Finally got myself an Alpha

[USMC_315]

Finally after going back and forth on it for over a year I am finally a proud owner of a 2009 H3 Alpha. Got him (my Alpha is actually male) from Carmax and they are working on the finishing touches right now before they hand it over. So I have some questions about the vehicle...

1. What are your top three "must haves" on your H3?
2. Will I experience rubbing with 35"s?
3. Issues to look out for in the future?

Thanks guys, and I will post pics by this weekend

 

[Neo]

congrats mine's not an Alpha but the top three for me are 35's, no chrome, and it had to be green. 35's will only rub at full lock and some brands don't from what i have heard my Toyos have always rubbed. look out for Prius drivers and all other tree hugging commies... just my 2 hundredths of a dollar :wink: enjoy that Alpha :cheers:

 

[cgalpha08]

Torsion level is definitely at the top of the list, UCP, and 35s.

As far as issues, from an engine standpoint I haven't had any (knock on wood). The typical bushing here and there and normal wear and tear are main issues

 

[K0PIR]

I have an i5 and my priorities were tires, intake, exhaust, ported throttle body, and UCP. The list of improvements goes on. I need to get a tune now.

Rich - K0PIR

 

[High Five H2]

exhaust, solid axle swap, UCP.

 

[Highatop]

Congrats. Tbars to no more then 23 1/2, UCP, 35s and rockrails. That will get you started and then more and more will get on that wishlist. Good luck

 

[Billy]

Anther proud owner. Best cat back exhaust for Alpha?

 

[RamRod]

Congrats!

Depends on what you want to do with him,

I would start with protection and new rubber if you are going to wheel it, if not then level, wheels and de-chrome

 

[3Hummers]

35" tires will rub a little at full lock.

 

[amrg]

Undercarriage rust protection is a great way to keep rust off (if you are planning on keeping the truck)

 

[Cyouincourt007]

Congrats! All necessary maintenance according to miles or usage
Ucp,Gobi stealth rack, de chrome hehehe, leveling, sun roof drains/ exit paths if applicable,sliders, heck I don't know it really depends on your taste and likes and usage ..perhaps a cb, maybe you like dropping bass and want to slap some subs in there, maybe some light bars, a snorkel...maybe you like chrome and want to bling bling, .well most of this I don't even have but its on my list I'd definitely recommend displaying the H4O stickers to represent our click :wink:

check into trans cooler and radiator bypass but as f5moab would say statistically the data does not support the reports of a few here who have experienced radiator o ring failure tranny death lol.

 

[USMC_315]

Thanks guys, helpful ideas on what to add. I'm definitly going to lean towards making this an offroad vehicle mainly because my deuce is my daily driver, I know that sounds backwards. I thought of a couple more questions that have to do with the tire sizes...

Do I need to get the speedometer adjusted for larger tires?
Do I need to change the gear ratio for the larger tires?

Thanks again!

 

[derian06]

Thanks guys, helpful ideas on what to add. I'm definitly going to lean towards making this an offroad vehicle mainly because my deuce is my daily driver, I know that sounds backwards. I thought of a couple more questions that have to do with the tire sizes...

Do I need to get the speedometer adjusted for larger tires?
Do I need to change the gear ratio for the larger tires?

Thanks again!

No and no, you should be pretty happy with your V8. My speedo is about 10% off from 32's to 37's

 

[whylee]

My best Alpha mods have been Supercharger, Torsion bar level, And black wheels to go along with blacking everything out.

 

[Ghostbuster]

If you get larger tires your speedo will be off. Maybe not by much. You can get a pcm tune that I believe can adjust for larger tires and help performance of the engine. You can also adjust shift patterns and such.

 

[USMC_315]

So good news and bad news...

Bad news, after driving this H3 around for a while, I am coming to a consensus that it has been in an accident. The carfax show it is clean, but the car itself shows otherwise. Steering wheel is off-center, the front end is f**ked up (hard to describe), paint in front is very slightly different than the rest, and the hood is not sitting correctly. This vehicle seems like nothing but problems...

Good news, Carmax is being awesome in helping me fix the issues at no cost to me. They're working on all the stuff listed, as well as a leak that was coming in from the back gate. Willing to attempt to fix all the issues, but if it doesn't end up to my standards, I can return it.

Good news X2, another Alpha popped up in Laurel, MD and I'll be going to take a look at it while this one is being worked on to keep my options open. I hope I can keep this white Alpha, but at the same time I'm not going to invest into a lemon. The one in MD looks nice; it's an '08 with orange ext. with an all black int., I'll let y'all know the outcome

 

[Bigunit]

Goof luck. Keep us updated.

 

[Cyouincourt007]

Dang, hope turns out fine

 

[scoreh3]

It's good to hear that Carmax is being a stand up company . I do hope they continue to do so and fix it . Good luck , keep us updated .

 

[amrg]

My front hood is currently slightly miss aligned, I looked at a fellow members H3 and his has the same misalignment (one side seems to be 1/4" higher, can only notice it if I look hard at the point where the hood meets the grille)
Both of us had no body damage whatsover.

 

[High Five H2]

did you buy it already? man I'd run away.

 

[USMC_315]

I technically bought it, but Carmax has a 5 day return policy so I can walk away. I'm going to let them work on it and then see where it ends up. I really hope this one turns out fine cause Im not a fan of orange

 

[derian06]

My front hood is currently slightly miss aligned, I looked at a fellow members H3 and his has the same misalignment (one side seems to be 1/4" higher, can only notice it if I look hard at the point where the hood meets the grille)
Both of us had no body damage whatsover.

I have this too, and my steering wheel is never aligned properly, always slightly tilted.

 

[scoreh3]

Do you have a good body shop near you ? Maybe see if they will check the frame and check for any evidence of repairs .

 

[High Five H2]

I'd run away. H3 alphas aren't a rare species, not yet anyways.