Raptor Makeover on a T1N Sprinter: NERO becomes 02-BLUE!

In this video, the Florida Van Man crew tackle the project of transforming Nero from a sad primer-coated van into a classy metallic blue raptor lined van! Links for everything we used will be in the description!
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AMAZON AFFILIATE LINKS
Raptor Bed Liner: amzn.to/34l2QIe
Stir stick needs cut down: amzn.to/3kuDrli
Respirator I should have worn more: amzn.to/2HpQlCi
Tack Cloth: amzn.to/3kAPz3S
Por15 rust treatment: amzn.to/3mdCLRA
Masking Tape: amzn.to/2HuFJlL
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Audio Credits (in order)
Soul Searching - Causmic
Back to the Future Jellyfish - NoMBe
Cutting it Close - DJ Freedem
Rest Easy - Vans in Japan

[@JCanEdit]

Pro tip this is my job you get a better finish if you hold the trigger down rather than on and off

[@MrMoss786]

Bill gets better and better at spraying as he goes along. Towards the end he is just fluent

[@Ms.Frankenbuilder]

Pretty color. Nice job.

[@eileenralston3832]

phew! what a lot of work but it came out nice! keep up the good work Florida Van Man crew!

[@FloridaVanMan]

Thanks, will do!

[@zambotv8150]

Hardcore Bill, his lungs will be the same colour as that van! Ha

[@FloridaVanMan]

I tried... then I forgot to put it back on after stepping away for a second. I did the same thing in the spray foam video. Is it my age or the paint fumes causing memory loss???

[@zambotv8150]

@@FloridaVanMan Ha ha. I do it all the time myself, as long as you don't over expose yourself I am sure you'll be fine. The van looks great by the way

[@FloridaVanMan]

@@zambotv8150 One of the advantages to not having a shop... I was outside under a make-shift plastic roof and no walls, just parked between two donor vans. Besides, a few blue boogers never hurt anybody.

[@zambotv8150]

@@FloridaVanMan Ha, ha....

[@benjaminAgagne]

Looks ducking sick!

[@davidwilburn5594]

Thank you the van looks great

[@yagkoshaa]

Well done you folks, amazing job really impressive finish!! Like watching your videos carry on with the good spirit! A fellow T1N er 😎

[@FloridaVanMan]

Thank you very much! Please click a few of the links in the video description. No purchase needed to boost the channel ratings.

[@JoseOrtega-xn4mj]

Wow 😮looks 👀 GREAT! Is this the first time you do this? BTW any suggestions, regrets or tips if you’d have too do it all over. Thanks worth seen your video & is appreciate any suggestions as I plan too do the same but I’m a complete newbie. Best regards!

[@FloridaVanMan]

This was the first, we did a purple van later. Tips: turn the air pressure up a bit higher than you decided, based on texture. Lower pressure gives a taller texture and it is easy to add texture with a second pass. It is real hard to make it smaller after you started. Buy more paint than the minimum. I had 17 and wish I used 20.

[@JoseOrtega-xn4mj]

Thanks for the tip it makes sense…

[@bodybailout]

Go Blue!

[@rogelio1979able]

9:29” Love squirrels running un the cable 😂 good job on the raptor liner !! I’m waiting on the liner but I ordered 12 liters of dark olive and 4 black for the bottom and a hood . Do you still recommend to order more or this will be enough ? What are your recommendations .

[@FloridaVanMan]

I used 17 & definitely wish I had more, especially on the roof. Possibly 2L of white for your roof would be wise? I may have gotten better coverage with less texture. I turned the control out 2 turns and ran 60psi. I did not experiment any, just went for it! But in hind sight, I think if I turned the adjustment only one turn it would have speed a bit thinner, leaning toward a mist & farther from the splotch. Our next Raptor job might be applied with a roller. I didn't want roller lines, but I think I can cover them better than I did spray patterns.

[@rogelio1979able]

Thanks ! I just ordered 2 more liters to be satisfied with a more uniform color .

[@rogelio1979able]

Total of 18 liters.

[@christianahava]

Nice, I have the same van in red raptor!

[@alwayslearning1015]

Looks amazing !

[@jeffrice8620]

As the owner of a “Richard Petty” Big blue T1N, Over here on the space coast, I Love it!!

[@FloridaVanMan]

Awesome!!! Is it raptor-lined also or it came factory that color?

