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06 H3's Squeakin H3 Build

06 H3

a.k.a. "The Jackal"
Messages
9,350
Location
Meridian, ID
I had an invite for the following weekend for a snow run, the hummer needed some maintenance (upper link heims) and rear axle shaft leaks (was just dirt from swapping shafts on the trail) I could have probably brought it but my brothers JK just got up to Idaho and is being stored at my parents house since he doesnt have as much space at his new place. It hasnt been offroad since summer of 2019 and its a shame since its on 1 tons and 40s so I brought it out for the snow run.


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The snow is still 4-5 feet is many spots but it is melting quickly. The weather was perfect! It was a perfect day!


Saw a brand new rzr with an exploded clutch.


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At our lunch spot I got to climb this cool rock too, everyone thought I was nuts...


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So what's next? This weekend I will wrap up some maintenance on the Hummer and my youngest sister is very interested in wheeling so since my brothers JK is sitting around...I plan to take her out and teach her how to rock crawl. I would have preferred she learn on a stock rig so she doesn't rely on the tools of lockers, 40s, big flex, etc. but it will be fun to teach her.


Other then that I want to add a sway bar to the front of the hummer, redesign my suck down winch, fix my AC, finish the engine skid and my next big non local trip is fordyce this summer.
 

06 H3

a.k.a. "The Jackal"
Messages
9,350
Location
Meridian, ID
So after the snow wheeling weekend mid April we decided to hit the trails on the first weekend of May. This time I would be taking my 19 year old sister who will be driving my brothers 1 ton JK on 40s. She has always been interested in wheeling but doesnt have a rig....now that my brothers JK is sitting up here with no one to drive it she decided to give wheeling a shot.


We ran an easy trail that has fun offshot obsctacles and its a good place for you to learn, perfect for a newbie.


She started off great. A little throttle happy but had a great start to the day.


This was a first, the Hummer has always been pretty reliable when it comes to starting. I turn the key and it starts, for the first time I had a no start issue that was out of the blue and random. It wouldnt crank, sure enough the ground on the starter broke off. Thinking back I may have hit the starter wire with some tube when mocking up my engine skid. Either way, after 20 min of diagnosing, we tracked it down to a starter ground, got it fixed and kept moving...


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We then got to some steep optional climbs and the front end was very light, I really need to redo my suck down winch.


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I was able to get it with the assistance of a winch. I placed the cable on a rig up top and just took the slack out of it....with that little bit of tension I got up. I wonder if I had ditched the spare that could have been the difference in making it or not.


I wasnt comfortable with my sister trying it but with 4 more inches of wheelbase I thought the JK could get it, it was actually worse, those extra 4in had the back tires in a hole and made it worse with multiple line attempts.


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My buddy Jason with his K30 on factory 1-tons and 40s


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My sister was doing well so we finished off the day on some tougher stuff.


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Overall it was a great day....


I was bored one day and figured I havent clay bared or waxed the Hummer in a long time. It needed some freshening up.


Crappy pic as it doesnt show the true shine.


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then did the JK


JgfvXr4l.jpg
 

06 H3

a.k.a. "The Jackal"
Messages
9,350
Location
Meridian, ID
Since spring is here and summer is basically here I decided to throw the half doors on, we had many nice spring days so I would use the Hummer for grocery store runs and going to the gym just like I used to daily back in the old days!


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The next 2 weekends were spent working on the truck but last weekend I went wheeling again to shakedown my buddy's toyota on 43s! He has the Chevy K30 but just picked up the fresh build with 1 tons, links and 43s on his old toyota. It is badass! The frame was cut off in front of the firewall and behind the cab, it was an extensive build.


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My sister didnt start the day off well, she did so well last time I think she was over confident driving around in 2wd screwing around on a dirt road


I would say she learned quickly...or so I hope. She was almost too calm and that kind of irritated me, I wanted her to be scared ****less so she would not drive like an idiot.


