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Project WANAVEE
- Thread starter WANNAVEE
- Start date
:giggle:
Calm down, it'll be okay.
Define "destroy". As I explained, it's Plasti Dip, it can be peeled off in a matter of hours, and everything else that makes a CE what it is can be reinstalled super easily. Even if that weren't true, the only unique part of a CE is the color, including the small vinyl rectangle on the hood. Every other part was an available option or straight out of the factory accessory catalog. I like the idea of a CE, but honestly very few people except H3 owners know or care what a CE is (especially the dealers that sell them). It isn't worth more either. I'm not being offensive, just telling the truth.
On top of that, mine isn't perfect or low mileage, and it looked worse in real life (as does the Plasti Dip job, heh). The paint is fading on some of the horizontal surfaces though it's hard to tell because it's silver, and I forgot to mention, but it was lightly hit in the front left corner and somewhat poorly repaired (though it was minor so doesn't matter too much). It's in decent shape overall, but it's far from a collector's piece.
If you're considering mine to be low mileage, then you haven't been looking very hard in those 8 or 9 months. Seriously, CE's aren't that hard to find. I look every now and then out of curiosity, and there always seem to be a couple or few. As an example, I just did a quick search for 09-10 H3's with a V8 and this was one of the first few results:
https://www.cargurus.com/Cars/inven...elper.selectedEntity=c21154#listing=208768484
09-10 Alphas *with the off road package* are more "limited" than CE's according to all of my searches (of course nobody lists that package so I have to go through all the pics to see if it has both locker buttons). If I could have found a proper example I would have bought it instead, but I'm not hurt about putting cami's on a CE either. As a bonus, I've brought more joy to more people with a "WANAVEE edition" H3 in a couple days than I did in nearly a year of owning a "Championship Edition". That counts for something too, in my book.
I like the idea! After owning a H3 for a while you get to know every single color ever made and changing the color (Plastidip or Real Paint) is really rare to see so I think its pretty unquie looking. Yeah very few people know what the Championship Edition is and outside this forum and few other places. I have been wanting to plattydip my H3 but I am not sure if it will stand up to the abuse I put it through.
2nd2no1
Member
- Messages
- 5
- Location
- Joliet, Illinois
From another Championship Edition owner to another I'm impressed how yours came out. When I bought mine I didn't know it was a Championship Edition after doing some research and checking the VIN is when i found out. I drive mine everyday and some days are better than others but I'm glad I bought this Championship Edition.
SlcHummer
Well-Known Member
- Messages
- 368
- Location
- Salt Lake City, UT
Nice! I say do what you want with your rig and personally would like to see more unique builds and designs. I have a pretty typical setup but also still use my rig as a daily, if curious my signature covers most of my changes but should be soon adding a long tru-cool transmission cooler, PCMforless tune, and RunCool Hood Louver to the list, which again is kind of typical lol. Eventually I want to do a SAS with a dana 44 and SOA conversion but expect that is 2-3 years down the road.
Anyway, sounds like you and everyone had a blast. Congrats and hope you all had a great veteran's day!
Anyway, sounds like you and everyone had a blast. Congrats and hope you all had a great veteran's day!
Rodzlla
Well-Known Member
- Messages
- 85
- Location
- Northern Virginia
Damn. That came out real nice. Catch you later.
5gn-h3t
Well-Known Member
- Messages
- 616
- Location
- Northeast Pennsyltucky
I like the paint booth. A lot of hard work in a short amount of time. Have to respect that. It looks like a Matchbox toy truck.
Thanks everyone!
I was going for this rather than Matchbox. Although the colors aren't quite right (that's okay, but I did try), the pattern is pretty close to what is specified in the military manual for Humvees. Almost all Humvee's that are painted in NATO 3-color camo use this pattern. Almost no one would know that if I didn't tell them, but I still think it's awesome.
I modified it from the manual a little to match the H3 shape, but the overall design is pretty close.
