Hummer H3 Build

[YotaAtieToo]

Jack has a plaque? Or you talking sledge?

 

[ridered3]

Great to meet you on clawhammer and thanks for the sticker! Bmxbry9

KOH was good, it is getting more and more crowded to the point where I ask myself if it’s worth going to KOH at all. Maybe I go the week after? I showed up Thursday AM....maybe next time I should up Friday AM and stay later in the week.

Anyways, I figure I will mention the changes. I ended up with 10.25in of separation, lots of bracing and Support to the upper and lower mounts on both the frame and axle side.

1st pic is the gussets to the lower frame side links. I also wanted these because I had an instance where I backed up and got caught on the back side of the link mount, now it’s ramped to fix that issue and adds strength.

2nd pic is track bar gusseting. I tried to gusset everything. I never had track bar bracket issues but figured I’d just add them for good measure.

The 3rd pic is tube that links in from the back of the 3rd link bracket and ties into the frame.

4th pic is the 3rd link axle side upper. It’s been cut and raised for more height, boxed in, plated in spots to be 1/2in thick, and has baby trusses welded to them.

This weight is a full tank of fuel, without me in it, pretty much empty. Full doors...no spare. Doors weigh in at 330 Lbs. So ditching them is quite a bit of savings.

So rig weight always intrigues me and figure it’s easier to ask here than digging through the thread.

How in the world did you add like 2k pounds to the H3 from the listed curb weight ranges of 4500-4800 pounds?

I know axles, wheels and tires add a decent chunk of weight but was surprised to see the H3 weighed 6800 not “trail ready.”

 

[YotaAtieToo]

Funny because I was thinking about how 6800 isn't as high as I'd have thought

Bumpers, sliders, skid plates, crossmembers, cage, winch, links, bigger shocks, bigger tires, bigger wheels, bigger driveshafts, bigger tcase(s), bigger engine, bigger coolers, extra wiring, air compressor, ect.

Just think of the axles alone compared to a little semi float 10b then the stamped steel and aluminum front diff and suspension.

No full body trail suv is going to be light, despite what some Toyota idiots think. All that glass, sheet metal and interior add up.

 

[ridered3]

Funny because I was thinking about how 6800 isn't as high as I'd have thought

Bumpers, sliders, skid plates, crossmembers, cage, winch, links, bigger shocks, bigger tires, bigger wheels, bigger driveshafts, bigger tcase(s), bigger engine, bigger coolers, extra wiring, air compressor, ect.

Just think of the axles alone compared to a little semi float 10b then the stamped steel and aluminum front diff and suspension.

No full body trail suv is going to be light, despite what some Toyota idiots think. All that glass, sheet metal and interior add up.

Agreed on not expecting it to be lightweight by any means but 7k+ pounds ready to trail ride seems really heavy for something that’s factory weight is 4500-4800 pounds.

Heaviest full body rigs at our usual places to ride are on tons and 40-43’s at around 5k pounds or on Rockwell’s (so quite a bit heavier than 5k and probably closer to 7k if I had to guess).

 

[YotaAtieToo]

Agreed on not expecting it to be lightweight by any means but 7k+ pounds ready to trail ride seems really heavy for something that’s factory weight is 4500-4800 pounds.

Heaviest full body rigs at our usual places to ride are on tons and 40-43’s at around 5k pounds or on Rockwell’s.

According to who? People rarely actually weigh their junk, and if they do, it's stripped down and no fuel.

 

[ridered3]

According to who? People rarely actually weigh their junk, and if they do, it's stripped down and no fuel.

According to our riding buddies that have scaled their rigs to see what they weighed (after I annoyed them to death about it).

That said, most people that scale things do it exactly like you said. Well it’s got 1/8 a tank of gas, no spares, no tools, no 100 pound Yeti cooler with 3 pounds of drinks and 5 pounds of ice total.

 

[YotaAtieToo]

According to our riding buddies that have scaled their rigs to see what they weighed (after I annoyed them to death about it).

