Jim+Jane's '67 Safari

[Peter417]

Jim, are you going to the Petit Jean Rally?

[JRF0st3r]

Pete, we will be there! Our BRN is 13004 and we will be in site 82. We are skipping Thursday's sandwich night because we prefer to go to a restaurant one night.
Look forward to seeing you there!
Jim

[JRF0st3r]

Most recent of our never finished improvements is a spare tire rack to relocate the spare from truck bed to between propane tanks and trailer. Spare is a 205-75R15, allowing just enough space behind to fit a scrawny arm and fist. It took 40 pounds from truck to tongue, increasing tongue weight to about 650#. Truck has a payload of 1811# as delivered so should be hunkey dorey.
Brother-in-law John Roby created and fabricated the product. It is bolted to the base of the tongue jack with a hinge so it lifts up for tire placement. A bracket fits the center wheel opening with a bolt welded on to attach a bar on the back with custom wing nut. Others may have smarter solutions but it looks pretty good to us.

[dbj216]

Very nicely done. I think it was 1969 Airstream installed a spare tire rack under the trailer between the A frame rails. It meant there was no belly pan or insulation in that area. I don't know when this option was dropped, but maybe available during most of the 70s.

Single axle trailers need to carry a spare tire to avoid being stranded with a flat.

David

[Peter417]

That looks like a pretty good spare solution to to me.

[Hittenstiehl]

That looks like a very well thought out solution.

Would also like to see a photo of the connection at the tongue jack area.

[Dingo Girl]

nice work!

[JRF0st3r]

I should have included the pic of the attachment to the jack so here it is. The hardest part was getting the length of the 1/2" square rod exactly right. In hindsight, using all-thread might have been easier.

If not familiar with Ford's pro railer back up, the checkerboard pattern is what allows the truck camera to see the trailer and use the knob on the dash to drive the trailer into position rather than steering the truck.
Jim

[Hittenstiehl]

Thanks for the extra picture that completed the picture more. Very nice modification.

[Kristina]

Originally Posted by JRF0st3r

After installing new wiring at the back of the trailer as well as mineral fiber insulation, my wife and I set the shell back in place with Clecos. Note the support from behind for an ugly hole cut by a PO.
Jim

Hello! Was enjoying your thread about your renovation and wanted to ask how you repaired the hole created by PO? Did you use bondo? I am definitely not a fan of the material used on the restroom walls for my 1967, looks like you had the same material as well.

[JRF0st3r]

Kristina, it's good to hear that you have enjoyed reading our renovation thread. A PO apparently cut the hole to add a vent fan but did not complete the task. Yes we used Bondo starting with adhering fiberglass fabric to the back then coating and reciting both sides, sanding smooth in between. There were a number of cracks and defects in fiberglass bath enclosures and fixtures repaired the same way.
Jim

[JRF0st3r]

Petit Jean State Park, Arkansas, was an amazing place for a rally with the Airstream Club Missouri Greater Ozarks Unit. I think there were 12 trailers, all filled with fine folks.

This was our first time to use the "blue boy" since there was no sewer service. My ingenious plan to use a small 12V pump to put grey water into a second tank in the truck was less than successful, probably because no power reached the pump. Further diagnostics are required.

Once again our Atwood OD50 on-demand water heater performed only briefly. It seems time to find an alternative. We still prefer on-demand type since it uses propane only when water flows and then should provide unlimited quantity.

One attendee,, Peter Hartman, had a beautiful baby 1966 Airstream but I have not found his restoration thread. Please share it, Pete!
Jim

[dbj216]

Airstream rallys are a lot of fun, and you meet the nicest people there. I attended one just last weekend organized by the Arizona Airstream Club and the Region 11 vintage club. There were about 50 trailers there. The Safari was a good seller for Airstream and there were several vintage Safaris in attendance. Here is a photo of one of them, and also a photo of my 75 Overlander. The Overlander 27' is loooonger than a Safari.

David

[Peter417]

Originally Posted by JRF0st3r

Petit Jean State Park, Arkansas, was an amazing place for a rally with the Airstream Club Missouri Greater Ozarks Unit. I think there were 12 trailers, all filled with fine folks.

This was our first time to use the "blue boy" since there was no sewer service. My ingenious plan to use a small 12V pump to put grey water into a second tank in the truck was less than successful, probably because no power reached the pump. Further diagnostics are required.

Once again our Atwood OD50 on-demand water heater performed only briefly. It seems time to find an alternative. We still prefer on-demand type since it uses propane only when water flows and then should provide unlimited quantity.

One attendee,, Peter Hartman, had a beautiful baby 1966 Airstream but I have not found his restoration thread. Please share it, Pete!
Jim

Hey Jim.

I am glad we finally were able to meet up. We enjoyed hanging out with you and your wife. Next time we should try to keep all the shiny trailers together.

How are you trying to power the pump? A small SLA battery might be a good easy option to run the pump.
https://www.ebay.com/p/1500180690?iid=280993859378


Our last two trailers have been traditional 6 gallon tanks with electric and gas. We are able to run electric and gas at the same time and have never run out of how water. One benefit to the tank is that we turn it on electric the day before a trip and let it heat things up. That way we have hot water while we travel without having to turn anything on. I know fitting a traditional tank may be difficult at this point though. Anyways, I hope you get it figured out. A hot shower sure is nice on a sweaty camping trip.


https://www.airforums.com/forums/f13...ns-213432.html

[JRF0st3r]

Thanks for your feedback Peter. One thing we like about on-demand water heaters is that they only burn propane when the hot water faucet is on. After discussing with Hoss Cameron, the Airstream repair and restore guy near Rogers, AR, we bought the Girard 2GWHAM Tankless. It fit the space available but utility connection locations were different. After reworking plumbing and fixing leaks, it's all good. Water heated quickly. We like the panel for adjusting and monitoring temperature.
Jim

[Peter417]

I am glad you got it worked out. Hot water sure in nice.

[JRF0st3r]

We attended a rally with the Missouri Greater Ozarks group of ACI in Grove, OK. Jane and Maggie were sitting in the shade of Maggie's awning.
Being a slow learner, it took me some time to figure out that push to open drawer slides were not the best choice. Push button drawer locks have been added to try to keep drawers closed during travel but plain slides or self closing slides would have been a better choice.
The new water heater worked great!
Needing an alternative to the "LAUGH" button when things go awry, we now have a missile launcher, see the "FIRE MISSLE" button. Peter, you might need to add this feature to your Caravel.

[dbj216]

Airstream Club rallies are great fun. You meet the nicest folks with an Airstream. Your Safari looks very good. I hear you on the drawer hardware choices, there are many to choose from. Cabinet door hinges is another "technology" than can get rather confusing at times. I'm not a cabinet maker so I can struggle at times with the cabinet hardware.

We are out traveling with the wife's 86 Limited as I write this. We traveled to Durango, CO and then on to Mesa Verde national park. Wolf Creek Pass was the most scenic drive we had, but we loved the big ponderosa trees on the river north of Durango. Beautiful trees in the campground.

David

[JRF0st3r]

David,
Incredible explorations are practically in your backyard!
Jim

[Bubba L]

Originally Posted by JRF0st3r

David,
Incredible explorations are practically in your backyard!
Jim

It’s also hard to beat the beauty of Arkansas. We go to Bull Shoals White River State Park every year. Our favorite.