Comparison:
The same applies to the front, other side, rear, and roof (the sides aren't symmetrical with each other).
I was going for this rather than Matchbox. Although the colors aren't quite right (that's okay, but I did try), the pattern is pretty close to what is specified in the military manual for Humvees. Almost all Humvee's that are painted in NATO 3-color camo use this pattern. Almost no one would know that if I didn't tell them, but I still think it's awesome.
I modified it from the manual a little to match the H3 shape, but the overall design is pretty close.
Comparison:
The same applies to the front, other side, rear, and roof (the sides aren't symmetrical with each other).
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Here are the pages that I followed from the aforementioned official manual.
1 = Black
2 = Green
3 = Brown
The manual also specifies that you put the base of green down over the whole vehicle, then black, then brown (although the numbering sequence above is out of order for that for some reason).
1 = Black
2 = Green
3 = Brown
The manual also specifies that you put the base of green down over the whole vehicle, then black, then brown (although the numbering sequence above is out of order for that for some reason).
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Jack_M
Well-Known Member
- Messages
- 90
- Location
- Vanderbilt, Mi
Man I like what you did with the camo! You should look up Panzer in the build area for some new ideas!
Thanks!
Jack, yeah I've read through the Panzer thread and I love it. His camo pattern is distinctly different but it looks awesome too. I think I've seen every pic of every type of camo H3 on the internet... like 500 times. :thumbs: I like that I haven't seen any exactly like mine, though.
ChinsH3, I bought the flag decals from a little company (perhaps one person) called ThePaddockFactory, they sell on Etsy and Ebay (maybe others?). They make them for specific vehicles, including the H3. Some are direct fit and some you have to trim some excess. The H3's have to be trimmed on the fore and/or aft edges, but if you line it up just right the top and bottom fit just right. It isn't hard at all to trim, after application just take a razor blade and score a line into the vinyl then it separates cleanly and you can peel up the excess (or you can trim between the gap of the window and body then wrap the edges around the glass... just make sure the glass is perfectly clean on the backside).
They sell 3 different designs for the H3, and I felt that this one fit my theme best. Here's the Etsy link to the ones I purchased. You can find their other designs in there as well, and they're also available in other colors.
https://www.etsy.com/listing/637918188/hummer-h3-distressed-usa-american-flag?ref=related-1&pro=1
Overall, I'm super happy with them! They use quality vinyl and it's easy to apply (well, I do have some experience vinyl wrapping so the flat surface was easy for me. Just have patience and follow the directions exactly and it's not bad at all). I'd definitely use them again.
Jack, yeah I've read through the Panzer thread and I love it. His camo pattern is distinctly different but it looks awesome too. I think I've seen every pic of every type of camo H3 on the internet... like 500 times. :thumbs: I like that I haven't seen any exactly like mine, though.
ChinsH3, I bought the flag decals from a little company (perhaps one person) called ThePaddockFactory, they sell on Etsy and Ebay (maybe others?). They make them for specific vehicles, including the H3. Some are direct fit and some you have to trim some excess. The H3's have to be trimmed on the fore and/or aft edges, but if you line it up just right the top and bottom fit just right. It isn't hard at all to trim, after application just take a razor blade and score a line into the vinyl then it separates cleanly and you can peel up the excess (or you can trim between the gap of the window and body then wrap the edges around the glass... just make sure the glass is perfectly clean on the backside).
They sell 3 different designs for the H3, and I felt that this one fit my theme best. Here's the Etsy link to the ones I purchased. You can find their other designs in there as well, and they're also available in other colors.
https://www.etsy.com/listing/637918188/hummer-h3-distressed-usa-american-flag?ref=related-1&pro=1
Overall, I'm super happy with them! They use quality vinyl and it's easy to apply (well, I do have some experience vinyl wrapping so the flat surface was easy for me. Just have patience and follow the directions exactly and it's not bad at all). I'd definitely use them again.
