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watchtower, white whale, land yacht, big pig...
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shenrie shenrie is offline
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Join Date: Nov 2012
Location: boise idaho
Posts: 2,624
Garage
Vehicle Name watchtower, white whale, land yacht, big pig...
Year 2003
Make ferd
Model e350 7.3 eb cargo
Color white
Packages idle controller with rear heat and ac
2003 ferd e350 7.3 eb cargo
2003 ferd e350 7.3 eb cargo 2003 ferd e350 7.3 eb cargo 2003 ferd e350 7.3 eb cargo
History van started its life as a south carolina electric and gas splicing rig. friends and i put the ccv top on and have done all other mods since.

build thread: https://www.sportsmobileforum.com/forums/showthread.php?t=9261
Exterior
2003 ferd e350 7.3 eb cargo Exterior 2003 ferd e350 7.3 eb cargo Exterior 2003 ferd e350 7.3 eb cargo Exterior
-ccv triple canvas top. i believe the last fiberine top offered by ccv.
-1995 grill
-01 bumper
-aluminess tire carrier
-crl screen window
-curt front receiver
-tms 2 place motorcycle hauler
-hollywood 4 place mt bike hauler
-custom built 12 place snowboard rack w/cooler storage
-junkyard find 7x7 awning
-x3 carr hoop aluminum steps
-pacbrake onboard air compressor w/7g hold tank

Interior
2003 ferd e350 7.3 eb cargo Interior 2003 ferd e350 7.3 eb cargo Interior 2003 ferd e350 7.3 eb cargo Interior
-driver and passenger seat swivels
-99 f350 gauge cluster

the rest of the interior is still setup as a party barge. we currently have lapbelts for 9.

Wheels, Tires, & Suspension
2003 ferd e350 7.3 eb cargo Wheels, Tires, & Suspension 2003 ferd e350 7.3 eb cargo Wheels, Tires, & Suspension 2003 ferd e350 7.3 eb cargo Wheels, Tires, & Suspension
-pacer 16x8 wheels & 275/85/16 bfg ko2 tires x4 w toyo at2 spare
-black tuner style splined lugnuts
-black alloy ford emblem valve stem caps
-whatever quigley uses to lift for 4x4 conversion
-rip package from agile offroad
-firestone rear airbags
-custom 3" front swaybar riser
-hyperflex polyurethane bushings for front swaybar
-f350 junkyard rear swaybar
-rancho steering stabilizer shock

Under the Hood
2003 ferd e350 7.3 eb cargo Under the Hood
-diamondeye 4" turbo back exhaust
-46g transfer flow tank

Systems, Solar, & Electronics
2003 ferd e350 7.3 eb cargo Systems, Solar, & Electronics
-2500w cheapy inverter
-pioneer 5500 double din stereo
-scangauge

Favorite Destinations
2003 ferd e350 7.3 eb cargo Favorite Destinations 2003 ferd e350 7.3 eb cargo Favorite Destinations 2003 ferd e350 7.3 eb cargo Favorite Destinations
anywhere in the woods.
Comments: 7 / Views: 7533
Old 08-02-2016, 11:15 PM   #2
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Join Date: Aug 2016
Location: Boise
Posts: 23
Howdy! Nice rig you got there. I just picked up my first van and I'm going to be starting mods in a few weeks. I've got a few questions for you.

1. How's your CCV top working out for you? Love the design and look. Super scared reading a few of the threads lately about CCV. Been chatting with MG Metalworks about the new pop top he is building. Would still consider CCV if I can find some folks with positive experiences.
2. Your rear HVAC. Did it come out of a passenger van and you retrofitted it? I scored a complete 2000 E350 EB Club Wagon XLT with a blown motor off CL on Saturday. My van is 1998 E350 EB cargo van base with zero options. Now I got pw, pl, pm, cruise, tilt, spare transmission, hell spare everything! Plus it has the the rear HVAC! For $375!

Anyways, I'm in Boise and met a few of the local van folks since I started posting here and on ExPo. I'd love to check out your rig sometime. My timing is probably a little off leaving you this post because I am leaving for a Main Salmon raft trip tomorrow morning. So if I don't get back to you right away, I'm off the grid. Speaking of which I still have stuff to do. Just can't stop reading about vans......

Tyson
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Old 08-03-2016, 09:43 AM   #3
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hey tyson, thank you for the compliments on our big ole rig! i was just talking to cobi about you last week, all good of course, lol. always glad to hear of another local van enthusiast! i knew that screen name sounded familiar when i first saw it....still need to come check out your store. sounds right up my alley

1-our ccv conversion has been flawless thus far. we average just under 50 nights in it a season since weve installed the poptop and look to be reaching close to that number again this year. we also do a lot of a night in this spot, then change locations for the following night. so the top goes up and down twice as much as folks that stay put for a weekend. unfortunately longer trips are just not an option for us due to conflicting schedules between me and the mrs.

