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Old 08-11-2016, 06:01 PM   #1
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1972 23' Safari
2024 22' Bambi
Sierra Vista , Arizona
Join Date: Jan 2011
Posts: 92
72 Safari for us

Hi, I'm back. My wife is retiring soon, and said she wants to go see the country...so we decided it would be fun to do it the challenging way. I happened to stop by Oasis RV in Tucson last week, and they had a "needs work" 72 Safari in back, for two grand. It's from the northeast, so the underside has issues, but the interior isn't as bad as they usually are around here in Arizona. (exception, the plastic in the bathroom is getting crispy). I got my 57 Suburban on the road a few years ago, and have towed my "race car" 62 Chevy II to the midwest with it a couple times, so it should be able to deal with the trailer. I towed it home yesterday, aside from a few things flying off, it went ok. The brakes work, none of the tires went flat, etc.

I have yet to sort out the stuff inside. The fridge and cupboard for it seem to be missing, and I don't know if all the bed stuff is there. New range and microwave included, along with a sink from something else. More pictures as I get into it further.







My plan right now is to do as much repair work as it needs, to get it back to useable condition. Then try it out, and see how we like it. Then decide what to spend money on next. Fortunately, we have money to spend fixing it, and I can do a lot of work myself, such as welding, basic carpentry, plumbing, electrical, etc.
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Old 08-11-2016, 06:12 PM   #2
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1974 Argosy 26
Morrill , Nebraska
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72 Safari for us

The way the coach is sitting I would say you need new axles.
You do realize that this coach has no grey water tank unless it has been modified.
If it has the original converter. It's time for an upgrade. A Progressive Dynamics 9245 will do nicely.
Looks like a good project.
Great looking TV.
Good Luck
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Old 08-11-2016, 08:32 PM   #3
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1972 23' Safari
2024 22' Bambi
Sierra Vista , Arizona
Join Date: Jan 2011
Posts: 92
Thanks!

I expect you're right about the axles, they are pointing up a little and are rusty enough to be original, as well as the brakes. No gray tank, and the black is probably getting tired, being 44 year old plastic. The power converter/charger has been upgraded, the water heater looks like it's not real old, but the old Suburban furnace looks original. It'll keep us busy, I'm sure!

There is another galley cabinet, including top and sink, it looks like the same size/shape, but a different finish, and square corners instead of rounded. It's also mostly in pieces.

The front bed assembly has been modified or replaced? I still haven't figured out which pieces fit where.
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Old 08-11-2016, 09:38 PM   #4
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1961 19' Globetrotter
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Mesa , Arizona
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Very nice Suburban.
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Old 08-12-2016, 11:16 AM   #5
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We all need tow vehicles like that.
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Old 08-12-2016, 11:45 AM   #6
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1972 23' Safari
Arlington , Massachusetts
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Very nice. Love the Suburban. We renovated a '72 Safari a couple of years ago and took it cross country and around the West Coast. Tows great and very comfortable. You'll find lots of good information here. You'll probably have some rot in the bathroom floor, water leaks from the bumper storage. maybe in front from windows. We got along without grey water for a year and finally broke down and also replaced the original black water tank last summer. PO did some pretty weird things that we had to fix. We pretty much tore out the inside, just kept the upper and sink cabinets. If you have any questions, feel free to contact me.
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Old 08-12-2016, 12:39 PM   #7
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1972 29' Ambassador
Boynton Beach , Florida
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Wow! Great find. If you're a carpenter, you should probably just throw away the insides and start over. The good thing about doing that is you can re-insulate and turn that bad boy into a rolling YETI cooler! Even though it seems counter-intuitive, Airstreams get really hot on the inside. Down here in S. Fla, mine routinely gets well over 100 degrees on the inside if left in the sun with no A/C.

As a fellow Sunbelter, I recommend you should look into all the fine info here on Air Forums regarding the subject, as well as start looking in the corners of the couch for spare change to get a full set of awnings, ceramic paint for the roof, and the biggest A/C you can find!
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Old 08-12-2016, 01:16 PM   #8
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1972 23' Safari
2024 22' Bambi
Sierra Vista , Arizona
Join Date: Jan 2011
Posts: 92
Thanks!