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Alpha X
Well-Known Member
- Messages
- 453
- Location
- The Motor City
This is super cool. I've always wanted a camo painted vehicle. Nice job.
Thanks much!
So onto a different topic for the moment (more on the camo job later).
I consider the stock V8 H3 to be only 'adequate' in the power department (I know, I know... but I've been spoiled). I knew swapping the stock tire size (33's) to 35's would take some grunt away, but it surprised me how much it did. Not 'adequate' anymore! It was sleepy off the line and needed to downshift a lot more often for relatively mild acceleration. It was time to give it a cup of coffee.
A couple months ago I bought a full EFILive tuning suite for tuning both my 2008 Silverado "Vortec Max" (L76 6.0L) and my H3 (5.3 of course). I went with EFILive because Justin at Black Bear Performance is known among the GM truck world as one of the best tuners out there for them, and EFILive is the platform he uses. I had him give me 93 octane tunes for both the Silverado and Wanavee, and paid a little extra for lifetime tune updates for both (for new mods or anything else I wanted changed). I bought the full suite so that I can make any tweaks that I want at any time instead of relying on (or bothering) him for the minor stuff. I have some prior tuning experience, but nothing like he does. These are mail order tunes, but two-way if you will. Rather than shooting in the dark and hoping for the best, he requires a comprehensive datalog so he can see what the vehicles are doing before he changes them. This can go back and forth until it's right, but he's pretty much got the stockers down to a science so it only took one datalog each and he nailed them.
While I'd love to rattle on about the massive improvement that the Silverado received because it was factory-crippled worse than just about any other GM vehicle, this isn't a thread for that (but DAMN that thing came alive).
Wanavee's tune was also an awesome improvement (just not to the same degree). It gained a little power everywhere, but it's especially noticeable in the low end. With a strict diet of 93 octane, he put quite a bit of timing into it in addition to pulling out a lot of torque management and it woke right up! I gained back everything I lost with the tire size increase *and then some*! He doesn't only tune the ECU (engine) though, he also does the TCU (trans), and that made a huge difference in response and shift times and just overall driveability. It now does what I want, when I want it to for the most part (though it's still only a 4 speed slushbox). I had him mildly firm up the shifts and they're just right now. Not harsh, but no longer soggy. I also had him increase the TCC settings so it stays locked up more of the time. This worked out very well with the added low end torque, now it doesn't need to unlock for mild inclines on the highway like it used to (let alone downshift to 3rd). A touch of throttle will simply hold whatever speed I'm at without fuss, and it's a direct feel. Quite nice, and better for gas mileage too (though I don't have enough comparable miles to quantify the improvement).
Of course the speedo and shift points were also corrected, though he made the shift points even better than that.
So... I'm very happy with all of it, but (there's always a but)...
So onto a different topic for the moment (more on the camo job later).
I consider the stock V8 H3 to be only 'adequate' in the power department (I know, I know... but I've been spoiled). I knew swapping the stock tire size (33's) to 35's would take some grunt away, but it surprised me how much it did. Not 'adequate' anymore! It was sleepy off the line and needed to downshift a lot more often for relatively mild acceleration. It was time to give it a cup of coffee.
A couple months ago I bought a full EFILive tuning suite for tuning both my 2008 Silverado "Vortec Max" (L76 6.0L) and my H3 (5.3 of course). I went with EFILive because Justin at Black Bear Performance is known among the GM truck world as one of the best tuners out there for them, and EFILive is the platform he uses. I had him give me 93 octane tunes for both the Silverado and Wanavee, and paid a little extra for lifetime tune updates for both (for new mods or anything else I wanted changed). I bought the full suite so that I can make any tweaks that I want at any time instead of relying on (or bothering) him for the minor stuff. I have some prior tuning experience, but nothing like he does. These are mail order tunes, but two-way if you will. Rather than shooting in the dark and hoping for the best, he requires a comprehensive datalog so he can see what the vehicles are doing before he changes them. This can go back and forth until it's right, but he's pretty much got the stockers down to a science so it only took one datalog each and he nailed them.