[@jeffrice8620]

@@FloridaVanMan reg paint, not factory, purchased it already painted from Sprinter Van City last year. Serves as my daily ride for my plumbing biz. Will DM ya some pics. Love the Channel and all the helpful content 🙏🏼🛠👍🏼

[@kirbymoore492]

I wish you would do a video on how to remove the speed limiter on the T1 N the van

[@FloridaVanMan]

Moving it up to 82mph requires Dealership Automotive Software (DAS) like Xentry or Star-Diagnostic. The details will differ by brand and version. I have a DRBIII like dealerships had in the late 2000's and that just isn't available to most folks. Reportedly, others have defeated the 82mph governor but I don't know how. My van went up to 95 for a while but I have no idea why it did for a while or why the limit is back now.

[@4gcole]

I had a tan Linex finish put on my roof and hood and it looks great! I get a lot of good comments about it!

[@nmartin5551]

Another great video, and I love the blue. What task can you not do??

[@OneManOnFire]

I'm definitely interested. Did it come out even? Would you say you need more than 20 bottles or more needed to even out?

[@FloridaVanMan]

20 liters would have been enough. I used 17 and did not get as even coverage as I hoped. A more skilled painter would have gotten a better even finish, I'm sure. I think we will try a van with Raptor's roller kit and compare. I think I can smooth out roller lines that I was afraid of, easier than evening out the spray patterns.

[@nicholasmartin7922]

@@FloridaVanMan Did you end up doing a roll on kit? I'm debating rolling vs spraying now. Also trying to figure out how much I need of each color for two tone. Calculating surface area ugh.

[@FloridaVanMan]

@@nicholasmartin7922 Spray!!! I have used the roller on one van roof and I may never do that again! The rolled texture is not pleasant to wash or lean on. I sprayed 17liters on the blue van and wished for a little more. 20 liters would have been plenty and if I were doing two colors I would definitely not try less (again).

[@nicholasmartin7922]

Florida Van Man friend of mine rolled on his running boards. It’ll take your skin off if you’re not careful. My only concerns thus far are adhesion to fiberglass or bondo, and the heat difference inside the van from factory white to the raptor grey.

[@EpicPlayer954]

very informative 💯 thanks

[@ericvanderbogart2464]

Looks good. I have a newbie question for you: I noticed the white hood has 2 square cutouts on either side of the intake grill. I have those on my 2002, what are they for?

[@FloridaVanMan]

That means your 02 has had an 04-06 hood swapped in. 02-03 vans have a smaller slat styled cutout. 04-06 vans have a larger honeycomb styled cutout. Meant to match the grilles as seen here: kzbin.info/www/bejne/hGG8koGNl6mNoa8 -Mike

[@ericvanderbogart2464]

Ok, thanks for the info, makes sense now. It was from a small fleet and has the honeycomb grill and Dodge style headlights too. Enjoying the channel, looking forward to new ones.

[@N3pea]

Did it help insulate the van better?

[@FloridaVanMan]

Nothing noticeable as far as heat, but the Raptor does reduce road noise and does't grow mold like factor paint. My factory painted vans mold because I don't wax often enough (or wash).

[@MasonDelapp]

Looks great. I'm about to some Liner Xtreeme to paint my 05 in Desert Tan. How'd you get your bumpers painted so well? :)

[@FloridaVanMan]

Krylon plastic bonding spray paint. aka "Fusion". It ages pretty well and can be touched-up without removing the bumper every time. With the consistency of Flat Black rattle cans, you can spray just the needed area, holding a cereal box to shield the area you don't want over-spray. No need to repaint every inch every time because it will match.

[@MasonDelapp]

@@FloridaVanMan Awesome!

[@ChrisLoew]

Did you reuse the windshield or buy a new one? any thoughts on gaskets or things to do when removing it?

[@FloridaVanMan]

I bought a nifty zip tool after seeing a pro use it on a neighbor's car. I tried to make a video of removing the glass without breaking it. Well........ I stopped counting the breaks at about 30!!! I tried to edit the video and after taking out the cussing there wasn't anything left! A new windshield installed was only $230 including a new rubber frame.

[@WingItWithEthan]

I put raptor liner for the bottom portion, how much did it end up costing to do the whole van? I’m only curious, because I was considering doing a dipyourcar (plastidip) job on mine soon. Just got a roof rack, ladder, roof vents so far. 05, T1N dodge sprinter 158” wb passenger 111k miles.

[@ChrisLoew]

DO NOT PLASTIDIP your van, does not remove easily after a few months and near impossible after a few years, vinyl wrap if you want protection or a different look.

[@FloridaVanMan]

Agreed! This van had a few Plastic-dip shapes on it. They were a nightmare! At least the spray-paint spots sanded off. The Plastic-dip just gummed up the paper and fought me.

[@FloridaVanMan]

$900 in material including sand paper, respirator and Por15 kit. We used 17 liters and I wish I had 3 more.

