The Gnarhauler: Another white cargo van.

Sigg

Member
When I first started kicking around the idea of painting it I was originally thinking a traditional base coat/clear coat paint job. I got to talking to a friend who’s in the hot rod business and he suggested Raptor for its ease of application, durability and cost. I went with Raptor over the other liner brands because I really liked the idea of being able to adjust the texture. All the others seemed to be just one type of heavy, textured finish.

Raptors also nice because it’s readily available as well. Both the auto paint supply shops in my area have it on the shelf in both black and tintable, plus you can get it delivered from Amazon within a day or so.

I was deadset on Monstaliner…but now I'm kicking the idea of Raptor liner again. I didn't think my compressor was up to snuff, but it seems like it's way more than others have managed with. A few more questions, if you don't mind:
• How many quarts did you use (color and black)?
• What did you thin the color with?
• And what HVLP gun did you use?
 

i bike

Active member
I was deadset on Monstaliner…but now I'm kicking the idea of Raptor liner again. I didn't think my compressor was up to snuff, but it seems like it's way more than others have managed with. A few more questions, if you don't mind:
• How many quarts did you use (color and black)?
• What did you thin the color with?
• And what HVLP gun did you use?

~5 quarts black, I sprayed the bumpers as well
~12 quarts tintable
Thinned with regular urethane reducer
I used the good ol purple gun from HF, drilled the spray tip out to ~2mm.

My compressor is a 30 gallon Husk, it was off more than it was running while I was spraying.


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i bike

Active member
I was deadset on Monstaliner…but now I'm kicking the idea of Raptor liner again. I didn't think my compressor was up to snuff, but it seems like it's way more than others have managed with. A few more questions, if you don't mind:
• How many quarts did you use (color and black)?
• What did you thin the color with?
• And what HVLP gun did you use?

~5 quarts black, I sprayed the bumpers as well
~12 quarts tintable
Thinned with regular urethane reducer
I used the good ol purple gun from HF, drilled the spray tip out to ~2mm.

My compressor is a 30 gallon Husky, it was off more than it was running while I was spraying.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 

Sigg

Member
~5 quarts black, I sprayed the bumpers as well
~12 quarts tintable
Thinned with regular urethane reducer
I used the good ol purple gun from HF, drilled the spray tip out to ~2mm.

My compressor is a 30 gallon Husky, it was off more than it was running while I was spraying.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Whoa! That’s more than I thought! I was hoping to eek by with an 8 quart tin table kit and 4 quarts of black. My vans an EB too, but passenger. I wonder if having all the windows, not spraying jambs, and using the same color would make that much of a difference for me? I’ll probably rattle can my rockers with black primer first to help a bit too.


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i bike

Active member
Skipping the jambs and having windows should take a lot less material. I probably used 2-3 bottles on my jambs alone. I did paint the inside of the barn doors too which definitely took some paint.


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Sigg

Member
Skipping the jambs and having windows should take a lot less material. I probably used 2-3 bottles on my jambs alone. I did paint the inside of the barn doors too which definitely took some paint.

Well, that's good to know! Maybe 8 bottles WILL, in fact, be enough to do the body. That would be nice! At least part of the reason for considering Raptor over Monsta is cost. It would cost over $500 (plus tax…cause I'm in AL) to Monstaline the whole van. Plus, if I'm gonna be painting the whole thing solo, it seems like spraying will go WAAAAAY faster than rolling.
 

i bike

Active member
Too pumped to wait for better pictures. 13’ of U-Joint roof rack, Thule awning and cargo box all mounted up. I’ve been sitting on this stuff for a few months, waiting to get the paint wrapped up. I am officially stoked! Just in time for a moto trip to Utah this weekend. The shade and extra storage will be much appreciated.
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dwysywd

Member
Holy crap. Love the build and this thread has lots of great details. Question about your plywood attachment. How did you attach to the walls? With screws? Glue? Both? I pulled all the plastic out of my window van. I want to insulate and cover with something cleaner and less bulky. I like what you did. Do you have any closeups of the fasteners?


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i bike

Active member
Holy crap. Love the build and this thread has lots of great details. Question about your plywood attachment. How did you attach to the walls? With screws? Glue? Both? I pulled all the plastic out of my window van. I want to insulate and cover with something cleaner and less bulky. I like what you did. Do you have any closeups of the fasteners?


Sent from my iPhone using my facsimile machine.

Two rear side panels are held on only by the L-track, sandwiched against the side of the van. L-track screws into 10-32 rivnuts installed in the sheet metal of the van. The panel behind the driver seat is attached the same way, but instead of L-track I’m using 10-32 oval head machine screws with finish washers screwed into rivnuts. I’ll get some pics of the non L-Track panel.

I had two dirt bikes in the back of the van over the weekend and was using the side wall L-track as a fastening point for one of the tiedowns and had a rivnut pop out on one end. I plan on replacing all the sidewall rivnuts with plus nuts, which seem to grab the sheet-metal better.


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i bike

Active member
It can’t all be dirtbikes and sunshine. I was camped up in Toquerville Utah riding over the weekend. Pulling out of camp Sunday morning and the van seemed to be hung up on something like a rock or a rut. Gave it a little gas and heard a pop. Got out to investigate and found a hole in the diff cover and gear oil all over....

Come to find out a ring gear bolt backed all the way out, sheared the heads off four adjacent bolts, tore up the ABS exciter ring and blew a hole in the diff cover.

I limped it back into town and got it to a mechanic the next day. Had to overnight parts from SLC, got the repairs done Tuesday and headed home in the afternoon. Miraculously all the shrapnel stayed on the drivers side of the pumpkin. Ring and pinion were untouched.

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i bike

Active member
Long time no update, I've been keeping up over on SMB Forum. Progress on the electrical system. Finalized my design. Got all my parts and cable together and got to work.

Layout finalized
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i bike

Active member
Interconnects installed

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I used desk grommets to allow cable to pass thru the distribution panel, PVC conduit clamps to manage cables on the backside.

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Routing cabling from under hood, ground and house battery location along frame rails and into the cabin. Used some hi temp wrap where I crossed the frame rail and passed under the exhaust manifold.

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i bike

Active member
Cabin entry grommets and house battery disconnect point.

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Cables in the van, starting to tie everything in. I used some plastic edge guard on the openings in the factory sheet metal where cables will pass thru. All power and ground cables got covered in split loom once inside the van.

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