While I'd love to rattle on about the massive improvement that the Silverado received because it was factory-crippled worse than just about any other GM vehicle, this isn't a thread for that (but DAMN that thing came alive).
Wanavee's tune was also an awesome improvement (just not to the same degree). It gained a little power everywhere, but it's especially noticeable in the low end. With a strict diet of 93 octane, he put quite a bit of timing into it in addition to pulling out a lot of torque management and it woke right up! I gained back everything I lost with the tire size increase *and then some*! He doesn't only tune the ECU (engine) though, he also does the TCU (trans), and that made a huge difference in response and shift times and just overall driveability. It now does what I want, when I want it to for the most part (though it's still only a 4 speed slushbox). I had him mildly firm up the shifts and they're just right now. Not harsh, but no longer soggy. I also had him increase the TCC settings so it stays locked up more of the time. This worked out very well with the added low end torque, now it doesn't need to unlock for mild inclines on the highway like it used to (let alone downshift to 3rd). A touch of throttle will simply hold whatever speed I'm at without fuss, and it's a direct feel. Quite nice, and better for gas mileage too (though I don't have enough comparable miles to quantify the improvement).
Of course the speedo and shift points were also corrected, though he made the shift points even better than that.
So... I'm very happy with all of it, but (there's always a but)...
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- Messages
- 10,660
- Location
- Scottsdale
The best way to "wake up" that V8 is to regear to 4.56 from the stock 4.10 that the V8s come with. The I5 has 4.56 gears. Then your tune can really be even more effective.
I knew going in that the 4L60E's strength is marginal in this application and mine is probably original with 110k, so there was a chance that I might push it over the edge. That was okay though, because I had a backup plan.
After thoroughly test driving it with the new tune, starting out easy and getting more and more aggressive, it became apparent that the trans wasn't going to be quite happy with this. In most situations it was just fine, but primarily during the 4-2 downshift, the rpm was flaring up a bit past the point it should stop rising, then settling back down into the new gear. I immediately logged this and some extra things and sent it to Justin. He told me that the engagement of the 2-4 band was definitely struggling as well as on the 1-2 upshift, and that he would increase the torque management on those shifts, but that was just a stop-gap measure for probable transmission wear (if the fluid level was good, which it was). That made sense to me, and was enough to kick the backup plan into action... right after putting the stock TCU tune back in it and driving it easy in the meantime.
One of my goals with this project is to have little to no downtime, because I've had problems with that in past projects and it's too depressing to have my hard work sitting pointlessly in the garage or driveway for long periods of time. I'm done with that. Mods and repairs need to happen one at a time and in a timely manner, and if I can fix something before it breaks, then more better!
So, knowing from the beginning that the stock trans might be on borrowed time, I set to researching early-on the best route to take considering my goals and resources. A 4L80 is out of the question because of their gear ratios and innefficiency as well as swap difficulties (for me). I really want a fully-functioning 6L80 in there, but I read and researched the hell out of that and deemed it to not be a feasible swap for me. I then looked into built 4L60E's for the first time in 15 years or so, and much to my suprise, a LOT has been accomplished with them in the last 8-10 years. Built with the right parts by the right people, they can now reliably handle a good amount of power and abuse. I still find the same stories as always about local joe-shmoe trans shops swearing their 4L60 builds can handle a million horsepower then blowing up almost immediately under near stock power levels, and I'm not going to play that game either, so I looked into the highest rated 4L60 builders in the country, then the highest rated of those. What I found was that RPM Transmissions seems to sit in the #1 spot, and they have had many very fast customer cars (and some off road rigs too) prove it time and time again. Also, while a drag car isn't a direct comparison for my use case, it still says a lot when their 4000lb full-slick 2010 Camaro hits hard repeatedly running high 8's with a 4L60E. RPM Transmissions does build the most expen$ive 4L60E's I could find, but it seems to be a case of getting what you pay for here.
