Our yet to be named, '56 Safari

[Atomic_13]

I like the idea of using a wood mat on the shower floor. I assume you'll be using crossed lap joinery and teak for the mat. I've not tackled this specific project before but I assume you'll use a stacked dado set and push through multiple wide board and then rip the strips to the precise size to match the dado'd groves? I've seen these before and they just ooze of craftsmanship.

[islandtrader]

Well thanks to your tutorial...I am not going to Zolatone...

That being said your project is coming along and looking GREAT!

[Joyflea]

Looks great . You are a painter . Don’t know what primer you used , but the PPG epoxy primer I use will have to be scuffed no earlier than 72 hrs . I found out the hard way on a big truck I did . Man you’re doing a great job , keep up the good work .

[InsideOut]

Been awhile since I checked in...looking good! Glad to see another '56 Safari coming back to life!

We LOVE our teak mat in the shower - it was a great addition. We had it ordered to fit our pan from Teakworks4U a couple of years ago - especially the teak smell & warmth underfoot at night

Shari

[steinVT]

Joyflea, won't say I'm a painter. Don't do it often enough and the technology keeps changing. When I was painting a bunch, we used lacquer. Nothing like a black lacquer shine after many hours of sanding and buffing. Kind of dates me.

I did use the PPG epoxy. Not sure what you meant by "No earlier than 72 hours". Less than 72 hours, no scuffing required. I was so upset when I ran out, I couldn't hardly look at it for 72 hours. What kind of topcoat did you have trouble with and what happened? Zolatone is so sticky, I was tempted to just shoot it over the hardened epoxy, but I did it the right way, sand and re-prime with more epoxy. This should easily be good for another 60 years.

Sherri, I had bookmarked your section on painting and have probably read it four times. Thanks for your posts.

Brian, I'm not sure any of my wood projects "ooze of craftsmanship". I'm more of a weld it and beat it with a hammer kind of guy. Your's will be the technique I will try and if it doesn't work out I will try Sherri's and buy one and modify it.

Island Trader, didn't mean to scare anyone off, but if I ever do another trailer, I will investigate other options first. I do like the look we ended up with, but it was pricey.

Mark

[steinVT]

Realized I hadn't painted the interior of the closet and the inner door frame of the bathroom. Luckily I had still had about a quart of Zolatone left. No problem now I know what to expect. The picture also shows the paint pot I picked up on Amazon for $85. Even includes a spray head with a 2 mm nozzle. Don't think I will be painting any cars with this rig, but it worked great for the Zolatone. Mark

[Joyflea]

Mark , the problem I had was reducer pop . It was because I was painting on wood . Used a sealer over epoxy primer after flashing , I guess the reducer came out of the wood and that was what happened. Waited 30 hours , scuffed and shot top coat and it looked great . I called PPG home and called auto color and neither one could tell you anything as they don’t test on wood or latex with auto paint . Played around a little and used a good latex primer and after 3 days scuffed and shot single stage auto on and it looks great . Time will tell as I have the board in the sun . See if it will hold up . Latex primer about a third the cost of auto epoxy .
I too started with lacquer and did hundreds of MC tanks and a few autos . Lots of sanding between coats but you could still put on 20 in a day . It would look a mile deep . Have fun . Blue

[Joyflea]

On the not any sooner than 72 hrs. You said you ran out of Z and were scuffing up your primer . If you scuff it you have to shot your top coat within that 72 . It will seal over again . If I have to wait for more than 72 I will schuss again .
I painted a car , primed whole car , shot a red on bottom and could not paint the top for 5 days . Scuffed after 72 then it was about 85 hours before a painted after scuffing . Had problems with that top coat coming off . Lesson learned .

[steinVT]

Blue, thanks for the details on your epoxy issue. I thought the 72 hours was the time it took it to cross link, surprised you had an issue. All of my scuffing was within three days of final anyway and I also sprayed another coat of epoxy primer an hour before. Not to mention the Zolatone is some pretty tough stuff. I should be good. Thanks, Mark

[steinVT]

Now the interior paint work is done and the floor installed, the real fun has begun. It is a target rich environment to be sure. And things are leaving my basement, hopefully never to return. I must say it is nice having everything cleaned up and ready to go back in.

I started the final assembly by ringing out and marking all of the new wiring. After updating my schematics I then installed all of the light fixtures and plugs. I figured it was easier to reach everything before the furniture gets in the way.

For the 115v, I used marine braided cable, which I now know may have been overkill. To terminate I used crimped fittings with glued shrink wrap. Quite a difference from the original twisted wires with friction tape.


All of the light fixtures have been converted to 12v and I decided to use two prong connectors instead of hard wiring them. It would bother me to have to cut some wires to remove a fixture. They are really pretty inexpensive.


Next in the closet. This part is fun.

[Bubba L]

Mark,’that’s all looking perfect. It’s amazing how much your layout looks like our 55. You are entering easy street. What a great feeling. Keep it up, the finish line is in site.

[dbj216]

Closet looks great. The final assembly is the fun part, and yes, you have the hard work done. Your Safari will be such fun to travel in. You're going to have a lot of people wanting to check out your 55.

David

[steinVT]

Been almost a month since my last post. During this part of the build, it seems that all of the projects advance together and I don't like to post until a project is done unless I have questions or am stuck.

