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Gpcalero

Well-Known Member
Messages
234
Location
SW Florida
Did i mentioned that your T looks bad ass, no, well....it looks BAD BAD ASS man. Usually i don't like white trucks but your's ..hmmm well.... it's bad ass :cheers:


Haha thanks man! Appreciate the love. :agree:


Still not sure about replacing the chrome mirror covers yet on this one. Again, I don't mind chrome so much but wouldn't choose it if I had the option. Still thinking on that one.
 

Gpcalero

Well-Known Member
Messages
234
Location
SW Florida
Wanted to update you guys on past work. Had the truck all final tuned back in April and WOT tuned as well.

Unfortunately, no real HP numbers to share because they didn't want to put the truck in 3rd gear (1:1 ratio) due to driveshaft speed with the increased driveline angle of the driveshaft from the lift. So, the truck was tuned in second gear for the WOT purposes (lower figures if measured). I plan on visiting my other buddy's shop where we'll see real figures.

But she was all set and perfected drivability, shift points, converter lock-up etc. Here's a snippet of one of the WOT runs.

H3T Built 6.2L LS3 Dyno
 

Gpcalero

Well-Known Member
Messages
234
Location
SW Florida
Hey fellas... am a bit behind on here but still active with the H3T. Will get caught up with you guys to keep you updated...

This past summer, I decided to change the fluids on the differentials, since they were the only fluids I had yet to change on the truck.



Drained the fluid, cleaned out the interior of the diff with brake clean, and inspected the gears as seen below. Then performed same items with the front diff...





Adding a bit of protection to the rear with this powder-coated white spider diff guard by Purple Cranium.




After cleaning out and inspecting the diff/gears, wire-wheeled the stock diff cover, and painted with chassis black paint. Replaced old diff cover gasket with new GM gasket.




New gear oil.




Final look.


 

Gpcalero

Well-Known Member
Messages
234
Location
SW Florida
More Updates...

I bought this fancy dual battery tray from German @ Lased Designs as soon as he released it (hmmm maybe 2 years ago?), but I never got around to installing it until a few months ago.

Here's a raw pic of one from his website.

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And here's how mine turned out after I sent it out to be powder coated. Notice the 4 holes on the bottom of the dual battery tray. To mount the tray in, we mock-fit the tray in place to wear we wanted it, center-hole punched each hole, drilled out 3 of the 4 holes and installed nutserts.



P5kPszK.jpg




First step was to remove the single Optima and take out the battery tie-down bracket...



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The stock battery tie-down mount is secured by 4 pinch/spot welds. So we took a spot weld remover tool to work to get it out of the way. Was a bit dirty under the battery with dust/sand getting caught under there! 😄



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And here's the final look during mock-fitting for the bolt points/nutserts.


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Wired the truck in parallel and all set! Happy to start removing things from the garage that need to be installed lmao.
 

Gpcalero

Well-Known Member
Messages
234
Location
SW Florida
More updates...

Been mostly doing random maintenance on the truck recently when needed. So a bit of what's been going on.

Had a bulb go out in the tail lights, so I took the opportunity to replace all the bulbs back there while I was at it. Went with LEDs and was impressed with the reverse lights after install. Here's a shot with just the reverse light changed on the driver side, and stock type bulb on the right. You can see the difference in color in the picture, the LED is whiter, but what you can't really see is how much brighter it is than the bulbs that come in the truck from the factory. Went ahead and replaced all three bulbs on each taillight with their LED counterparts and am happy how it turned out. Can see a lot more light when backing up now.

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Right before the dual battery install, changed the hood struts after I just about slammed my face shut when the hood fell on itself.



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And plastic trim painted the fuel door bezel. Never did this when doing the rest of the truck, and it was starting to look faded from the sun.



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Took the truck to downtown Tampa and there's no damn place to park, except for the parking garages. Luckily she still fits in there, and looks damn good.


xEFyajT.jpg
 

Gpcalero

Well-Known Member
Messages
234
Location
SW Florida
More maintenance recently.

Couple of months ago I got a random P0449 code triggering the Check Engine light. Cleared it and it went away for a week. Then it came back and never went away lol.


0Udlt7i.jpg



After some research and clearing the lines in the rear, I found it extremely hard to believe that it was the eval vent canister, so I bought a cheap one just to see if that was the issue. Like I said, I found it hard to believe this would be the issue since it's just a tube, canister and a simple electronic so this was just a gamble purchase to verify.