That said, most people that scale things do it exactly like you said. Well it’s got 1/8 a tank of gas, no spares, no tools, no 100 pound Yeti cooler with 3 pounds of drinks and 5 pounds of ice total.

I know 1 buddy scaled his 258/ax15/kline/205, 1 ton yj on 40s. Basic cage, no winch, windshield or interior and links f&r. It was 3800lbs with nothing in it.

Another buddy with a very similar TJ, but full interior, hard top and doors was 5k lbs.

Typical JK 44/60, 37s and armor was like 6500 lbs same buddy as the YJ now has a big V8 JK with prorock 60/80, c/o's and bypass all around, plus cantilever rear and 42s. He will say it's heavy "like 6500 lbs" but it's honestly probably closer to 8k.

Single cab Toyotas or stripped Jeeps are really the only light "full body" rigs. All the glass and stuff adds up on a 4 door suv.

Sorry for the hijack

 

[ridered3]

I know 1 buddy scaled his 258/ax15/kline/205, 1 ton yj on 40s. Basic cage, no winch, windshield or interior and links f&r. It was 3800lbs with nothing in it.

Another buddy with a very similar TJ, but full interior, hard top and doors was 5k lbs.

Typical JK 44/60, 37s and armor was like 6500 lbs same buddy as the YJ now has a big V8 JK with prorock 60/80, c/o's and bypass all around, plus cantilever rear and 42s. He will say it's heavy "like 6500 lbs" but it's honestly probably closer to 8k.

Single cab Toyotas or stripped Jeeps are really the only light "full body" rigs. All the glass and stuff adds up on a 4 door suv.

Sorry for the hijack

Haha and that’s exactly why rig weight always intrigues me. So many variables to every setup which makes things cool.

I’m pretty sure I’ve weighed everything I own individually as well in a gross weight manner multiple times just because it’s interesting.

 

[06h3]

I think 90% of people who claim their weight are full of shit and didn’t actually weigh it.

I think getting a first gen Toyota that’s still got a bed and cab is tough to get under 5k on one tons and 40s ready to ride.

I have a buddy who weighed in at 5k with him in it (200) full of fuel, spares, tools, etc. in a first gen Toyota pickup. He ended up linking the rear, ditching the bed, and doing some other things that lowered him under 5k.

I can’t imagine a rig with Rockwell’s and 43s being 5k but I guess it’s possible.

I just looked up what the factory tire size weight is. 40 lbs. the mickeys are almost 140 a piece. There’s 400 lbs in tires alone.

Edit: 125 a piece so 340 lbs in tires alone. Factor in rim weight from steel beadlocks compared to light aluminum 16in rims which is about 80 lbs different total so 420ish more

 

[ridered3]

I think 90% of people who claim their weight are full of shit and didn’t actually weigh it.

I think getting a first gen Toyota that’s still got a bed and cab is tough to get under 5k on one tons and 40s ready to ride.

I have a buddy who weighed in at 5k with him in it (200) full of fuel, spares, tools, etc. in a first gen Toyota pickup. He ended up linking the rear, ditching the bed, and doing some other things that lowered him under 5k.

I can’t imagine a rig with Rockwell’s and 43s being 5k but I guess it’s possible.

I just looked up what the factory tire size weight is. 40 lbs. the mickeys are almost 140 a piece. There’s 400 lbs in tires alone.

Agreed on most peoples rig weights and clarified my post mentioning rockwells to say it was quite a bit more than 5k since I definitely didn’t mean it weighed 5k with full body etc.

Like I mentioned with YotaAtieToo rig weight is intriguing and was just surprised yours weighed as much as it did.

 

[YotaAtieToo]

Haha and that’s exactly why rig weight always intrigues me. So many variables to every setup which makes things cool.

I’m pretty sure I’ve weighed everything I own individually as well in a gross weight manner multiple times just because it’s interesting.

I agree.

I also think people under estimate how much all the stuff you should have to hit a trail weighs. Much less camp out of it. 2 average guys is easy 400 lbs alone.

