Ken Fowler and the terrible, horrible, no good very bad day...

[07Custom]

So I had a crap weekend. My gf just purchased a BMW out of Amarillo, TX and I figure "hey, I just got new tires and my truck is super dependable. Let's go on a mini vacation and pick up the car...afterall it is only 4 hrs away..."

so, we get cut off by a semi going 75mph, I slam my brakes extremely hard and drive into the median into an offroading nightmare of bouncing and wobbling. After my heart attack I realize that my brakes are not working much at all. I stop off at a gas station and they seemed to come back....then I get onto the on ramp and my truck is "hesitating" to go. The RPMs are going up and down weirdly. Then...BOOM! AND GRIND!!!!!. I get out and see smoke coming from the front passenger tire. The caliper is dangling over the rotor and there's metal shavings everywhere. The lower pin holding the caliper on snapped....and God knows what happened with my transmission if anything. I hope that was just a culmination of all of the nonsense, or I'm gonna be searching for a tranny.

Wait 3 hours for a tow truck to get there. It takes us to the dealer where I leave my truck.

So, we get the car and stay the night in Amarillo. Wake up....BLIZZARD, 12 degree weather, and people driving stupidly.

We were sliding around on Ice the whole way home. We were in traffic for 12 hrs. Tons of semis jack knived and severl people died apparently.

Now, I have NO VEHICLES. My lotus is in California getting body work done, and the HUMMER is sitting in a lot in Amarillo. I'm trying to figure out how to get it back to ABQ. This weekend was nuts.

The end.

 

[whylee]

Wow, that really sucks. Sounds like someone is having my luck ( or lack of it ).

 

[07Custom]

this has been my whole life...I'm the walking example of Murphy's law haha but I'm still a pretty happy person. Just gotta sort this crap out

 

[SedonaBound]

What's your insurer say? If your insurance is out of the picture ('comprehensive' might cover it), get it fixed in Amarillo and fly over to pick it up. The cost to have a TX towing outfit flatbed it to Albq will give you a 2nd heart attack. You might get lucky and find a DOT auto transporter who'd do the short haul from Amarillo to Albq. but it'll still be cheaper to fly in and drive it home.

 

[07Custom]

I haven't asked the insurer yet. I can't imagine them covering it? But I guess all you can do is ask. I just don't want my premium to go up from the claim. I think towing might be like $4-500 dollars. Which I've already started looking into. I mean, I don't think they're going to find a caliper pin from a 1976 blazer. I had to order it online. Plus, if there's tranny issues....oh God.

 

[Ghostbuster]

Well... I hope you don't have tranny issues...

 

[4speedfunk]

I bet your tranny is fine. You probably bent or broke a backing plate or had a caliper totally let go. Those are very common (and cheap) parts...any 73-87 1/2-ton chevy will have the same brakes. You can walk into AutoZone or NAPA and buy whatever you need to fix it. Simple stuff. Hopefully the dealer guys in Amarillo aren't trying to use Hummer parts on it! -LOL

That SAS is jerry-rigged for sure and you should consider yourself lucky. In all honesty...I can't believe you've owned it for as long as you have without putting some serious work into de-rednecking the front end. You just need uncle Funk to come down there and update that Dana with some ABS compatible hubs, new Hummer 4-piston calipers, slotted rotors, and some metric lugs to match the rear axle. While I'm at it...a knuckle-swap, drag-link, and tie-rod update (with real DREs & TREs instead of heims) would also be a good idea. A Saturday afternoon, $700, and a six pack!

Seriously. Glad you're okay Ken. If you get fed up with the White Rhino...let me know. I'm looking.