WZnpLes.jpg



So back under the truck I go to pull the charcoal canister and vent canister... Old vs new.


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New vent canister on charcoal box.



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When pulling the old vent canister, I took off lid off the top and peered inside. Seemed pretty empty and line seemed to still be clear as from before when I checked. But I turned it upside down and tapped down on it and dust/sediment/charcoal started to fall out. Tapped it a bit harder and I started to see the caked layers and dust of what I'm just going to call charcoal come out. After re-installing everything, fired it up and no codes now for a month. I am wondering if the old stocker would have still worked if I just cleared out the debris clogging it. Who knows...


And then started to notice that the T would start just fine while cold, but was slow to start when warm. Wasn't a battery issue since voltage is fine and have plenty of capacity now with the dual battery setup. Ordered up a new starter and replaced.

uGCrx0K.jpg




Old vs. new.



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Turned out to be the winning ticket. Starts like new again, and no more slow starts when warm. 😎
 

Gpcalero

Well-Known Member
Messages
234
Location
SW Florida
Catch up time!!

Bought some WeatherTech front & rear floor mats. Had these on other cars and really enjoyed them.


ukw5bBz.jpg



Here they are, fronts and rear. Only item that I was really concerned about is that WeatherTech does not offer a rear floor liner for the H3T directly. Instead, they only sell a rear for the standard H3. However, upon the limited research that is available on them, I took a chance.


plL6Ny1.jpg



Fronts done and are a very nice addition. Here is the driver's side compared to the optional factory mats (did not take a picture of a comparison to the front standard carpet liners). You can see that they cover a far greater area.


V38XUzt.jpg



Passenger:

ZZYhq7X.jpg


Driver:

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Rear comparison of the rear carpet liner for my fellow H3T owner's in case they are wanting to pick up a set.


5ETKADd.jpg



They fit just fine. However... On the previous picture (shown upside down to actual position), the raised side wings on the H3 version stick up a little bit on the H3T when installed. Not a HUGE deal, but I would imagine that WeatherTech wouldn't have them as raised up if they had offered an actual H3T version. Also, the stock carpet liners go a bit further underneath the front seats than the WeatherTech mats do, but not an issue. The liners do extend a bit further out than the picture shows, but the liner was folded up in the shipping box and hadn't fully settled yet.


eRkS77z.jpg



Next day, this guy decides to get behind and cruise down the highway quite a few exits with me going 80mph. Hummer trucks on the highway must've been a sight lol


0gcu0IC.jpg
 

Gpcalero

Well-Known Member
Messages
234
Location
SW Florida
More ketchup.

Another track outing with the T as the tow pig. Loaded and ready for the journey.


3rPYd4z.jpg



She still tows fairly well, even while close to the 6,000 tow capacity.


WvnKk5A.jpg



This time, the trailer had a rock guard added to it and I could definitely tell it was back there above 60 mph. Basically a parachute and this thing is no diesel lol. Have a few items in the works to enhance towing capability, yet not exceed capacity (not a fan of that).
 

Gpcalero

Well-Known Member
Messages
234
Location
SW Florida
Even more ketchup. I'm behind on the updates to the rig and will catch you guys up in the next week or so from the end of last year.

New CV axle time. My passenger CV axle boot split open and spilled it's grease guts out everywhere, and not too long later it started clicking when turning. And interestingly enough, it was the very same CV axle that I had replaced when doing the Rancho suspension lift install. I couldn't find any OEM CV axles locally for pick-up, so I bought an off brand from a local auto store so I didn't have to wait. The driver's side CV axle is an OEM axle & is the very same axle that has been in the truck since I bought it, and it hasn't failed yet. So that's another case to always buy an OEM CV axle as many people have said on here.


CAXAWUE.jpg



So back in August, I replaced the cheap China CV axle with an OEM, and bought the Badland Industries front differential side bushings to do at the same time. Since my passenger side bushing looked shot, I figured that I might as well do both at the same time.