I think 90% of people who claim their weight are full of shit and didn’t actually weigh it.

Definitely, it's all just speculation. I'm a little guilty myself. I keep thinking my samurai is "around 2k lbs" but the only hard number I've seen was about 1900 for bone stock stripped Sami. I'm all stock drive train, but definitely added more than 100 lbs. 2500 lbs is probably more realistic, depending on doors, top and windshield be on or not.

I think getting a first gen Toyota that’s still got a bed and cab is tough to get under 5k on one tons and 40s ready to ride.

Stock 1st gen is probably 3k lbs. I'd think it's possible, but you're probably right. I my buddies 2nd gen caged single cab on 1 tons and 42s was right at 5k lbs. Toyotas aren't always all that light.

I have a buddy who weighed in at 5k with him in it (200) full of fuel, spares, tools, etc. in a first gen Toyota pickup. He ended up linking the rear, ditching the bed, and doing some other things that lowered him under 5k.

I can’t imagine a rig with Rockwell’s and 43s being 5k but I guess it’s possible.

East coast rigs seem to be a little different. Like those truggy rigs you see with just a tiny cage behind the cab and a 10g fuel cell. Maybe a single bag of tools and a 15 qt cooler. No doors, windows, or front clip. I can see a rig like that being about 5k even with heavy axles and tires.

I just looked up what the factory tire size weight is. 40 lbs. the mickeys are almost 140 a piece. There’s 400 lbs in tires alone.

Edit: 125 a piece so 340 lbs in tires alone. Factor in rim weight from steel beadlocks compared to light aluminum 16in rims which is about 80 lbs different total so 420ish more

Think about your front axle, links, steering and shocks compared to a cast aluminum diff, and all the spindly components.

 

[ridered3]

YotaAtieToo

Agreed on underestimating additional weight for sure. I know our juggy is 4100 ready to ride without passengers so 4500 hitting the trails with two people.

Comparison would be a buddies 4 door Pathfinder with full exo cage, no doors, with windshield, on tons and 40” tires weighing in right at 5k ready to ride without passengers.

Either way, weight is weight and 06h3 seems to do work and do work well regardless of what it weighs.

 

[06h3]

YotaAtieToo

Agreed on underestimating additional weight for sure. I know our juggy is 4100 ready to ride without passengers so 4500 hitting the trails with two people.

Comparison would be a buddies 4 door Pathfinder with full exo cage, no doors, with windshield, on tons and 40” tires weighing in right at 5k ready to ride without passengers.

Either way, weight is weight and 06h3 seems to do work and do work well regardless of what it weighs.

Yeah, I got all upset that it was 6800 lbs. but then I thought, wait, it’s doing all this stuff at 6800 lbs. imagine if I ditched more weight.

It’s not a brag, so I hope it doesn’t come off that way, and I’ll say this to negate it if it comes off as a brag. No my rig is not a buggy, it will never be a buggy, and my rig has MANY limitations...but in its heavy, overweight defense my buddies who haven’t seen my rig in action in a while saw it at koh and said on multiple occasions that it just shouldn’t be able to do that. (Whatever obstacle it was)

It does more then most people think it can but I think it’s deceivingly bigger then it actually is with all the big plastic fenders too.

And what it can’t do on the trail, it can do on the street lol. My wife drove it to work today because her cars fuel pump just went out and I’m waiting on parts to arrive.

When she was leaving she asked me if it has an eaton ABS air locker so she doesn’t sound stupid if people ask her for details I told her it’s ARB....ok I’ll tell them it has an ABR air locker

 

[ridered3]

Yeah, I got all upset that it was 6800 lbs. but then I thought, wait, it’s doing all this stuff at 6800 lbs. imagine if I ditched more weight.

It’s not a brag, so I hope it doesn’t come off that way, and I’ll say this to negate it if it comes off as a brag. No my rig is not a buggy, it will never be a buggy, and my rig has MANY limitations...but in its heavy, overweight defense my buddies who haven’t seen my rig in action in a while saw it at koh and said on multiple occasions that it just shouldn’t be able to do that. (Whatever obstacle it was)

It does more then most people think it can but I think it’s deceivingly bigger then it actually is with all the big plastic fenders too.

