Well as the title says. I have an H2 to build for a friend with a $40k budget. By $40k budget I mean $40k for parts and thinks I am going to sub out such as having it wrapped and all. . Have a flawless condition low mileage 2008 H2 to work with. This is for a lady that likes big trucks, her father owns the largest/best body shops in the state and he bought this H2 new and it has been babied and a backup vehicle. Has around 65k miles on it. She wants it big, loud, mean, and wants everyones head to turn when it goes by. Now I have been building custom cars and motorcycles since I was 14 and have built 3 custom H3s and a custom H1 but have not messed around with H2s much. I wanted to get all you H2 guru's opinions on what parts to use on this build as I know the amount of knowledge y'all have would be insane amounts of research for me to parallel. I am a veterinarian but I have been building custom vehicles on the side for a long time (mainly for myself) but have started doing them for others more recently and about to open a custom shop here in town in the next year or so. I have the largest/nicest body shop and mechanical team at my disposal for this build (her dad owns it so zero labor costs), the local off-road shop which is the largest in the state is next-door and the owner is friends with her father and they trade services so will have them install the lift kit and all, etc.

Here is the criteria so far:



Exterior cosmetics: Projector headlights, Led side markers/turn signals, LED tail lights, custom grille (maybe T-Rex or may have my fab guy do a one off one), fender flares, side steps, will be doing a fully wrap on it (gonna go wild probably, neon green or blue maybe, haven't decided yet), windows tinted front to back.

Front and rear bumpers and roof rack

Exhaust, intake, tuner, possibly supercharger. Any recommendations on best power upgrades would be greatly appreciated.

Obviously re-gear the axles, going to research upgraded steering mounts/axles, etc.

She wants it as big as she can get it. She is not very practical but I am going to make her keep it semi practical so it doesn't fall to pieces. Thinking 6-8" lift and 38-39s (she said 10-12" lol, I said NO). This will be a mall cruiser. It may get in a little mud once in a blue moon but 95% on the pavement. Bulletproof? Fabtech? Other? Any necessary upgrades other than re-gearing, obviously extended front/rear driveshafts, brake lines, etc.

Interior- are there any companies that have any major interior upgrade kits? I'm sure Katskinz has some seat covers. Factory seats in good shape just boring. Going to replace radio and sound system. She wants a starry headliner so will be swapping it. Will get some custom floor mats and probably have a lot of the interior pieces either painted or may have them wrapped to match the exterior. Anyone make any upgraded digital dashes that can be swapped in?



Yes I know I am asking for a ton of info and probably going to be a lot of opinions in here. Pretty much what I am asking is if you had $40k that you had to spend on parts on an H2 to make it big, loud, move as quickly as a big H2 can lol, and make it as one of a kind looking as possible- what would you throw on it? I will be posting pics/progress of the entire build on here as well!

Will get some pics of the H2 tomorrow or Thursday. Going to do some research over the next week and then start ordering away.

Thanks,
Spencer

 

Supercharger for sure and Katskinz seats, wrap the door panels and dash with leather. I am anxious to see what you do with this rig.

 

US Speedo for the cluster. - probably need to call them as they only show the earlier 03-07 H2 ones. Pretty much any GM full size truck cluster for the same year will fit, the H2 just has a different front lens is all, at least on the 03-07 ones but I'm pretty sure the same goes for the 08/09 ones.

Magnuson supercharger will be the most reliable big performance upgrade. Combine that will full long tube headers, high flow cats, and a good cat back system.

For a wrap, just be sure the shop you choose had a lot of experience and is competent. 3M and Avery make the best wrap vinyl hands down but Orafol, then Kpmf and Hexis would be the last choices. This is the business I am in and have been in for over 20 years, I know what I am talking about. If it were my own vehicle it would be 3M or Avery, period. In that order. A full wrap, done to "consumer" standards is not going to be cheap either. I say "consumer" as individuals tend to be a bit more picky than a commercial wrap client. On a commercial install there might be a seam in the middle of a door or something. For an individual, it will use more material but we would make sure that each panel is one single piece if at all possible. Also door jambs are almost never done and if that is desired, that will add a LOT to the cost. I'd also not bother with the roof, no one will see it and that will degrade much faster than the rest regardless. Have the right expectation for a wrap, it is not a paint job, it is not as durable as a paint job, and will not last nearly as long as a paint job (depending on the conditions). If kept outdoors year round, daily driven, and not well cared for a wrap will last about 3 years. Garage kept weekend only might last 10+. Garage kept but daily driven and very well cared for will get 5+ years.

Get a custom upholstery shop to fo a full custom interior or get a Katzkin dealer to customize a set of new seat covers.

 

I might be interested in the interior depending on color and condition

 

Absolutely do the Magnuson supercharger. If you can find a kit for the hummer. Magnuson actually recently took the H2 kit off their website. And before you put it on, add a catch can and take care of your carbon deposits on your pistons. Just learned from Magnuson that you cannot get any fluids through the supercharger. So no oil or top engine cleaner.