Love Me Some Demo-ing!

OK, I guess it's probably not technically "demo-ing," but I did go into Lil' Chick for the first time today to start dismantling and removing the stuff that needed to go:  the curtains and hardware, the plethora of little knick-knack shelves that were on the walls, and the jerry-rigged electrical (which consisted of a couple extension cords plugged into one of the lights and running through cabinets).

 

Gotta give them credit for ingenuity!

The shelves were interesting:  a total of six, all homemade and varying sizes, edged with heavy-duty red cable to prevent things from falling off, and mounted with big-ass brackets.  Not sure who made them or when, but there was definite evidence of a feminine touch:  they were covered with pretty white and gold contact paper that was carefully scalloped along the edges.

Someone spent a lot of time prettying up these shelves.

Not in the best shape now, but cute and functional at one time.



So 60s!
 

I took out the seat cushions and stored them for later; eventually I'll take them to Upholstery Factory Outlet (UFO) in National City and have them remade with new foam and fabric. 

With all the cushions out, I could get a comprehensive look at the water and mold damage in the corners.  And actually, compared to some of the trailers I'd seen, it isn't that bad.

Street side, rear corner, where walls and seat meet.

Curb side, rear corner.

Getting all of the cushions out also allowed me to see all the storage there is under the seats.




Can never have too much storage!
 

The seat under the rear window opens too.
 

Next I moved to the galley area.  Now THIS is gonna take a lot of work.  The lower cabinets and drawers had been damaged by a chemical spill of some kind (no, Lil' Chick wasn't a meth lab - or at least I hope she wasn't!).  I think all of the galley wood is too far gone and will have to be rebuilt.
 


Damaged wood on lower galley cabinets.
 

While inside the cabinets, I began peeling up the top layer of avocado green linoleum; who knows when when that was put in, but from the color it was probably sometime in the 70s.  LOTS of damage under the linoleum on the bottom shelf of the lower galley cabinet.....


.....but removing it revealed what I think is the original 1964 linoleum, in all its orange and brown and avocado groovy glory!

While working on the galley, I was finally able to dislodge the top drawer and remove it.  It had been stuck closed because of the damaged cabinet wood.  Look at the great surprises I found inside!

My favorite things: vintage and shabby!!!

I also found some really retro automotive equipment when cleaning out Lil' Chick's closet:  a pair of trailer mirrors!

These would have been put on the front of the car, securing at the side edges of the hood and clipping under the wheel wells.  Cool!

Had quite a good-sized pile of stuff for the trash when I was done, including an electric frying pan, an unopened 4-pack of Marina toilet paper, a plastic shower curtain, and a yummy jar of well-aged peanut butter.  Blech.  (Sorry, I think I just threw up a little in my mouth)

I also had the pile of "keepers," including a homemade shelf for the closet and the cool folding dinette table with the telescoping legs and gold-flecked Formica top that matches the galley's counters. 

Next task:  find a place to store all this stuff!