Well...after waffling over tops I put a deposit on a CCV top that will be going on in the middle of June and I will be picking it up July 7th if all goes according to plan. Opted for the arctic insulation, paint match and the maxxair fan.
I know there is some bad press out there for CCV, but after thoroughly reading through all of it and after seeing countless SMB top failures I decided that CCV was my choice. The anger and vitriol of the couple of people who have had deep problems with CCV doesn't represent how I would handle such problems nor would I enumerate them on the web before I resolved the issue to my satisfaction. I think a lot of people have a very low tolerance for disappointment and stress and when something doesn't go right their knee jerk reaction is to spew their anger all over the web.
Mostly my choice is tied to my sensibilities as an engineer. I have a fundamental problem with removing all of the hoop supports and cutting out everything behind the B-pillar in a vehicle my family will be traveling in. It bothers me in the same way that people bolt aftermarket seats directly to the sheet metal with only a large washer behind it. A 100lb chair with a 150lb person can develop 7-10,000lbs of force in an accident. Now ask me what the tear out force of a 2" washer through 20ga sheet metal is. My decision has more to do with engineering fundamentals than brand perception and other peoples experience.
As for current progress..... I finished with all of the thinsulate. A couple of tips for anyone new to working with this stuff
1: Dont unroll it until you are ready to cut. It cuts very nicely before it has lofted. After it lofts up its kind of a pain. Keep it rolled when you are not cutting it.
2: Lightly "score" it on the unskinned side with a sharp razor knife. Draw the knife at as low of an angle as possible to prevent the tip of the blade from catching the insulation. This gives a nice line to follow with...
3: A pair of high quality fabric shears! Dont use those crappy ones in your tool box.
4: when pulling insulation through the B C and D pillars run some string through a socket and tie it off so that when you hang the socket from the string it is parallel to the ground. Drop the socket on the string down the pillar and poke a small hole in the strip of insulation. Poke the socket through and then twist it so that it acts as an anchor or grappling hook. This prevents the socket from pulling out half way up the pillar and allows you to really stuff a nice thick piece of insulation in the pillars and still be able to pull it through. I tried using a flexible snake to push insulation through and its a huge PITA. Pulling is the way to go.
5: I used aluminum tape to tape any seams in the insulation so there would be no air gap. Probably unnecessary but will also help keep the insulation from shifting away from neighboring pieces if the contact adhesive ever starts to fail.
A couple of pics (and yes I did cut one ceiling panel too wide. Im not fixing it!)
Up next is the sub floor and insulation (including a heavy application of butyl sound deadener), radiant barrier and ceiling lights.
Also need to get to removing factory roof rails for the CCV top.