blog

22k and Climbing

Sat, 12 May 2012 00:44:32 +0100

Happy May, Hans3Teers! This May has been a busy month so far: I graduated college, had a family reunion, I'm planning a wedding and working on getting ready for a move! It's been great so far, and I'm looking forward to the future. But enough about me...let's talk shop!

Rolling back from WV, I hit another millennial increment -- 22,000 miles. I've had Barney almost 2 years now, and I've clocked about 18,000 during that time. That's a-ok by me, as I look forward to hanging onto my truck for as long as possible. The lift rode pretty well on the 550 mile trip home; I also had the truck fully-loaded with my belongings from my dorm. So...so far so good.

As always, thanks for stopping by. Later on!

R.I.P. -- Radio (Antenna) In Pieces

Tue, 24 Apr 2012 22:29:48 +0100

I took the truck to the new automated car wash in the area a week and change ago, and, while it did do a great job of cleaning the road gunk off of Barney, it washed with the power of a thousand rainstorms and broke my OEM antenna off at the base. Bummer.

Long story short, I replaced it with a much shorter 14" AntennaX unit. So far, it seems to work just as well as the OEM 36" antenna. That's it, I guess. Just a radio antenna. woot woot!

Seriously, that's it. Just an antenna. Now scram, beat it!

The "Blackification" Continues -- Flat Black Emblems

Sat, 21 Apr 2012 04:29:02 +0100

A few weeks back I experimented with some Plasti-Dip on my Alpha badge and wanted to make sure the stuff was durable before I committed to doing all the others. My verdict: This stuff is awesome. I've been through rain, dirt, and an incredibly powerful automatic wash and it still looks like it did the first day.

How powerful was the carwash? you say? Well, powerful enough to break my radio antenna off a the base. Yup. Not pumped about that one. I already went ahead and ordered a replacement mini-antenna, but more on that when it's here.

Anywho, the Plasti-Dip has maintained its original, uhh, texture/consistency/aesthetic, so I went ahead and did all of my "H3 T" badges.

Who is that handsome reflection?

So, with the badges done, I'm thinking the next logical step in the "blackification" might be the grille...but that will have to wait and see. Later on, Hans3Teers!

Skidplate is On!

Sat, 21 Apr 2012 04:20:13 +0100

Howdy hey, Hans3Teers! Today was my official last day of classes! My, how the years have flown by! Seems like just yesterday I was staring all starry-eyed towards the hallowed halls of my academic institution and...oh whatever, you're not here to hear that garbage! Let's talk turkey.

You want a picture of the skidplate, and I want to show you one. So take it in, ladies and gentlemen -- I present to you the Hans3T/Nascar Jim modified skidplate.

She a'int a looker. That much is obvious.

Basically, I wedged the bottom end of the plate in-between that cross member and the new diff cage because there was honestly nowhere to bolt it. The top is, obviously, bolted on with some new non-rusty hardware I picked up for about two bucks at Home Depot. Voila.

Now I want to try and find a decal or make a stencil to put on that big empty spot. If you've got any ideas, hit me up on H4O or on the Hans3T Facebook page. As always, thanks for checking in on Hans3T! Have a great weekend!

Working on the Skidplate

Sat, 07 Apr 2012 05:03:10 +0100

With the school year, and subsequently my academic career, winding down, the amount of school work I've been doing has been inversely related. This pitty-party of academic-egregiousness has not kept me completely out of time to work on the truck. Today, with my tried-and-true helper, Nascar Jim, we were able to utilize his bottomless truck box of tools to get my replacement skidplate onto Barney.

I'm not sure if I covered this in any of the posts on the lifting of my truck, but the OEM front skidplate will not fit with the lift without being heavily modified (i.e. cut-up). So, a wonderful friend of mine on H4O hooked me up with a custom made skidplate he received and didn't need. The only problem was that the piece was used and had a corner bent up to where it would not fit between the (I think they are) crossmembers of the lift. I are good at knowing mechanical thingies.

