Build Hummer H3 Build

Hell man I would be tempted to go the other direction. Take the T out on easier trails since it's going to be night and no other vehicle in convoy. Drive the H3 for a bit to shake down any bugs and maybe make sure it can survive DD use for a bit so when the T gets the IFS upgrade you know you have the reliable replacement handy.

I went out again this weekend and realized it doesnt matter how high I mount my steering, I just suck.







Believe it or not I was almost touching factory 60 steering stops here! Nice to have steering angle. I’m sure my scrub radius reduces the effective angle but such is life.



Never seen this before. I have 2 rear driveshafts. This one was my spare, I had it shortened and the shop who welded it missed the tube? Or idk?

Either way my normal driveshaft was ****ed up enough and bent to vibrate at like 50 I threw this one in and it made it like a trip or two. So I threw my other one back in and drove 50 mph all the way home lol

I did help a buddy with his rig and while it was over I measured his steering.
Chevy kingpin 60 on 42in sticky treps (he was aired down I think)
the giant artec double ended ram mount
17.75in off the ground to the bottom of the plate
5.75in off the axle tube
ramps up to 22in off the ground
10in off the axle tube.

My setup...aired to 25 psi.
19in off the ground
8in off the axle tube
angles up to 21in off the ground
9.5in off the axle tube

So similar enough to the big artec setup, I would lose a little airing down.

Out at the hammers! We have a few days left.

Here is Day 1, from a buddy who posted it. I literally took zero pics.



Day 1 was spooners and outer limits.

Day 2 was walking ballpeen and deadblow. Ballpeen is NO JOKE in person. I understand why it took out so many people at KOH and why it is the reason like 5 people finished KOH 2026. We then went to sunbonnet, I cut a tire, by the time that was fixed, my buddy killed a CV on his driveshaft so we went back to camp and had to mix and match parts and weld it all back together.

Day 3 (today) was wrecking ball, bender alley, Jack North and then Kings veto.

I must say the trails are TORE up compared to my last trip and even my local buddies say it is much more difficult than it's been in years.

My first concern was is the steering not high enough? It really hasnt held me up yet. I hit it but it is slippery, it was also nice of nukegoat to say the steering looks much better in person. While it still isnt jimmy4x4 caliber, it looks better than it does in pics lol since my big fear was location of the steering and now that it is appearing to be ok. I will need to work on the pulsing when I get back since this steering is staying.

I lost the sway bar mount, poor design execution but something I will work on.

I am back from the hammers!

We ran outer limits, spooners canyon, wrecking ball, bender alley, jack north, kings veto, highway 19, highway 20, sunbonnet, aftershock, lower big Johnson and turkey claw. We searched high and low for Silicon Valley and couldn’t find it. Walked ballpeen, and dead blow. Ballpeen is nuts. We also did fissure mtn. While it’s just super steep and sometimes off camber hills and not really rock crawling it gave me a new perspective of the valley. absolutely beautiful and fun to see trails from a perspective up above.

We had 5 wheeling days. 3 were solid days of wheeling. 2 were some wheeling, some repairing.

Carnage for my H3 was sway bars, tire and motor mount.


My assumption is the bolts got loose and started moving and caused the crack. Maybe I’m wrong but that’s my guess. New one is already ordered.







This trip was a good one. In terms of performance, it had highs and lows.

The steering did great, it has plenty of power and didn’t seem to be much of a hang up.

The rear suspension did great in the whoops, in comparison to my past setups, it is faster in the desert then it’s ever been.

The rear shock mounts seem to slow me down in the rocks, I can usually pick a new line to get me through but it does require backups and new lines. I think getting them higher will go a long way and it’s on the list.

Stability isn’t what it was with leafs, sway bar or not. I think getting the coilovers out boarded (while going up) will help a ton.

When it came to the trails, they are just harder than ever before right now. I got through most of these trails on 40-43s unassisted in the past and each trail required assistance on 42s. I’m not complaining, I like hard trails, but as someone who wants to improve, idk what I can do. lol outer limits had every guy winch, from a jimmy’s car, to TJ and YJs on 40in stickies, myself, etc. it seemed portals would give the clearance needed, or rear steer to dodge the nuisance rocks. So idk if there’s much I can do to improve there.

Time to fix my motor mount, sway bars, nut and bolt check and now that I’m not ditching or cutting off my steering, I need to figure out the pulsing.

Just under 3 months till fordicon, and I’d like to do local wheeling in between.

i saw the you tube of this trip looked crazy hard. and yes you put that big ass jungle gym where ever you wanted. i was like damnnnnnnnnnn looked super fun too

It's nice to see someone out wheeling a H3. I WILL watch the videos.

When are you guys doing fordicon? Open to other rigs tagging along

Bmxbry9 said:

When are you guys doing fordicon? Open to other rigs tagging along

Click to expand...

Feel free to tag along! What rig? The stretched LJ?

Our plan is drive down (or up as I have friends coming from socal) August 19th Fordyce the 20th/21st and drive over to the tahoma side of the con on the 21st. Then wheel 22nd -23rd on the con and drive home the 24th.

We may have some tow rig juggling to do....I plan to park my tow rig and do all the driving between Fordyce and the rubicon. We may have 1-2 guys who cant drive on the highway so I may have to haul them back and forth for grabbing tow rigs but that is the plan.

Nice! That should be rad! Ya, I would be in the lj. I'll see if I can get the week off