The rebuild begins - taking it apart

The garage has been cleared out, the bike is now in its new home outside under the bike port, so despite today's 37 degree heat (98f) I decided to start the process of stripping the car.

It's now up on stands and the wheel arch liners are out.

I bought some "magic" sponges after recommendations on the Lotus forum and had a quick test of their ability to clean the aluminium of the chassis and under tray. They work well with just a little soapy water, but wear out quickly so I'll need some more.

Rear clam removed showing the aluminium chassis

The rear clam. I managed to remove it without any assistance!

The boot panel has been removed. Next task is to start disconnecting the driveshafts, exhaust manifold and various pipes and wiring loom from the engine so it can be removed.