cgalpha08
"Like Nothing Else"
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- Indianapolis, IN
Thanks for being the guinea pig on this. Ill be following to see what all you have to modify to get it to fit properly.
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jimmy p's H3 Build
- Thread starter jimmy p
- Start date
Thanks for being the guinea pig on this. Ill be following to see what all you have to modify to get it to fit properly.
Gpcalero
Well-Known Member
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- 239
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- SW Florida
Well damn!! I knew it wouldn't fit with the mechanical fan. Endeavored and Cgalpha both contacted the company and they were both told it would fit. They most likely only assume it would fit with the fan/shroud on an 3.5/3.7 I5 engine H3.
I'm glad you went this direction and heeded my warning lol. Did you fab the radiator mounts and alter the top of the radiator yourself? What are you doing towards the top if so?
BTW: For anyone else reading this, it WILL fit an Alpha H3, you will just need to run an e-fan setup. Now we know the mechanical fan/shroud won't work.
I'm glad you went this direction and heeded my warning lol. Did you fab the radiator mounts and alter the top of the radiator yourself? What are you doing towards the top if so?
BTW: For anyone else reading this, it WILL fit an Alpha H3, you will just need to run an e-fan setup. Now we know the mechanical fan/shroud won't work.
I called ECP also and the rep there told me it likely wouldn't clear. I was going to get him some measurements to verify but ended up just taking a chance knowing I could likely mod the core support. The thicker radiator core moves the face of the radiator about 1.25 to 1.5" closer to the fan. As shown above it does indeed fit into the stock h3 core support and mounts. I can probably check the 5cyl fan shroud if anyone is interested.
The radiator doesn't have any mods yet in the pictures. and to my surprise actually came with the aluminum side brackets. More to come over the next week.
I measured the capacity of the oem radiator and ecp as a comparison. Oem radiator was 0.7 gallons and ECP was 1.6 gallons. Which brings the factory capacity from 3.6 gallons to 4.5 gallons which is about a 25% increase.
The radiator doesn't have any mods yet in the pictures. and to my surprise actually came with the aluminum side brackets. More to come over the next week.
I measured the capacity of the oem radiator and ecp as a comparison. Oem radiator was 0.7 gallons and ECP was 1.6 gallons. Which brings the factory capacity from 3.6 gallons to 4.5 gallons which is about a 25% increase.
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Interesting. On my griffin the fan did fit but my issue was it hit the intake coming out of the manifold. Only way around this was to go with a truck intake which raises the whole tubing 4" UP. I didnt check how much clearancr was left though.
The griffin is 1.6" thicker btw but probably build differently.
Several things to keep in mind with your setup, the body moves, The clutch fan also moves forward when working at full speed, depending on torque and engine mount conditions, the engine may move. All those need to be accounted for fan to radiator clearance as you dont want it slicing thru the radiator core.
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The griffin is 1.6" thicker btw but probably build differently.
Several things to keep in mind with your setup, the body moves, The clutch fan also moves forward when working at full speed, depending on torque and engine mount conditions, the engine may move. All those need to be accounted for fan to radiator clearance as you dont want it slicing thru the radiator core.
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Thanks for the input, in my mind I can't picture how that thick of a radiator can fit with the ac condenser and oem clutch fan without modifying the core support. Are you running a truck water pump and acc spacing with factory engine and trans mounts? I have conversion mounts on the engine but the distance from the trans mount to fan clutch h should be the same.
I was able to make the radiator fit with minor trimming of the core support, shifting the lower mounts on the radiator by 3/4" and sectioning the top mounts bracket. I decided to do further trimming of the top core support and add a piece of 1" angle across the whole top to gain just a little more space and support to prevent the radiator from moving. I should have about 7/8" clearance now. With my super tight aftermarket engine mounts I am hoping it will be OK. I still need to see if I can fit the ac condenser now.
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Well I first mounted the griffin using the side plastic mounts for the H3 oem radiator. I used all the H3 oem accessory brackets and also the H3(truck) water pump so the hoses point to the passenger side. I didnt need to space anything out to fit the radiator and condensor, but spaced thr support later on to fit a big ass fan infront of the condesor.
In the picture i had a 4.1" fan mounted directly on the radiator (dont do it like i did), water pump to rad clearance is more like 3.8"
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In the picture i had a 4.1" fan mounted directly on the radiator (dont do it like i did), water pump to rad clearance is more like 3.8"
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cgalpha08
"Like Nothing Else"
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- 3,585
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- Indianapolis, IN
Jimmy,
what was the reason for adjusting the lower mounts, general fitment or raising/ lowering where it normally sits?
what was the reason for adjusting the lower mounts, general fitment or raising/ lowering where it normally sits?