So I emailed them and asked what build they would recommend for my use case, which involves everything I've told and shown you in this thread and then some... behind not just the 5.3, but behind an L9H 6.2 truck engine (400hp/420tq) because that might happen someday. :shifty: they said their Level VI build is up to all that, which is what I had guessed based on my research (either a Level V or VI anyway). So after a few more Q&A's, I ordered one for Wanavee last week, and it is currently being built. :thumbs:
Here is what goes into that (from their website):
*Media blast transmission case
*RPM Level V 3-4 clutch pack
*RPM reinforced sunshell with collar and bearing
*Heavy Duty double caged 29 element sprag
*4L65E low roller clutch
*Billet 4th gear servo
*Transgo HD-2 shift kit
*Corvette Servo
*Wide 2-4 band
*Updated aluminum accumulator piston
*Bushing kit
*New shift solenoids
*New GM valve body spacer plate
*Seal & gasket kit
*GM Filter
*RPM Spec clutch and band clearances
*RPM sleeved input drum
*Billet over-run piston
*GM 5 pinion planetary gearsets - front and rear
*NEW Extra WIDE Heavy Duty double caged 29 element sprag
*300m Billet output shaft
*4L65/70E low roller clutch
*Each transmission is dyno-tested before shipping
http://www.rpmtransmissions.com/page28.html
Soon Wanavee will be back at World Tour Off Road getting its strong new piece of hardware... and some other stuff too. :shifty:
After thoroughly test driving it with the new tune, starting out easy and getting more and more aggressive, it became apparent that the trans wasn't going to be quite happy with this. In most situations it was just fine, but primarily during the 4-2 downshift, the rpm was flaring up a bit past the point it should stop rising, then settling back down into the new gear. I immediately logged this and some extra things and sent it to Justin. He told me that the engagement of the 2-4 band was definitely struggling as well as on the 1-2 upshift, and that he would increase the torque management on those shifts, but that was just a stop-gap measure for probable transmission wear (if the fluid level was good, which it was). That made sense to me, and was enough to kick the backup plan into action... right after putting the stock TCU tune back in it and driving it easy in the meantime.
One of my goals with this project is to have little to no downtime, because I've had problems with that in past projects and it's too depressing to have my hard work sitting pointlessly in the garage or driveway for long periods of time. I'm done with that. Mods and repairs need to happen one at a time and in a timely manner, and if I can fix something before it breaks, then more better!
So, knowing from the beginning that the stock trans might be on borrowed time, I set to researching early-on the best route to take considering my goals and resources. A 4L80 is out of the question because of their gear ratios and innefficiency as well as swap difficulties (for me). I really want a fully-functioning 6L80 in there, but I read and researched the hell out of that and deemed it to not be a feasible swap for me. I then looked into built 4L60E's for the first time in 15 years or so, and much to my suprise, a LOT has been accomplished with them in the last 8-10 years. Built with the right parts by the right people, they can now reliably handle a good amount of power and abuse. I still find the same stories as always about local joe-shmoe trans shops swearing their 4L60 builds can handle a million horsepower then blowing up almost immediately under near stock power levels, and I'm not going to play that game either, so I looked into the highest rated 4L60 builders in the country, then the highest rated of those. What I found was that RPM Transmissions seems to sit in the #1 spot, and they have had many very fast customer cars (and some off road rigs too) prove it time and time again. Also, while a drag car isn't a direct comparison for my use case, it still says a lot when their 4000lb full-slick 2010 Camaro hits hard repeatedly running high 8's with a 4L60E. RPM Transmissions does build the most expen$ive 4L60E's I could find, but it seems to be a case of getting what you pay for here.
