Crystal Custom Campers - Hilo and M1 tested slide rail bed system

[Mark Woodward]

Give Ady a call at Crystal Custom Campers in Leeds https://crystalcustomcampers.com
He does Hilo roofs mainly, hand-built furniture and has his own M1 tested slide rail system that is more affordable than reimo variotech / rib slider and also sits lower than those to compliment the hilo roof. No dangling feet understand their is a deal on for free scenic canvas, colour coded roof and chrome hinges if you book a hilo roof with him before 31 January. Also doing free propex system fitting with every slide system ordered. I am having mine done next month with him

 

[Tourershine]

Just had a look through that website. That Brown T6 is stunning. I really like that colour.

 

[Mark Woodward]

Yes, that colour was second behind blackberry in our preference but managed (after a long wait) to find a blackberry lwb shuttle for our upcoming conversion

 

[Tourershine]

Blackberry was my first choice, but as it's no longer available, I went for the colour I always go for, and was actually trying to talk myself out of this time.. Black.

 

[Mark Woodward]

Haha.. I like black but missus was having none of it by "our" I meant her

 

[veghog]

Give Ady a call at Crystal Custom Campers in Leeds https://crystalcustomcampers.com
He does Hilo roofs mainly, hand-built furniture and has his own M1 tested slide rail system that is more affordable than reimo variotech / rib slider and also sits lower than those to compliment the hilo roof. No dangling feet understand their is a deal on for free scenic canvas, colour coded roof and chrome hinges if you book a hilo roof with him before 31 January. Also doing free propex system fitting with every slide system ordered. I am having mine done next month with him

Hi, I'm just researching possible converters and wondered how you got on with CCC? Their sliding bed system and pricing look good to my novice eyes, but I can't find much about them or their workmanship in general. Cheers

 

[t0mb0]

Hi, I'm just researching possible converters and wondered how you got on with CCC? Their sliding bed system and pricing look good to my novice eyes, but I can't find much about them or their workmanship in general. Cheers

I don’t know but anyone getting a HiLo fitted needs to make damn sure (i.e. multiple word of mouth recommendations) the converter is absolutely top-notch or things can go very wrong indeed. Search the forum for the gory details.

 

[Mark Woodward]

Ady is Hilo's primary warranty repairer. Anything fitted badly goes to him to fix, so he knows his hilos. I would advise visiting and taking a look at his work. He normally has a few vans in he has been working on and always happy to show off his work. Just give him a bell to arrange a day so you can be sure he is free and has something to show you

 

[veghog]

Ady is Hilo's primary warranty repairer. Anything fitted badly goes to him to fix, so he knows his hilos. I would advise visiting and taking a look at his work. He normally has a few vans in he has been working on and always happy to show off his work. Just give him a bell to arrange a day so you can be sure he is free and has something to show you

Thank you - I actually called him and am visiting next week. I'm not proposing any kind of pop-top tbh and am very wary of the Hi-Lo. He did say they take 5 days as opposed to 5hrs for a Reimo, so I think we can all guess at the amount of serious engineering that needs to be done. But if I wanted a Hi-Lo, I'm sure Ady would be the man from our conversation at least!

 

[veghog]

Thank you - I actually called him and am visiting next week. I'm not proposing any kind of pop-top tbh and am very wary of the Hi-Lo. He did say they take 5 days as opposed to 5hrs for a Reimo, so I think we can all guess at the amount of serious engineering that needs to be done. But if I wanted a Hi-Lo, I'm sure Ady would be the man from our conversation at least!

Update: Well Ady was most welcoming and showed me the manual sliding bed system and sat me on it to show clearance with Hi-Lo roof. The electric version of the bed has infinite adjustability from what I understood and will follow that up. One note I made was that it's M1 Pull not Crash tested. I have no personal doubts on his engineering - just the "brand reputation" angle. But I'm shopping for a van for next 15 years so once I get the right spec, I'd expect it all to not matter in the end.