And what it can’t do on the trail, it can do on the street lol. My wife drove it to work today because her cars fuel pump just went out and I’m waiting on parts to arrive.

When she was leaving she asked me if it has an eaton ABS air locker so she doesn’t sound stupid if people ask her for details I told her it’s ARB....ok I’ll tell them it has an ABR air locker

Makes sense on weight thoughts and what it does at that weight and overall size is dang impressive so I’d say it’s well deserving of a humble brag!

 

[YotaAtieToo]

Yeah, I got all upset that it was 6800 lbs. but then I thought, wait, it’s doing all this stuff at 6800 lbs. imagine if I ditched more weight.

It’s not a brag, so I hope it doesn’t come off that way, and I’ll say this to negate it if it comes off as a brag. No my rig is not a buggy, it will never be a buggy, and my rig has MANY limitations...but in its heavy, overweight defense my buddies who haven’t seen my rig in action in a while saw it at koh and said on multiple occasions that it just shouldn’t be able to do that. (Whatever obstacle it was)

It does more then most people think it can but I think it’s deceivingly bigger then it actually is with all the big plastic fenders too.

And what it can’t do on the trail, it can do on the street lol. My wife drove it to work today because her cars fuel pump just went out and I’m waiting on parts to arrive.

When she was leaving she asked me if it has an eaton ABS air locker so she doesn’t sound stupid if people ask her for details I told her it’s ARB....ok I’ll tell them it has an ABR air locker

You're 300 lbs heavier than a cookie cutter JK with a D44 front and stock drive train. You're not doing too bad.

There are small improvements to be had, interior removal. Replace glass with lexan, ect. But it's not even going to be noticeable. I did the avalanche chop on my 4runner for some wieght reduction, but mostly wieght reduction behind the axle and up high. That was noticeable.

I never wanted to give up much on the interior as it just wasn't worth it for minimal gains.

Maybe one day you'll build a buggy and drape wrinkled h3 skins on it

 

[06h3]

Maybe one day you'll build a buggy and drape wrinkled h3 skins on it

Instead of a “juggy” it will be called a huggy!

H3 heated seats are heavy as fuck. There’s plenty of opportunity to ditch interior weight as a whole but I’ll probably leave it as is. It’s fun when 4 other people hop in your rig and you go for a quick joy ride up chocolate thunder with a crowd.

I imagine I will build another rig one day. A buggy...

 

[ridered3]

Instead of a “juggy” it will be called a huggy!

H3 heated seats are heavy as fuck. There’s plenty of opportunity to ditch interior weight as a whole but I’ll probably leave it as is. It’s fun when 4 other people hop in your rig and you go for a quick joy ride up chocolate thunder with a crowd.

I imagine I will build another rig one day. A buggy...

Pretty funny on it being a huggy!

 

[Slander]

I know 1 buddy scaled his 258/ax15/kline/205, 1 ton yj on 40s. Basic cage, no winch, windshield or interior and links f&r. It was 3800lbs with nothing in it.

Another buddy with a very similar TJ, but full interior, hard top and doors was 5k lbs.

Typical JK 44/60, 37s and armor was like 6500 lbs same buddy as the YJ now has a big V8 JK with prorock 60/80, c/o's and bypass all around, plus cantilever rear and 42s. He will say it's heavy "like 6500 lbs" but it's honestly probably closer to 8k.

Single cab Toyotas or stripped Jeeps are really the only light "full body" rigs. All the glass and stuff adds up on a 4 door suv.

Sorry for the hijack

Hell my "basic" (no typical overlander BS) 1st gen extra cab taco, with a full bed, SAS on 37s is around 4700lbs without my tools, spare part/tire. That surprised me weighing out at the dump. I figured I was doing pretty well keeping light

 

[DMANbluesfreak]

Don't feel bad... my rig stopped just shy of 8000lbs when fully loaded in UA spec. And that was before I added a passenger and belly skids...

