20/10/2026
Sprinter no2!
Where do I start??? 😳
Maybe at the beginning?! Nick got in touch with me back in 2023 to book his Mercedes Sprinter project van for a Raptor paint job! Unfortunately due to various unforeseen circumstances, he didn’t actually bring it to me for nearly 2 years after making the booking! 😮
But as soon as he was able, he jumped in this behemoth jalopy of a van and travelled up the country to HQ 😎 That was back in December, maybe January - I honestly can’t remember now 🤦🏻♂️😂 But it was with the understanding that I wouldn’t be able to actually start it until March/april 😬
So the big ole sprinter has been in & out of the shop more times than possibly me, shuffled from pillar to post, swore at, became fixtures & fittings, and generally took up a lot of real estate for the past 10 months 😳😳😳😂😂😂
When we finally got down to business, it was time to get serious! Nick had a vision, an ideal, a crazy dream! Based on another van called The Hulk, with inspiration from extreme polar vehicles, and many other wants & needs! Nick had started the work inside…….and outside 😬😬😬 To fit the enormous tyres under the arches, he simply cut them off 😂 Then bolted some unsightly plastic arches on top 🤦🏻♂️ These HAD to go! WE needed to do better! 👍🏼 So Jay being Jay, designed and fabricated the first all steel wide arches for the big Merc 😎😎😎 His fabrication and engineering skills shined and the results speak for themselves! He retained the factory shape and look from the side, but added 4” to cover those huge rubber balloons called tyres! 👍🏼👍🏼👍🏼
Once he’d finished the custom work, it was finally down to me to smooth everything out, reconstruct the rear doors - they were totally tatered due to the weight being carried, and some accident damage - so a few days of shaping, smoothing and reinforcing ensued! 🥵
Eventually the body was straight, rust, dents, and all manner of bodywork issues sorted, and it was into epoxy! This was a milestone, it always is, but after all this time, it was a turning point! 🥳😂
The Raptor followed straight after - RAL6022 Olive Drab over standard black - I love this combo and it’s perfect for this build! 😎 A nice mix of textures gives this hulk-buster a fantastic look! 💪🏼
Add the decorative spade, rocket tubes & ladder on the sides, spare wheel carrier and generator carrier on the back, the newly installed light-bar on the roof, the freshly powder coated roofrack, and we have a serious build on our hands! 😃 We also wired up the bonnet lights when we installed the light-bar, so this thing can now light up the future 🤩😂
Now this should have been the end of the story, but no! There was a little thing called an MOT that was required before it could leave! 😱 The last fail sheet was extensive - possibly longer than this write up 🤦🏻♂️😂 So cue Jay and my dad - they worked through every little bit of the sheet, every issue, every fault, every requirement! From new rear brake/handbrake shoes including full adjustment, replacing the steering wheel to get the airbag light off and safety features reinstated, seat belts fitted properly (as Nick had fitted 6 Nissan Elgrand seats which weren’t the most compatible with the Mercedes wiring etc 😬), then the rear seats required belt mountings, so Jay welded in some serious box section to make everything solid, safe & compliant, then they drilled & bolted all 6 seats (which had been previously welded to the floor!), the list probably goes on, but my brain can only hold so much information 🤦🏻♂️😂
So after all this, we got the MOT certificate 🥳🥳🥳 Which meant the van could finally go home 🥳🥳🥳🥳🥳😂
Shortly after Nick came up with his lovely wife & son, and their reactions were perfect! 😍
I think we nailed the brief after countless hours of fabrication, prep, paint, repair & custom touches 👍🏼👍🏼👍🏼
Thank you so much for the business Nick, and the opportunity to be a part of a huge project - I really can’t wait to see you finish the interior and drive to the North Pole in it 😎😂
Again thanks to Jay for some seriously cool work, and a lot of additional time working through every issue the sprinter could throw at us 👊🏼👊🏼👊🏼 Thanks to my Dad for all his work and help 🫶🏼 Thanks to my team 🥰
And if you made it this far, thanks to you for reading 🙏🏼🤣
