2003 Hummer H2

Making a good first impression is something most people try to do. The way people present themselves visually is a big part of this, since most first impressions are based on appearance. In a general sense, a first impression applies mainly to meeting new people, but its importance is found in several other areas in life. Take the automotive enthusiast hobby for example. When you bust out that freshly slammed or lifted hauler sporting a new set of hot licks and body modifications galore, your truck offers a first impression. In short, custom truck enthusiasts either love it or hate it. The other unique aspect about first impressions is you only get one chance to make them, which is why when custom truck enthusiasts roll their handcrafted work of art out of their garages, they make sure every detail has been attended to before it is revealed to an audience of custom truck critics.

The folks from AIM Industries in Mesa, Arizona, are big on first impressions and work hard to make good ones when introducing new products to the company's extensive line of aftermarket custom truck parts. This is also true when they roll a freshly finished company custom out of its shop bay doors and into the custom truck limelight. The company's owner and president, Joe Morrow, takes great pride in building quality components aimed at those who go a bit on the extreme end when making modifications to their custom rides. One of AIM's latest developments is a custom bolt-on 18-inch suspension lift kit for the popular Hummer H2, which maintains the OEM independent front suspension, uses all Grade 8 hardware, and keeps the torsion bars in their stock locations. In order to market this kit and make a splash in the custom automotive aftermarket parts arena, Joe decided he needed to build a wild custom H2 to show off the new lift kit. To get the ball rolling, an '03 Hummer H2 was purchased and a plan of attack was drafted up.

Joe and the crew from AIM Industries knew in order to snag looks from enthusiasts and potential customers, as well as get the attention of the World's Leading Truck Publication, the Hummer not only needed to be sky-high on big wheels and rubber, but it needed extensive cosmetic updates on every surface. To help make the Hummer a cutting-edge cover vehicle, Truckin' magazine teamed up with AIM Industries to build and orchestrate the many facets of the extensive buildup.

The transformation began at AIM Industries' facility in Mesa, where much of the stock suspension components were tossed in the round file to make way for the custom AIM 18-inch lift. The kit is built out of 1/4-inch CNC laser-cut steel and features a complete bolt-on installation with no welding required. This custom lift comes in a silver-vane standard finish but can be powdercoated in a variety of custom colors upon request. A custom triple-shock hoop up front provides additional ride enhancement, while AIM Industries' Airwave air springs can be inflated to provide even more ride comfort. The Airwave is a custom airbag-over-strut setup designed for supreme ride quality and adjustability. To damp the suspension, AIM's custom-valved chrome-plated shocks do the trick for the weight demands of the H2. To make the kit highly visible on Joe's Hummer project, it was powdercoated bright-yellow for visibility under the massive H2 skin.