Sar h3

[SuperBuickGuy]

So I haven't updated in awhile.... the H3 has been used as intended:
pretty, isn't it?


much better with one application of a Hummer and some tracks


what a pain - it was 2' of wet, wet, wet snow

so this was the day's activity... clear an access road

there were a couple trees in the way (something like 50)

and it seemed like every tree was a kill zone in the making


fixed


end of the day, airing up tires.... call it a group shot


this creek is normally about 6" deep and you can hop across it


we were at the upper left corner of this water fall


and normally vehicles aren't permitted, but last year we did a pretty dramatic rescue here and having access would have been really nice - so the powers that be acted in an appropriate manner

some pictures (again we were on the upper left)




and the story

http://news.yahoo.com/video/seattleking5-15751314/boy-rescued-from-rocks-above-265-foot-wallace-falls-29356529.html

[SuperBuickGuy]

upgrades to the H3
new brakes... the dealership put new brakes on it... probably not ceramic (which is recommended by GM) so all the rotors needed to be turned (in 14,000 miles)


on to the fun stuff... I put Rancho 9000 shocks on the H3; and found the controller for cheap at a swap meet

controller

you'll also notice I made the H3 a bit less mall - the empty pad to the left of the shock used to house a rear sway bar... no longer because there's really no need and it really limits travel when you need it the most

air compressor

now, besides watching DVDs while playing radio-relay; I can play with the shock adjustment




more upgrades to come soon

[Russell]

Nice upgrades I almost put those on my old f150, they had a crazy sale on them a few years ago. How do you like them so far? Can you adjust the front / rear diffrently? I have an old ranger that could use shocks, might be nice to pump them up when its loaded down.

[SuperBuickGuy]

they only adjust valving, not ride height. It is nice to adjust them to conditions - on the highway, you can have the suspension firm so cross breezes don't move you across the freeway, yet off road, you can turn them way down so you don't need a kidney belt.

I have air bags on Rescue rig - I just got to really test them this last weekend, it reminded me why I like airbags so much. 2000 lb camper, 20 mph cross wind, I was doing 70 - driving with one hand and laughing at the cars who couldn't keep it straight.

[SuperBuickGuy]

wanted a skid plate, didn't want to spend $350 on a plate - so I copied it
start point






I'm sure GM figured that, because the transmission and oil pan were well above the frame - it didn't make sense to put a skid plate on their off-road package trucks (Jeep does the same calculation)... but you could buy it, for $500 plus installation. I found one for $350 on ebay, but why buy when you can build?

this actually stronger; and gives the added benefit of supporting the lower cradle (thus less flex in the front suspension)

So now, it is a completely flat plate from the center of the front tires to behind the transfer case (which is pretty close to the rear wheels)....

I also solved some rattles. This is another one of those "I'll just save some time by buying it" where I could have done a lot better and for 1/3rd the cost (dum-da-dum-dum-dummmmm) and in the end, if it still rattles; I will build it and have a rack for when my wife gets her Jeep

So here's how it sits - notice how the metal bends under the hi-lift jack mount?


so to fix it, I put a kink in all of the 'other' flat plates; then bent a 90* and kinked the flat plates for some strength


I also siliconed it down so there's a positive damper between the rattlely bits (one nice feature I didn't notice was they forgot to put an insulator at the end of one strip)

nice work smittybilt.... your winch better be better than this or I'll come hunt you down and pull your cars apart with a Warn winch.

Next is fix the front A-arms.... amazing, less than 100k miles and the bushings are shot. Also, I guess they didn't put rebuildable ball joints in the end of the a-arms; so you have to buy the complete a-arm. Fine, I've bought new ones; but after I install them, I'm going to figure out a way to put poly bushings and rebuildable/lubeable joints on the upper A arm.

[Russell]

Next is fix the front A-arms.... amazing, less than 100k miles and the bushings are shot. Also, I guess they didn't put rebuildable ball joints in the end of the a-arms; so you have to buy the complete a-arm. Fine, I've bought new ones; but after I install them, I'm going to figure out a way to put poly bushings and rebuildable/lubeable joints on the upper A arm.

On the next episode of SBG TV we will continue to show you how to turn a disposable soccer mom mall cruiser into a serviceable SAR!

Keep it up! Love seeing all your progress!