[@WingItWithEthan]

@@FloridaVanMan wonderful thank you for the reply.

[@WingItWithEthan]

@@ChrisLoew thanks for the heads up.

[@patrickhuijsman]

What is the collor code? (Ral??)

[@FloridaVanMan]

They SAY* it is Real: 5019. Raptor UP4860 or for 2K UP4889

[@patricialacava4472]

Has anyone used Durabak smooth bed liner on their van? Any pros or cons to a smooth finish? Also pros and cons of using a roller rather then sprayer?

[@FloridaVanMan]

I've not heard of Durabak but our next Raptor painting will be roller applied. I didn't want roller lines in the paint, so I tried the spray. The splotchiness of the spray may be worse than the roller lines I feared?

[@patricialacava4472]

@@FloridaVanMan I just think a smooth bed liner will be easier to wash clean then a rough texture. I could be wrong about that. My considerations for color is keeping the van cool and hiding dirt. The best of both world is a light tan, light blue, light grey and white. I want of future that involves the least amount of time dedicated to cleaning!

[@FloridaVanMan]

@@patricialacava4472 Agreed! The reason we went with bed liner on this van was because of the need to wax all 5 vans we had painted in 2018-2019. Our vans don't get washed enough and I know the life that grows on them is eating into the paint. Trying to keep them waxed (not green) has become a problem! Dirt I can live with, it doesn't eat paint. Mildew might not "eat" it, but it definitely destroys it!

[@gregboyd4321]

Reattach coating should give many yrs of reduced rust protection. Did u remove the windshield specifically for getting those pesky rust areas that could be problematic? Excellent! !

[@FloridaVanMan]

Yep, had a few spots of rust on around the windshield. All ground out and treated with Por15 now.

[@gregboyd4321]

@@FloridaVanMan u ever tried ospho which u can get at ACE

[@treemanchris]

I can tell you’re stuck in that Florida humidity aren’t you? How many bottles do you really recommend to do that van correctly?

[@FloridaVanMan]

20

[@davidwilburn5594]

Nice paint job really like your videos first time I seen that grill I really like it Will it fit my 04 sprinterAnd who makes it

[@FloridaVanMan]

This van has the standard Freightliner grill with a thin Dodge chrome strip on the hood. I don't think you'll find a new one but there are plenty in the junk yards and parts donors.

[@rayparker8045]

Were can i find a good t1n

[@FloridaVanMan]

Central Florida! I am selling a 2003 for a friend right now. $10,000. Needs windshield and custom build. It has been painted with bed-liner, tan & black.

[@757sk8er1]

One of the best decisions we made for our sprinter van “Moody” was to bed liner it!! Now when we drive through wooded areas sticks n debris don’t even phase the armored outside!! Super Rad blue color man!! We used www.speedokote.com/t-rex-protective-coatings/

[@FloridaVanMan]

We already have a van we call Blue and this one is a 2002, so naturally the painted van has been named "Oh! Too Blue!!!", not 0 two blue. It's all in where you put the pause. Like my other van, The Blue Ballroom. If you put the pause a different place it takes new meaning.

[@theeaskey]

I tried to make a donation, wouldnt work, not sure what the problem is.

[@FloridaVanMan]

Hey! Where did you try and make this donation? Was it on our website? Thanks again!

[@theeaskey]

@@FloridaVanMan I copied the link from here, it would not go through.

[@Simonofcalifornia]

Anyone in Southern California wants to do a white paint let get together.

[@SurfSCRasta]

I'm in Santa Cruz getting ready to do my 118 low roof!

[@Simonofcalifornia]

@@SurfSCRasta are you doing it yourself or got a paint shop or boot?

[@Simonofcalifornia]

I got a high roof 118 and thinking of going white.

[@SurfSCRasta]

@@Simonofcalifornia Ill be doing it myself in my aunts shop! I want to go white as well but trying to determine if the fading yellowish rumors are true or not..

[@Simonofcalifornia]

@@SurfSCRasta let me know how your research goes. I wonder that why so many go Khaki color.

[@MatthewDannevik]

The tip looks to narrow, I think you want a flat and wide one

[@FloridaVanMan]

Yep, that was the wide one. The foam kit comes with two style tips, fan and point. This was the fan tip, believe it or not. I wish it was more of a fan spray pattern!

[@AZRockRunner]

Folks, please spend money on your safety gear/respirator and don't breath in those dangerous VOC. This is not worth it as you will find out later.

[@FloridaVanMan]

I agree 100% and I'm trying to form better PPE habits. Gloves, glasses, mask, etc.