Our yet to be named, '56 Safari

[steinVT]

Here is the complete schematic for the 12v. I am using seven of the 12 fuses in the Progressive Dynamics box.
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I wanted the shower scavenger pump to have a remote switch so I added a relay. The switch is mounted on the medicine cabinet and has an LED when it is on, so it is obvious whether the pump is on or not. Here is the schematic for that.
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This is the ground bar and shunt resistor for the battery monitor. I absolutely love the crimp terminals with the adhesive shrink wrap ends.


This shows the shower sump, pump relay and switch panel for the black tank auto dump valve.


Here is a close up of a Plexiglas plate I added to protect the hot 12v terminals on the back of the switch. - Mark

[steinVT]

The 115v system is much less involved, nearly everything is done in 12v. The progressive dynamics converter has four slots. The first is to power the converter itself. I then added two GFI breakers to handle plugs for the outside, kitchen and bath. To the forth slot I added a dual breaker, one to handle the refrigerator and the second the outlets along the street side wall. Mark

[steinVT]

Here is a picture of the original refrigerator vent. It was huge. It covered half of the window and took over half of the upper locker. The Kreft refrigerator has two modes, 115v and propane. To switch between modes you need access to add or remove the 115v heating element from the exhaust stack, hence the large hinged panel. I don't know, but I think this was an add on at some point. The chimney is pretty cool, but it looked like the cutouts in the floor and ceiling were done in anger.


I made the cutout in the counter top the same size as the original, but there was no way I wanted to block the window or give up so much locker space. The solution I came up with was to add a Plexiglas panel, two temperature controlled fans and two 4" ducts up to the chimney. Here is the new look.


Here is a photo during construction. The fans are sandwiched between the Plexiglas and the hose mounting plate. The mounting plate required the most fabrication.


The fans are great, requiring almost no power unless they are needed. They are silent except when they are working hard. They each have a 40cm temperature probe. One I put near the condenser coils and the second near the vent hole to the water heater. When the water heater turns on, you can immediately see some moisture on the Plexiglas. Then the fan motor spins up and it is gone.

When working with the shell, I added walls to isolate the chimney duct from the insulation and also a screen to help keep out mice. The vent hoses fit nicely into that duct and really didn't take up too much cabinet space. Other mods to the shell included blocking off the louvers on on curb side and adding a large vent in the floor below.


The decorative outer aluminum shell is really just a cover for the vent hoses and is held on with two Dzus fasteners. If I wanted to convert to propane, I would remove the cover and two additional screws holding down the Plexiglas. The hoses have plenty of flex to move out of the way.

My belief is that this refrigerator may have been used mainly with the electric heater. They typically rust out in the heat exchanger from the propane moisture. It works extremely well on electric, so I may just keep it that way. Until, that is, I put in a 12v compressor (not this year) - Mark

[OTRA15]

Thanks for all the recent updates and photos, Mark.

Well done!

Peter

PS -- Emphasis added below.

Originally Posted by steinVT

. . .
My belief is that this refrigerator may have been used mainly with the electric heater. They typically rust out in the heat exchanger from the propane moisture. It works extremely well on electric, so I may just keep it that way. Until, that is, I put in a 12v compressor (not this year) - Mark

[InsideOut]

Congratulations on your "Maiden Voyage"! I hope you get as much enjoyment from your Safari as we do ours...looking good!

Shari

[dbj216]

Man, you sure got a lot done today! Thank you kindly for documenting all your mini projects on this big project now called Bella.

David

[steinVT]

First I want thank my friend Jack (an ex-propane man) for helping me work out the details of the propane system and passing along a couple of tricks.

Like all Airstreams, this system was installed under the belly pan. I decided to give each appliance it's own shut off valve and then have on master valve as well. All lines are 3/8" except for the gas light and refrigerator which are 1/4". The 3/8" lines came armored with a very tough plastic cover. I think this should help them survive in a tough environment. The 1/4" was bare copper so I covered them with a split plastic cover and zip ties.

This is a picture of all of the tools needed to run the lines. Basically a good cut off tool, a good flare set (avoid the cheap ones) and a bender. The bender worked great to make clean tight turns. Pipe sealant for propane and leak finder fluid are the last items. Notice no Teflon tape or solder for rigid pipe.


I made the pipe hangers from scrap aluminum. This is a forming die I made out of plywood and a bolt. It worked great. Not sure why the picture turned.


The finished product. Notice the stubby flare nuts. I was told to avoid the ones with longer cones as they split. This agrees with comments I heard on the VAP podcast.


One thing I added is a quick connect. I modified a portable Weber grill for low pressure use and added a connector. I got the connector set and 12' hose from Amazon. We used this extensively camping and it worked great.


Here is what the main regulator setup ended up looking like.

Mark

[steinVT]

This is the gas light that is installed. Works fine, although after 300 miles, the new mantle had broken off and was sitting on the bench.


