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kneal · 01-14-2007, 12:46 PM

Thought I would post some pictures of the project I am currently working on - remodel of a 73 23' Safari. I am completely gutting the interior with the exception of the bathroom. The pictures are the before pictures as I brought it home in mid December.

fastrob · 01-14-2007, 02:25 PM

Hey,
It looks good the way it is.
What are you going to do?
Is the frame sound, floor?
R

kneal · 01-14-2007, 02:32 PM

Here are some more pics as I started the gutting process. I have also included a picture of the plans for the remodel. All the cabinets and partitions will be birch as I was trying to get away from the plastic wood. There was one bad spot in the floor which I repaired. Everything else was very solid with no rot. Frame is also in great condition.

trevisgardne · 01-14-2007, 02:49 PM

very nice looking trailer

Lumatic · 01-14-2007, 03:33 PM

Hey Kneal,
If you haven't got rid of the interior yet, the tambour doors under the sink look good. Do you want to sell them? May I could also use some of the other stuff. I need tambour material and aluminum handles. What else you got?

kneal · 01-14-2007, 04:17 PM

I am actually having someone do the woodwork for me. They have all the parts and I will be picking them up in the next couple of weeks. I will then put together an inventory of what I have available. Thanks!

kneal · 01-14-2007, 04:43 PM

Here are some pictures of the cabinetry and bunks. I ended up putting an aluminum backsplash and teh countertops will also be aluminum. I thought this would make the small area look bigger as it will all blend together. Still have to do the trim work, cabinet finish work, and the flooring.

kneal · 01-14-2007, 04:47 PM

Here is my a picture of my new floor - Cork....

kneal · 01-15-2007, 08:09 AM

Anyone have any ideas on refinishing the Birch? I am looking at using Lacquer right now for the top coat. Deft has a brushable lacquer that I tested out and it looks to work better than the Polyurethane. Anyone?

kposey · 01-15-2007, 08:44 AM

I had a 23 footer before purchasing my 31 footer. I still miss her! But I thought have two Airstreams in my driveway was a little much! Have fun with your redo.

uwe · 01-15-2007, 10:50 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by kneal

Anyone have any ideas on refinishing the Birch? I am looking at using Lacquer right now for the top coat. Deft has a brushable lacquer that I tested out and it looks to work better than the Polyurethane. Anyone?

I used polymerized Tung oil from LeeValley.com, complete with their hardener.
The reason I used this was so that scratches or blemishes that will inevitably occur during use will be very easy to touch up. Plus, the product is less aggressive on humans than polyurethane etc. It soaks partly into the finish, and the nsubsequent coats provide depth and dimension to any figure the wood might provide.
At Leevalley.com, they have very good finishing information, and their shipping was quick and hassle free.
I experimented with commonly available materials, and found them less than satisfactory.

I used this first:
http://www.leevalley.com/wood/page.a...at=1,190,42942

then this:

http://www.leevalley.com/wood/page.a...at=1,190,42942

For the finish coat, i mixed both together.

kneal · 02-01-2007, 01:25 PM

Just want to run this by anyone who can validate my thinking behind my dinette. As you can see from the messy drawing below, I am putting a wrap around dinette in my Safari. The issue I am having is the way the bench seat buts up against the Galley Cabinet limits the size of the table I can have if I want to be able to access the seating area on both sides as well as use the table to drop down and make the dinette into a bed.

My thoughts are as follows:
I took the original frame off the old table that basically folded in half and expanded with an aluminum base. My thoughts are to use this in the same way, but keep it folded with the new table top when using as dinnette. When I want to make it into a bed I can then Unfold the table tops and slide out the aluminum extension to drop into place.

Do you think this will work? Any better suggestions?

Jim & Susan · 02-01-2007, 01:48 PM

Take a look at the way Pizzachop (Ron) did his (in his photo album). You might also PM him. Ron is a great guy and loves to kick around new ideas.

What you've got looks like it will work. The table may just be a bit shorter than you would like. But I guess you already knew that part.

Jim

Safari Tim · 02-01-2007, 02:47 PM

I also did a dinette project on my '71 Safari. I butted up the bench seat to the kitchen counter. Was not a big deal.

The biggest problem was the heater duct which I rerouted to the front of the bench seat. The other thing was the table had to have an angle cut on it so you could sqeeze by into the seat.

It worked. well. We only got to use it one season before we sold it.

kneal · 02-01-2007, 03:01 PM

Here are a few pictures what I am thinking about. I outlined where the dinette will be with the blue tape. There may be a few other pics in here that are not related....

Thanks,
Kevin

kneal · 02-01-2007, 04:53 PM

In the pictures above you can see the original table and how it extends out. My idea is to use this to keep a small table to where you can access seating on both sides and have it extend to drop down and make the bed.

PizzaChop · 02-01-2007, 06:55 PM

Kevin,

I would scrap the original table and make your own. It will be more functional and probably sturdier. (The original is designed to be attached to the wall)

The one I did in the Overlander was about 42" x 30" and sat on a pedestal mounted to the floor (about $15 at a camping supply store). The table rested on a piece of molding on the inside of the bench (3 sides) in the sleeping position.

Building a table isn't that hard and can be sheathed in laminate. (that's how I did it in the Overlander.) I would knock the corner off the end where it meets the counter which will give you enough room for a child to pass through. Even better is to have that corner hinged down to allow access for dining but raised for the bed function. See pic below. I am about to begin my dinette this weekend if all goes well. Here is a pic of the drawing I plan to follow.

Below is a drawing of what I'm describing in your case.

kneal · 02-01-2007, 07:40 PM

Ron - After Tim sent me photos of his, I thought about the same idea with the hinged corner. I am going to give that some thought as I think it will be much better than utilizing the hardware from my old table. Thanks and look forward to seeing you in Hiwassi.

kneal · 02-13-2007, 01:04 PM

I was just about to apply a new coating of epoxy in the bathroom. I took a break and started poking around in the rear bumper storage area. Part of the backside of the storage compartment was loose so I pulled it back and what I found really puts a damper on things. The back crossmember is rotted across the bottom and about a foot of the subfloor that backs up to the rear bumper is rotted all the way across.

Just when you think things are going well, SH** Happens.