It's going on a diet this year.

 

[06h3]

Hell my "basic" (no typical overlander BS) 1st gen extra cab taco, with a full bed, SAS on 37s is around 4700lbs without my tools, spare part/tire. That surprised me weighing out at the dump. I figured I was doing pretty well keeping light

Shit adds up quick. Just tires and beadlocks alone compared to small 28-32in tires and light factory aluminum wheels can be 200-450 lbs. of change.

Don't feel bad... my rig stopped just shy of 8000lbs when fully loaded in UA spec. And that was before I added a passenger and belly skids...

It's going on a diet this year.

What’s your plans?

 

[DMANbluesfreak]

Buckle up, becuase I've been thinking about this for a long time now.

The lowest hanging fruit is: pack spares and shit into more easily removable spots on the rig. For UA, I hard-mounted everything which saved a ton of space and got the weight low, but there's not much of the point A-B wheeling in the midwest and eastern US. If I have easily removable spares, I can leave my big/heavy spares at camp to save weight (or just not even bring them for day trips). My spares added up to almost 300lbs (front axle shafts, front driveshaft, rear driveshaft, rear axle shafts). On long trips I also bring a 5gal fuel jug and 5 gal water jug... those can/should stay at camp too, saving cumulatively 75lbs.

I've also got a bed drawer system which is SUPER convenient for packing and access to tools, but the drawers themselves weigh well over 100lbs. I think if I can pare down my tools a bit, I can get a few Milwaukee packouts and hard mount them near the tailgate - keeping the ease of access and saving a bunch of weight.

The last thing on the short list is removing my fuel tank skid (60lbs). I've had it since I shortened my wheelbase and not once have I noticed any scrapes or dents on it. As long as my leaf spring shackles keep hanging below it, I think it's low risk for a fuel tank puncture. I'll bring JB weld fuel tank repair.

High lift jack - I'm on the fence for this one. It weighs 45lbs and I very rarely use it, since I have a screw-type bottle jack (modified for big tires) - but when I do use it, it's handy. Probably will bring it with when I go solo wheeling since it can be used to break tire beads and resituate things in precarious situations when another rig isn't present.

These 4 things would save nearly 600lbs of trail weight.

Long term, I've got a few ideas:

1. Spare tire only (no wheel) - 35lbs
2. Swap NP205 with NV271 (keep doubler) - ~55lbs & lower crawler gearing (at the expense of losing front dig ability)
3. Suspension seats - These should easily save 50lbs, maybe closer to 100lbs.

The 4l80e added a bunch of weight over the 60e (over 100lbs I think). I won't go back to a 60e, but it does highlight how quickly beefy drivetrain components add to the total vehicle weight.

The rest of the weight is down low - big axles, big skid plates, tons of crossmembers, big drivetrain components... I wouldn't want to slim any of that down until the truck weighs less. I bent a 14b spindle on my last big trip. It only bent 1.5°, so it's possible 3-500lbs saved might have prevented it. Who's to say. It's still bent - I need to fix it lol.

 

[06h3]

DMANbluesfreak I feel like I went through the exact exercise 2 years ago.

I have learned you can only have 2 of 3 things.

Strong
Lightweight
Cheap

We have both gone the strong and cheap route. It still isn’t “cheap” but it is when you compare it to parts that are equal to or greater then in strength that weigh much less it is cheap.

So spending 1000 bucks to save 58 lbs in wheel hub/brakes per axle I guess I’ll deal with the weight. So I went after the stuff you have gone after.

Or a 205 billet aluminum case, over $1000 to save 30 lbs?

I carry spares and leave them at camp now, if I’m doing the rubicon or fordyce I try to not wheel as stupid. I have contemplated RCVs. At that point if I break something in the axles I might as well go home. But $$$$$

I ditched my spare and that was a huge savings. Over 130 lbs and in the worst area. the farthest point off the rear axle. I really only run no spare at the hammers, locally or places like sand hollow. I’d probably still run one at the rubicon but having those mickeys now have greatly increased my confidence in not killing sidewalls. They are tough SOB’s.