Long story short, the mechanically-inclined NJ and I took to hammer, cutting, grinding, then re-spraying some paint onto the skidplate and I was able to get it more or less in place. I'm sure the cutting may have effected some of the structural integrity of the plate, but for two dudes with limited tools and metal-working knowledge, we did what we had to do. I'm hoping with the lift I'll be high enough to where the skidplate will be more for show than anything. Tomorrow I'll be putting the two bolts in to hold the sucker up, and then I should be good.

I'm looking forward to looking at Barney again without him missing his "two front teeth", as I like to put it. I'll be sure to post-up some photos ASAP! A big thanks to NJ for his help today. Okay, that's all folks! As always, thanks for stopping by, Hans3Teers!

Barney is Straight Dippin'

Tue, 27 Mar 2012 22:21:08 +0100

Well, Plast-Dip, that is. Yes, the craze sweeping the automotive modifiers around the states has finally sunk its teeth into Barney's behind...quite literally. My obnoxiously chrome-y Alpha badge has been too shiny for my taste since day one. After seeing some other users' finished products, I decided to give Plasti-Dip a shot. I gotta say, I was very nervous straight-shooting "paint" onto my truck. But this stuff is really unique -- it's like shooting latex in a can. At first, it's wet like paint. But when it dries, you simply peel off any over-spray (or a botched first attempt........and a botched second attempt...) like you were pulling the wrapper off of some Laffy Taffy. Odd analogy, yes, but the other analogy is sort of XXX.. Anywho, the third try was the charm for me, and I was happy with the coat. I guess if I don't like it, I can always peel it off whenever I'd like. Without further adieu, here is the new Alpha emblem:

Someday, when the "blackification" fad dies down, the resale value of my truck will be terrible. ;-)

The "H" badge on the left is actually a vinyl sticker -- and I have that on all three "H"s. So, I'll likely peel them off and Plasti-Dip them for consistency of color, texture, and increased durability.

Anywho, the end result of this stuff is pretty impressive, and the clean-up and prep work is easy as pie. Since this emblem went well, I can definitely see this Plasti-Dip making its way to other regions of the truck...stay tuned, Hans3Teers! Thanks for stopping by!

H3 vs Barney

Tue, 20 Mar 2012 02:48:18 +0100

Howdy Hans3Teers! Been a while, eh? I tell you what, senior year is not as easy as the movies make it out to be! ;-)

Anywho, I feel like this should definitely have happened by now, but I was finally able to find a stock H3 to park next to to compare the lifted T versus an OEM height 3. Here you have it:

There isn't too much else to say...I think the photos speak for themselves. I think there is a slight difference.

Thanks for checking in! Later on!

The Lift: Re-Visited

Sat, 03 Mar 2012 03:10:57 +0100

Sheesh, I feel like the site is a lover scorned right now -- I haven't given it any attention in over a month! I'm a terrible blogger! Oh, the shame!

In all seriousness though, it was a busy month of getting things right with Barney. And it's still not 100% done. So, after doing some research and checking-out the lifted rigs of other H3 guys, I came to the unfortunate realization that Barney was not properly sized during his initial visit. I called the garage and their diagnosis was that the rear add-a-leaf provided didn't lift the rear end, and they were unable to bring the front up as high as it should have been so that the T wasn't riding like a Baja truck.

I got 1" out of the rear add-a-leaf, which was not what we wanted at all. I gave my contact at Boosted Parts a call and he got me replacement add-a-leaf out the next day and I ordered some Warrior extended shackles for the rear as well for good measure. We ended up stacking the both pairs of add-a-leaves (so 2 on each side) in addition to the Warrior shackles in order to obtain the necessary lift. I'm not sure what caused the ineffectiveness of the add-a-leaves, as I know many H3 SUV guys who have used them successfully. My guess is that it had to do with either the weight or length of the H3T compared to the SUV.

The add-a-leaves are the pieces with the yellow ends, and the Warrior shackles are, well, the big grey shackles.

Once we got the rear end sorted out, we went ahead and cranked the torsion bars in the front to unleash the true capability of the lift and the end result looked eons better than the original "lift" (which turned out to be more like a leveling kit because of the limitations). Notice (below) how my CV boot is now practically level. Before, it was pointed downwards. This should NEVER be the case when lifting. If anything, it should be pointed upwards just a bit. The more level it is, the less stress there is on the joint. Now it is adjusted so that it is appropriate.