 

[07Custom]

I bet your tranny is fine. You probably bent or broke a backing plate or had a caliper totally let go. Those are very common (and cheap) parts...any 73-87 1/2-ton chevy will have the same brakes. You can walk into AutoZone or NAPA and buy whatever you need to fix it. Simple stuff. Hopefully the dealer guys in Amarillo aren't trying to use Hummer parts on it! -LOL

That SAS is jerry-rigged for sure and you should consider yourself lucky. In all honesty...I can't believe you've owned it for as long as you have without putting some serious work into de-rednecking the front end. You just need uncle Funk to come down there and update that Dana with some ABS compatible hubs, new Hummer 4-piston calipers, slotted rotors, and some metric lugs to match the rear axle. While I'm at it...a knuckle-swap, drag-link, and tie-rod update (with real DREs & TREs instead of heims) would also be a good idea. A Saturday afternoon, $700, and a six pack!

Seriously. Glad you're okay Ken. If you get fed up with the White Rhino...let me know. I'm looking.

haha Uncle funk, come help me out man. I'm ready. and to heck with a six pack, we're drinking a case. I'm serious though, if you are ever in the area and want to work on my truck, let me know. I'll do all of the work if you direct me.

for as strange of a setup that I have it is pretty dependable from what I've seen. I tell you, I was preparing for death on that one. It was some scary stuff.

I'm having it shipped back, $475. The deductible on my insurance is $500....I have an extra caliper pin so no need to pay more for someone else to "troubleshoot" my truck. They'll lose their minds trying to figure it out haha

Are you ever in Albuquerque for business CJ?

 

[4speedfunk]

Are you ever in Albuquerque for business CJ?

Not yet. -LOL

Its so damn cold here right now....I'm tempted to jump on a plane just to find some warmth!

 

[IISPEEDYII]

I bet your tranny is fine. You probably bent or broke a backing plate or had a caliper totally let go. Those are very common (and cheap) parts...any 73-87 1/2-ton chevy will have the same brakes. You can walk into AutoZone or NAPA and buy whatever you need to fix it. Simple stuff. Hopefully the dealer guys in Amarillo aren't trying to use Hummer parts on it! -LOL

That SAS is jerry-rigged for sure and you should consider yourself lucky. In all honesty...I can't believe you've owned it for as long as you have without putting some serious work into de-rednecking the front end. You just need uncle Funk to come down there and update that Dana with some ABS compatible hubs, new Hummer 4-piston calipers, slotted rotors, and some metric lugs to match the rear axle. While I'm at it...a knuckle-swap, drag-link, and tie-rod update (with real DREs & TREs instead of heims) would also be a good idea. A Saturday afternoon, $700, and a six pack!

Seriously. Glad you're okay Ken. If you get fed up with the White Rhino...let me know. I'm looking.

dumb question probably, but what different about his? I never saw anything written before.

 

[4speedfunk]

This H3 has been on the forums for many years...quite some time before 07Custom acquired it. It was spotted in and around Colorado and was one of the first solid-axle H3 builds out there. For several years it was a "ghost rig"...everyone knew it existed but, nobody could get any specific info on it. From time to time some grainy photos would appear on the net but, it remained sort of a myth, much like the Loch Ness Monster, Sasquatch, or that upcoming G&R album (still waiting Axle!). So the truck jumped around the 4-corners region, from owner to owner, dealer to dealer, craigslist, ebay, etc....eventually landing in Ken's driveway a couple years ago. Not long after, Ken joined the forums (07Custom) and finally shared some info on the White Rhino.

Long story short. Its got a Dana 44 solid front axle (probably from a GM truck), mounted on a leaf-spring suspension. A previous owner told me the SAS was done by a shop in Colorado, after the stock IFS took a crap on him (imagine that?)...and that was all he knew about it. It's got 4.56 gears and an Eaton E-locker in the front. It uses a Toyota steering box and a traditional Jeep style cross-over steering. It uses Dana 44 brakes with non-functioning ABS, TCS, and Stabilitrac. Its a low-budget, home-built rig with some rather scary-looking workmanship but, I know many Jeep guys that drive around daily in worse built rigs! Overall...its not that far away from being bad-ass. Clearly there were some short-cuts taken during the build but, they can be corrected.