Notice the little plate sitting on the top of the heat shield. Not sure where that is supposed to go. Certainly won't sit up there while traveling. The markings include "Heat Shield DO NOT REMOVE" and an arrow and the words "Mantle Knots". Has to be part of the light.


Anyone know how that should be attached? - Mark

[islandtrader]

Good tips...getting ready to head back home and start back on the "old stream"

[steinVT]

Still trying to catch the blog up to trailer.

All of the original foam was junk, so we replaced it all. I'll pass along a couple of decisions that we were unsure of early on but are happy with now.

First was "Can we do this ourselves?". Lynne wasn't so sure, but I keep the faith. She had sewn curtains around the house, but never cushions with piping on the edges. We did end up getting a heavier sewing machine, a step under a commercial machine. That was money well spent.

Lynne wanted me to pass along the key are the the how to videos from Sailrite. They showed her exactly how to do it. They turned out great and probably saved a $1000.


I love the fabric, it's a heavy upholstery thickness. She didn't like the having to worry about pattern and the way it would fray. All's well that ended well.

For the mattresses, we decided not to add piping. These normally will be covered with bedding anyway. The cover is necessary because they take a beating when opening the bed base to get to the storage.


The type and thickness of foam we used:
4" medium density for the benches
4" "luxury" foam topped by 1" medium and 1" memory foam for the mattresses.

Mark

[steinVT]

We struggled trying to figure out how to do the curtains. Our favorite feature of the Safari is the wall of windows. It is a blessing when you are looking out at nature and a bit of a curse when trying to sleep in the morning.

I liked the look of the traditional curtains with slides in the tracks on the top and the bottom of the windows. Then we talked with Shari (Birdie) and realized that may not be the long term solution we were looking for.

What we ended up doing was making traditional curtain panels that slide in the track, but are only for show. There are panels on each end of the window wall, but none in the center. We then sewed together panels out of black out fabric then snap into place for privacy. We timed it and it took us exactly 1 minute and 30 seconds to totally black out our trailer. Best of both worlds.

Curtains during the day.


And at night.

Mark

[steinVT]

I think the last post is the last of our regularly scheduled programs. I believe I have covered all of the systems and major decisions we have made. If I have missed something, just ask.

Between these forums and the VAP podcast, I think I was able to figure out everything I needed for this restoration. Thanks everybody who contributed with encouragement and suggestions. Hopefully these pages will help future restorers answer some of the hard questions.

Posts now will be camping (unless we do something silly and that will probably need a new thread.
Take Care All,
Mark and Lynne

[Bubba L]

Originally Posted by steinVT

I think the last post is the last of our regularly scheduled programs. I believe I have covered all of the systems and major decisions we have made. If I have missed something, just ask.

Between these forums and the VAP podcast, I think I was able to figure out everything I needed for this restoration. Thanks everybody who contributed with encouragement and suggestions. Hopefully these pages will help future restorers answer some of the hard questions.

Posts now will be camping (unless we do something silly and that will probably need a new thread.
Take Care All,
Mark and Lynne

Mark, I’ve enjoyed corresponding with you. You only think you’re finished, trust me. By the way, she did a great job on the curtains and cushions. Take care and enjoy the fruits of yours and Lynne’s labor. We’ll see you in New England someday.

[dbj216]

Great project thread!!! Yea, clap, clap, clap. David

[Hittenstiehl]

Beautiful all over, nice job on upholstery too. Will watch some of those videos.

[islandtrader]

You and your wife did good!

👍

[steinVT]

Just to prove there is life after restoration, I humbly offer these photos. So far we have been to a Tin Can Tourist Rally and a WBCCI rally. We have met a bunch of really nice people and look forward to more rallies next spring. After the first rally, we camped in a NY state park for three nights and easily could have done a couple of dozen more. I have just wintered her, so we are done for the year. Next winter we may head south for a month or so.

First time on the road was a 300 mile drive. Towed like a dream.

This was the Tin Can Tourist Northeast Regional Rally in Romulus NY.


Our setup at the Taughannock Falls NY State Park.

Our campsite at the WBCCI rally in Leicester VT. What a beautiful weekend and only about an hour from our house.


We were the oldest Airstream at both rallies and attracted a lot of interest. We had a lot of fun and met some great people.

Kind of made it all worthwhile. - Mark

[Foiled Again]

What is the best detergent to get the drool out of my pajamas? Beautiful job. Hand out kleenix to people who want to take a tour.

[Stevareeno]

Truly amazing work. As I'm reading it, i am taking notes of all the things to be encountered soon. Thanks!!

[steinVT]

Thanks guys.

It was sometimes a bit overwhelming but always rewarding. We also had fun doing it, so much so that we soon will be starting on our next project, a 1962 Ambassador.

We'll start a new thread for that one- Mark