my new HMMWV! ...well, sort of...

[BugEyeBear]

OK, here's the story...

I looked at many of the ex-military Humvees that were available recently & either found them to be in need of much work (which equals future $$ to be spent), or they seemed to be over-priced (equals extra $$ today), or they had been highly modified to the owner's personal tastes.
I did find a couple of nicely "upgraded & improved" Humvees, but they had either been driven hard (yeah, I know, that IS what they are for...), or the seller wanted big $$. One of them had many creature comforts added, and I found that I enjoyed comfy seats & a 4spd trans & A/C, which led me down a slightly different path...

I finally decided on an H1. (No "haters" please!)
Found this one that is not overly optioned and appears to have been well taken care of.

Now I just need to start looking for parts to make it match MY personal tastes.
Here's my shopping list:
-Undercarriage protection & skid plates & maybe some rock bars.
-Winch (looking for recommendations, & I want to minimize any negative impact to the approach angle)
-Maybe a set of beadlocks (preferably something that can pass as being "street legal")
-Budget performance upgrades
Suggestions & Recommendations would be appreciated!

"Cheers!"

 

[nattieleather]

I say congrats and I hope you enjoy it very much! Nice looking truck.

 

[sigo]

Are you going to make it look like a MV? I have thought about the same thing. I looked over HMMWVs for sale and found a lot of the same issues. For less money I can probably find a decent H1 and modify it to be close to an MV. The interior is the biggest difference appearance wise, but some nice OD cloth, and some modification to the rest, and a tan or OD paint job and you'll have a more comfortable HMMWV.

 

[novagator]

Nice Hummer, I just bought a 2000 Hummer wagon.

 

[BugEyeBear]

Thanks everyone for the kind responses!

Are you going to make it look like a MV? I have thought about the same thing. I looked over HMMWVs for sale and found a lot of the same issues. For less money I can probably find a decent H1 and modify it to be close to an MV. The interior is the biggest difference appearance wise, but some nice OD cloth, and some modification to the rest, and a tan or OD paint job and you'll have a more comfortable HMMWV.

Well the plan is to SLOWLY make it look more military, but I don't want to jump there right away.

I had actually been looking for one with a faded paint job, thinking I could repaint in OliveDrab, but the ones that I found w aged paint usually also had thrashed interiors and drivetrain, or had been wrecked, so I passed on those.

I like the fact that this one already has the miltary style turn signal lights, and that it is painted green (admittedly not OiveDrab or DesertSand), and that it isn't all chromed out with "bling", so to a novice it already looks kinda military.
As it ages I'll decide on what degree of military trim I'll bestow on it...
OR MAYBE I'll one day find a cheap HMMWV project truck that I can build just for play.... ("Uh Oh! That's a BAD sign... I'm ALREADY talking about buying another one!!")

"Cheers!"

 

[TedG]

Nice score. Funny how a civi is turned military'ish and a hmmwv is turned civi'ish (at least with paint and tires).

 

[PorscheTech911]

Looks like a really nice truck, that would be the route I'd take as well.

 

[NDT]

Go with the Milemarker military winch. Lots of surplus availability right now. Is yours a 6.5 turbocharged?

 

[panzerwillie]

very nice Hummer you will enjoy it i do mine a lot

 

[whyme]

i know they share much of the same components but how is the crossover on the parts? i would assume most would but then the military has its own spec for stuff.

 

[AWheelsOhio]

Its very hard to find a mil humvee i wish i could find one so bad!! I have the wheels for them but no actual humvee...... If anyone knows an easy way to get one let me know.

Btw i do like your H1 its pretty sweet!

 

[BugEyeBear]

@TedG: Nice lookin' PAIR of Humvees!! I'm jealous! Was one justified by saying it could be "the wife's Humvee"?? <LOL>
...
@NDT: Yes, I've heard good things about the Milemarker Winch. I'd like to discover their ease of installation, reliability, and the impact on the approach angle. Can you clarify any of these?
& mine has a 6.5 NA (i.e. Normally Aspirated = NO TURBO), but I'm more than OK w that (significant HP & Torque increase over the 6.2, and no turbo reliability issues... PLUS it does also have the 4-speed OD trans & reasonable gearing for highway speeds).
...
@whyme: I believe that many parts are compatible between the HMMWV & Hummer, BUT many are unique also. One has to do their research before attempting to swap parts. Some assistance and some of the differences can be found on "The Hummer Network - The Hummer Knowledge Base":
Hummer Knowledge Base
...
& @everyone else: THANKS! I appreciate all of the positive comments!!

 

[dirtyfingernails]

beautiful truck! I've been wanting one forever--just don't have the funds. May I ask about service? Since the brand is no longer around, if your run into a problem, who will you get to do the work?

 

[nattieleather]

@allwheelsohio You've got the wheels now go get the next part and then the next part and so on and it will come.... Ok may take 20

 

[L999here]

...for the wife...

Been looking for a Humvee also. Wife says she wants one....but she can't reach the pedals on the duce....LOL. Go figure....

 

[BugEyeBear]

beautiful truck! I've been wanting one forever--just don't have the funds. May I ask about service? Since the brand is no longer around, if your run into a problem, who will you get to do the work?

Well, I'm pretty handy, so I can do most of it myself.

THAT SAID, there are still a lot of former Hummer dealers (now under the badge of some other GM dealership) who still carry parts & who still service all the Hummers that they've sold to customers in years past...
All you have to do is Google for "Hummer dealer" or "Hummer service" and you can find them. (Hummer of Savannah, & Tustin Hummer in CA are just a couple of them...)
AND they are basically just a GM powered modernized Jeep-like truck with a different drivetrain/suspension configuration. Not really anything that takes a Rocket Scientist to figure out!

IF YOU DO GET ONE (or any other unusual vehicle for that matter...) the best thing to do is buy a PAIR of service manual CDs (or DVDs). Then keep one at home & stash the other in your vehicle so that you'll ALWAYS HAVE all the correct service details with you if you ever have to take it to a repair facility that isn't familiar with your vehicle's particulars. That'll prevent "Bubba the mechanic" from having to GUESS how to reassemble your xfer case or unique braking system.

 

[BugEyeBear]

Been looking for a Humvee also. Wife says she wants one....but she can't reach the pedals on the duce....LOL. Go figure....

Dude!! If your wife says that SHE wants a Humvee I'd suggest that you make this happen!!
WORST CASE SCENARIO she later decides that she doesn't like it and then you'll just have to "force yourself" to relieve her of it and make it your's!!
WIN - WIN !!

 

[BugEyeBear]

@allwheelsohio You've got the wheels now go get the next part and then the next part and so on and it will come.... Ok may take 20

Yes, it IS a sickness.....

 

[BugEyeBear]

Its very hard to find a mil humvee i wish i could find one so bad!! I have the wheels for them but no actual humvee...... If anyone knows an easy way to get one let me know.

Btw i do like your H1 its pretty sweet!

Thanks!

I'd have to say that since you already have the wheels you JUST HAVE TO get a Humvee... We'd all hate to see those wheels go to waste!!