My SA hummer build

[Sennin]

Sjeesh, but time does fly.

I installed my roof rack again, and had a safari snorkel fitted (after waiting 3 months due to container getting stuck in Dubai)

Then The Hummer Became a Bride transporter

Felt the exhaust needed some upgrade, so did headers (powder coated) as well as dual free flow exhasut

And definately some wheeling

Hummer club outing this side

 

[Sennin]

So this afternoon I decided its high time the Lightforce 240HID's becomes functional and not just ornaments

So I Installed the wiring Harness and also installed the centre console switch

.

I only took some crappy phodies with my cell, but these things are flippen strong.

Dim

Dim + Fog

Bright + Fog

Bright + Fog + 240 HID

 

[4speedfunk]

That's quite a group of H3's you got!

Hmmmm...wonder what it would cost to get a pallet of THORparts shipped over there? (maybe I could deliver in person and get a tour of the bush).

 

[Sennin]

That's quite a group of H3's you got!

Hmmmm...wonder what it would cost to get a pallet of THORparts shipped over there? (maybe I could deliver in person and get a tour of the bush).

Usually its about 60% of the normal equipment cost for importing and tax etc. but with a container its slightly cheeper

he he, just be carefull, if you start touring you will come back every year

 

[Sennin]

Ok, so I have the itch for the Rancho 4" lift, and some Custom Fox shocks. only problem is shipping expenses :shame:

 

[Sennin]

Thought its time to do a little update again.

Got myself a Oztrail awning as part of my planning for my Namibie trip I just completed, total of 5,800km (3,600miles) needs to do a trip report.

Here's the awning: (and ja I know the H3 looks sh!t with stock size tires when youre used to 35")

 

[Sennin]

Been dead in here for a while, so I guess its time for a update

Did some reading on the net and came across the air intake resonator delete mod for the V8 (also done on the I5). But importing the accessory with our exchange rate was going to be expensive, so over to plan B, started contacting local suppliers for the parts I needed. And then the realisation that the sizes of fittings I require isn't stock items

.

Items required:
1 x 4" to 3.5" straight reduce silicone
1 x 90 degree bend 3.5" to 4" silicone bend
1 x ~300mm 3.5" alu pipe with 9mm breather connection
clamps for all fittings

So i finally PM'd Anthony from Torq Tune, and lo and behold he was able to assist with correct sizes

. Took Anthony a liitle over two weeks to acquire everything to his preferred level of standard, before he let me know we can do fitment, and this friday was D day

First it was the removal of the stock air intake pipe with the massive resonator.

Stock intake pipe:

Engine without intake pipe:

Started test fitting:

Breather holes lining up nicely:

and then we got into a surprise:

The 4" to 3.5" reduce was too big, the air box outlet size is actually a 3.75" which you don't get silicone hose in...

We then managed to stretch a 3.5" hose over the intake

(whose said with force you just break things....)

So we installed clamps on all connections, cut a new breather pipe and connected it, and put the engine cover back on and stood back and admired the work

All test runs so far have shown improved performance, you don't feel a problem with the setup of the stock air intake, until you do this modification, then you suddenly realise that the engine had a flat spot, that now no longer exists (you just feel it pulling stronger where in the past it wouldn't pull as much)

Temperature readouts comparison:
when starting from cold and driving long distance (not start stopping) the air intake temp is the same as the outside temp (before this mod it was 3 degrees higher, and before the snorkel this was 6 degrees higher for same condition)

the aluminum pipe gets heat soaked in stop and go traffic and then there is a 2 degree difference from outside temp (still an improvement over stock ) and Anthony and I have already discussed a version 2 to address this

 

[adventr]

Any updates?? Feel free to post up more pics if you have them!

One of my favorite builds on here. I even had my GM parts guy here in the states track down a set of those mud guards that come on the SA vehicles.

 

[Sennin]

Any updates?? Feel free to post up more pics if you have them!

One of my favorite builds on here. I even had my GM parts guy here in the states track down a set of those mud guards that come on the SA vehicles.

Sorry for being so dead here, a lot has happened

I'm getting married in 25 days, so the majority of my time is spend on the preperation, and I also bought my first house and moved in on the 7th (everybody told me I'm nuts to do these two things at the same time....)

Anyhow, getting back to the H3 mods

I didn't like the way the plastic fuel tanks always leaked on the roof rack, so I got myself a stainless steel 130 liter one, mmm think its roughly 34 Galons, and permanently mounted it atop the roof rack


I then also sold my offroad trailer and bought myself a 1998 Jurgens Xplorer caravan which I modified to my liking

 

[amrg]

Congrats in advance!

 

[Bigunit]

Congrats!

 

[cgalpha08]

Congrats!

 

[Sennin]

Been a while since I last updated, and a lot has happened.

got myself a Maggiolina had shell rooftop tent, but the ladder that came with it was waaay too short, and I got myself a nice retractable one. and did the whole installation and fitment process, building myself a A=frame to be able to remove the roofrack and fit the rooftop tent, and then using the hoist with A-frame to get everything up and fitted again.

aloso got myself the scarce roof mounted offroad lights :giggle:







and you have to do a road trip to test all the toys out

 

[SlcHummer]

Nice setup and update!

