'65 safari oddball

[rockwasher]

new to forum. hope this is the right place to be asking questions , had this trailer for a couple years now and would like to find out more about it. first its titled as a 1965 but it has jaleouse windows stacked curbside front and I read 1964 was last year for those , other side has three windows same size with a oblong port hole type window under front window , inside every thing looks normal except for double bed in front and dinette aft of fridge was this a option? there was also a bunk bed I assume, above foot of double bed running from front to back by fridge was this something that was done or probably a add on ? how do find out what was original ? there are three placards by door of trailer #1 says specially designed for scotty and warren leisenger #2 california trailer m-4 S-3218 3778 , doh#A-90790 #3 air stream land yacht santa fe springs 141 S 3218
6405
do these #s mean anything or where do I look for model and year ect , thanks for any help on this

[InsideOut]

Originally Posted by rockwasher

air stream land yacht santa fe springs 141 S 3218 6405
do these #s mean anything or where do I look for model and year ect , thanks for any help on this

These tell you that it was a CA built 1964 Safari built in May with the International upgrade package deciphered as follows:

I = it's an "I" not a "1" and means it has the International upgrade package
4 = indicates it's a 1964 model (the 6405 also indicates that it was built in May of 1964)
1 = front sofa bed
S = Santa Fe Springs, CA
3 = Safari
218 = production number

It was built in 1964 but may not have been registered until 1965 which is why the title says its a 1965 - this is very common.

Check this out to see several examples of various 1964 Safari's

Also, here is the 1964 brochure which includes the standard layouts.

Generally speaking, CA built trailers had the jalousie windows more often than OH built trailers. The bunk bed was a standard option. The "oblong port window" doesn't sound like a standard offering - nor does the "street side dinette", so maybe those in addition to a "full-time front bed" instead of a gaucho were customized, when it was built or added at a later date. In the '50s & early '60s it wasn't uncommon for them to be more customized. After Wally's death in 1962, the company was sold and they began to standardize things, move into more of a production mode and some more noticeable changes were made - especially in 1966 with the Corning (frameless glass) windows. 1964 & 1965 were kinda considered "transition years".

I'm not sure about the rest of the placards you describe, can you post a picture or two? One of them is probably a small black (or used to be black) plate that has "State of California Housing" at the top? Our '64 GlobeTrotter that we sold last year had one of those - it was a CA thing. I don't recall the numbers on ours...but there were additional stampings that weren't the VIN # like you describe. You can see the small black plate next to the main blue one in the image below.

Hope this helps...I'd love to hear the history from the Leisingers...maybe someone with a 1964/65 club directory will chime in and give you info on them.

Shari

[rockwasher]

very interesting , would also like to find background on trailer and on leisengers , looked around a couple of times I beleive he has passed away and was living in eugene , oregon .

the trailer had been in prospect , or. a small ex lumber town about 30 miles from crater lake and had been used for elk hunting trips they wern't real careful but did store it in the barn .

I've been side tracked all mornig on your lilly bird thread must get back there soon.

thank your for the info it's making more sense now, I guess none were the exactly the same , lovin that.

I will post some pictures soon.

also could you tell me what the #s on front of the trailers are for

Thanks again , bob

[InsideOut]

I appreciate hearing you have enjoyed my restoration thread! Seems like that was forever ago at this point - but I like to be able to refer back to it too, it's hard to remember all the details of the process. I would encourage everybody who undergoes a restoration to take lots of photos & post them in a thread - you never know who you're going to be able to help out with your experiences or how many times you're going to go back in time.

The red numbers (or "ghost numbers" if the vinyl has aged out) on the front & back end caps are the WBCCI club membership numbers of the previous (or current) owners.

There are several folks here on AirForums that collect the old WBCCI directories that can look-up the lineage of members that have owned your trailer through those numbers. Check out this thread if you have numbers you want to look up. Unfortunately, as the members die - there really isn't any way to trace their kin. BUT, if the owners of your trailer were ever on a caravan, those would be listed in the old directories so you could at least find out where your trailer may have been. The membership numbers belong to the members, not the trailer - if a member has had multiple trailers, they would all have the same number.

Shari

[rumrunner]

Sounds very cool- pictures please!!

[rockwasher]

Holy silicone , you folks are fearless I got thru about half your thread on birdy yesterday , OH MY GOSH am I really up to this!! not sure if the trailer we have is worth the effort , maybe should have found a cleaner one to start with , or maybe not since you just tear the whole thing apart anyways , will have to give that some thought . These trailers can apparently be a bit addictive . every time I run across a vintage one I want to drag it home and save it , I believe your thread on birdy may have cured me. did you do any thing with that scotty you aquired ?

Thanks again
Bob

ps... if ever quits raining ( gotta love the great NW ) I'll post some pictures

[InsideOut]

No, it's holy %#$@*! Silicone!

Birdy was a labor of love, that's for sure. Fortunately, not every restoration requires the extent that we went to - don't let my thread intimidate you!

I just got the Scotty two weeks ago...it's in a million pieces in my backyard right now - I'm sandblasting the frame then, POR-15, then start the re-build, basically from scratch. It's a total basket case - basically, the frame, VIN#, sink, fridge, nameplates, a Humprey lamp and door handle are all that are truly salvageable. The rest is going to be used for templates ~ you can follow along here if you want:

"My next project is a basket case..."

This one is "my project" Mr.InsideOut is pretty much hands off except for the heavy lifting, so it may take awhile to be back on the road ~ I'd love to have it done in August for a Sister's rally - but it's too soon to tell.

Shari

[rockwasher]

where do I get that gray silicone for the seams ?

[rumrunner]

Silicone is a NO-NO.
Silicone sealants utilize an acid, acetic or ascorbic, during the curing process, hence the vinegar smell. This corrodes aluminum very quickly.
Try putting a scrap of aluminum into a jar of vinegar- see the bubbles?
A quick search will reveal that you should use parbond or a similar aluminum friendly sealant instead, usually available at VTS or from Airstream
tim