Mark and remove each aluminum panel

~2 hr 30 min2/5

Status

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Watch out

Skipping the photos is the single most common mistake here. When you go to rivet the panels back in months from now, you will have forgotten which one overlaps which — pictures save hours of guessing.

Hands working on a labeled metal panel in a workshop. — Trace, photograph, and label every panel before it comes off. Reference photo (Unsplash) — placeholder while Factory Five image permissions are pending.

Tools you'll use

1/4" nut driver
permanent marker
smartphone camera
work gloves
small bag for hardware

Parts from your kit

keep all #8 screws for later reuse

What to do0 / 2 checked

The aluminum interior panels are test-fitted to the chassis with small #8 screws. Before pulling them off you need to capture how everything fits, because months from now you will be riveting them back in for good.
Work one panel at a time. With a marker, trace the panel's outline on the chassis where the metal contacts it — that line is how you will locate rivet holes during permanent installation. Take a clear photo of the panel in place showing which neighbouring panel sits on top. Then unscrew it, lift it free, label it, and set it aside. Save the #8 screws in a labelled bag for later. Repeat until the chassis is bare. Then you are ready to start building.