For storage I used action packers and the lightest option I can think of which was 1/2in by 1/2in square tubing with expanded sheet metal. Action packers are literally 1-3 lbs empty so your weight comes from the stuff in it. The actual structure to hold them in place is MUCH lighter then wood drawers. I have pics of it on this thread around mid 2020.

Lastly, the best way to stop bending spindles is rear steer. Atleast when they bent you can unbolt it and replace it....and they make big rigs perform like nimble little TJs

Edit: I wanna say the 271 is a heavy son of a bitch. I installed one in my truck and it was MUCH heavier then a NP241. I looked online and saw it weighs 119 lbs. Np205 is what? 130-140? May not be worth it for weight savings, only worth it if you need the gearing

 

[DMANbluesfreak]

Agreed on all your points. You've got me thinking on a couple. Going with packouts, I estimated almost $500 just in the containers and mounts. They're nice pieces that support themselves, but they add up quick in the money department! My drawers are steel so they're even heavier than wood, hence the weight.

I guess I never thought to look at the 271 weight. NP205 is 140lbs dry. I did some research a long time ago and estimated 55lbs savings, but maybe I was basing it off of the 241 weight because my quick google-fu shows a 271 is around 120lbs like you said. One unmentioned upside of the 271 besides the weight is improved fuel mileage since it is a chain drive case running ATF. But it's not big enough of a difference to make it worth the change - it's only icing on the cake. I'd rather put my money towards an aluminum 205 housing knowing this... Extra deep gearing would be nice, but it's easily near $1000 to switch to a 271, also (new shaft lengths f/r, new shifters, redo brake lines to ditch nonfunctional ABS pump, redo crossmembers and skid plates... plus the cost of a 271, rebuild kit, and machine work to make my VSS work. Saving 20-30lbs in either case is a tough sell for $1000+.

Maybe I'll start leaving the spare back at camp too. I've actually used my spare to help get past trees without fucking up the cab and such in the past... but maybe I can decide depending on where I'm going. On a long trip I definitely wouldn't want to be without spare, because that could turn a simple flat tire change into a 1-2 day delay (finding a tire or finding a shop to fix it) getting home, but not the end of the world if I don't have it on-trail. Mine isn't mounted as far back as yours either.

Don't get me started on rear steer. I have it all planned out in my head - the rear wheel wells are already trimmed enough for around ~20° of rear steer before the tire hits the leaf spring...... But that adds more weight too lol. This will likely happen after I link the front and am running a dual end ram on my front axle (do both at the same time maybe).

 

[YotaAtieToo]

You guys have good ideas for saving some wieght. 50 lbs here and there equals 100s of lbs. As mentioned though, sometimes the juice isn't worth the squeeze. Tcase swap being a good example.

Gas tank skid is tough. I would never run without. Maybe do one out of 12g with a few ribs. If you smack it, you might dent it, but won't puncture it. Of like some oil pan skids I've seen, do 1/8 aluminum and ton of double side tape right to the tank.

Knock on wood, I haven't needed a spare in years. From running 42s to 32" SxS tires on a 3500lb suv. I don't run old used tires and carry plugs, I haven't had to even use plugs in a long time. I want to get some of those side wall repair deals also.

Like I said though, glass and body are heavy. You guys are both running basically a pretty common buggy drive train. So the difference between a 4k lb trail buggy and your rigs is a ton of glass, sheet metal and plastic. When I had my 4runner, even the little Toyota door was heavy, glass power windows and locks, ect. I took a door and removed everything but the outer skin, including the inner sheet metal. It went from like 65 lbs to like 5. It opened up some extra room to stuff random shit when family camping also. I wanted to get some lexan to seal them up for winter, but never did.

I'd also remove the back glass after the avalanche chop during the summer. Was nice for airflow as well. I also wanted to make a lexan replacement. I wanted to do some dimple dies in the sheet metal in some spots, but never did. Obviously that's fractions of lbs, but the added rigidity is nice.

