the surround using stainless steel marine hinges, the best alternative I could find that weathered well, looked better than hardware store fare, and adapted to the flare of the plastic surround. I used stainless 1/2 inch 10-24 hardware with locknuts. I then mounted the oak insert into the opening where it rest and closed the plastic panel over it and locked it down. I used some foam between the oak panel and the jack hardware to give the panel some resistance.

I drilled some pilot holes through the plastic panel for the top two fasteners, and then once it was installed drilled through those holes into the oak panel for alignment. I used stainless flathead one-inch 10-24 hardware with finishing washers on the oak side, with lock washers and thin nuts on the panel side finishing that with black plastic covers. With the two top fasteners installed, I measured, drilled and completed the bottom fasteners.

I wanted a simple way to suspend the assembly and level it out within reason of the H3's cant when parked. I decided to use black paracord that attached at d-rings that were riveted to the top of the panel and to the top of the opening.

In order for the panel to fold flush against its jamb, the paracord would have to detach, so I used a pair of small Nite-Ize s-clips for ease of attaching and detaching. They clip into a bowline knot at the end of the paracord, and to the d-ring.

The top is tied to the riveted d-ring just below the opening using a cow hitch that is tied off down the cord allowing an easily adjustable suspension of the shelf.

The result is a light but sturdy utility shelf that integrates well into the stock panel. Looking forward to trail testing this.

 

[Expedition.Report]

Looking good! I love the table!


Sent from handheld smoke signal device

 

[Imnosaint]

Back to Warner Valley for some poses.

 

[stolenheron]

nice rig. I've always wanted to see one of these little hummer's set up for overland/expeditions vs being chromed out or lifted to ridiculous heights with rockstar rims.

 

[Imnosaint]

nice rig. I've always wanted to see one of these little hummer's set up for overland/expeditions vs being chromed out or lifted to ridiculous heights with rockstar rims.

+1

 

[owlxxx]

.

. A bane of H3 electronics is the hardwired illumination behind the controls that requires a $450 pod replacement versus a .79 cent lamp replacement. The temperature and airflow controls on my H3 have no illumination. Good thing they're intuitive. Perhaps an alternative is an adjustable arm mounted led to shed light on the controls a la old aviation instruments.

I was able to replace my ac control lights. The lights are extremely cheap, but I cant remember where I got them. It was a pretty easy fix that only took about an hour. I will Pm you if I remember where I got them. I have a question about your brush guard. Does it rattle around on dirt roads? I'm curious because I do a lot of traveling on dirt roads at night and I would hate to have the light bouncing around.

 

[Imnosaint]

I was able to replace my ac control lights. The lights are extremely cheap, but I cant remember where I got them. It was a pretty easy fix that only took about an hour. I will Pm you if I remember where I got them. I have a question about your brush guard. Does it rattle around on dirt roads? I'm curious because I do a lot of traveling on dirt roads at night and I would hate to have the light bouncing around.

I'd appreciate that. I saw a fix on a Hummer forum as well using LED lamps soldered into the existing circuitry. The brush guard is solid, bolted to the shackle mounts with no detectable flex.