Your mind can't really wrap around the amount of work involved in this Gold Rush Hummer H2. If it could you'd wonder how many years it took to bend, mold, and create such a custom automobile. Truth is, Bill Carlton and his talented crew at Ekstensive Metalworks in Houston, Texas, built the laid out mastery in an amazingly short six weeks. Now able to ride just inches off the ground while turning 26s at each corner, the 500hp beast of an SUV is known in the world of custom trucks simply as Bill's Hummer.
You may have seen this Hummer in other publications looking drastically different, with no body mods, color, wheels, etc. However, this is the first time Bill's reincarnation has graced the pages of any magazine. After the sudden and unfortunate death of baseball star Ken Caminitti (the original Hummer owner), Bill purchased the H2 from the Caminitti family and decided to take the SUV to the next level. The next level meant building a "what if" vehicle that was much easier said than done. It's easy to sit and shoot the bull with your buddies about building a custom chassis, shaving everything, and creating an interior that audio sponsor Directed Electronics could use in its booth at CES. It's easy to talk about, but when the words fade and the truck is still sitting in the shop - well, that's where metal meets welder, and in the Ekstensive Metalworks shop, the welder always wins.
Pulling the body off the frame, the original frame and chassis were tossed in favor of Ekstensive's own mandrel-bent frame, custom motor mounts, custom tranny mounts, custom tubular body mounts, and custom trailer hitch. (The key word here being "custom.") New fuel lines were ran from the custom aluminum fuel cell, as well as new hard brake lines installed. With the frame painted, it was time to install what has become Ekstensive's bread and butter: the air suspension. Up front, custom built, chrome-plated tubular upper and lower A-arms were bolted to the spindles with Firestone 26c airbags installed. Out back, an Ekstensive two-link was put in place and provides the 20c Firestone 'bags a place to reside. Providing the air for the two Thomas 337 air compressors are custom-made air tanks using four G.C. 450 valves and 1/2-inch copper air line. This air suspension provides Bill with ample adjustment for the perfect ride height that can literally be just inches off the ground. Stuffed under each of the driver-side fenders are huge 26x10-inch Gianelle Spezia 6 wheels mounted on Hankook 305/35R26 tires by Derek Kruse. Flipping the Hummer around reveals the 26x10-inch Giovanna Merano wheels with paint-matched caps. Each side exudes a class that is limited to high rollers.