Its only a machine. No match for the human mind and the will to improve it.

 

[IISPEEDYII]

This H3 has been on the forums for many years...quite some time before 07Custom acquired it. It was spotted in and around Colorado and was one of the first solid-axle H3 builds out there. For several years it was a "ghost rig"...everyone knew it existed but, nobody could get any specific info on it. From time to time some grainy photos would appear on the net but, it remained sort of a myth, much like the Loch Ness Monster, Sasquatch, or that upcoming G&R album (still waiting Axle!). So the truck jumped around the 4-corners region, from owner to owner, dealer to dealer, craigslist, ebay, etc....eventually landing in Ken's driveway a couple years ago. Not long after, Ken joined the forums (07Custom) and finally shared some info on the White Rhino.

Long story short. Its got a Dana 44 solid front axle (probably from a GM truck), mounted on a leaf-spring suspension. A previous owner told me the SAS was done by a shop in Colorado, after the stock IFS took a crap on him (imagine that?)...and that was all he knew about it. It's got 4.56 gears and an Eaton E-locker in the front. It uses a Toyota steering box and a traditional Jeep style cross-over steering. It uses Dana 44 brakes with non-functioning ABS, TCS, and Stabilitrac. Its a low-budget, home-built rig with some rather scary-looking workmanship but, I know many Jeep guys that drive around daily in worse built rigs! Overall...its not that far away from being bad-ass. Clearly there were some short-cuts taken during the build but, they can be corrected.

Its only a machine. No match for the human mind and the will to improve it.

Haha thank you, Im relatively new to here (been on the forum a year now) so I had no idea!

 

[Pappibri]

Glad your okay... Hopefully Dr Funk will come and help doctor your rig back to life and improve its health a wee bit.....

 

[06 H3]

First off I am glad your ok. Glad your girlfriend is ok and so is the truck. Find a "hot shot hauler" to get it back to you. They are normally a guy with a dually that can load up crap on a trailer and do short little trips wherever you want.

Hopefully this is some motivation to get your truck up and running in a safer manner. CJ is a cool guy and I would seriously get him out to you. Hes the go to man for lower buck non ghetto SAS stuff. He told this many many times. Its just metal, nothing a welder and grinder cant fix. Its true, easier to say it now that mines done but you can get your truck safe and sound. I had mine up to 86mph and felt safe. You should be able to do the same.

See if your schedules can work out. If not maybe I could help you out. I am not CJ but can still offer help. Either way, you probably want ABS now. That you can do without anyone there. Track down some H3 rotors and calipers. The steering and frame you still wanna fix but atleast if you can get the ABS running you can slam on your brakes without ending up on the side of the road or knocking on heaven's door.

 

[Bigunit]

Glad you are OK 07...but I think I have you beat when it comes to bad luck! Hang in there.

 

[07Custom]

First off I am glad your ok. Glad your girlfriend is ok and so is the truck. Find a "hot shot hauler" to get it back to you. They are normally a guy with a dually that can load up crap on a trailer and do short little trips wherever you want.

Hopefully this is some motivation to get your truck up and running in a safer manner. CJ is a cool guy and I would seriously get him out to you. Hes the go to man for lower buck non ghetto SAS stuff. He told this many many times. Its just metal, nothing a welder and grinder cant fix. Its true, easier to say it now that mines done but you can get your truck safe and sound. I had mine up to 86mph and felt safe. You should be able to do the same.

See if your schedules can work out. If not maybe I could help you out. I am not CJ but can still offer help. Either way, you probably want ABS now. That you can do without anyone there. Track down some H3 rotors and calipers. The steering and frame you still wanna fix but atleast if you can get the ABS running you can slam on your brakes without ending up on the side of the road or knocking on heaven's door.

Hey man, I'll gladly accept any help. It's so close to being finished...