Before the avalanche chop(which also shedded a fair amount of weight. I was going to replace the side windows with lexan or aluminum. Bonus for not breaking them as they're vulnerable.

Speed glass (coated lexan) makes wind shields for some vehicles, maybe a gmt800 but h3 is pretty unlikely

With the hummer, gutting the hatch or whatever rear door, the rear doors, running 1/2 fronts and replacing the back fixed windows with lexan would be a pretty good wieght reduction. Or go all in on an avalanche chop, but I know lots of people hate that.

The truck could do the same thing, even the little suicide doors are heavy. As well as the rear cab glass. Next step would be chop everything off behind the cab and build a basic tube structure to hold tools, gear and hang the bed skins off.

It's all in how far you want to go. If you guys were worried about wieght, probably shouldn't have started with a full size

 

[DMANbluesfreak]

For me personally, I'm not SO concerned about weight that I need to reduce the driveability of the truck to reduce the weight. I still drive the thing cross-country in all sorts of crazy weather and at 80mph (when legal, of course ).

Sure, it will perform better offroad with less weight (which I think is Chris' goal), but prior to the weight-related breakages (also had a tie rod end break under load) the performance was always good for me. I just want to be able to put my foot down and have everything else stay alive (without changing to some ridiculous fabricated axle). Good ideas ditching the glass for lighter materials, though. I also have a spare set of doors in the backyard waiting to be gutted and turned into half doors. Perhaps someday.

 

[YotaAtieToo]

For me personally, I'm not SO concerned about weight that I need to reduce the driveability of the truck to reduce the weight. I still drive the thing cross-country in all sorts of crazy weather and at 80mph (when legal, of course ).

I get it, what's the point of a full body rig, if it's all gutted and sucks to drive?

I had multiple set of doors incase I wanted to seal up 100%. I wanted to build a removable buggy side for summer, but never did.

Sure, it will perform better offroad with less weight (which I think is Chris' goal), but prior to the weight-related breakages (also had a tie rod end break under load) the performance was always good for me. I just want to be able to put my foot down and have everything else stay alive (without changing to some ridiculous fabricated axle). Good ideas ditching the glass for lighter materials, though. I also have a spare set of doors in the backyard waiting to be gutted and turned into half doors. Perhaps someday.

If you have extra doors, I'd gut them and make the fronts half doors. My buddy even had soft covers made for when the weather was in between. Lexan rear window seems like a no brainer.

Then you have the full doors for when you are doing far away trips.

Another idea for you guys would be a small trailer. Put all you spares, gear and tools on it besides bare minimum. Pull up to camp and unhook.

 

[DMANbluesfreak]

I seriously thought of that like 2 weeks ago. Even a hitch-mounted cargo carrier would work if there were a way to drop it off at camp without bearing the weight of hundreds of pounds of crap. A teeny tiny pop up trailer would be great with a custom/extended tongue with space for all the spares and tools, too.

 

[06h3]

I had a conversation with a buddy the other day about this. His TJ has been cut up to a 4500 car.

My other buddy has a land cruiser that’s getting thrashed and would need to spend some money on making it handle the abuse long term. He’s contemplating selling it and buying an already done buggy. It made me think why didn’t we go with a buggy already? Build or buy...doesn’t matter.

Buddy with the TJ and I got to talking and it was what we started with. First it started with proving people wrong and impressing ourselves. “You can’t do that with an H3” or in my buddies case, “you can’t do that with a dana 30”

Watch me....then memories were built. There is some sentimental factor built it. Then the goal was UA and for him KOH. So we built our rigs for that.

Then there’s the cool factor. If I see a buggy and an Isuzu Trooper that’s been SAS’d next to each other I’ll probably go to the trooper to see how he did it, his approach, his end goal. There’s personality to production modified 4x4s that I don’t think buggy’s provide in my opinion. The U4 Comanche cutler fab built blended the 2 together so well!