I'm only 5'8 but feet firmly on floor and 4" clearance for anyone interested. His engineering passion shines through and 3hrs hardly seemed long enough. I came away with a few more questions than answers as the HiLo doesn't seem to reduce the sliding door access height as I thought it had on a previous one I'd seen which had put us off. My head has always told me to get a hi-top and save the money and any potential pop-top hassle, but the heart knows it'll not be as nice to drive and probably harder to re-sell should I ever want to.

 

[naughtyhedgehog]

Hi, I'm just researching possible converters and wondered how you got on with CCC? Their sliding bed system and pricing look good to my novice eyes, but I can't find much about them or their workmanship in general. Cheers

His workmanship is shocking, I'm currently 10k out of pocket trying to put right the so called "work" he's done on my van some of which is downright dangerous.

He actually cut the hole to big for the roof and cut is a loose term for what I saw when the roof was removed, the corners looked like it had been hacked with a can opener.

I've got wiring gauges too thin, screws through the vehicle looms in various places, unsecured, fridge, battery, water heater and cabinet. Zero gromits or rust prevention on anything that has been cut, screws through wheel arches, gas pipes pinched under water tanks, water tank brackets ripping out of chassis, water and gas pipes resting on leaf springs, handbrake brackets chopped off, a bloody big hole in the back pillar where he though it was a good idea to shove a pipe through to the tailgate. The rail floor system has been fixed down with 3 bolts one of which doesn't even protrude the nut to lock it.

Multiple areas of damage to paintwork, Ttrim doest fit, grabrails, steps and headliner all loose and incorrectly fixed,

Wrong TPMS receiver and front loom fitting back in vehicle, GPS receiver and Ariel all routed incorrectly.

Gutted to say the least this vehicle was a retirement project bought new that I was really excited about with big plans for travel, I've been lied to deceived and left with a stressful mess that is now going to court

 

[Bav]

His workmanship is shocking, I'm currently 10k out of pocket trying to put right the so called "work" he's done on my van some of which is downright dangerous.

He actually cut the hole to big for the roof and cut is a loose term for what I saw when the roof was removed, the corners looked like it had been hacked with a can opener.

I've got wiring gauges too thin, screws through the vehicle looms in various places, unsecured, fridge, battery, water heater and cabinet. Zero gromits or rust prevention on anything that has been cut, screws through wheel arches, gas pipes pinched under water tanks, water tank brackets ripping out of chassis, water and gas pipes resting on leaf springs, handbrake brackets chopped off, a bloody big hole in the back pillar where he though it was a good idea to shove a pipe through to the tailgate. The rail floor system has been fixed down with 3 bolts one of which doesn't even protrude the nut to lock it.

Multiple areas of damage to paintwork, Ttrim doest fit, grabrails, steps and headliner all loose and incorrectly fixed,

Wrong TPMS receiver and front loom fitting back in vehicle, GPS receiver and Ariel all routed incorrectly.

Gutted to say the least this vehicle was a retirement project bought new that I was really excited about with big plans for travel, I've been lied to deceived and left with a stressful mess that is now going to court

Sorry to hear about your situation @naughtyhedgehog - it sounds like something from your worst nightmare. The below is too late to be useful to you, but hopefully it will help inform others.

I visited Crystal Campers when I was researching potential converters. Addy, the owner, was amiable enough, but I discounted him as my converter from the very moment I walked into his workshop - it was utterly chaotic (like a farmer's barn, but filled with dismantled Transporters rather than rusting farm equipment). As someone with OCD traits, I could never let someone who operated in those conditions loose on my van. He also kept referring to doing things "as cheaply as possible" - not I wanted to hear - and some of the things he was suggesting sounded downright experimental - again, not what I wanted to hear.

 

[naughtyhedgehog]

Yeah it's been bad, utterly heartbreaking when I've put everything into it. Just trying to collate info and pursue through court and put it behind me as soon as possible so I can move on