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Chevy Colorado, GMC Canyon Get Improved Off-Road Performance With Hummer H3 Parts

Anyone with a first-gen Chevy Colorado or GMC Canyon pickup that’s begging for an off-road upgrade can get exactly that by turning their wrench on the Hummer H3.

For those readers who may be unaware, the first-gen Chevy Colorado and GMC Canyon ride on the same platform as the Hummer H3, namely General Motors’ GMT355 architecture. As such, there are a variety of H3 components that are a direct swap between all three, thus enhancing the pickups’ off-road capability without dropping big coin on aftermarket pieces.

The Hummer H3, which shares a platform with the Chevy Colorado and GMC Canyon.

As reported by The Autopian, the big ticket items can be found around the front suspension, where the Hummer H3 can supply new control arms, knuckles, hubs, brakes, and more, providing the pickups with increased suspension travel and a wider track. Additionally, the H3’s larger brakes and non-captive rotors make it much easier to perform brake maintenance, enabling DIYers the ability to swap rotors on the two GM pickups without disassembling the hub.

Of course, the swap does require a few small adjustments depending on what you want to do, such as modifying the sway bar mounting points and addressing some differences in the ABS wiring, but it shouldn’t be too trick for the more mechanically inclined enthusiasts out there. Plusl the end result is a significantly more capable front end.

Rear-end upgrades are also becoming more common. Swapping in the H3’s rear axle provides several off-road advantages, such as disc brakes (rather than the factory drums), 4.56 gearing, and a wider stance to match the front. That said, this portion of the swap is slightly more involved, requiring changes to the exhaust routing and rear sway bar mounts, but in the end, folks are reporting a substantial performance improvement.

Of course, the big headline for all of this is cost – if you can find a donor Hummer H3 at a scrap yard with all the required components still attached, performing these upgrades should be a pretty cost-effective way to transform the first-gen Chevy Colorado or GMC Canyon into an off-road-ready machine.

Jonathan is an automotive journalist based out of Southern California. He loves anything and everything on four wheels.

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  1. I had a nice 2009 Z-71 2wd, with all the RPO’s a guy could want.
    I bought it from a great dealer in Ontario Cali., got a great deal and O’bumered my 1998 S-10.
    The ONLY bad thing about the 1st gen. Colorado’s i didn’t like was the fact that the 3.7L 5 banger was no longer in production, and no replacement engines were to be available !
    I now own a 2020 2wd Z-71 3.6L ccsb… it’s a great truck, I hope to keep it many, many years.
    BowTie POWER !

    Reply

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