newbie-where to begin?

[SafariSogood]

I got a '75 safari this last weekend. It seems solid, no obvious water leaks or floor rot. I am now in the holy s***! what do I do now part. I went through it for about 2 hours before I bought it and missed a lot of stuff from excitement and ignorance. I tested the water system, more or less, and ran the fridge, burners and furnace before purchase. Now, in the calm aftermath I am going through a little more thoroughly. Most likely the fridge and water heater and furnace will need replacing. How hard is it to adhere to replacing with as close to original as possible? Should it matter or just get something that is current? This has not been altered too much as far as I can see, and I want to maintain that integrity. My wife, wants to rip out the faux woodtone and paint, but that will be another story.
I know I need the gas inspected, I can smell it with the tanks open and no appliances on(faint) . The city water line, I noticed tonight was disconnected in the back where it comes in and the pipe capped, hmmmm, must have been a problem there. Do I need to rip the floor up to redo water, gas, electric first?
All in all, I am pretty excited to have an airstream and want to be a good steward of it while it is in my possession.
Is it important to go to an airstreanm dealer or can you trust an rv shop (dont have any relationships with any as this is my first trailer)?
I am getting the wheels serviced by a good trailer shop who is putting a round plug on my p/u to match the trailer. Or are those round plugs old and out of date? I have a 7 flat plug on my p/u now and was going to have them add the round next to it, as well as add a brake control.
Enough for one post. Thanks.

[azflycaster]

Lot of questions, where do you want to begin?
As far as water heater and furnace, they should be no problem if you need to replace. The fridge is another story. The newer units are not the same size, so cabinet modifications will be needed.

The gas smell needs to be resolved. Most every place where gas goes through the floor into the trailer you should find a shutoff valve. The fridge and stove are the exception. The stove has a shutoff under the stove top which should pop up and hinge on the rear. If the valve is open, you may have gas flowing through the pilot light. Also make sure the oven is turned to pilot off and not just off.

The floor should not needto come out unless it is bad. The fresh water lines are above the floor and the gas lines run under the trailer and pass through the floor.

I suggest you do an evaluation of what needs to be fixed and go from there.

Best of luck with the new trailer. 75's are great!

[Kevbo10]

Originally Posted by SafariSogood

"I got a '75 safari this last weekend"

\\ MASSIVE SNIP HERE //

"Enough for one post". "Thanks".

thank you,

Go Camping Now.

bob

[juel]

I have a great 78 Argosy that at first was a little overwhelming. Some of the things I thought I couldn't make work, now work. I have replaced the water heater with an LP/Electric one and put a little refrigerator in the front, with a microwave on top of the frig. Now when I camp I just need electricity and don't have to worry about the gas. If I wanted to boondock I can use the original frig and water heater on LP, have a catalytic heater and the oven and cook-top could be used. Just take your time and make the trailer usable enough to go camping. After you have camped a couple of times, you will know what is important for you in this trailer and what you can leave for another time. Enjoy your "new" vintage Airstream. They are wonderful pieces of American history and a whole lot of fun to play with.

[SafariSogood]

Thanks for the replies!
Here are a couple of updates:
The trailer part of the trailer just came back from what seemed to be a great service shop here in Portland. I brought a boat trailer there a couple of years ago and tried them for the Airstream. They fixed the plug so that when I stepped on the brakes the clearance lights wouldnt come on, left blinker would start the reverse lights and so forth. They also serviced the bearings and replaced the break away switch. Anyhow I would recommend Hitch Mart services if you are in the Portland area.
I have my next appointment at Laurelhurst Heating & Air Conditioning to check the LP and AC systems.
After that, I would like to line up someone to work on plumbing and electrical.
Sutton in Eugene and Airstream of Spokane have been mentioned. I was just wondering if there was any shops closer to the Portland metro area as I dont want to spend a lot of time transporting the trailer all over unless I am camping in it (which I have yet to do!)
So if you have any suggestions in the Portland area I would be most appreciative.

[Van]

Originally Posted by SafariSogood

I was just wondering if there was any shops closer to the Portland metro area as I dont want to spend a lot of time transporting the trailer all over unless I am camping in it (which I have yet to do!)
So if you have any suggestions in the Portland area I would be most appreciative.

Those are the only Airstream specific ones. Otherwise it is the usual places like Camping World and the small independant RV repair shops. Which i am sure are as good as anyplace, it is just a matter of hourly rate.

[SafariSogood]

Van, have you used Camping World? It looks like your trailer is about as close to mine as I could see. In general do you use non airstream places?
Have you done a lot of restoration on yours, or do you still have orange shag carpets? We still need to get the lava lamp and disco ball. We do have an 8 track player, don't know if it works. I will have to hit the garage sales to find some 8 tracks.

[TBRich]

Congrats on your new toy and good luck in getting it camping-worthy and on the road to adventure...the sooner you can go camping in it the happier you'll be! The wacky world of Airstreaming awaits you in the wings!

Happy Trails,
TB