All and all it has been coming together nicely. It better, only four weeks until the Tin Can Tourist NE Regional rally. I think we might just make it. Of all the systems, only the propane is yet to do. The electrical and plumbing are done! Just finishing up the new counter tops and they will be installed.

What I will try to do is write a couple of posts a night until I can get caught back up.

Let's start with the fresh water system. Originally she had a galvanized tank which I think was pressurized, under the street side bed. I replaced that with a 20 gallon poly tank and a 12v pump. Using a series of 3 way valves, the tank can be filled from the city inlet or the city can pressurize the trailer.

Here's a schematic of the system.


And here's what it looks like together. It was a bit of a puzzle figuring out which order to crimp the joints. All told I used more than 100 crimp rings and not a one of them leaked. PEX is a nice system.


Here is a top view.

[islandtrader]

Nice and neat...I have been thinking and rough sketching my lay out and there is only so many ways you can do things...so I was not surprised when looking at yours, it is not so different than what I was thinking.

[57Vintage]

I like the idea of filling the tank from city water. I've been playing with that idea, but haven't resolved another puzzle yet. How to 'recirculate' water within the system because of my tankless water heater.

I do have a couple questions.

What source did you find for lead free 3 way valves with the long handles?

If your two drain lines are on the fw tank vent line, won't you have problems draining the fw tank since air can't enter the tank while draining?

[steinVT]

Harold, I got the valves from Amazon. Search for "NIGO 180SS Series 3-Way (L-Port) Forged Brass Ball Valve". There is a lead free version.

You bring up a good point regarding air lock. I just ran out and tested it. Seems to work fine. And if it didn't, I could use the city fill circuit to relieve any vacuum.

Next I thought I would document the grey water system. Remember this trailer came with no black or grey tanks. Just a straight shot to the sewer pipe. And since the head and kitchen are in the front, the in floor tanks were not the obvious answer they are in so many other restorations. I decided to go with two poly tanks, one 10 gallon to service the bath sink and shower and a larger 16 gallon to handle the kitchen sink. So all plumbing and both tanks are above the floor so no need for auxiliary heat. The other thing I tried to do was have nothing hang below the belly pan other than the dump pipe. It looks original from the outside.

Here is a schematic of the waste circuit.


Here is a picture showing the shower sump in the floor and the valving to empty it. Notice also the switch to the left. That is the Auto-valve open/close switch for the main sewer drain.


I then made up a little cover plate to keep items from the locker out of the sump area.


And finally this is a lighted switch on the medicine cabinet to actuate the relay for the shower sump. Not sure why the photo rotated. - Mark

[steinVT]

The second grey tank was added to collect water from the kitchen sink. It is an off the shelf 16 gallon poly. I found it fit nicely in the corner under the sink counter top. This would really be wasted space anyway as it would be hard to get to, kind of a black hole for cleaning supplies.

So I had three problems:
1) The ports were in the wrong place
2) If it is elevated for gravity drain, I'll lose half the capacity because of the depth of the sink.
3) How to restrain it.

Decided to tackle the new ports with bulkhead fittings. But then how do I tighten the nuts inside? It was painful, but I took a saber saw and cut a large port in the top. Using a home made wrench, I could tighten the nuts pretty easily. The top port was then resealed using a piece of Plexiglas with a bead of silicone from the inside and held is place with a SS bolt and Aluminum angle iron. The only other trick is to use a bit of plumbers putty at the base of the threads of the bulkhead fitting. Without that I had a tiny weeping leak.


To drain the tank, I decided on a macerating pump. Then the tank can sit on the floor and I can move the grey water through the black tank to dump. Should help clear the black tank as well. This all sits nicely under a false floor in the sink cabinet.


To hold the tank in place, I added a small plywood ring at the base like my other tanks and then fashioned a side wall for the under cabinet with a locating piece. This is tied into the wall, floor and cabinet. The small momentary push button switch on the upper left corner of the wall is used to run the pump. - Mark

[dbj216]

We used a lot of bulkhead fittings in the large oil storage tanks we molded in the factory. We too had a special tool that we could use to hold the inside nut from spinning while tightening the fitting. Bulkhead fittings work good, just a bit more costly than a spin weld.

Your idea of two grey water tanks located at the "point of use" is rather nifty. I like it.

David

[steinVT]

Like most Safari owners, we added an above the floor black tank underneath the toilet. It is supported by a stand made of Aluminum extrusions and topped with a double layer of plywood. The double layer was needed to provide the enough clearance for the toilet floor flange to screw directly into the tank. Bonded to the underside of the tank is a flange which attaches to a Valterra waste valve. Almost a direct shot.

So I screw it all together and fill it up (with clean water) and it starts pouring into the shower pan. Since I had cut a corner off of the tank to fit closer to the wall, I had all sorts of scary thoughts. Just glad I didn't try to test under combat conditions.

Take it all back apart and here is what I found.

Some moron obviously got carried away drilling and punched a 1/4" hole in the side. Since the tank was ABS, it was easily repaired. Back together and no leaks.

To cover up the plywood and hide the black tank I built an aluminum box. Here is a picture of it along with its cardboard prototype.

And finally the completed throne.

Mark

[HiHoAgRV]

To access the inside of the tank you could have used a marine port. I found some circular ones with a twist out clear center and it works great. I have a spare around here somewhere for a photo. Somewhere around here...