1961 Airstream Safari front gaucho

Gaucho to bed

Airstream safari front gaucho

Front gaucho (with prior renovation cushions ,will get reupholstered), shown in couch position, pulls out to 54" wide X 85" long bed.

1961 Airstream Safari custom cabinets.

Two closets, front and rear, keeping with original floor plan.

1961 Airstream Safari cabinet construction.

Front gaucho being built, it will open up to a queen size.

Airstream Safari cabinets continued...

Starting to take shape, once all cabinets are fitted they will all be removed for final sanding, staining and door installation.

Airstream Safari cabinets continued....

Side gaucho under construction.

1961 Airstream Safari cabinet construction

Wall templates being made and kitchen base cabinet.

Airstream custom cabinets

Well on the way with new hardwood cabinets. Cabinet grade plywood with maple faces & doors.

This is a long procedure as I have to plane down the rough lumber before construction can start.

Bath cabinet with load center tucked inside rear hatch, battery will also fit there.

Airstream bathtub repaint

Recently repainted with durable two part expoxy paint and installed.

Pex plumbing 1961 airstream safari

Rare find, original porch light mint condition.

Newly constructed toilet base that enclosed the fiberglass black water tank.

New electric panel with 12v converter and built in battery charger. Outlets, A/C and water heater operate from the AC 120 service, while the lighting, water pump, radio, tongue jack run off DC power from the converter. A gasless sealed battery will be installed next to the unit, all with easy access from rear hatch.

Airstream appliances

Recent purchase of new Dometic 110v / LP powered refrigerator, 20 gallon custom freshwater tank and Attwood 6 galllon water heater, 110v /LP powered.  Positioning these items to run utilities to them, although electric has been run earlier, next ABS drain lines will be run, hot & cold supply lines and lastly LP gas lines. Attached are a few of the new items.

Airstream Safari black water tank valve installation.

First part of installing the drain line is starting at the black water tank and working back towards the other fixtures.  First was the installation of the next dump valve and adapter.

1961 Airstream Safari bamboo flooring installation.

I like the look and feel of solid wood flooring and I have used bamboo in past airstreams and it is my favorite choice so I went with a carbonized "floating floor" version.  The hardest part is the curved corners, once you come up with a method it goes quickly, taking my time I got this done in about four  hours.

Vintage Airstream Safari door reskin

I decided to reskin the entry door on the 1961 Airstream Safari. Buck riveting as was done at the factory. The very bottom of the door had some minor damage and did not want it to be a focal point upon entering the trailer, the following pics show the damage, skin removed, new  expanding foam insulation, lock area reinforcement and new skin. Coming soon, pics of door installed with new lock set.

Hehr Hall-Mark airstream windows 1961 Safari

Currently restoring windows, posting a few pics along the way.  All the windows where removed from the trailer then glass removed from their frames, all of the old gasket & seal material removed and replaced with materials from Vintage Trailer Supply (don't know what I would do with out them).
It does take some time to remove the old gasket material , goo remover worked very well to soften it up then scraped it out with a small screw driver, also someone used silicone  to seal when some panes where replaced in the past.  One of the challenging parts was putting the plastic glazing/ molding in, it is supposed to snap in place once cut to length after 45 degree cut on the ends. Mine fit a bit too loose, I found a bead of silicone around the channel and clamped it into place for a few hours did the trick, which is recommended by VTS .    Also in pics are rubber window gasket installed and a couple of the windows installed back on the trailer. After this process the trailer will be weather tight and I can proceed to work on installing new wood flooring.

1961 Airstream entry door

Stripping old paint off entry door

1961 Airstream Safari interior painting

New All- grip primer and paint, very durable stuff, speckled with complimenting shades of base color for the original vintage look and feel.