Day 2 arrived bright and early. Steven Spengler arrived at the
Marriott in time to have breakfast with the group. Afterward,
he drove us to the AM General Plant just up the road in Mishawaka
where we were led on a tour of the AM General Facility. Once at
the plant we were led around between two buildings. The one to
our left was the H2 facility, which we were told was pretty much
like any normal car line – mass produced vehicles where
production of numbers was the primary goal.
Our attention was thenturned to the doors of the Hummer plant.
As we were led inside, our “Tour Guide” (a long time employee
of AM General with many stories to tell) explained to us that
cameras were not allowed in the H1 / HMMWV (High Mobility Multipurpose
Wheeled Vehicle) Plant. He also gave us a quick history of the
company and his role there.
The first stop in the facility was next to a fully camo'd military
Hummer being built for overseas duty. They showed us the thin
seats the military uses, the stripped-down sections and he gave
us a quick overview of the differences between a civilian HI and
a military Hummer. The list was much shorter than I expected. Essentially, the H1 is very similar to its military brethren. The
largest changes are for comfort and street-legality.
The H1 has a higher hood to accommodate the Turbo (most of the
military versions do not have turbos), it’s designed with
real seats that have a level of comfort for travel, the electrical
system is 12 volt and the air intake system is plumbed differently.
The 12 volt system is used to operate the civilian-required lighting,
and the standard Monsoon Stereo system (got to have your tunes).
The H1 is designed to be safe and work in about 30” of water
and as we were told that even though they sell a deep fording
kit they don’t really recommend going deeper, even with it
installed because of the street-going electronics.
The military versions, on the other hand, tend to have stiffer springs for a higher
load capacity (because when’s the last time a Marine Grunt
checked the load rating before shoving everything he needed to
move in the back), a 24 volt electrical system and are able to be shut off and started while completely submerged
in water. In addition, military versions come in all different
shapes and sizes from open “trucks” to completely-enclosed ambulance and radio trucks.
As we walked around the plant from the order to the ready-to-be-delivered vehicle it was obvious that this was truly a “configure
to order” assembly line. Civilian H1’s and Military
HMMWV's for various duties are built in line with each other.
The components are nearly the same and the same people build each
part, for each vehicle. For example, have you ever noticed the
rows and rows of rivets holding the aluminum panels on a Hummer?
Each hole is drilled individually, an adhesive compound is then
placed on each sheet, the sheets are layered together and a rivet
is place thru the hole . All of this work is done using manually-controlled tools.
Hummers are built by hand! Yes you heard me, by hand just like
a Ferrari or Lamborghini. They use an automated assembly line,
but the build work at each station is completed by members of
the United Auto
Workers Union.
After the Hummers have gone through each station they are delivered
for final test runs and paint. This is another place where the
civilian and military HMMWV's differ. The Hummer’s aluminum
panels don’t take well to “civilian” paint jobs.
The materials used on the hummer are best suited for flat paints
and not the shiny metallics and polishes that the consumers want
on their rides. Consequently, the non-military ones go off to a different
paint shop where the aluminum is prepared and the civilian colors
are shot.
Upon visiting the paint shop and watching them paint a brilliant
white on some industrial trucks for the Border Patrol,
it was obvious how much work, time and effort go into a single
Hummer H1, military or business contract. It’s a
work of art – a functional work of art.
As we left the plant, we stopped and looked into a new 2004 Hummer
and were very surprised by a new interior which consisted of new
colors, new materials and as much more comfortable feel as well
as an aesthetically-pleasing layout. One of the people in the
class (a current H1 owner) commented that the new interior finally
looked and felt like it should in a $100,000 vehicle.
Upon completion of the plant tour we headed to the Hummer Technical
Center where we were treated to a working lunch and a presentation
outlining what we would be doing for the next few days. This is
the place to ask questions and get any of your concerns out in
the open before you really get into the week.
At the Technical Center, we were shown cut-away views of the Hummer
engine, transfer case, drivetrain and the vehicle itself. All
of these things would come back to play in a few days when we
returned to the Technical Center for a class called “Vehicle
Field Repair.”
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Engine cut-away |
Inside the oil pan |
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Torsion Limited Slip and brake assembly |
Eaton Electric Locker assembly |
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Cut-away interior and controls |
Chassis cut-away |
After lunch we headed for the first time to the actual Training
Facility and got our first view of the Off-Road Driving Course.
After a quick discussion, we all jumped into an H1 (in the
passenger seat) and were driven around the facility and the trails
that make up the course area. I have to admit, I was pleasantly
surprised as the track and area had places that would surely prove to
be difficult and challenging. In addition to the extensive trail
system and the man-made obstacle course which consisted of rocks,
vertical walls and horizontal walls, moguls, log crossings, water
crossings, teeter totter, etc they had also created a number of
man-made obstacles that emulated famous off-road landmarks like
“golden crack,” “dump bump,” and even
had a “mini-Rubicon.”
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Entrance to the Dealer Test Track |
H1's waiting for students |
After our tour of the area, we changed seats with our instructors and got to drive around
on some of the easier trails in order to get a feel for the vehicles.
At this point it became obvious to me that I was in for some fun. They really had some challenges for me to get through.
I was impressed not only with what the Hummer could do out of
the box, but also with the patience and work ethic that the instructors
showed with everyone. It was obvious that they enjoyed their jobs
and were doing something they loved to do.
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H1 Fording Basin |
30" of (cold) water |
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Training area trails |
Nice and tight forest trails |
After what seemed to be a way-too-short amount of time, we brought
the H1’s back into the corral and settled down in the class
room for a safe recovery class which included field work and an
intro to navigation class.
The recovery class did a great job of explaining the different
tools that can be used, how to safely use those tools and what
to look for when inspection for damage. They even included a few
displays of damage caused when things go wrong.
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Recovery items |
Discussion about each piece |
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Outside lessons. Step 1, "The Strap" |
Pulling a vehicle |
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Hummer winching techniques |
Connecting the remote |
Our first day at the Academy proved to be a great introduction to
Hummer, AM General, the Tech Center and the Off-Road Driving Facility.