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Playing around on an optional obstacle on a warmup trail


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Here is me doing the chicken dance I guess (?) while spotting my sister....


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Since I put my half doors on it had to rain of course....


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It reminded me of UA 2018 on the east coast, momentum and no crawling


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Carnage for the day was a brake line issue but about 8 months ago I had some male brake line fittings laying around and just welded up the hole. It allowed me to disconnect the hardline at the brake booster and just plug the hole where I had the leak, it was a quick 5 min fix.


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Already got the brake line replaced and rebled the brakes (which I hate doing!!!!) I thought I was ready to go wheeling again this weekend but noticed my 3rd leaf in my leaf pack cracked. I am just reposting a pic from after UA....last time it was a cheap add a leaf I did it to, now its an OE leaf.


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Are my leaf spring days numbered and its time to link the back?


I have been happy with my leafs though, its amazing they are 16 years old and factory H3 springs. I have switched back and forth between 2 sets, one original to my H3 and the other is an OE set that was very well used as well.


That leaves me with a cracked add a leaf once, a ever so slightly bent main leaf once and now a bent support leaf.
 

4speedfunk

Well-Known Member
Messages
4,212
Location
Tardville
I got some free OEM springs if you pay shipping. Bushings are toast and bottom leafs have been robbed for use on a custom Rancho/OEM spring pack project.

Slap a new bottom leaf on em and install some Siberian’s...(they work great).
 

06 H3

a.k.a. "The Jackal"
Messages
9,350
Location
Meridian, ID
Ill send you a Text CJ. Thanks!

I’ll have to update it with this weekends adventures. Made this climb but it was a tough one! Exo saved me from becoming a tin can once again. If you want to wheel with little rigs doing tight trails it seems to be viable way to keep it all intact.

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scoreh3

Well-Known Member
Messages
1,024
Location
SoCal
Looks like a good time and great way to spend your birthday day weekend.... Happy birthday and I can’t believe they made your birthday a National Holiday and gave everyone the day off to play...
Happy Birthday Sir ...
 

06 H3

a.k.a. "The Jackal"
Messages
9,350
Location
Meridian, ID
So an update, I got the brake line fixed and the leaf spring fixed and hit the trail again.


We ran a tough local trail. We had 2 guys come down from Washington for the long 3 day weekend, I only was available to wheel on saturday so I did a day trip.


We started off on an easier but fun "OG" trail then went to one of the newer tough trails.


A SAS'd sidekick on 35s and toyota axles


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the beast of a toyota


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That is all I have for the first trail, it was fun and uneventful. The next trail was a little ways from the one we were at. Half the group trailered their rigs, hit the pavement and drove down to the new trail, we just took 7-8 miles of dirt roads to get there.


The trail starts off like this....


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You know if a little toyota is rubbin, getting squeaky through is like fitting 30 lbs of **** in a 2lb bag. The exo has really saved this thing from becoming a POS tin can...Now its just a POS.


Once you get past that tight spot pictured above you come here...


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This picture doesnt show the big holes but it shows you gotta go up, around that rock and out the top. You start on the right side, and come across as seen below. If you start far left your tire drops in the hole and you land on your axle tube.


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Then you cut left, if you cut left too early your driver rear will lift and flop you over, so you go past the rock and shimmy over, it is very difficult for a bigger rig to shimmy over, I dont think I would have been able to do it without doing the front dig, a smaller rig like a wrangler can shimmy.


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This is where it puts you after a front dig. At this point I have hit my cage about 5 times lol


Here are some other pics of the gatekeeper.


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I think this puts it in perspective on how tight it is.


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Lifting tire and where you front dig, I have about 8in of droop and still dont have all 4 on the ground.


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That gatekeeper gets you all sorts of bound up, the toyota broke a main leaf, so we back the hummer up, break out the premier power welder, raise the idle and get to welding....


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We didnt get a finished product pic on the trail but this is what we did, weld the main leaf to the 2nd leaf and hose clamps for moral support. it finished out the day with no issues!