Anywho, the only couple of odds and ends left to do are have an alignment done and get my front skidplate to fit back on, which will require either a metal press or some beers and a hammer. Tough choice. I also had the truck in for some warranty work that I had scheduled waaay back in January. I had a plastic trim piece that had come loose replaced, my torn driver's seat cover replaced and the slantback hinge that was not closing properly now closes like a dream. (Thank goodness, that one was a frustrating eyesore!) So, for now, all is good and I'm glad to say February is over and done with!

This looks a bit more like it, eh? And don't you dare say a thing about 35" tires...we all know what needs to be done.

Now Barney is looking as good as he should have from day one. It took a lot of emails, research, phone calls, and so on and so forth...but just look at that final product! It was well worth the effort. As always, thanks for reading -- hopefully I won't have another terrible posting drought again this month.

Until next time, catch you later, Hans3Teers!

Beware the Dinosaur -- Barney is Lifted!

Sun, 29 Jan 2012 07:14:13 +0100

After holding onto boxes of lift kit pieces for weeks and months and...okay, well not years, but...a long time...Barney has finally got a lift on! And which one? C'mon, you had ought to know by now -- I announced it on H4O earlier this week! I chose a Tuff Country 4" suspension lift. To be completely specific, the kit I bought was actually a leftover XD-Series Suspension Lift, a re-badged TC lift, if you will.

Unbeknownst to me, XD and TC partnered at one point, but the junction failed to draw much buzz from consumers so not too many of the "XD/TC" kits were made. And by that, I mean not too many of the "XD/TC" stickers were printed... :-P So, for a supreme deal, I was able to pick-up my XD/TC lift in October from a great e-business run by even better people. Todd at Boosted Parts was an absolute pleasure to deal with and made me truly feel valued. I know it's cliche to say that, but in my opinion, it is the front office that makes the business.

Speaking of front offices, I can tell you one that is TERRIBLE: Motorsport Tech (no link for them because I don't want to give them the search-engine-optimization!). I had my 1.5" hub and wheel-centric spacers made here, and the product is great...here's the problem: They took almost 2 months to make them because they forgot to put in my order...even after I called 4 times to remind them. The part I was most pissed about? I paid their full retail price on THE DAY I ORDERED THEM. That money could have been earning me interest in the bank. So what did they offer to do to make up for the delay? Jack-diddly-sh*t! Not to mention the manager there, JC, was less than enjoyable to speak with on the phone. Needless to say, I will be staying away from them.

Hans3T, enough babble, you nitwit -- I wanna see photos!! Oh, sorry about that, imaginary audience in my head -- coming right up! And just so you know, there are lots more photos in the H4O build thread!

Suspension Lifts: Making Things Taller than Vitamins and Genes Since Forever

Having driven about 30 miles on the lift, I can't give a deep review yet; however, so far so good. The ride is slightly dippier, but not to point of getting seasick or anything like that. Honestly, it rides well. I had the lift installed by a local shop near campus, Brown's Tire, and they treated me very well (i.e. a great student-oriented price for the install). For full details on the lift, check out the build thread on H4O cited above! I'll be sure to post up new, pertinent information as it develops.

As always, thanks for stopping by and reading Hans3T! It's been close to 2 years and I'm still not bored of it. I guess that qualifies this as a true hobby now! Go figure. Later on, Hans3Teers!

Building Barney: A (Nearly Correct) Timeline of my Mods

Sat, 21 Jan 2012 19:13:24 +0100

I decided last night, with snow and freezing rain falling outside, that it would be a good time to finally start a "build thread" on my truck over on H4O. A build thread, for those unfamiliar with forum lingo, is a comment thread chronicling the various modifications I have performed on my H3T, complete with commentary and photos.

You may be asking yourself, Isn't that what this website is for? In short, yes! Yes, absolutely -- however, not everyone cares about reading some overzealous kid's blog so they can sift through tons of posts to see a photo of a CB radio I installed or the set of Rocky Roads I bolted on. So, for those types of souls, I started a build thread. Just consider it a Reader's Digest: Hans3T Edition.

For those of you who haven't seen it, you can feel free to check out the H4O thread here. As always, thank you kindly for stopping in and reading Hans3T! Later on!