 

[Sennin]

Another long overdue update.

The weak point in the Hummer system is the automatic gearbox cooling system, so I got myself a 40,000BTU ATF cooler and set about installing it in anticipation for the December 2017 Namibie trip

Firstly it was time to strip off the ARB Bullbar and grill

Then use the supplied brackets to bend them and fasten them accordingly.

Test fit to see if the grill fits perfectly back in place

Time to splice into the life lines of the gearbox

topping up the fluid level for the extra capacity

job well done

 

[Sennin]

Packing system

Temporarily Installed a 60 watt solar panel on the roof-rack atop the long range fuel tank

Test fitted the National Luna 90 liter twin, but decided against using it, as it takes up almost all the space in the cargo area

Got myself a CF50 Dometic fridge and quickly built myself a packing system, with attached Ctek D250S and 1200watt pure inverter

and as always it has to be tested

 

[amrg]

You need to upgrade your rear springs for that muvh weight!

I recently got the arb dakar springs and my rear ended up 1 inch higher than stock. My ride originally had sagged and was riding 1 inch down from stock so overall it felt like a 2" lift.

On the road there was a major upgrade in handling as the weight shifted back towards the front and it no longer felt like a boat!

Sent from my SM-G960F using Tapatalk

 

[Sennin]

And then the time came for the Awaited December Northern Nam expedition

some stats:

Distance traveled: 7328km (4554Miles)
Fuel consumed : 1411 liters (108.58 Gallons)
Average Fuel consumption :5.1km/liter (12MPG)
Worst consumption: 3km/liter (7MPG) thru the Kaokoveld, 300km (186 miles) on a tank

I'm not going to give a lot of detail, just some awesome photo's of the trip

 

[Sennin]

lost the fuel tank skid on the bad corrugation, so had to put it on the roof rack until I could fix it the evening

 

[Sennin]

You need to upgrade your rear springs for that muvh weight!

I recently got the arb dakar springs and my rear ended up 1 inch higher than stock. My ride originally had sagged and was riding 1 inch down from stock so overall it felt like a 2" lift.

On the road there was a major upgrade in handling as the weight shifted back towards the front and it no longer felt like a boat!

Sent from my SM-G960F using Tapatalk

Its on my to do list :shifty:, but, I want to do the Spring Over Axle setup when I do the spring upgrade. only problem then is to get the front lifted to match the rear, and without the Rancho Lift kit being an option, its going to take some tinkering and figuring out what to do

 

[scoreh3]

I see an SAS in your future...
Great pictures, looks like great adventure..

 

[Reloader]

Did your Alpha come with the factory auxiliary cooling fans or did you add them later?
I installed the kit on mine when I moved here to Phoenix. Really made a difference keeping engine cool and A/C working good in the 110+ heat here. Dealer here was able to order it all piece by piece from GM except for a small bracket I had to fabricate that wasn't available anymore. Not cheap. Was about $800 but well worth it. And it's ECU controlled. Had to have it enabled in processor though.
One thing on your trans cooler set up is you should have the cooler connections facing up so cooler fills up completely and stays filled.
when you feed it from bottom and drain it from bottom you can have an air pocket in the upper section and not utilize the coolers complete capacity.

 

[Sennin]

I see an SAS in your future...
Great pictures, looks like great adventure..

Still in two minds about doing a SAS, but it looks like it will be the only way in the future.

was an amazing adventure

 

[Sennin]

Did your Alpha come with the factory auxiliary cooling fans or did you add them later?
I installed the kit on mine when I moved here to Phoenix. Really made a difference keeping engine cool and A/C working good in the 110+ heat here. Dealer here was able to order it all piece by piece from GM except for a small bracket I had to fabricate that wasn't available anymore. Not cheap. Was about $800 but well worth it. And it's ECU controlled. Had to have it enabled in processor though.
One thing on your trans cooler set up is you should have the cooler connections facing up so cooler fills up completely and stays filled.
when you feed it from bottom and drain it from bottom you can have an air pocket in the upper section and not utilize the coolers complete capacity.

The V8's manufactured in South Africa came standard with the auxiliary fans, as the setup without the Aux fans just didnt work in our climate. Jip, with the HP tuner I have adjusted my fans to start up a bit quicker as well. keeps everything nice and cool the way I like it.

Regarding the trans cooler, I wanted to install it other way around, but the feed line was too short, and I was limited on time, so opted to go this route. Must say it worked really well, even in 50 degree C (122F) my ATF temp never exceeded 80degrees (176F) so that was what I was hoping for. I'm in the process of acquiring a solid radiator for the engine, then I'm completely the build in ATF cooler, and will then get new hose and switch the cooler around

 

[06 H3]

Do you have a part # on those fans?