Safari owners

[Jerry Sulkin]

Any other 71 Safari owners out there? We found ours in March of 2001 and I have been restoring it ever since. In fact, it hasn't been out of the driveway since I brought it home. We started by ripping out most of the interior, which had not been very well taken care of by the previous owner, and rebuilding all of the furniture from scratch. This includes a new galley cabinet and counter top, new bulkhead partitions, new tambour throughout, new goucho, new credenza and table, new refrigerator, new stove, new toilet, re-plumbed the entire trailer, all new cushions and upholstery, new curtains throughout and new carpet. The interior is now complete and I am in the process of stripping the clearcoat and re-sealing the seams. If all goes well, we'll be ready to roll by mid June. I plan to post some pictures on the photos site in the near future.

[Dbraw]

Hello Jerry,
Sounds like you have been having a lot of fun redoing your unit. We are just starting on ours, a 1971 23' Safari with twin beds in the middle before the bath. I am now involved with about a dozen different areas of ours and we only got it three days ago. Looked for a long time to find the one we wanted and finally found it about 60 miles away, here in middle Tennessee. We are cleaning everything first. Took the carpet out and trashed it. What kind of flooring did you use? We are thinking about square tile, but need to do some research first. 9" instead of 12"? Is there some special kind of lubricant that will make the tambour doors run smoother? Did you make new ones?
Our unit did not have an awning on it when it was new, just a track for inserting canvas. Do you know where I could find original awning hardware? Any other advice would be appreciated.
Dan

[InsideOut]

Check out the link below regarding 9"x9" tiles....I just responded to a similar question last night

VAT Tiles

Shari

[Jerry Sulkin]

Dan,
Congratulations on the purchase of your new trailer. We used carpet in ours basically because I had a piece of commercial grade material available that I had purchased for our utility room and never used. My wife made a paper pattern of the trailer floor and we traced it on to the back of the carpet and cut it out. We installed it in two pieces. Fit perfectly the first time. I replaced all of the tambour except the plastic stuff in the bathroom. I couldn't find any of the plastic tambour so I bought some heavy duty canvas and reglued the original slats to the new canvas. Works great. I used solid oak vaneer tambour on the new galley cabinet and goucho. I used the woodgrain vinyl stuff for everything else. The original tambour in the trailer was not usable. My trailer had an awning on it when we bought it but the fabric was rotted and the supports were broken. I removed it. Maybe some day I'll try to refurbish it. I haven't done any research but I think parts are still available. Try the Zip-Dee web site. I was getting very close to done with my trailer when I discovered problems with the black water tank. The tank has a crack in the bottom and the dump valve must be replaced. I ended up having to disassemble the bathroom and remove the tank from the top to repair. Would be a good idea to check this out before you get too far on yours. Good luck.

[Dbraw]

Jerry,
Thanks for the information. I'll use it wisely. My wife liked the idea of the commercial carpet.
Dan

[davidz71]

Dan,
Glad to see another Middle TN. airstreamer on the board. As far as lubricant for the tambour, do not make the mistake I did. After drilling out rivets in the galley and removing my Suburban for overhaul, I put some brake calipher silicone grease in the tracks. That stuff seemed to swell the wood and I had to go back in and clean it up. I left the track dry and it slowly is getting back to normal. I wonder if graphite would work? Craig

[InsideOut]

I don't have tambour doors, but Parafin wax works with sticky, dry, wood drawer glides, I don't know why it wouldn't work on tambour doors...

Shari

[Dbraw]

Hello Craig,
Thanks for the information on Tamblur doors. And thanks for the welcome to AirstreamForums in TN. Thats a nice looking rig you have. How is everything in Tullahoma? I have some friends there in the boat business. Bumbler Bee Boats. We are busy cleaning and fixing. Glad the airconditioner works on these hot days.
Dan

[davidz71]

Dan,
Bumble Bee boats are nice ones. I see many boat trailers coming into Tullahoma from other areas and I guess they are for that company. I think we have another bass boat company in this area also but can't remember who it is. I think Stratos was here before they shut down.

I appreciate the comment on my trailer. I've become attached to her but wish I could lop off the last 4-6 feet to make her a 25-27 footer. I'm afraid that when and if I sell to go to that size, I will regret it. It is sort of like selling a gun then wishing for years you had not done so. Wish I had the money to just go out and buy another to add to the first. My wife would go nuts!

I wanted to make the mini rally to Pidgeon Forge, I think this week, but couldn't get my wife to go. She and I will be going to Cheatham Dam Lock A June 28-30 for our first husband-wife trip in the Excella. We are meeting another couple whose husband I deer hunt with. Some of the sites are 20' from the water. I'm crossing my fingers she will like the trip and will consider making others.

[Dbraw]

Jerry Sulkin ( 71 Safari owner),
I am having a little trouble with my 71 Safari water system and thought you might be some help. I removed and cleaned the water pump and rebuit the plywood base it was on and reinstalled it. Now, when I turn on the pump, it just barely runs. Real slow like it is straining. Water comes out the drain under the trailer which is below the sink. All three drain valves are closed under the sink as well as the ones in the back in the bathroom closed. The water tank is full. Any ideas?
Dan

[Jerry Sulkin]

Dan,
Are you getting any water to the sink? Sounds like you have a restriction somewhere in the line from the water tank to the pump and/or a bad drain valve. If the tank drain is closed you should not be getting water under the trailer. If the valve is not closing the pump will pull water to the valve and that's as far as it will go and the pump will not prime.

