The goal is to get rid of what we consider frou-frou bling. First, we're going to replace the chrome door handles and chrome mirror caps with black handles and caps (thanks Hummer for sending those!). This will completely de-chrome our H3. Next, we're taking the rig to the wizards at Burnsville Auto Body/Burnsville Off Road in Burnsville, Minnesota, for a liberal application of flat clearcoat. This will totally eliminate the gloss of the factory red paint, leaving it mega rugged-looking. The mad scientist behind the body work is Burnsville Off Road owner Dan McKeag (former TTC competitor, Viper TJ creator, Wrangler Hemi conversion master, Chrysler Design Excellence Award winner and overall nice guy). From there our H3 will boomerang back to the Four Wheeler Midwest Bureau in Illinois where it'll undergo a bolt-on blowout beginning with a set of Rod Hall remote-reservoir racing shocks.
Life with the H3 Alpha has been quite pleasant. A few days ago, we loaded the rig with a family of five, plus a few days worth of gear, and pointed it north to Wisconsin Dells, Wisconsin, for a three-day Christmas indoor waterpark getaway. While we immersed ourselves in aquatic bliss, outside it was a deluge of freezing rain, snow and wind. When we finally sauntered outside after the storm had passed we found our Alpha encased in 1/4-inch of ice and buried under a mountain of snow. A few minutes of windshield defroster and an application of the snowbrush found us in motion and confidently navigating the snow-clogged roads of central Wisconsin. It was yet another example of how capable yet civilized the H3 Alpha is. The exceptional four-wheel drive system with rear locker, responsive handling, outstanding power and refined ride are some of the many things that continue to impress us. More to come, so stay tuned.