Today I finished removing the bad glass work on my "firewall" area. I am glad I took time to remove the bad glass. I had an impression that the panel behind the passenger area was loose. It turns out that once I removed the fiberglass holding it in, it nearly fell out. I was concerned about needing to bond it back to the engine compartment side, and then I saw that the panel was still there. This one I had been fighting has been "an extra". I am going to remove this panel. Jr73 discussed the weird appearance of my bodyshell. The seller told me that this shell was imported in the 1980s, so that might explain why it appears so raw. There is no primer, and the gel coat is clear. I will visit the boat supply place this upcoming Thursday and check into Airex, or its competing products. I can see how in time these fiberboard panels break down and disintegrate, and a loose lamination like I found today would doom it even more by giving moisture a place to hide and fester. I haven't heard back from the Lotus Supply folks who now sell the bodyshells, but I need to find out soon how best to proceed. As you can see from the photos, the bad glass was quite apparent and relatively easy to remove as it wasn't applied very well. All of the "white" areas have been removed.