So I emailed them and asked what build they would recommend for my use case, which involves everything I've told and shown you in this thread and then some... behind not just the 5.3, but behind an L9H 6.2 truck engine (400hp/420tq) because that might happen someday. :shifty: they said their Level VI build is up to all that, which is what I had guessed based on my research (either a Level V or VI anyway). So after a few more Q&A's, I ordered one for Wanavee last week, and it is currently being built. :thumbs:
Here is what goes into that (from their website):
*Media blast transmission case
*RPM Level V 3-4 clutch pack
*RPM reinforced sunshell with collar and bearing
*Heavy Duty double caged 29 element sprag
*4L65E low roller clutch
*Billet 4th gear servo
*Transgo HD-2 shift kit
*Corvette Servo
*Wide 2-4 band
*Updated aluminum accumulator piston
*Bushing kit
*New shift solenoids
*New GM valve body spacer plate
*Seal & gasket kit
*GM Filter
*RPM Spec clutch and band clearances
*RPM sleeved input drum
*Billet over-run piston
*GM 5 pinion planetary gearsets - front and rear
*NEW Extra WIDE Heavy Duty double caged 29 element sprag
*300m Billet output shaft
*4L65/70E low roller clutch
*Each transmission is dyno-tested before shipping
http://www.rpmtransmissions.com/page28.html
Soon Wanavee will be back at World Tour Off Road getting its strong new piece of hardware... and some other stuff too. :shifty:
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I thought about that, but the 4.56's are inherently weaker in what are already somewhat small diffs for a V8 and 35's so I didn't want to risk it.
Before anyone sounds the alarm about my soon-to-be new transmission fluid flowing through a somewhat failure-prone stock radiator, know that a new OEM manual trans radiator is on its way as are these guys from Derale:
https://derale.com/products/fluid-c...ate2013-10-28-09-53-271253202964/13403-detail
https://derale.com/products/fluid-coolers/thermostats-1/fluid-control-thermostats
https://derale.com/products/fluid-c...ate2013-10-28-09-53-271253202964/13403-detail
https://derale.com/products/fluid-coolers/thermostats-1/fluid-control-thermostats
JPaul
Well-Known Member
- Messages
- 2,436
- Location
- Way up north, UT
How much did the tune for the H3 run you? I think I'd like to eventually go that route, but right now the only other company I know of is PCM of NC.
I agree with Alrock on the gears. After this last trip hauling a trailer over the Rockies between Colorado and Utah, while overall it did great I really think that 4.56 gears will give it just enough more of an edge to help with the climbs. I'm running 33" Duratracs since I figured leaving it with the 35's it came with would have been a bad move since I plan on pulling my trailer frequently, plus it's my daily driver and I have waaaay too many traffic lights on my drive to and from work.
Sent from my SM-N950U using Tapatalk
I agree with Alrock on the gears. After this last trip hauling a trailer over the Rockies between Colorado and Utah, while overall it did great I really think that 4.56 gears will give it just enough more of an edge to help with the climbs. I'm running 33" Duratracs since I figured leaving it with the 35's it came with would have been a bad move since I plan on pulling my trailer frequently, plus it's my daily driver and I have waaaay too many traffic lights on my drive to and from work.
Sent from my SM-N950U using Tapatalk
Since I bought the full EFILive package through Black Bear, a tune was included for free. The full package (called "EFILive Scan and Tune V2") is $899, then $50 extra for the aforementioned lifetime updates. However, they have much cheaper options if you don't need to the ability to tune yourself. A straight ECU swap, aka their Traditional Tune, is cheapest at $255 plus refundable core charge but I wouldn't recommend that since it IS a one-time canned tune (although one of the best). I think the better option is their Scan Cable Tune for $350, where you borrow their hardware with a refundable deposit to datalog and load their tunes, then return it to them once all is well with it.
They also travel around the country and offer in-person tunes but that obviously depends on their schedule.
