Dad's 1970 Safari.

[NJtoNC]

So, my dad got too close to my airstreams and caught alumanitis. He recently purchased a 1970 Safari. This weekend we had the first opportunity to evaluate it. In just 8 years, (i have a 62) they made so many changes!

His safari is in very original, but fair to rough condition. (see note below) The only thing i can tell that is missing from the original trailer are some of the light lenses and the top curtain track (removed to install roller shades).

There are a few items that perplex me. First item;

what are these series of dots? They are mirrored on the other side of the window, too. all photos i see of same model year have curtains covering this area.





Next item; What you are viewing here is the rear streetside of the trailer, next to the wheel well. it is the edge of the frame outrigger purposely poking through the skin. it looks like the skin didnt close tightly enough and they slit the skin to make it fit. What else could it be? It doesnt look accidental.




Due to the rear of the trailer having not been sealed, or the seal not being maintained, water seeped into the rear bath ruining the floor. This seems very common in this and similar years, and i have seen A fix (flashing added under the skin and over the bumper box). Unfortunately, although this did rot the rear frame, i don't believe it would have caused the frame FAILURE I am about to describe. It is certainly what did it in though.

Below is a photo of what I am 90% sure is original work. They cut such a big hole in the frame to put waste pipes in, I can't imagine anyone's 1970 with a similar design NOT failing at this age. How was this ever acceptable?
The frame from this point and rear of it is flopping around, barely held on by a thread.



Now this trailer is the perfect length for my dad, however it seems his girlfriend is not thrilled with the layout. She suggested a rear bed in lieu of the jacknife bed which is quite small and leaves little room for middle of the night bathroom trips. I suggested since it was such complete condition, he might consider selling this one and finding one thats already been modified or gutted. However I did tell him he's have to fix the frame before selling it or using it , no one could tow long distance in this frames condition... So he said if he is doing the frame repair he may as well replace the floor too.
So the plan for now is to do the work and see if he gets attached.

Unfortunately , the rotted floor was under the bathroom and couldnt be detected upon initial inspection. On towing it home (30 min drive) he quickly figured out that the bumper was sort of flapping in the breeze and later discovered the damage.

[NJtoNC]

I'm not 100% sure if this is original but i suspect it is. It seems they cut an Un-necessarily large hole in the floor for it.

[wahoonc]

That outrigger coming through like that probably means some frame issues, could be a broken outrigger or even a broken frame. You will need to drop the belly pan and give it the once over.

Aaron

[NJtoNC]

Originally Posted by wahoonc

That outrigger coming through like that probably means some frame issues, could be a broken outrigger or even a broken frame. You will need to drop the belly pan and give it the once over.

Aaron

that was my initial reaction; but this looked to be too perfect of a cut. Could corrosion caused this to poke through? the aluminum next to it is in good shape. No sign of something hitting it to cause it to poke through. it almost looked as if the slit was intentional...

[overlander64]

Greetings NJtoNC!

Originally Posted by ;1296502

that was my initial reaction; but this looked to be too perfect of a cut. Could corrosion caused this to poke through? the aluminum next to it is in good shape. No sign of something hitting it to cause it to poke through. it almost looked as if the slit was intentional...

While the outrigger on your father's Airstream is poking through the banana wrap to a greater degreen than the two on my Overlander that failed, it is a fairly typical example of what can happen. The way that it was explained to me was that when an outrigger fails, it generally bends down and in toward the frame. As the outrigger is failing, the weight above it can cause vertical movement in both directions resulting from road vibrations causing the outrigger to perfrom something like a saw abrading the banana wrap until it protrudes through the banana wrap. The banana warp is typically a lighter gauge aluminum than the body panels so it doesn't take much effort for the failed outrigger to break through the banana wrap. It also appears that the trim piece immediately above that outrigger is missing, and the photo suggests that there may be a depression in that region that could have been the result of contacting a curb, marker post, or somethin along that line.

Good luck with your project!

Kevin

[NJtoNC]

Originally Posted by overlander64

It also appears that the trim piece immediately above that outrigger is missing, and the photo suggests that there may be a depression in that region that could have been the result of contacting a curb, marker post, or somethin along that line.
Kevin

Yes, the trim piece was removed - see photo above it re: rear frame failure from water leaking in at the bumper - he is in the process of removing rear belly pan to make repairs to the rear of the frame. ill let him know to pull it back even further to check the outriggers too. Thanks.

[BlackBirdCD]

I seem to recall a couple of reading lights that may have been mounted in that location - in addition to the recessed modules shown above the window there. My memory of the 1970 Safari my grandparents owned is somewhat detailed, but I can't precisely recall if there was ever a light in the location of those six drill marks.

Is the window in the first picture a shot of the front, or in the rear by the bathroom sink? If it's the bathroom, there were two side lights left and right of the window, running vertically (behind a semi-transluscent cover).

[keithgregg]

Are the six holes on either side of the front window? I pulled back my curtains and I don't have any holes. Maybe someone mounted some aftermarket speakers there.
I recently purchased a 1970 Safari but my kitchen is missing. Do you have a complete kitchen? I was hoping to see some pics so that I can get an idea of how to restore mine.
Thanks
Keith