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- #631
Ok! Update time. Drove the hummer for the first time in like 6 weeks (since Moab) that was a grind. The battery situation really left me in a pist off mood then add in all the maintenance crap that didn’t really make anything better it was just not fun.
Anyways, I did my first test run. About 100 miles total, drive 40ish miles of highway there, 20 of dirt roads, rock crawling and small farm roads and 40 miles back on the highway.
It was also super cool to meet this guy.
He’s not on irate but he built this thing 14 years ago on pirate. BEAUTIFUL build. He actually said he has followed my build for years because he has a 5.3 Colorado.
Anyways, fun day, hummer did well. Steering is happy now and has a cooler. It continues to impress me in high speed chop. It can just move through dirt roads and nuisance chop so much faster and more comfy now. It was also fun to have a passenger who usually drives his YJ buggy. He said it’s amazing sitting inside of the h3 and how it goes where it does.
I still consider myself in “testing phases” with the 3 link and 6l80. I have less than 1000 miles on it and only 4 runs on the 6l80, and 2 on the 3 link. I can report that the rear shock mounts hang up way less than I imagined. I think they ramp nicely off the lower control arm so they aren’t a huge hangup in the few runs I have done.
I knew the lower control arm mounts would hit more but they are hitting more than I like. To be honest I am not a fan of the brackets I bought. I feel they aren’t slippery and they are rock grabbers. The leafs were tucked up on a higher part of the frame and farther back.
I will get a better pic when I’m home but you can see how big the bracket is. There’s a decent sized lip on the front, then it protects the entire heim with room to spare. I actually would like a smaller lip and let the bottom of the heim sit below the bracket. I think the transition will be easier.
I won’t be going out to change it immediately but I figure long term change will happen.
I also think I FINALLY have my evap issue figured out. This time I routed the evap line around the entire fuel tank so fuel can’t get to it when it’s full. It didn’t sputter or cause issues this time.
6l80 definitely needs some tuning for the highway. It’s quick to downshift, quick to unlock the TC and I looked at the settings on hp tuners. It still has the factory parameters where the TC never really FULLY locks. It’s so dumb GM asks for like 40 rpm slip when it’s “locked” no wonder why the TC’s have a bad rap in the 6l80. You’re literally burning it up.
I still get a random P2537 which I’ll look into more. It puts the 6l80 in a limp mode basically. I have a scan gauge that allows me to clear the code within seconds and it’s fine. It’s like the ignition sends voltage to the trans a second late and throws the code. It happens maybe 1-2 times a trip and it’s only on startup and off-road. Never on road.
I feel like I can finally breathe though! Last year I did the 6l80 swap, immediately ran the rubicon, then tore it back down, did the 3 link, barely got it driving, picked up the baby from the hospital in it. Then had the evap issues from moving the evap can sister to a lower part of the chassis. So I have been tackling it the biggest issues first and I’m finally checking things off the list. The evap and sway bar were the biggest issues. Smallest issue is speedo reading incorrectly in low range but I know, with time, I will get it all addressed.
Anyways, I did my first test run. About 100 miles total, drive 40ish miles of highway there, 20 of dirt roads, rock crawling and small farm roads and 40 miles back on the highway.
It was also super cool to meet this guy.
He’s not on irate but he built this thing 14 years ago on pirate. BEAUTIFUL build. He actually said he has followed my build for years because he has a 5.3 Colorado.
Anyways, fun day, hummer did well. Steering is happy now and has a cooler. It continues to impress me in high speed chop. It can just move through dirt roads and nuisance chop so much faster and more comfy now. It was also fun to have a passenger who usually drives his YJ buggy. He said it’s amazing sitting inside of the h3 and how it goes where it does.
I still consider myself in “testing phases” with the 3 link and 6l80. I have less than 1000 miles on it and only 4 runs on the 6l80, and 2 on the 3 link. I can report that the rear shock mounts hang up way less than I imagined. I think they ramp nicely off the lower control arm so they aren’t a huge hangup in the few runs I have done.
I knew the lower control arm mounts would hit more but they are hitting more than I like. To be honest I am not a fan of the brackets I bought. I feel they aren’t slippery and they are rock grabbers. The leafs were tucked up on a higher part of the frame and farther back.
I will get a better pic when I’m home but you can see how big the bracket is. There’s a decent sized lip on the front, then it protects the entire heim with room to spare. I actually would like a smaller lip and let the bottom of the heim sit below the bracket. I think the transition will be easier.
I won’t be going out to change it immediately but I figure long term change will happen.
I also think I FINALLY have my evap issue figured out. This time I routed the evap line around the entire fuel tank so fuel can’t get to it when it’s full. It didn’t sputter or cause issues this time.
6l80 definitely needs some tuning for the highway. It’s quick to downshift, quick to unlock the TC and I looked at the settings on hp tuners. It still has the factory parameters where the TC never really FULLY locks. It’s so dumb GM asks for like 40 rpm slip when it’s “locked” no wonder why the TC’s have a bad rap in the 6l80. You’re literally burning it up.
I still get a random P2537 which I’ll look into more. It puts the 6l80 in a limp mode basically. I have a scan gauge that allows me to clear the code within seconds and it’s fine. It’s like the ignition sends voltage to the trans a second late and throws the code. It happens maybe 1-2 times a trip and it’s only on startup and off-road. Never on road.
I feel like I can finally breathe though! Last year I did the 6l80 swap, immediately ran the rubicon, then tore it back down, did the 3 link, barely got it driving, picked up the baby from the hospital in it. Then had the evap issues from moving the evap can sister to a lower part of the chassis. So I have been tackling it the biggest issues first and I’m finally checking things off the list. The evap and sway bar were the biggest issues. Smallest issue is speedo reading incorrectly in low range but I know, with time, I will get it all addressed.