Here's their link for more info:
http://www.blackbearperformance.com/services.asp
Everyone here seems to be super happy with PCM of NC and they have lots of experience with H3's so that sounds like a good option too. I went with BBP instead since they're the go-to for waking up the L76 in my truck, and also really good with *all* of the modern GM V8's.
With the high-elevation mountain towing, I imagine steeper gears would be welcome for sure. Staying with 33's was a good idea too. All of the above is easier on the transmission as well.
I live at sea level and have a truck for towing so I'm not in as much need for that. A good tune will certainly help and might make you happy enough, but I would still want the 4.56's in that situation. They should hold up fine on road if you drive easy and don't shock load them, especially because you're already at a lower power level from the elevation (I lived in CO so I know what that does).
My concern is about the small front diff on 35's with the V8 when off roading. The worst situation is when you don't have a front locker (or it's unlocked) and one wheel gets spinning then immediately grabs traction, as sometimes happens. That shock loads the whole assembly and is often when things snap. The 4.56's pinion is inherently weaker due to size reduction and less teeth in mesh with the ring gear, but that ratio is also increasing the load by another 11% (over the 4.10's) on the CV axles and the stub axle at the same time.
To me, when the whole assembly is already on the edge in stock configuration, I don't want to bring the edge even closer.
They also travel around the country and offer in-person tunes but that obviously depends on their schedule.
Here's their link for more info:
http://www.blackbearperformance.com/services.asp
Everyone here seems to be super happy with PCM of NC and they have lots of experience with H3's so that sounds like a good option too. I went with BBP instead since they're the go-to for waking up the L76 in my truck, and also really good with *all* of the modern GM V8's.
With the high-elevation mountain towing, I imagine steeper gears would be welcome for sure. Staying with 33's was a good idea too. All of the above is easier on the transmission as well.
I live at sea level and have a truck for towing so I'm not in as much need for that. A good tune will certainly help and might make you happy enough, but I would still want the 4.56's in that situation. They should hold up fine on road if you drive easy and don't shock load them, especially because you're already at a lower power level from the elevation (I lived in CO so I know what that does).
My concern is about the small front diff on 35's with the V8 when off roading. The worst situation is when you don't have a front locker (or it's unlocked) and one wheel gets spinning then immediately grabs traction, as sometimes happens. That shock loads the whole assembly and is often when things snap. The 4.56's pinion is inherently weaker due to size reduction and less teeth in mesh with the ring gear, but that ratio is also increasing the load by another 11% (over the 4.10's) on the CV axles and the stub axle at the same time.
To me, when the whole assembly is already on the edge in stock configuration, I don't want to bring the edge even closer.
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- Messages
- 10,660
- Location
- Scottsdale
You're certainly not wrong on the gear strength. I think the issue for H3 front diffs is more about the aluminum carrier vs. the cast iron one, but gears could be an issue. I'll get back to you in a couple of years to let you know if my CI front diff holds up with 4.56s and my I5.
JPaul
Well-Known Member
- Messages
- 2,436
- Location
- Way up north, UT
I'm curious as to how close to the edge the Alpha's 5.3 in even a mild build with the 4:1 transfer case and 4.10 gears in a CI housing really is. I know people have been munching gears, but it also seems a lot more common to break CV's, and I've only seen a couple examples of the stub shaft shearing apart. I have spare CV's and a spare stub shaft. Swapping gears though is another matter. I don't plan on wailing on my Alpha, but I do want it to be reliable. Someday I'll probably go through with doing a solid front axle swap to really beef it up (especially now that 4speed has so generously started documenting the whole process). But that won't be for a few more years most likely.
- Messages
- 10,660
- Location
- Scottsdale
Definitely more common to break CVs but that's also a more obvious failure. Broken gears aren't always immediately detected. Actually, I've only broken one CV but have rebuilt the front end twice and the rear end once. 1 t-case failure (internal) and 1 t-case failure (external, when rock met case). Again, non-Alpha but one would think the Alpha could be more prone esp. with 4.56.