Was just at CCV yesterday as we are passing through (we live in San Francisco) at the beginning of a month long ski trip and wanted to say his do be able to give a first hand observation. They are freaking busy. No less than 15 vans in process, every bay full, 6 people working flat out. Ford, Chevy, Pro masters, and Sprinters. Pretty much the same scenarios each of the three other times I have been by there over the past year.
I worked with Derek to get the mid size top into production. We have the first midsize EB top to come off the mold. We have had it since June 2015 and absolutely love it. It is the bomb. We are currently on a month long ski trip around the Rockies and Sierras spending most nights in the van. The insulated top and canvas have performed really well. The Espar D4 has effortlessly (running on low setting) provided heat when we are top up. D2 would probably have been sufficient but wanted to cover zero degree nights. About 10 deg difference between under the bunk and above. We slide the bed forward about ten inches to allow the heat from below to rise up the back wall. The whole setup is very comfortable. We expect some some zero nights before the trip is over so our configuration will get a good test. Not bad since I still need to insulate all the doors and make better fitting window covers.
Re: lift capabilities - we have a 300w panel, extended mega warrior basket, and currently a ski rack on cross bars with two pairs of skis and poles. Just over 100 lbs of stuff in addition to the top. No issues going up or down, at all. The actuators have 1000 lb capacity, it is the geometry of the lift mechanism when down which is the limiting factor. The hi top starts at a higher leverage angle than the mid.
Re: roof fan - we passed on this. When the roof is up, there are openings galore for ventilation. Second, We planned and installed a large single 300w solar panel and Yakima basket, so there was not going to be room for a fan. We have pop out and awning windows all around so air flow is sufficient for us with the top down. Ymmv.
Re: Paint - we had the top painted to color match the bronze 2002 Ford body color. It is certainly acceptable, not car show quality. Would I have CCV do it again? Pretty sure I would since having the top painted after it is installed would be a real pain in the butt masking everything else off. The paint bay is not a fully dedicated spray booth but the spray job on our top was okay, and I have seen others which were okay as well.
We are super happy with the CCV top and have found Derek and his crew to be great people to work with. It is a small operation doing custom and semi custom work. They are buried with work and put out a dang great top. That is why they are in very high demand and super busy. Be kind-hearted persistent and patient and you will be rewarded. If you are impatient, you will probably be frustrated.
We will be around Jackson Hole, Grand Teton NP, Sun Valley, Mammoth and Tahoe/ Reno, in that order, over the next four weeks. PM me if you want to see what a CCV top looks like inside and out. Thanks!
