Started the stripdown tonight, so thought I'd post some pictures of the Optima along the way. It does seem in pretty good (if dirty) condition; fully ballraced throughout, and the gearboxes and belt covers were sealed with silicon - so someone took some care of it at some point.
The only problem during the process was a sheared ball stud on one of the steering knuckles.
Just got to start cleaning, and checking parts to see if they can be re-used, then onto the re-build.
Colin