eat, rinse, repeat.
With arches cut off and now being reborn, it was time to brace up, and hack the drivers side this time.
The top hinge pin short out, the lower one, not so much. @.5 days of soaking, bashing, heating, swearing and soaking again.20211113_141912.jpg tools of the trade.
Then the guard off 20211113_150401.jpg
People who 'fix' cars using no more gaps on bulkheads should be punished, 2 weeks of Delta Goodrem on high rotation sounds about fair.
The inner sill looked better this side,same with the outer hinge pillar.
20211113_141829.jpg
 
I have a growing pile of OEM factory rust. Might consider turning them into genuine souvenirs and flogging them on Patreon. Remember to subscribe. Yeah right.
20211111_084800.jpg
 

That's a good pile of rotting Escort there, way bigger than mine last week, I accidently chucked out a seat post with the rust and dust, oops !

It actually looks like an Escort jigsaw puzzle
 

It really puts it into perspective how much work you've put in so far when you see a pile of old panels like that. Looking good Deano watching with interest.

yeah the pile is still growing too.
Do you know how many times its bitten me though on the shin as I walked past.
Might need to find another B*nnings basket.
 
Its funny, I knew the van needed floors and at least one sill, when I bought it, but it still is pretty solid in general if thats possible and I'm happy with buying it.
Now that ive taken a good look, I think that any Escort still in the wild is of the age where it needs sills and floors replaced, plus the firewall possibly as well. Its just that you mightnt know if yet..
I got some good welding progress today on the drivers side arches,  plus a skim of filler (mmm, body filler smell), cant wait to get it off the spit and mobile again.

If your going to roof vent it, go one like this..
https://www.ebay.com.au/i...krid=710-127635-2958-0

thats perfect Marty.
I've got some cloth and resin, and was tossing up glassing one up over a foam mold, because I need another part of the project to do and am too tight to stump up $300 at this stage.But will probably have a go, make a mess, waste materials, then order one anyhow.
I've also started to draw one up to 3D print out.
The van roof slopes down more than a coupe, so a commercial one might look weird?

It does look the biz ! You could modify a low profile hornet scoop by cutting the bottom half off to do the same job or at least see how it'll work with your roof shape.
I used to make rally roof vents when I worked at Velo Seats a long time ago in the 90s

that vent you picked looks like the perfect style. I've thought of WRX bonnet, territory turbo bonnet, and even the neighbours Nissan diesel 4wd bonnet scoop to modify but I think the best plan is to get the car undercoated and on its 4 wheels (the new ones with correct offset ideally), then figure out what final look it will take on. For certain so far will be mk1 painted side stripes, aerolatch bonnet pins, and a Burtons cobra style fuel filler, round headlights and bumperettes. All of those I have and should excite any purists.
 
Thoughts on ( or is it possible)  to fit Mk2 pull up doorhandles instead of the push button chrome Mk1 style? It would need the panel cutouts, but I think I might want to go for the satin black look instead of chrome.

Deano. I reckon the only way to figure out the door handles is have one of each and try fitment compatibility on the door and the mechanism motion and travel. Probably will depend on how much you are prepared to modify?