Bringing back the aftermarket for H3s

[rsm688]

A pre-fab solid axle swap kit (if it's doable, haven't studied the H3 front enough for a swap to know off the top of my head) would be pretty incredible. Just bolt it on, weld mounts to axle of choice, and go.

Also a V8 swap kit would be huge, so many guys with high mileage H3s and not many motors or parts left out there. As our rigs start falling apart there will definitely be a huge demand for a full V8 swap kit. I know I sure as hell would buy one in a heartbeat. I know theres some motor mounts out there already for it but wiring, mounts, headers, etc. all in one package would be awfully nice

 

[4speedfunk]

I got the pre-fab SAS kit. How many you want?

Not so sure about the "just bolt it on and go" part.

 

[amrg]

Any SAS kit will require fab work, check all the SAS kits for the other brands (toyotas for example).
As for a V8 swap, not alot of fab work required (06 H3 is probably the most experienced here , as most parts can be obtained for a stock alpha except the harness)

A way to bolt in a 6L80e trans would be good. (Better acceleration with 4 reduction gears and better mileage with 2 OD gears, and a stronger trans overall). Stronger front diff (with higher numerical gearing) is also good weather it fits stock or rancho lifted trucks. Alot of ppl go SAS after they are fed up with the front axle strength and suspension travel (more articulation with SAS)

Thats all in the drivetrain/suspension mods though!

 

[06 H3]

I know only 2 DIY v8 swaps which were done around the same time. Me and another guy who put a 6.0 in he has a thread on here.

4speeds kit which what I used for my SAS.

V8 and SAS will require work away from bolt on and go for any vehicle or pay an arm and a leg for a shop

 

[woodwardsh3]

#1 Not a fab job, but how about a relocate kit for the BCM To mount up high under the dash.
#2 Some cheaper removable steps for the GM sliders for both H2 and H3 simple and functional and removable with a wrench nothing fancy to keep the cost down,
Maybe 1 step that will fit both with just a tube within a tube to adjust length. Or one step per side instead of 2 steps per side.

 

[SedonaBound]

A lot of offroad accessories are so big and heavy that shipping costs crushes sales, so I've wondered if there's a market for a machine-ready CAD/CAM file for sliders, UPC, etc. that people could just take to a local fab shop with CAD/CAM capability. That said, I think the real opportunity will be with keeping the 99% of H3 owners who never drive anything more challenging than a gravel driveway in parts as the OEM inventory shrinks and the supposed 10-yr GM parts support window closes. As 3D printing matures, this will be even easier.

 

[amrg]

Steps for the oem sliders make sense

 

[chad]

i would like to see a long arm kit so i can keep the ifs and have more travel. and maybe a irs kit to make it fully independent?!

 

[adventr]

Let's start off with something a little more simple. :wink:




Ever since doing my projector retrofit, I've wanted/needed to do something about the OEM foglights. They're output isn't really useful anymore with 50w of HID headlight power.
Always thought about just swapping them out for a set of LED lights, but hadn't really seen any that I thought might look good.

Then I found these:

http://www.ebay.com/itm/371187564450?_trksid=p2060353.m1438.l2649&ssPageName=STRK:MEBIDX:IT



They're 5" diameter, and 60w. Should be plenty bright enough to use as an aux light for backroad/offroad use. Plus, they would look more modern to better match my headlights.

So, I decided to order a set (they should be here next week sometime!).



If I'm going to have these mounted where my OEM foglights are, I want them to still be adjustable, and most importantly CENTERED in the bumper holes. I've seen lots of LED lights just shoved in various places, and sometimes that can look a little ghetto.


Came up with a quick bracket that would mount these lights in the OEM foglight fixtures, and still allow usage of the foglight adjusting screw.
Figured some of ya'll might be interested in something like this? If there's enough interest, I could make a similar bracket for the super common "cube" lights that are quite a bit cheaper. But, that probably wouldn't look as good.

I'll post pics up in a few for details.

 

[adventr]

Here are some pics of what I'll be doing.



