1966 was a very good year...Safari

[Lance M]

Lookin' good, Sandy!
I'll have to go through some old pics and give you some leads on tanks. There are many things to consider with retrofitting gray tanks. Sometimes, a lot of it has to do with preference as far as size, dump valve locations, etc.

[ND10CentCan]

Originally Posted by Top

Lookin' good, Sandy!
I'll have to go through some old pics and give you some leads on tanks. There are many things to consider with retrofitting gray tanks. Sometimes, a lot of it has to do with preference as far as size, dump valve locations, etc.

Thanks for your help Lance. DH is researching what he wants to put in there for tanks to give the most flexibility if case they are out in a place without full hook ups. He got the frame all painted so it looks pretty good now. Axle is on order, belly skin ordered, and so far so good.
Sandy

[dbj216]

Great progress ND. I am hopeful I will learn about waste water tank placement from your thread. I want a gray tank for my Trade Wind, and I will replace the black tank. I'm thinking I will move both tanks forward to the "frame segments" just behind the axles. I'll maintain the current vent locations. I plan on moving the toilet in the bathroom as it must locate over the black tank. I think moving the tanks forward will help reduce weight and frame stress at the rear of the trailer.

Keep us posted on your design and drain plumbing details with your usual good pictures.

David

[Colin H]

Originally Posted by ND10CentCan

Thanks for your help Lance. DH is researching what he wants to put in there for tanks to give the most flexibility if case they are out in a place without full hook ups. He got the frame all painted so it looks pretty good now. Axle is on order, belly skin ordered, and so far so good.
Sandy

Hi Sandy,
If you search Reinergirl's thread "Moonraker" or 65cv's thread 59overlander, we supplied them, & they posted the photos of the grey tank installations we did for them on their rotisserie restorations. TOP is right about the fact there are many considerations, however for me, having a flat bellypan is pretty crucial. There are many ways to do it, but I like the original look & great ground clearance for both the tanks & the dump valve assembly. Airstream doesn't seem to care these days as they have all kinds of plumbing hanging below the bellypan, just waiting to be smeared off.
Colin

[ND10CentCan]

Originally Posted by Colin H

Hi Sandy,
If you search Reinergirl's thread "Moonraker" or 65cv's thread 59overlander, we supplied them, & they posted the photos of the grey tank installations we did for them on their rotisserie restorations. TOP is right about the fact there are many considerations, however for me, having a flat bellypan is pretty crucial. There are many ways to do it, but I like the original look & great ground clearance for both the tanks & the dump valve assembly. Airstream doesn't seem to care these days as they have all kinds of plumbing hanging below the bellypan, just waiting to be smeared off.
Colin

We are thinking the same thing; the fewer items descending from the belly pan the better. I am guessing daughter and family will be staying in places with full hookups or "normal" campgrounds. I would be surprised if they do a lot of boondocking with two little ones but who knows once the kids get older what they will want to do as a family. Things change and we are trying to make it possible that they can do more later if they want to.

DH will make the final measurements on the tanks tomorrow. He is leaning towards one black tank and two gray tanks. Should be better than it was originally and clean as a whistle. I might throw in an acorn or two just for old times sake....
Sandy

[ND10CentCan]

DH got the second coat of POR15 on the frame and it really looks good. He has some ideas on how to modify the step portion because it is really worn so that will come later down the road.

He is currently test fitting pieces of plywood on the floor trying to figure out exactly how the tanks should be laid out. He has to put the bathtub up there to see where it would drain and then the toilet. Unfortunately, or fortunately , there is no toilet. It seems as if there must have been one under the back box in the rear that had a flip up cover. When you flipped the cover up on this one, all there is the ground staring back at you. How was the toilet set up if I may ask such an indelicate question.
Sandy

[dbj216]

Hi North Dakota,

The 64 to 66 Airstream fiberglass bathrooms were a neat design for their day. The toilet was hidden behind a console, and had a padded seat cover. It looked a little like Grandpa's out house! Providing a window seat covering the toilet made the bathroom seem larger. With the cover down it provided a sitting place for putting on socks and with the cover up a place for reading Airstream Life! The cloches closet was in the bathroom too.

Heres a picture of my 66 Trade Wind that may show you how it was. The teal padded seat covered the toilet seat. The slot holds the flush pedal.

My bathroom has been disassembled and I removed the black tank today. Tomorrow I will cut out the bad section of rotted bathroom floor. I am particularly interested in how you folks design your new holding tank system.

David

[ND10CentCan]

Thanks David,
Now things are making some sense. What kind of toilet fits in there? That part of this trailer was totally missing so I have no idea how to find a replacement. The whole tank question is still up in the air because we aren't sure exactly what is going to fit. We will post more when we get more done.
Sandy

[farmerdave]

It's probably a Thetford slide o matic like this one.



This is before I rebuilt it.

[dbj216]

The black tank is out. Below is a photo. It isn't very big, I think good for about 56 quarts. Mine is cracked.

I will replace this old tank with a "generic" tank available from several souirces. Inca Plastics in California has made Airstream tanks for years.

I plan on re-plumbing to a side discharge port hanging below the belly pan similar to newer Airstreams like my 86. And I also plan on adding a gray water tank of similar size.

I will replace my toilet with a modern one. I will strive for a vintage look.

