Image via Grind Hard Plumbing Co/YouTube
If you’re like us, you’ve fantasized about buying a military surplus Humvee for cheap and turning it into some cool off-roader. Normal people don’t sit around and think about such things. They instead want to buy a flashy new Ford Bronco or Jeep Wrangler loaded with expensive options, so they can go through the Starbucks line.
The Mexican Army is replacing its Humvees with this military vehicle.
That’s why when we saw Grind Hard Plumbing Co. bought a janky, used-up Humvee from the military at auction and decided to throw a supercharger in it, we knew we’d lover the project, or at least the end result.
But they didn’t just slap a supercharger on the original diesel engine. They went the route so many others go, LS swapping it by yanking an engine out of a C6 Corvette. Believe it or not, while those diesel engines have their advantages, by the time the military is done with them they’re just a bunch of problems.
Doing that engine swap alone is enough to make a Humvee far more enjoyable. But they weren’t done, taking a supercharger donated by a Cadillac STS-V and bolting that on to dial up performance and really get things ripping.
You can see in their video Humvees are relatively easy to work on. Not only can you reach chassis components easily thanks to the high ground clearance, just removing two bolts lets you take the front cowling off so you have unfettered access to the engine compartment.
But these projects never go off without a hitch, at least not if you’ve never done them before. One of the big challenges these guys face is insufficient clearance for the supercharger, something a Sawzall “fixes.”
The Humvee is still a bit of a mess, with the diff exploding like a grenade during the test drive (they knew this would happen) so they guys need to iron out a few wrinkles. But overall we think this might be the best way to enjoy a former military Humvee.
Image via Grind Hard Plumbing Co/YouTube