Height remains the same. I basically slid the aluminum mount 3/4" on the vertical adapter mount to move the radiator 3/4" further into the core support. Shown in the second picture. The first picture shows the part in red that needs to be trimmed and the green arrows represent the piece that needs to be bent forward or trimmed off.
Radiator is in. Moving it 3/4 inch into the core support resulted in a solid inch clearance to the fan clutch which I am happy with. I ended up building new side brackets out of 2x3 steel split in two. Factory top mount was sectioned 3/4" as well. It allowed for better mounts to my custom fan shroud and ac condenser. I also added some hood vents and alpha exhaust manifold shields to try to reduce underhood temps this summer.
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06 H3
a.k.a. "The Jackal"
- Messages
- 9,352
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- Meridian, ID
Badass!
Are all the mounts you attached your brackets to from the factory or did you tig mounts onto the rad?
Are all the mounts you attached your brackets to from the factory or did you tig mounts onto the rad?
RamRod
Well-Known Member
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That new cargo door is looking great!
Gpcalero
Well-Known Member
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- SW Florida
Hey I know those! 13-14 Coyote Mustang hood vents lol.
06 H3
a.k.a. "The Jackal"
- Messages
- 9,352
- Location
- Meridian, ID
Hey Jimmy,
Can you use the factory v8 shroud still after moving it forward 3/4-1in?
Can you use the factory v8 shroud still after moving it forward 3/4-1in?
cgalpha08
"Like Nothing Else"
- Messages
- 3,585
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- Indianapolis, IN
Not sure if you've added one or not, but i added a cross member in the front, basically just under the radiator. After cutting 2 off for the SAS, the Thorparts bumper kinda adds one at the end and then i added this up there under the radiator, close to where the steering box sits, otherwise there is nothing from the trans cross member forward. IMO i would add one, or at least add it to your to do list. Just my 0.02 cents lol
Edit: also just realized i was reading an old post in this thread so that may be a moot point now lol
Edit: also just realized i was reading an old post in this thread so that may be a moot point now lol
Wow didnt realize i hadnt checked this thread in so long. I was never able to find one so I can't be sure, I still have my fabricated shroud and now fabricated rad brackets. However all of the mounting points should remain the same on the ecp radiator and brackets so I don't see why it wouldn't work.
The previous owner had a 2x3" 1/4" wall box tube welded in between the winch mount which did the trick. I ended up cutting it out when I punched holes through the bumper for more radiator airflow under the winch. I replaced it with a low mounted 1.5" box tube right under the radiator welded to the frame and is now a mount for the lower bumper and custom skid plate.
To continue with the last suggestion of a new xmember to replace all the metal cut out for the SAS, I wanted to add something between the radiator xmember and the trans x member. I suspected all of the issues I had with my ls swap mount alignment had to do with the frame rails being bowed out in the middle. I was able to snake a 2x3" 1/4" wall tube under the oil pan and tie up to the frame right behind the engine mounts. It also serves as a front mount for a oil pan and trans pan skid plate.
H3Hummer
Well-Known Member
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- 514
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- LUXEMBOURG in EU
good job, I think it's well protected and it looks good 
While pressure washing the underside of the frame I noticed I "pressure washed" some of the "frame" away around the rear leaf shackle mounts. I ended up cutting all the rust away and replacing the frame and mounts with universal DOM bushings with grease fittings.
The boxed frame seems like such a good idea, but having a fully boxed frame with 30 holes in the sides for stuff to get in and no holes for it to drain out of on the bottom has been a recipe for disaster at least for this h3.
I have since cleaned about 5 gallons of mud and rust out of the frame, repaired rust spots, painted inside the frame, sealed up the side holes with tape and added drain holes along the bottom. Hopefullly that is the last of it for another 10 years.
I had also been chasing a drivetrain knocking sound that seems to have gone away on my last offroad outing after the bushing replacement. I am hoping that the knocking was axle/spring wrap due to a partially siezed shackle bushing but time will tell.
The boxed frame seems like such a good idea, but having a fully boxed frame with 30 holes in the sides for stuff to get in and no holes for it to drain out of on the bottom has been a recipe for disaster at least for this h3.
I have since cleaned about 5 gallons of mud and rust out of the frame, repaired rust spots, painted inside the frame, sealed up the side holes with tape and added drain holes along the bottom. Hopefullly that is the last of it for another 10 years.
I had also been chasing a drivetrain knocking sound that seems to have gone away on my last offroad outing after the bushing replacement. I am hoping that the knocking was axle/spring wrap due to a partially siezed shackle bushing but time will tell.