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06 H3

a.k.a. "The Jackal"
Messages
9,350
Location
Meridian, ID
Onto the next main obstacle.


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Now the next obstacle...


There are a few line choices. Not shown is the ledge to get up to this point which took some effort.


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Here is a shot of the 3 line choices.


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The middle one was a no go for me, the toyota struggled on that one, the rear steer buggy and the little samuari buggy went right which, if I could get myself lined up on the rocks properly I think I would go that route, the left line looks easy but what isnt shown is a GIANT hole on the ride side, it swallows a 43in tire. It gave me flashbacks to Moab, super undercut, big giant hole that WILL destory a rear shaft, so I decided to climb over the giant hole instead of going into it.


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It was sketchy but it worked! At this point last time I had already winched 2 times at the gatekeeper and then winched on this line, last time I went in the giant hole not over it.


I was pumped!


Here is the little sami buggy, it is so nimble and small it dances through these rocks with ease!


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Then I got to this spot....


Last time I took the line on the opposite side of that bush, it has a tough climb but I did it last time. It felt sketchy and figured I would try this new line. It SUCKED! I kept getting diffed out, getting nowhere, reverse, forward, hard driver, hard passenger, nothing would work. Finally front dig, reverse, hard passenger got me free, only to get diffed out again!




So then I pulled cable....


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Then off to this obstacle, had to winch last time but this time I walked it!


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Exo savin the day....as it got tight in here too.


Overall, this was my only body damage...


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The taillight was taken out, if it wasnt for the cage the roof line would be destroyed along with the B pillar and D pillar.


That is really only the halfway point on the trail but there is a turn out. No one has ever cut the trail further then that point....I had a bday dinner to get to and the toyota didnt want to risk the spring issue so we popped out there and the toyota, sami buggy and rear steer buggy continued on till 10pm. We got to that point around 6:30 pm. I aired up the tires and drove home under my own power!
 

06 H3

a.k.a. "The Jackal"
Messages
9,350
Location
Meridian, ID
<font color="#C1C1C1"><span style="font-family: Helvetica"><font color="#000000">[video=youtube;grfELZJSyLY]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=grfELZJSyLY&amp;feature=emb_imp_woyt[/video]


Overall, I was stoked with how the Hummer did, it is no buggy but it I was so happy with its performance. One guys said he was shocked at how well it did and another said imagine what it could do with rear steer....


Rear steer, if used properly can do magical things, or screw you up but man....rear steer is tempting.


Here is a video of the day.
 

jimmy p

Well-Known Member
Messages
186
Location
detroit
Subscribed for upcoming rear steer project. :)

After seeing the new HummerEV crabwalk videos I came across a quadrasteer rear end in the local junkyard and it got me thinking too.

Sent from my SM-G960U using Tapatalk
 

06 H3

a.k.a. "The Jackal"
Messages
9,350
Location
Meridian, ID
Yeah I have read all about the Quadrasteer axle. It seems it only turns 15* but changes the turning radius GREATLY! Most steering in the front is 30-40*

I don’t think I could achieve more then 15* with factory frame rails so I question if it’s worth it but I’d assume it still is.

I have a spare rear axle housing in the shed....I will have some spare inner C’s and knuckles after the F550 front axle project....[emoji16]
 

06 H3

a.k.a. "The Jackal"
Messages
9,350
Location
Meridian, ID
Time for an update, I had 2 loose johnny joints (both lower axle ends) so I rebuilt those, I replaced my spicer u joints in my D60 shafts with new ones since they were in since 2017.


I also had bent my track bar a little. I already had a bend in it for diff clearance but I bent it a bit more when bound up. I was pretty surprised as its been problem free for about 4 years now but im sure the 43s dont make the track bars life any easier. I hate having to adjust it when there is a bend in it so I got one of those new ruffstuff adjusters that allow you to adjust links with bends in them.


