Dream of an Airstream

Hello and welcome, My name is deelind and I've decide to devote this blog to my 1970 Safari Airstream renovation. I plan on calling it Plush-O-matic with the intention of taking my artwork to the pavement. I'm in way over my head, but loving it anyway.

I purchased a 23' 1970 Safari Land Yacht SE from a man in N.H. the 1st week of September 2010 for $800 but even at the low price, I wasn't certain if I hadn't made a big mistake. Oddly enough, the day I purchased this, the much coveted '65 Globetrotter was put up and and sold on Craigslist for $900 just a few miles away. But I'm loving the size of this one, perhaps the globetrotter would have been too small (that's what I'm telling myself).

I live in one of 'those neighborhoods' with covenants and I've been racing against the New England weather to get it prettied up enough to skirt the rolling eyes when it spotted in my yard, "there goes the neighborhood."


I towed it home the following weekend and started to scoop away the pollen and mildew, lots and lots of mildew. Then the stripping of the clear coat. I began with citri-strip and having to complete some tougher areas with aircraft stripper. I struggled for days polishing the lower half of just one side and got nowhere quick, in a revelation I tried a baking soda scrub that help to even out the aluminium finish. Polishing will come in the spring.

It was a proud moment the day I fit the new curved window in. Not an easy job. The old window had been out for a few years. I had made a template of the new window and matched to up to the area it was to be placed, finding 3/16 had to be shaved off the top of the opening. Damn those dremels are handy. I've sanded and painted the very rusty tow and bumper a charcoal gray, they look sweet!

The act of making something provides tangible proof of the passage of time. When it's done well, it proves you're not wasting it.