[Dbraw]

Hello Jerry,
More questions for you about your 71 Safari. I am trying to remove the black water tank in order to fix a lead in the copper water line where it was joined with a plastic coupling sometimes in the past. I have removed the toilet, plastic back board behind it, the plastic floor under the toilet, the plywood base and all fittings under the toilet. I have disconnected the vent pipe as well as the copper water line to the toilet. The black water tank is loose now except it seems to be hanging up down where the outlet is. Under the trailer the pop rivets are removed holding the outside fitting and it wiggles with the tank. Is there a trick to removing the tank? Does the outside stay connected to the tank and come up and out with the tank? I hope you have the answers.
Dan

[Jerry Sulkin]

Dan,
You have to disconnect the grey water piping junction from the bottom of the dump valve. Remove the two screws and pull down on the fitting to disconnect it from the valve. Your black tank will then lift out from the top. I just got mine back in after repair of a crack and installing a new valve.

[Dbraw]

Jerry,
Thanks for the info. I'll go work on it as soon as I have breakfast. Haave a good day.
Dan

[Dbraw]

Jerry,
Well. I'm back. How do I access the two screws that attach the grey water line. Should I drop the belly pan under the black water tank to get to them? I can't get to anything under the tank from above since it will only raise about an inch. I'm still trying and haven't even had breadfast yet.
Dan

[Jerry Sulkin]

Dan,
I forgot to tell you how to get to the screws. Sorry. Yes, you must remove the belly metal under the tank. The pan on mine was one large sheet so I just cut out a section about 18" long directly under the dump valve assembly using a sheetmetal cutoff tool. I fabricated a new aluminum piece for that area using the old section for a pattern. By the way, don't forget to remove the plastic tee handle from the dump valve before you try and lift the tank out. Why are you removing the tank? Did you have a leak?

[Dbraw]

Jerry,
Thanks for the advice. I am removing the tank in order to access the copper line that goes between it and furnace outlet in front of the water heater. It has been repaired in the past with a plastic coupling and is now leaking. I plan to replace it with a brass coupling and new copper pipe. There is not enough room to do that with the tank in place and since I removed the toilet to look for the leak, I might as well take the tank out also. I was able to inspect the flooring under the shower also and found it to be sound. My lucky day. By the way, this forum is a wonderful resource and I appreciate your advice. Hope you soon start injoying traveling.
Dan

[jeanarlene]

Well here goes. I am not too computer savy so hope I'm plugged into the right pew. I'm an old lady in the north woods of MI who purchased a '71 23'Safari this spring. I haven't decided whether to call her Airabella or Albatross because she's going to require some work before she can fly (down the highways that is.) Her former owner took the couch from the front and shoved it across from the bed in the separate bedroom. This was after he took out the dresser and closet. I discovered this when I asked where the closet was. I had owned a "71 Safari in 1988 so knew something about them. I didn't have the presence of mind to open up those two beds when I was in process of buying the trailer which was another state away. I opened the beds when I got home and discovered you couldn't be wider than a snake to get between them to the bathroom.
The owner had given me the dresser and the closet door ( a last minute thought) and I'm thinking about do I want to get them re-installed and move the couch back to the front. (He had built in a cabinet across the front and had two swivel chairs none of which suits me and the Dog.) Or do I want a dinette which can convert to a couch? Somewhere I saw a 'stream fixed up with 2 long bench seats on each side of a table in front. People could stretch out and read or watch TV and then flop down the table for a bed. I'm not sure there is enough room up front in the Safari for this design. Anyone out there done this in a Safari that has the separate bedroom section?
Jeanne

[Dbraw]

Hello JD,
We are in the process of fixing our 23' Safari the way we want it. The couch in front was in poor shape when we got our trailer three weeks ago. I removed it and am now building a dinette that will convert to a bed. I plan to use the cushions from the couch and cut them down and my wife will recover them. I will build a new table that will hinge out of the way like the old one did. It will then lower and make the bed. We have been busy cleaning wverything from top to bottom. It had set for several years and was quite dirty. We took up the original carpet and replaced it with vinyl tile from Home Depot. The twin beds in front of the bath are original and leave plenty of room to walk. Just finished checking and fixinf some plumbing leaks. Next will check out the gas system.
Good luck with your Safari and the name for it. Ours is called The Silver Fox. My wife calls it Foxy for short.
Happy Trails
Dan

[jeanarlene]

Hi Dan,
I see you're a graphic artist so I imagine that your plan for building a front dinette will be aesthetically pleasing as well as functional. Could you share the particulars of that layout with me? I could hire a local carpenter/handy man to build if he had specifics. My talents don't include construction.
I am considering replacing the old carpet (carpets are bad news for those with allergies--like me) with either vinyl tile or cork. A tip: some people steam clean old cushions to sanitize them. I plan to purchase new foam for mine as there are some affordable foam supplies in my area. I will be interested in hearing about your progress in remodeling your Silver Fox.
Jeanne