I also added some plate to strengthen the bend in the track bar.


fawkuynl-jpg.443231



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I am a little worried that welding in that track bar brace as it put a ton of heat in the tube and weakened it but who knows, I am probably overreacting.


You can also see the cool adjuster ruffstuff came out with.


I did the same for the drag link end since I have a bend in that too....


ztqyuerl-jpg.443233



To have the axle centered I had to put the joint out this much. I am not sure if that has enough engagement.


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The heim joint threaded portion is 2.1 in according to ruffstuff and they ask for 7/8 engagement on the weld in bung.


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I have the threaded portion in at 1.25in and at 2.1 in that leaves me at .85in, they ask for 7/8 engagement.


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The other side is threaded in just under 100%


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The right answer is to pull it all apart and to pull some out on the traditional bung and bring the new bung in a tad but I am being lazy...I will probably do that another day.


I am super pumped to make able to make adjustments with little effort from now on though!


I also shipped out my toyota double cardan end to drivelinetech, hes building a toyota driveline for me with a 1410 joint on the axle end. I am using a NWF NP205 toyota flange, they ask for a 2.125 seal and of course my 205 has the smaller 1.75 seal, since I wanted to keep the same seal in case I have to put my old flange back in I had the flange seal surface turned down to 1.76.


I went to the junkayrd and picked up 3 sets of toyota driveline bolts. They are some crazy 12.9 super high strength stuff so I wanted OEM.


fpurwxbl-jpg.443237



My only concern with the NWF flange is that it is 1/2in thick, I dont think the oem flange is that thick and I worry it will cause the bolts to be too short.


I will wait and see on that.


Finally, I picked up a 6l80E!!!


zmwxskgl-jpg.443238



Driving my moms 08 Yukon XL denali 12 years ago I was amazed at how fast and how well that trans worked with the 6.2L It made that heavy SUV feel quick. I knew I needed one for the H3 and the time has finally come.


I still need more parts, a shifter, wiring, some tuning but I am pumped. I was told I can have it tuned to start in any gear I want when I have it in Manual mode. One thing I dont like about auto transmissions is even if you put it in 2 or 3 it always starts in 1. Now I can start in 3rd for wheel speed if I want. It should be awesome!
 

atvspeed4

Well-Known Member
Messages
1,173
Location
massachusetts
Time for an update, I had 2 loose johnny joints (both lower axle ends) so I rebuilt those, I replaced my spicer u joints in my D60 shafts with new ones since they were in since 2017.


I also had bent my track bar a little. I already had a bend in it for diff clearance but I bent it a bit more when bound up. I was pretty surprised as its been problem free for about 4 years now but im sure the 43s dont make the track bars life any easier. I hate having to adjust it when there is a bend in it so I got one of those new ruffstuff adjusters that allow you to adjust links with bends in them.


I also added some plate to strengthen the bend in the track bar.


fawkuynl-jpg.443231



clxfojul-jpg.443232



I am a little worried that welding in that track bar brace as it put a ton of heat in the tube and weakened it but who knows, I am probably overreacting.


You can also see the cool adjuster ruffstuff came out with.


I did the same for the drag link end since I have a bend in that too....


ztqyuerl-jpg.443233



To have the axle centered I had to put the joint out this much. I am not sure if that has enough engagement.


qp8pqael-jpg.443234



The heim joint threaded portion is 2.1 in according to ruffstuff and they ask for 7/8 engagement on the weld in bung.


5ffinuzl-jpg.443235



I have the threaded portion in at 1.25in and at 2.1 in that leaves me at .85in, they ask for 7/8 engagement.


fy8iHlfl.jpg




The other side is threaded in just under 100%


2odorzhl-jpg.443236



The right answer is to pull it all apart and to pull some out on the traditional bung and bring the new bung in a tad but I am being lazy...I will probably do that another day.


I am super pumped to make able to make adjustments with little effort from now on though!