I expect we'll make some shade to park it under in the summer, and travel to the mountains, seeking cool air (although we're half way to the mountains, the elevation here in Sierra Vista is 4500 feet). I am not too interested in putting in AC, and also not too interested in completely redesigning the interior. The more I learn about it, it looks like we can live with the basic layout...I think that getting the front gaucho back to working condition, and getting/making a folding table, will be fine for us. There is plenty of work to do just to get the chassis right, get the windows sealed, bathroom remodel, fridge cabinet, etc. And the plumbing, which will probably all need to be redone. The bedroom cabinets and such are in pretty good shape. The galley cabinet needs work, including a new countertop. We may remove the furnace and use portable heat, or a radiant heater.

Looking at the bathroom, I wonder if we could raise the floor maybe 4 inches, install a single larger flat black tank, and have everything drain into it, and still have enough height at the bottom for a convenient dump valve? I might do away with the bathroom sink, I was talking with a friend about it, he says he and his wife do fine with only a galley sink.

Lots to think about.
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Old 08-12-2016, 01:23 PM   #9
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1972 23' Safari
2024 22' Bambi
Sierra Vista , Arizona
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A few more pictures





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Old 08-13-2016, 05:11 PM   #10
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1972 23' Safari
2024 22' Bambi
Sierra Vista , Arizona
Join Date: Jan 2011
Posts: 92
Won't be much progress this coming week...I'm heading to California in the Edsel, for the LeMons Rally. Be back around the 22nd. Then we'll see what happens.
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Old 08-14-2016, 10:59 AM   #11
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1972 23' Safari
AKRON , Ohio
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Hi,I recently purchased a 23 ' 1972 Safari Land Yacht about an hour south of where I live (Akron,Oh). The interior is very clean and original.The middle section has the twin beds option .I am looking to swap out the one road side bed & cabinets for cabinets only.I also have the other twin bed and front gaucho( all with drawers and in great shape )that I may be willing to part with.It looks like the identical unit except for the mid section.My dog,Timber and I are planning on heading west next Spring for good and live in the Airstream for awhile.Thanks,Chris
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Old 08-14-2016, 11:54 AM   #12
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1972 31' Sovereign
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felton , California
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what a great find , and only 2K ?? maybe if the floor has rot, then that's the going price these days. I paid $6 for my '72 Sovereign, but flooring was 95% good as lived in So Cal desert it's entire life ... bathroom plastics brittle for sure, but the tub is sturdy and can take full weight. It's the trim that seems to go funny. My cabinets are in near perfect condition too. But needed new curtains, gaucho, beds, fabrics as all very old and smelly. Who wants to sleep on a 40yr old mattress anyways? yuck . I invested in new rolling stock, just feel better about towing with new axles & brakes. an on-demand water heater was a nice addition too Good luck, keep the pics coming !
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Old 09-07-2016, 05:32 PM   #13
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1971 23' Safari
Atlanta , Georgia
Join Date: Sep 2003
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We have owned a 1972 23' twin for 19 years and recently had it professionally restored. Part of the restoration was polishing, 2 new axles, bath floor repair and adding a grey water tank. Those major changes along with many small repairs and adjustments have made this a great investment for us. Glad to share pictures and info if you're interested...just send me an email. Click image for larger version

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Old 11-13-2016, 10:01 PM   #14
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1972 23' Safari
2024 22' Bambi
Sierra Vista , Arizona
Join Date: Jan 2011
Posts: 92
Hi folks, I finally got done with a bunch of other stuff...moved some cars around...removed the TV antenna from the Safari...and managed to squeeze it into my shop a couple days ago. Now I'm taking stuff apart, assessing what work needs to be done, and getting started on the design for the remodeling.





The rear floor has a little bit of rot, which I already knew. I guess I need to remove the lower inner panels, and see if I can sneak a new piece of wood in.
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Old 11-14-2016, 04:14 PM   #15
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1972 23' Safari
2024 22' Bambi
Sierra Vista , Arizona
Join Date: Jan 2011
Posts: 92
I found most of the rear floor. It could use replacement. I guess it needs the entire sheet of plywood, as it's kind of wet under the water heater area. I also have to repair the frame...and figure out the new holding tank situation. Might do a single tank about 26 gallon, across the back. Use a normal height toilet since there would be no tank above the floor, and perhaps set a new shower pan up a couple inches to make sure it can drain when the tank gets kind of full. Any suggestions?

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Old 11-16-2016, 08:48 PM   #16
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1972 23' Safari
2024 22' Bambi
Sierra Vista , Arizona
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Posts: 92
Did some more taking apart. I started removing the inner vinyl clad panels, and found plenty of rodent homes in the insulation...so it's all coming out. I got about half done removing panels.