I think I have versatility and that’s what sets it apart from a buggy. Is it as capable? No. But my wife drove it a couple days last week when her fuel pump went out and we had to wait for the fuel pump to come in.

I can throw full doors on it and have luxury.
Or snow wheel without being cold as fuck.

Then I have “Wheel hard mode” With half doors, no spare tire, ditch as much weight as possible.

Then rubicon mode, packed to the gills with shit. Full or half doors depending on if my wife is with me.

I think one day I may end up in a buggy but not in exchange for the Hummer. It would be cheapest to take the drivetrain out, it’s got a buggy drivetrain. 6.2L LS, 205 doubler, 1 tons but I can see putting 37s-40s on the H3 and make it a family rubicon and exploring rig and build/buy a buggy for the stuff I can’t do today.

 

[Billybadass411]

That is exactly how I feel. I started with my YJ and I’m going to keep it. I could pull out the drive train and build a buggy, but if I did decide I need a buggy, I would buy a complete one or start from scratch. There is no way I’m pulling apart my YJ to build a buggy.

 

[06h3]

UPDATE: I went wheeling locally and had a blast! It was a trail I havent run before and we were with some out of towner's that had rear steer buggies.

They are from Washington and stopped halfway to wheel for a day and rest before continuing the trek to Sand Hollow.

We started out on this quick little loop, It had 2 challenging climbs, this one doesnt show how tough and difficult it is, 2 out of the 4 buggies got it.

We then went on to another trail. It started off here, a fun little rock garden that provided a good warm up but also tough enough to require a couple times ending up in reverse and picking a new line.

I didnt get many pics of the 4 buggies as they were ahead of us.

Here you can see the trail is very tight, it is one of the things I have learned about Idaho trails.

Things were going all too well until they werent....

I was on a super steep climb and my rear tire slid into that crevice and the rear axle shaft went SNAP.

That is my 3rd axle shaft and all 3 have been on the driver side (short side)

I ended up winching up and tried to finish the trail in 3wd.

That was going fine until it also wasnt

I was rear diffing, 100 yards from the end of the trail and said fuck it, with one tire spinning out back I can hammer it to get over. well, I did and it didnt end well. First time I have ever broken a dana 60 shaft! Almost 5 years...factory 35 spline inners, spicer joints and a non chromo 35 spline outer. Not a bad life....

At this point it was time to make a decision. I had a broken driver front and rear shaft. I was 54 miles from home, I could limp myself through the worst 100 yards of the trail or get it fixed. My wife was at work for a few more hours so I called my dad and he was nice enough to go to my house, grab the shafts and bring them to me. When he arrived he said he doesnt understand this hobby and the buggy guys told me they were amazed the H3 was doing what it was doing. It was cool to be the underdog , since the H3 is so grown up a lot of times it is expected to do things but going with the buggies I can only impress, not disappoint

Anyways, while we waited for the shafts we pulled apart the hummer.

You can see the rear shaft out of the housing and the front end apart. It was cool to see the ease of a fix in action with the mods I have done.

Most traditional spindle dana 60's need the entire hub to be torn down, it is time consuming and a mess! Instead of having rotors mount behind the hub I have modified mine to slip over the hub. This allows me to get to the spindle nuts without pulling the hub apart so I can pull the hub off like a unit bearing. It makes quick work of the front end.

I also enjoy my rear detroit locker, a lot of lockers have a cross pin through the middle of it making it difficult to get the broken shaft out. My detroit doesnt have that pin so I can just remove the shaft from the other side, hammer out the shaft on the broken side, then put both shafts back in and never even took the wheel off.

I guess that is the silver lining.

Lastly, props to ARB. I broke my Eaton E locker (new 4 pin stronger design) before I broke a STOCK shaft, well the ARB didnt care, the shaft broke and the locker is fine.

I will also give a shout out to my 1950's Detroit Locker. Time and time again, I have seen first hand, a detroit and grizzly locker break when a shaft breaks. It is almost a guarantee. Well this good ole made in the USA when quality matter detroit has survived 3 shafts breaking and just keeps on tickin'.