I also shipped out my toyota double cardan end to drivelinetech, hes building a toyota driveline for me with a 1410 joint on the axle end. I am using a NWF NP205 toyota flange, they ask for a 2.125 seal and of course my 205 has the smaller 1.75 seal, since I wanted to keep the same seal in case I have to put my old flange back in I had the flange seal surface turned down to 1.76.


I went to the junkayrd and picked up 3 sets of toyota driveline bolts. They are some crazy 12.9 super high strength stuff so I wanted OEM.


fpurwxbl-jpg.443237



My only concern with the NWF flange is that it is 1/2in thick, I dont think the oem flange is that thick and I worry it will cause the bolts to be too short.


I will wait and see on that.


Finally, I picked up a 6l80E!!!


zmwxskgl-jpg.443238



Driving my moms 08 Yukon XL denali 12 years ago I was amazed at how fast and how well that trans worked with the 6.2L It made that heavy SUV feel quick. I knew I needed one for the H3 and the time has finally come.


I still need more parts, a shifter, wiring, some tuning but I am pumped. I was told I can have it tuned to start in any gear I want when I have it in Manual mode. One thing I dont like about auto transmissions is even if you put it in 2 or 3 it always starts in 1. Now I can start in 3rd for wheel speed if I want. It should be awesome!

Im assuming you are ditching the factory T case, if so, you should consider just jumping to the 6l90. We love ours and its like getting a mild built 6l80 but oem. Its a 29 spline output which is actually great because its the same as dodge and allison stuff. Thats how we were able to mate with the np241 in ours.
 

06 H3

a.k.a. "The Jackal"
Messages
9,350
Location
Meridian, ID
I already ditched the OEM t case about 2 years ago. I thought the 6L90E had issues fitting due to the increased size?
 

atvspeed4

Well-Known Member
Messages
1,173
Location
massachusetts
I already ditched the OEM t case about 2 years ago. I thought the 6L90E had issues fitting due to the increased size?

Luckily no one ever told me that :)

Well its been in our 2006 for several years now driving around so I must have missed the memo. It doesnt fit with the stock t-case but our np241 behind the 6l90 fits fine and we are still stock height IFS. We do have a 1.25" bodylift
 

06 H3

a.k.a. "The Jackal"
Messages
9,350
Location
Meridian, ID
Luckily no one ever told me that :)

Well its been in our 2006 for several years now driving around so I must have missed the memo. It doesnt fit with the stock t-case but our np241 behind the 6l90 fits fine and we are still stock height IFS. We do have a 1.25" bodylift

Nice, that is good to know. I can’t wait for a 6 speed. I hear it’s night and day
 

amrg

Well-Known Member
Messages
2,317
Location
Qatar
Have you ever driven a 2007 and 2008 H2 back 2 back? Big difference in driveability abeit the almost similar Hp motors

Sent from my SM-G960F using Tapatalk
 

atvspeed4

Well-Known Member
Messages
1,173
Location
massachusetts
We just bought an escalade and the 10 speed is awesome. Ive driven all generations of escalade with the transmissions from the 4l65e, 6l80e, 8l80e and 10l80e. Its crazy the difference in keeping the engine in the powerband makes with the new 10 speed. The really low 1st gear is biggest improvement though.
 

Gpcalero

Well-Known Member
Messages
234
Location
SW Florida
We just bought an escalade and the 10 speed is awesome. Ive driven all generations of escalade with the transmissions from the 4l65e, 6l80e, 8l80e and 10l80e. Its crazy the difference in keeping the engine in the powerband makes with the new 10 speed. The really low 1st gear is biggest improvement though.


**whispers**

It's a Ford transmission. ;)


:gears:
 

amrg

Well-Known Member
Messages
2,317
Location
Qatar
Reminds me of when cvt first came out, people hated (and still do) on them yet the trend in ICU is for more and more gears. I bet when flooring it theb10L80 acts very similar to a CVT with very small rpm drop between shifts!
Isnt it possible to swap a 8L80 or 10L80 instead of a 6L? I frequent the LS groups on fb and see so many swaps into hotrods and wonder why none in a 2000+ model vehicle.

