Need Advice, looking at a 1965 Safari to purchase

[StPierre]

We just finished looking at a 1965 Safari that has been parked for 10 years. It will need new veneer, flooring and upholstery. The stove, refer, sink and bathroom all look great. The only unexpected find was dry rot in the floor of the closet between the furnace and the shower. It looks like the plumbing vent had a leak. The rotting is about 8-10" from the wall into the floor of the closet. We are afraid that the rotting might be under the part of the furnace and part of the shower. The asking price is $2500. Should we walk away, or is the dry rot something that might be reasonably fixed? Is this a reasonable price? Any advice would be appreciated. We were very excited at our first look of the trailer, then disappointment came when we found the dry rot.

[Inland RV Center, In]

Originally Posted by StPierre

We just finished looking at a 1965 Safari that has been parked for 10 years. It will need new veneer, flooring and upholstery. The stove, refer, sink and bathroom all look great. The only unexpected find was dry rot in the floor of the closet between the furnace and the shower. It looks like the plumbing vent had a leak. The rotting is about 8-10" from the wall into the floor of the closet. We are afraid that the rotting might be under the part of the furnace and part of the shower. The asking price is $2500. Should we walk away, or is the dry rot something that might be reasonably fixed? Is this a reasonable price? Any advice would be appreciated. We were very excited at our first look of the trailer, then disappointment came when we found the dry rot.

The dry rot is not a biggie, but the trailer could have rear end separtion, and probably a dead axle. Torsion axles must be used to keep the rubber rods alive. If not used for an extended period of time, the rubber rods either soften or solidify. In either case, the trailer will have a rough ride when towed.

More than likely all the appliances will need replacing as well as all the exterior gaskets, and of course the tires and perhaps wheels as well.

Depending on how much of the needed work you can do yourself, dictates how much you want to pay for the coach.

Andy

[dlb435]

What kind of shape is the shell in? If the trailer frame and the body are in good shape, everything thing else can be repaired or replaced. How good are your skills? You will end up doing everything from plumbing to electrical to sheet metel to carpentry work. Not to mention seat covers and curtains. By the time you are done it will cost about $10,000.00 to get it all in great shape. That includes the price of the trailer.
The shell and frame can be repaired but the cost is high. You can figure about $1200.00 per panel to get it fixed. Missing doors, windows and access covers on the exterior are hard to find and expensive.

[68 TWind]

If you can do the work yourself, you will still have over 10K in the trailer when you get through. If you have to pay someone, the cost will be much higher. If you do hire someone you really need to get a person who has lot's of experience with Airstreams. There are many trailers that have been butchered by repairmen who had no clue as to the proper way to fix one ( you should have seen the rear end of my Trade Wind). Finally, if you think you can do it yourself, do not underestimate the time. Restoring these things is a labor of love (and here in Mississippi this summer -SWEAT). It always takes about 4 times as long to fix things as you think in will. If you have the skill set and time, welcome to the club. If you need to go camping this year, spend 15K on a newer one and have a good time. The money will be about the same.

[tkasten]

StPierre - We found a 65 Safari a bit over a year ago. It sounds like it was in about in the same condition as the one you looked at. We also had floor rot in the same closet. I resealed the vent pipe and took care of that leak. Ours did have "rear-end seperation" that caused floor rot in the back end. There is many threads about this in the forums. We also paid $2500.00 for the trailer. We spent most of the year fixing, changing & replacing almost everything. We were lucky as the original red mahogany cabinets had never been painted so some Watco oil brought them back to life. Polishing was a very big job but well worth the effort. Added new axle (from Inland RV), Zip Dee awnings all the way around and all new appliances. We got rid of the old oven in favor of a cook top only. Added two doors to match cabinets for more storage. To date we have spent a bit over $12,000.00 on top of the purchase price. It is a labor of love and we are very happy with the results. By the way, it pulls like a dream. Good luck....Tim

[68 TWind]

tkasten, you have done a really beautiful job!!

[tkasten]

Originally Posted by 68 TWind

tkasten, you have done a really beautiful job!!

Thanks! We love our little twinky....Tim

[StPierre]

Thank you all for the advise you have given us on purchasing the 1965 Safari. We have really enjoyed viewing the pictures of the completed projects. We now have to decide if we want to put the work, time and money into the project. Thank you again...