Here you can see the new OEM axle compared to the split China axle.


iHnj95z.jpg



Took out the old worn OEM bushing and installed the new Badland Industries bushing.


l3F7Ap0.jpg


x2vQHkw.jpg



So to do these, easiest way was to take out the brackets, and use a drill and drill bit to drill holes in the rubber in a circumference. Then rotate the drill around the center support to release it. Afterwards, take a sawzall and cut the outermost metal casing in the bracket hole. But not cutting so far to hit the bracket material. Then take a hammer and flathead screwdriver to bend the ears in of that single cut you made. Should make the outer casing circumference slightly cave in, since it is pressed into the bushing bracket. Much easier than burning these out, and even if you did that, would still have to remove the outer metal casing of the OEM bushing.


gis6PPA.jpg



^^^ Passenger side done. Badland Industries bushing installed and new CV installed.


Below, had to re-orientate the driver's side diff bushing drop support. For whatever reason, they are apparently angled in certain way, and Rancho didn't make them symmetrical. They made two of the same pieces and pointed it out in the instructions, but is easy to miss. Passnger side diff bushing drop support bolt is supposed to be visible. Driver's side corner is facing front-left, so you cannot view the bolt ---- which makes it a bit harder to get a tool back there to tighten up the nut and bolt. Big thanks to Joshua aka 4Lo-Tank for letting me know.


BBKycgd.jpg





eme8pDu.jpg



All done.
 

Gpcalero

Well-Known Member
Messages
234
Location
SW Florida


Well the Badland Industries front differential bushings are nice, but the supplied washers are not.


KViyKnU.jpg



^^^ This happened about a week after installing the kit, and while taking a u-turn, heard the diff clunk into the Rancho skid plate. No bueno. The supplied washers aren't bigger than the front diff's side bushing mount holes, so it cut clean through them. Luckily I was a street over from my house, so I was able to limp the truck home.

So I contacted them, and brought this up and he apologized, and even mentioned that he increased the washer diameter (as he mentioned in his YouTube videos), and apparently missed a few kits. No matter, he was going to send me new bushings and larger washers. Went to the local hardware store to put a bandaid on the truck while I waited for the new parts. Bought a washer that is larger than the mounting holes.


zUnSyGy.jpg



Then band-aided the front diff broken side with the larger washer


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Replacement bushings and washers arrived. He also updated the bushings, so I used the updated ones for the bottoms of both sides to keep it consistent.



DD0rlEO.jpg




Here is the larger washer I purchased (left), new updated washer Badland Industries sent me (middle), and the original too-small washer that came with the initial kits (right).



iV304dr.jpg





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Even though the newer supplied washers are larger, I would recommended getting the same size washer that I bought to band-aid it, to fully cover both the bushing & the diff side-mount hole. You can see here that I used my larger washers on the bottom (switched for both sides), and the updated washer on top. I later changed both top and bottom to my larger washer later down the road. But now she's all happy in the front!
 

Gpcalero

Well-Known Member
Messages
234
Location
SW Florida
More ketchup.

ObsessDesignCreate came out with a cool mount for the ScanGaugeII on the H3/H3T vehicles. Picked one up as soon as they were released and did a quick installation. They offer two options of it, a steering column mount variant, and a gauge cluster mount variant on Etsy. Big thanks to Ryan for getting this out so quickly!

https://www.etsy.com/in-en/shop/ObsessDesignCreate



qpv2NRB.jpg




These are 3D printed and I thought about refinishing it prior to installation but the piece was actually great looking as is. I had originally had the ScanGaugeII mounted on the steering column with the double sided taple included with the gauge like below. But liked the idea of making it look more like it belonged there.



zONhKr6.jpg




Ryan includes 3M double sided tape already installed on the bottom portion of the mount, so it's a simple clean, press in, and mount.



YfKpUvz.jpg




Got the mount perfectly aligned where I wanted, installed and removed tape as I held in place.



oyoduBV.jpg




Happy with the outcome and now it looks like it belongs there.



uaO9TkB.jpg
 

Gpcalero

Well-Known Member
Messages
234
Location
SW Florida
Pulled the trigger on a BUNCH of parts to come in.

These came in while waiting on the rest...



Yukon High Performance front 7.6" IFS and rear 8.6" 4.56 gears.

And the AAM full front/rear install kits with some help from CJ -- thank you!



In7msHG.jpg


They didn't have absolutely everything from AAM, but made up for the missing item with an USA Standard Gear equivalent.



aPirSGu.jpg




AND THIS.....


TIME FOR 37's!!!!



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:cool:
 
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