[SuperBuickGuy]

that's kind of my MO - a previous 4x4 was a 83 S-10 Blazer, with a V8, 3" body lift, 4" suspension lift and 35s. On stock axles (IFS) - I'd get plenty of grief about a polished mall SUV until we went wheeling. Best part about a S-10 Blazer is the seat in the back folds flat - and it was the perfect length to sleep in - try that in a CJ

[SuperBuickGuy]

I realized that I'm missing a few pictures.... to complete the story about the rack and skid plate... I provide these:
I hate rattles..... HATE - road rage hate rattles.... so I may be a bit OCD about removing those rattles
rubber mat

rack base plate template

1/2" of rubber between the rack and the roof rails


new hold downs.... H3s have a great rail system (there's even power to it) - so I just have to make brackets to attach the roof rack to the rails


okay.... missing picture - before with layout marks



I knocked off the tip on my CB antenna.... so I fixed it

[SuperBuickGuy]

new, and/or interesting stuff....
So the Harbor Freight air compressor - I didn't want to buy one, however, some of the 4x4 people I run with seem to think they're okay.... ummmm.... it did get 50% of my tires aired up last time I was out wheeling...
the thermal switch died... it's the little bit of stuff to the left of the compressor

if you look at the above picture, you can see a cap on the air compressor.... it's plastic. The chinese were trying to make the compressor look like the Viair compressor - so the molded a cap to make it look like the Viair.... which is pretty stupid because these things have an overheating problem - and putting an insulator on the heat generator (aka the pump) is just plain stupidity...


oh well, I ordered a new switch - costs about 1/3 the price of the entire air compressor; but since the compressor still does work - and it will be a good emergency compressor for a car (I continue to hate spare tires cause they lure you into a false sense of security thinking that you are fine when they're flat and you're not).

to be continued.....

[SuperBuickGuy]

Light replacement in HVAC controls - or how to save $200.00

On to happier stuff.... anyone who owns a GM car with a center stack like the H3 should really pay attention to this:

The far right knob's light is dead.


the GM repair


$192.79 plus shipping and handling.... for a stinking blown out light bulb...

OR

the HVAC control literally pops off the dash (pry CAREFULLY - starting in a corner, paying attention to the middle one)


it's off


gently pry the back cover off - it's held by clips that aren't, technically, suppose to be removeable. Make sure the middle dial (fan control) that bit is vertical - and the rear part is vertical to it


The bulbs - are 12v 65 mA, I replaced it with a 12v 50 mA
here are the bulb holders

new bulb is the white-wrapped one

desolder and remove the old bulb
drill the hole to put the new bulb i
solder back together
ugly but functional


back to this picture - left corner, the bulb simply twists in place


and other than a moment where I wondered why all the lights were flashing at me - it works excellent


I will be (haha, like not unless it blows) all those bulbs with LED lights - there's a company that makes 12v 75mA bulbs - so presuming I have to take this apart again - I'll replace those bulbs with LEDs

Questions?

[SuperBuickGuy]

Here's the link to the lights
Subminiature | Specialty & Automotive | Universal LED Bulb Finder | Super Bright LEDs

There are 3 different sizes of this type of LED. You want the NEO4 which is the 4mm one. They're 12v so you won't need to worry about soldering any resistors. If the light doesn't work the first time, polarity is important with LEDs - so you might need to rotate them to change polarity if they don't intially light up.

Again, I'll hit all of this when I do mine - but in case you're faster than me, there's the fine print

[SuperBuickGuy]

okay... more stuff
I'm done with air compressors dying....


note the Viair v. the Harbor freight.... anyone want to guess where HF stole their idea?


(side note, I've fixed the HF one - it'll be a good backup or will reside in my truck - which doesn't really get air'd down often)

organizationally speaking... I need more space - so the first step was clearing space and seeing what I have to work with


while I was at it, I ran my CB/HAM radio antenna line... note there is no room under the panels on the driver's side


Amazing how much space they waste here


air compressor mount.... I'll show where it's going to go Sunday

[1946Austin]

Can't wait to see what you come up with for the replaceable joint on the upper control arms! I went through this with a friend's and the cast aluminum arm looks plenty sturdy, but didn't see any way to convert to a bolt in ball joint without somehow fabbing a aluminum plate to the end of the arm, and cut the old joint and arm end off.

[SuperBuickGuy]

I know you'll find this hard to believe (it is a Hummer, after all) but I did try to find these in a non-chrome version


their new home.... they need to stay non-submerged and not in a direct path of water... this is about the best I've got available


So I'll have a compressor fitting on the outside of the rail on the passenger side



eventually, I'll box this with 3/16 or 1/8 plate (rock slider) - so there will be little change this end will get knocked off.... even right now, it's quite a ways into the vehicle - so I'm confident it'll take some work for me to knock it off.

the only real downside to the location - heat - it's got no where to go, so I may have to put a fan in there to keep them cooler.... I'm seriously considering a wet-location computer CPU fan.... just enough to pull air across the heads.... thoughts? suggestions?

[yellomalibu]

thoughts? suggestions?

Heat shield. Perhaps even insulated.