Keep us posted on your progress...

David

[ND10CentCan]

Originally Posted by farmerdave

It's probably a Thetford slide o matic like this one.

Attachment 200820

This is before I rebuilt it.

Now I am curious. How did you rebuild it and what would be a modern replacement for it? I don't know if they still sell Slide o Matics....what an interesting name for a toilet.
Thanks for your help.
Sandy

[ND10CentCan]

Originally Posted by dbj216

The black tank is out. Below is a photo. It isn't very big, I think good for about 56 quarts. Mine is cracked.

I will replace this old tank with a "generic" tank available from several souirces. Inca Plastics in California has made Airstream tanks for years.

I plan on re-plumbing to a side discharge port hanging below the belly pan similar to newer Airstreams like my 86. And I also plan on adding a gray water tank of similar size.

I will replace my toilet with a modern one. I will strive for a vintage look.

Keep us posted on your progress...

David

Thanks David,
It is always helpful when people post pictures. I am very visual so just words sometimes escape me. Now I think I understand what went in there and have to figure out a modern replacement. Of course, my daughter and son in law are in charge of all real decisions but I am thinking they want a functioning toilet that can be cleaned. They have several in their house all in good working order so we are aiming for the same here.

Still no decision on the tanks yet as DH tries to fit the plywood and the bathtub as a dry fit. He wants to add a couple of gray tanks if possible and a black tank of course. It is just seeing how all of this stuff goes together that gets interesting.

I have new pictures of today's work but changed main computers so I have to figure out how to get my photos off the camera into the new system. Linux based over Windows so this will be a learning curve for me.
Sandy

[ND10CentCan]

Here are some photos of the progress we were trying to make today on the Safari...which needs a real name dear daughter.....I have cleaned up the name plates and the light fixtures. Tomorrow I will try to get the nameplate repainted and the same with the lights. I am not sure they will want the same light fixtures but I think they are kind of cool.
Sandy

[calais66]

I'm with you, Sandy. If she doesn't want it feel free to send it our way

[farmerdave]

How I rebuilt the slide o matic is posted in the 1965 safari section. I don't know how to post the link. The flush valve is a Thetford stainless faced valve. You can take the rod out of that valve and put it in a modern plastic Thetford valve and rebuild the toilet with a few mods because the plastic one is thicker.

[ND10CentCan]

Originally Posted by calais66

I'm with you, Sandy. If she doesn't want it feel free to send it our way

I can check with her but last I heard, she is really interested in having it ready to camp in next summer. I don't think she will entertain any other situations or considerations but I can ask.....
Sandy

[ND10CentCan]

Originally Posted by farmerdave

How I rebuilt the slide o matic is posted in the 1965 safari section. I don't know how to post the link. The flush valve is a Thetford stainless faced valve. You can take the rod out of that valve and put it in a modern plastic Thetford valve and rebuild the toilet with a few mods because the plastic one is thicker.

It would be rather interesting to rebuild one but then I think we should just go with something modern and new. This one is entirely missing a toilet so no rebuild is possible so we are looking for a good modern substitute. Not sure what would work if we want to keep the same cover and design as they had in 1966. That was a full ten years before our daughter's birth. She is getting an old trailer for her age but I think she is going to like the 1960's. Thanks for the info and for steering me in the right direction.
Sandy

[ND10CentCan]

DH got the Safari power washed yesterday and it looks pretty clean. I got three windows cleaned and polished up after cleaning them very carefully many times. The rear window was plexiglass and we had already gotten a replacement window from VTS in anticipation of the restoration. The cleaning up of the hardware on that one plexiglass window hardware took me over 3 hours with the silicone and pitting on the aluminum. I am now proposing that anyone that owns an Airstream is not allowed to purchase silicone!

Of course as I work on these Corning windows, all I can think about is "Dear God, don't let me break one of these!" DH took the very rusted clips off of the bottoms of the windows and with every tap on them, I was sweating the breakage and loss of one. I have heard that since they are chemically tempered, to be extremely careful about putting any kind of chemical on them. I used soapy water to clean them up today and even nervous about that.

Getting three other windows done today was a great victory and I think I have about 4 or so left. I was wondering how they would get so pitted on the inside. I could understand a salt environment pitting them on the exterior but they are pitted much worse on the interior. Too many indoor beach parties? Some one had an acid trip that took to the windows?

I also masked off the name plates today and got them all cut out ready for step two. I do my clean up tomorrow armed with Q tips and cleaning solution before I start to paint the famous blue background. They will look almost good as new but not perfect. Aiming for perfect is impossible with these trailers. Gotta try though.
Sandy








ware

[ND10CentCan]

Got a few more things done this weekend. All the windows are cleaned up and started fixing the hardware. Might be easier to buy new cranks than try the old ones. Not decided on that just yet. Got one coat of sealer on the new plywood floor segments. The process of redoing the Airstream name plates is done. Uffda. We've got a lot to do.
Sandy

[ND10CentCan]

Here are some of the photos of the work on the windows. DH is occupied trying to organize the Rookery as he says "This is out of control." I guess restoring 3 Airstreams has taken its toll on his usual organization process. I am so afraid of breaking the windows that I have posted the note that everyone in the family will recognize. That means DON'T TOUCH to the rest of you.
Sandy