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06 H3

a.k.a. "The Jackal"
Messages
9,350
Location
Meridian, ID
I would have loved to do a 10 speed swap.

I will say to gcalpero that I am glad it’s a ford transmission!!!! Honestly, I hate on GM nowadays. I am and was a GM guy but I think Ford started kicking their ass in the recent years. Ecoboost for the win!!! A 3.5L ecoboost puts down more TQ at a lower rpm then a 6.2L V8.....comical. Also GM’s new 6.6 gasser is an absolute joke compared to the new 7.3 gasser. I have some dealership friends that are complaining about how the new DFM (dynamic fuel management) are destroying motors with less then 20k miles on them. Let’s ignore these facts and make a new logo with lower case letters to be less bold, and to embrace electric vehicles. Anyways, enough GM hate.

With the 10 speed, the problem is mating a Gen 4 LS to a Gen 5 trans (from an electronics standpoint, not a bolting it up standpoint.) I think, with time, someone will “crack the code” and get it done. I know one tuner currently working on that now. I liked the 8 speed idea but I have heard of many people having 8 speed problems, to the point of a class action lawsuit and GM admitting they had design flaws. The 10 speed is so new I was fearful of similar 8 speed issues. I would have loved to mate an 8HP70 out of dodge but that’s a rabbit hole I didn’t want to go down. I would have done it by running a “manual trans” LS pcm and a stand-alone transmission harness and have the 2 work independently.

I also feared that offroad it would be too many gears with a 10 speed, on road, it would be kickass, but in manual mode, a full throttle assault, could it go through the gears quick enough offroad? I believe on road, in auto mode, if you hit the pedal at 100% it skips gears. I felt an 6 or 8 speed was more manageable offroad and the 8 speed was the ticket....but as mentioned, the 8 speed had issues. I think the 6 speed will bridge the gap between shifting offroad in manual mode quickly and being a great driver on road. It won’t be as good as an 8-10 speed on road but I am sure it will be 1000 times better then the 4 speed.

I remember driving my moms 08 Yukon XL Denali with the 6.2L V8 and 6L80E and that thing ripped!!! It definitely didn’t feel like you were in a 7k lb vehicle, it felt very quick and nimble and my setup is identical to that once I get the trans installed.
 

Gpcalero

Well-Known Member
Messages
234
Location
SW Florida
I would have loved to do a 10 speed swap.

I will say to gpcalero that I am glad it’s a ford transmission!!!! Honestly, I hate on GM nowadays. I am and was a GM guy but I think Ford started kicking their ass in the recent years. Ecoboost for the win!!! A 3.5L ecoboost puts down more TQ at a lower rpm then a 6.2L V8.....comical. Also GM’s new 6.6 gasser is an absolute joke compared to the new 7.3 gasser. I have some dealership friends that are complaining about how the new DFM (dynamic fuel management) are destroying motors with less then 20k miles on them. Let’s ignore these facts and make a new logo with lower case letters to be less bold, and to embrace electric vehicles. Anyways, enough GM hate.

With the 10 speed, the problem is mating a Gen 4 LS to a Gen 5 trans (from an electronics standpoint, not a bolting it up standpoint.) I think, with time, someone will “crack the code” and get it done. I know one tuner currently working on that now. I liked the 8 speed idea but I have heard of many people having 8 speed problems, to the point of a class action lawsuit and GM admitting they had design flaws. The 10 speed is so new I was fearful of similar 8 speed issues. I would have loved to mate an 8HP70 out of dodge but that’s a rabbit hole I didn’t want to go down. I would have done it by running a “manual trans” LS pcm and a stand-alone transmission harness and have the 2 work independently.