OEM Foglight setup looks like this:










And with the foglamp removed, you're left with this....










My plan is to drop the new LED lights in place with a custom bracket that will fit the OEM fixture, and will allow for the adjusting screw clip to pop into place. Like so:






















I think they're a good fit for the H3. Hoping that I can contact the light manufacturer to see if I can get them with Amber LEDs.

 

[derian06]

Here are some pics of what I'll be doing.



OEM Foglight setup looks like this:










And with the foglamp removed, you're left with this....










My plan is to drop the new LED lights in place with a custom bracket that will fit the OEM fixture, and will allow for the adjusting screw clip to pop into place. Like so:






















I think they're a good fit for the H3. Hoping that I can contact the light manufacturer to see if I can get them with Amber LEDs.

How in the world do you do that 3-D imaging

 

[adventr]

How in the world do you do that 3-D imaging

Those are just screenshots from my cad program that I design everything in.
Been doing this kind of stuff everyday for the past 13yrs now.

 

[digglesworth]

Aftermarket UCAs would be towards the top of my list. Replaceable ball joints and bushings would be a huge plus.

 

[Ghostbuster]

I'm gonna put some mini H1 projectors in the foglight housings like Derian did.. Should be good enough output.

 

[adventr]

I'm gonna put some mini H1 projectors in the foglight housings like Derian did.. Should be good enough output.

That's always an option too. Shouldn't be hard to do either.


The D2s projectors that I am running in my headlights have quite a bit more output than the mini H1s, so unfortunately, I still wouldn't be able to tell that they were even on. That's why I've decided to re-purpose the foglights completely.

 

[Hunner]

I had my run with custom parts.
After over 250 sets of skids it slowed way down until I finally had to stop for lack of interest.

Several things I made a one off of I could never get much interest going to warrant a production run and get the prices down.

I chose not to market the air intake tube in 2006 for fear of liability if the engines were in some way damaged.
The dealership I was on good terms with warned me of that, not having enough knowledge of these newer engines I only made a few for the 2006 and one for my 2008 Alpha.
I will say the ones I made have not caused any damage I am aware of.

Now that production of the H3 has ended their seems to be less and less interest in those other items.

Since I relied on production facilities for the quantities I thought would sell, small orders did not interest them and they would no longer produce them at a reasonable price.

If people come up with good ideas and can somehow keep the prices from being outrageous, more power to them. I hope some will make their place in the remaining market.

Suspension components in the future may be a needed to maintain the existing H3's if GM stops supplying them.
Proprietary body parts may also be in short supply except the rare ones that pop up in wrecking yards.

Those partially completed fender molds I have laying around may need a second look at some point.

Good luck to those who are hanging in there and I look forward to any innovations.

 

[Zach]

I know only 2 DIY v8 swaps which were done around the same time. Me and another guy who put a 6.0 in he has a thread on here.

4speeds kit which what I used for my SAS.

V8 and SAS will require work away from bolt on and go for any vehicle or pay an arm and a leg for a shop

Yeah, but your V8 swap was a complete donor that was intact drivetrain wise. Wrecked to **** but, intact. Most won't be able to find one like that. Which would make more involved. You pulled it off with fairly few issues. Buying piece by piece? Nightmare

 

[06 H3]

Yea, your best off getting as much stuff in tact as possible. I know with the other v8 swap he had different year engine and trans and there were electrical differences making it more of a pita

 

[adventr]

Been thinking of doing some kind of mid-travel setup on the front of my H3. May play around with that idea soon.

 

[adventr]

Going to be making a switch panel to fill the little cubby space in front of the gear selector. Will attach to console with a couple tabs that run down into the cubby area.






Empty space:









Switch panel in place:










Add some rocker switches:











Done.

 

[3Hummers]

Nice

 

[SedonaBound]

That's some damn fine graphics. What application did you use?

 

[adventr]

Thanks. The program that I use is called Solidworks.

 

[Bigunit]

Put me down for one of those. Looks like an OEM and clean/good use of otherwise wasted H3 interior real estate.

 

[cgalpha08]

You make it...I'll buy it