Today I removed the rear floor, so I can assess the frame situation, and start fixing it. Of course, the holding tank decision needs to be made some time soon, because it might affect how I rebuild the rear frame. I was looking at a lot of tank sizes, and found one that's 32 wide, 54 long, end drain, 3.5" tall at the far end, 6" tall at the drain end (Ameri-Kart H562). I could replace the second to rear cross member with a piece of 2" square tubing, and set the tank under this. A piece of angle bolted to the lower frame flange would support each long edge of the tank. This would put the top of the tank two inches below the floor, so there might be room to put the shower trap in and have it enter the top of the tank. The shower would still have to be raised a bit, though?

Also thinking about the shape and location of the shower, it would be nice to make a pan that is about 36" long, 24" wide, contoured to fit the curved corner. I expect fiberglass would work for this, although it would take some learning to figure out how to make or modify a pan like this. I guess google can find anything, eh?

http://www.airforums.com/forums/f446...pan-72422.html

This is pretty much what I have in mind.
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Old 11-17-2016, 06:04 AM   #17
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1972 29' Ambassador
Boynton Beach , Florida
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Ack! I replied to the original thread instead of this one. Rather than re-post it, here's the link: http://www.airforums.com/forums/f446...ml#post1877148
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Old 11-20-2016, 07:20 AM   #18
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1972 23' Safari
2024 22' Bambi
Sierra Vista , Arizona
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Posts: 92
Thanks for the link. Neat bath!

I don't really want to make anything "permanent"....I expect that if the bathroom modifications don't work out as I hope, that I or a future owner will want to fix it.

Anyways...I got almost all the interior paneling removed, and cleaned for reinstalling. I still have to clean the inside surface of the shell. As usual, another snag....the streetside outriggers behind the wheel area are rusted badly, and that whole corner of the shell has sagged quite a bit (at least half an inch, but less than an inch). To make it solid again, I probably need to remove the floor plywood that is between the wheels. But since the trailer is so far apart already, I am considering pulling the shell off and replacing the entire floor. The rest of the wood is surprisingly solid, but it also doesn't cost that much to replace it, and it would give a nicer surface for the new flooring. The floor was painted some time in recent history, and it was patched with white plaster type floor patch, under the paint. I expect it would take more effort to clean and smooth the existing floor, than to just replace it all. Of course, this all turns into even more unplanned work, but I was kind of expecting things to not go as planned. It seems to be how these things go.

So, today I'll pull the remains of the front belly pan and bananas off, and see how the bolts and nuts look under there.

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Old 11-21-2016, 08:19 PM   #19
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1972 23' Safari
2024 22' Bambi
Sierra Vista , Arizona
Join Date: Jan 2011
Posts: 92
After spending some time looking things over, I decided to just fix the frame, replace the rear part of the floor, and call it good. Today, I replaced part of the lower frame extension and the outriggers behind the streetside wheel well, and replaced the last three feet of the frame rail on that side. I'll do the end of the other frame rail tomorrow, and then I should be ready to replace the rear floor.

I did a sort of a budget for what all the parts will cost to finish the Airstream, and came up with about $6k or so of things I can think of. I expect there's a couple thousand more for things I forgot, or don't know about yet. I guess we'll be spending lots of money soon! But it might start to look like something again soon, too.

A 23' trailer, and all it's contents, really fills up a 1300 sq foot shop.
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Old 11-23-2016, 11:42 AM   #20
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1972 23' Safari
2024 22' Bambi
Sierra Vista , Arizona
Join Date: Jan 2011
Posts: 92
I finished fixing the frame. The last three feet got replaced, including both rear crossmembers, and a couple outriggers. I used 1/8" thick material. I duplicated the rails using two pieces of 1.5" angle, with a 2" wide strap between them. The rear crossmember is 2" angle on top, 1" angle on bottom, connected in a few places with strap. The second to rear crossmember is 2" thinwall tube, with a piece of 1.5" angle to bolt the plywood to. I decided to use a 32 gallon holding tank, for gray and black. I will put the toilet on the floor, instead of on the original black tank. The new tank will fit a couple inches below the floor, and hang down at the streetside end, so the spigot will go below the frame. I intend to add a section below the frame to help protect the tank. Tank is ordered, should be here next week.

Now, I need to see about getting that new plywood in place. It'll be challenging to do it all in one piece.. I am thinking about removing the wheelwells, to make room for it. And then, it will still be difficult.



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