I also feared that offroad it would be too many gears with a 10 speed, on road, it would be kickass, but in manual mode, a full throttle assault, could it go through the gears quick enough offroad? I believe on road, in auto mode, if you hit the pedal at 100% it skips gears. I felt an 6 or 8 speed was more manageable offroad and the 8 speed was the ticket....but as mentioned, the 8 speed had issues. I think the 6 speed will bridge the gap between shifting offroad in manual mode quickly and being a great driver on road. It won’t be as good as an 8-10 speed on road but I am sure it will be 1000 times better then the 4 speed.

I remember driving my moms 08 Yukon XL Denali with the 6.2L V8 and 6L80E and that thing ripped!!! It definitely didn’t feel like you were in a 7k lb vehicle, it felt very quick and nimble and my setup is identical to that once I get the trans installed.

Yeah that new Ford 7.3 gasser is impressive, seems to be very stout and torque happy. It's already in the 8's with a stock motor.

On the 10-speed, you can 100% do the skip-shift delete in the tune on the Mustangs (I'm sure it's the same on GM vehicles using it too). Transmission is awesome overall. Man I wish there was an easy 6L80e (or 10-sp) swap kit out there for our rigs. I wouldn't have spent so much on bulletproofing my 4l60e if that was the case lol.

Good luck with the 6spd swap, I look forward to seeing updates!
 

06 H3

a.k.a. "The Jackal"
Messages
9,350
Location
Meridian, ID
Ok time for another update, after all the maintenence, we went wheeling. I was excited about this trail, it is a tough one and had some tight spots. We only got through 2 or 3 obstacles before carnage hit and our day was over. The yellow toyota blew up his rear output.


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I didnt even get pics of the cool obstacles, that is just the drive to the gatekeeper.


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Being the heavy rig I had to pull him out but it was a TOUGH one!


It took us a while to get off the actual trail and turn out on to the dirt roads. We will be back for this trail.


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After that it was time to install my new driveshaft, Toyota CV to a 1410 joint. I am happy to get rid of my driveline vibes!!!


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Got the new yoke installed.


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and then this is where things spiral.....
 

06 H3

a.k.a. "The Jackal"
Messages
9,350
Location
Meridian, ID
So I had a suck down winch that was not very successful but I didnt want to give up on the idea so I had a new plan. I had to take off the bumper to mount the little suck down winch and figured my winch rope is old on my regular winch so let me replace it. When I took off my bumper I realized my VR12 winch was cracked at the housing!


So I replaced it with a Harbor Freight Apex 12k. I needed some ASAP, they had it in stock, and I heard good things about it. Even though the housing is cracked the VR12 does still work so I will repurpose it on the tow rig. If it breaks it isnt as critical on the tow rig compared to being out in the middle of nowhere with a broken winch.


I also have been very impressed with the quality of the new brands HF has come out with so why not try it.


Here is the suckdown winch and badlands winch mounted.


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While in there I realized I cracked my frame plates. Maybe all those years as an anchor at backdoor was finally biting me in the ass.


I do chuckle as frame plates at the tow hooks were a big item back in the day on H3's because they crack and all these years later I FINALLY had an issue.


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Here is my fix


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Welded the cracks back up and welded 4 little gussets per frame rail. 2 on top, 2 on the bottom.


So one suckdown winch install later I have a new winch and tow hook frame rail crack repair.


Here is the suckdown winch, now I need a crossmember to redirect it over the axle tube...That will go under the oil pan from one frame rail to another.


Suckdown winches are interesting, some people say they make up for "bad geometry" I call BS. Even professional we rock guys use them and they have great geometry, at the end of the day, gravity and physics win in my opinion. I have a ton of weight in the trunk too so this can help offset that some.


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Here is a crappy pic of my universal currie anti rock


I still need to fabricate and modify the arms.


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Lastly, I had to adjust my pinion angle for my new driveshaft and I felt I had quite a bit of heim threads adjusted outward so I lengthened it. I wanted to build a new one but being out of tubing and tubing inserts the night before Idaho tuff truck challenge a sleeve had to do.


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