1968 Shasta Airflyte

Looks like a nice example you have found! It will be an adventure, and you will learn a lot before you are through, but it is very rewarding to have completed an undertaking such as this. Best of luck!

Thanks everyone!

So thoughts on how to pull out the dinette benches? I have the supports unscrewed but I can't figure out how to get the front wall of the bench out (the part you'd kick if you were sitting at the dinette). It may have been stapled from the outside in? Thoughts?

I've looked at the canham youtube videos, but haven't come across one that pertains to this (and youtube time is limited because we have satellite internet - the only option in our rural area, don't get me started! lol)

Great story and great looking Airflyte!

Our 1970 Starflyte was purchased to salvage parts from. The previous owner had gotten in way over his head and wanted out of the project. Once we got it home, I was looking it over and decide that I wanted to return her to her glory days! We are still working on her!

As for rebuilding and repairing, I have always preferred to work from the inside and only peel back the skin when necessary. Here are a few albums of her story. Maybe there will be a few pictures that help you during your Airflyte's repairs.

1970 Starflyte #1
1970 Starflyte #2


The dinette benches, as well as the cabinets were nailed from the outside, before the skins were attached. You can use a Oscillating Multifunction Power Tool from Harbor Freight Tools and cut through the nails from the inside.

Thanks for the input and links!
I really think I want to avoid taking the skin off (scared? absolutely!). I think I might be able to put it in our hayloft to work on it (during the summer when the hayloft is empty-ish) but I'm really intimidated!
I'm hesitant to cut out the benches because I do want them to be back there eventually. So maybe I'll cut the wall out around the benches?

Ahhh! I'm overwhelmed but also super excited! There isn't a TON of water damage, but the front two corners are making me nervous. I'd prefer to repair it for real (as oppose to a make-do job) before putting the effort in to putting it all back together - I just don't want to put all the painting effort into it, only to have to rip it all out again in a few years to do a big fix on it.

For the record, she was $500, which I thought was pretty awesome, and definitely worth the effort of repairing.
If anyone else is interested, the guy had several vintage and vintage-y campers in kind of a junk yard - including a decent looking Frolic.

Looks like you are digging in Ah the fun begins, I wish I was retired and you lived next door  If all the wood around the windows is rotten and you don't want to take them out which is what I also did replace one bad stud at a time working your way around it and one window at a time so if you need to see how it was built (go so far tearing it apart you forget where studs were...I did that!) you can look at the opposite side NOT taken apart yet

I found this old Shasta a 68 compact that the previous owner had redone all the studs with the skins off then put it back together but never paneled the inside but he did the hard part, I sold it to my high school buddy and he is going to do it, We just stapled sheets up so he could use it for a camp trip, Previous owner did it Harley Davidson colors so we found orange and black sheets but I doubt my buddy will keep the orange Harley thing going.

We know your excitement finding your camper and working on it and the first trip will be fun, Thought I would share pics of this ones first trip after we found it, She still needs a lot of work but is useable.

So if I remove the perimeter screws, the window will (in theory) stay in one piece? That would make things less complicated! I was nervous because I was reading about the side windows falling apart ... but then realized those were the windows that are solid (I think in an earlier model), not the window style on my Airflyte.