is the top perfect? no its not. i have discovered flaws that need to be addressed, but as far as the overall design, i am pretty happy with it and it suits our needs well. the issues ive discovered should be easily fixed. ive just been too lazy to take care of said issues

i stopped and talked with derek in person when we bought our van on the way back from georgia in 2012. i asked about how the designs have changed since i first started lusting over his conversions. he described it as an ever-evolving design. basically he is continually finding new ways to improve the design and function of his setups. i chose to go with one of his conversions simply because he was willing to ship me a setup so my friends and i could install locally. while i like the looks of the smb top in general, it is a huge waste of usable space above the front seats. just couldn't justify the cost of sourcing a used smb top and taking the chance of not being happy with the lack of space. plus the windows in the ccv top are huge in comparison. we absolutely love laying in bed in the mornings and just watching the wildlife do its thing from the comfort of our bed.

now, i would be concerned with the recent threads ive seen here as well. it is disheartening to see after referring so many folks to him. it did take a few tries to get everything i was told i would get from derek, but in his defence, there was some major flooding happening in his area in the middle of my order and he is part of the local search and rescue team. he put work on hold and focused on his community, which im sure most anyone in his position would. my experience with him was good overall. he is tough to get a hold of at times, but 90% of the time he did get back to me in a timely manner. if i had to guess ccv is experiencing some serious growth pains. hopefully hiring on some additional folks not in the shop area to help his wife manage the business side of things will help out.

i would never say that the person who started the thread about his ongoing negative experience with derek is out of line, lying, or telling the story to favor his side, but we are only getting one side to the story. seeing the pix and hearing his experience sucks...but being in the market ccv is in can be a very hard market to be in. you can ask any fabricator and they will confirm as im sure they have all had that one customer that had them questioning if it was worth all the headaches.... i worked at a speed shop here locally for 5 years and some of the accusations against us were so far out there it was just insane. there are some folks that you can NEVER make happy now matter how many hoops you jump through. eventually you have to cut your losses and move on. again, i am NOT saying that is the case from the recent threads we have seen here regarding ccv.

if i were you, id reach out to some of his more recent customers and see how they feel about their experience. i checked out forum member 1der's van earlier this year and it looked amazing. i know members rallypanam and clubnobbie are 2 others that have recently dealt with him and had tops installed on their rigs. it cant hurt to inquire with all three of them via pm if they don't voice opinions here.

that said, mg's work speaks for its self. he is obviously a true perfectionist and the work we see from him is 100% top freaking notch in every aspect. i am very excited to see him offer a pop top and have been watching this forum closely for details. im guessing if you are willing to wait, it will be worth it.

2-our van came with rear heat and ac, so sorry i cant elaborate much on install, but damn good pickup on the parts van. let me know when you've got all you needed so i can scavenge too, lol.

jealous of your float trip. ive only been on the south fork of the payette and i loved it, but our free boat access moved back to the lochsa and we don't know anyone in the boating community any longer. we were up in bear valley last weekend and checked out the put in for the middle fork and dagger falls. it was beautiful up there to say the least.

respond when you can and enjoy your trip tyson! we need to get a little meet together one of these days. getting to be quite a few vanheads in the boise area.
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Old 08-10-2016, 11:19 PM   #4
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Thanks for all the info! PM sent...
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Old 08-24-2016, 11:17 PM   #5
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Ccv

I was just at CCV today as I had the same concerns after reading the TS thread on EP. My experience was good and the van in question after seeing it in person was nowhere near as bad as it was made out to be. I will be sending my deposit in as soon as I get home, the work I saw and the professionalism was great and I agree that they are probably experiencing pretty heavy growing pains but Matt was a pleasure, not at all smoozy or salesman-ish just a nice guy who seemed very dedicated to getting the shop in smooth running order. I can concur that working/owning any type of custom fabrication business is a major PIA that has you asking yourself at least once a week if not daily why in the h, e, double hockey sticks you are doing it.
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Old 08-25-2016, 07:09 AM   #6
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^^^ appreciate the info. again, my comments were not aimed at ts. just customers in general. that said, i am very glad to see the issue was worked out and people can move on with their lives. that thread on expo is just asinine. im very happy his thread here didn't sink to that level. says a lot about the folks here.
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Old 08-29-2016, 05:56 PM   #7
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Jb1rd1973 View Post
I was just at CCV today as I had the same concerns after reading the TS thread on EP. My experience was good and the van in question after seeing it in person was nowhere near as bad as it was made out to be. I will be sending my deposit in as soon as I get home, the work I saw and the professionalism was great and I agree that they are probably experiencing pretty heavy growing pains but Matt was a pleasure, not at all smoozy or salesman-ish just a nice guy who seemed very dedicated to getting the shop in smooth running order. I can concur that working/owning any type of custom fabrication business is a major PIA that has you asking yourself at least once a week if not daily why in the h, e, double hockey sticks you are doing it.
Hi JB1rd,
I've seen your posts around. Love the blue on on your van! I am still gonna give CCV a serious look, but am waiting to see what MG's design looks like. I have a lot of money to spend on project before it is ready for a pop top. That'll give MG time to get his design out and CCV a chance to really grow into something great.
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Old 11-10-2018, 10:50 PM   #8
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mg's canvas van top

is there any info about this yet and any good info about ccv


I'm looking for a new pop top for a 2010 ford extended E350
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