Ouch, your ankle must be sore!
 
The van is coming along nicely, at least the floor panels you purchased will be hidden under the carpet.
 
The steel I use is just under 1mm, about .9, you may be able to get 1.2 and push your folders limits, it will be a bit easier to weld but harder to form. I only use a mig with gas for welding body panels, it's worth the money and you won't look back once you have tried it.

Have you had your tetanus shot recently just so you don't catch rusty diseases. Last year I was installing a lokka diff into my d22 front diff in a bench and it decided to walk and fall off the side catching my shin on the way down. Not much pain but blood, skin and grease don't mix, I hosed the tear out as best I could and Dettol'd it before closing the flap and taping it up as I didn't have super glue handy. The 50c coin slot scar still hurts when bumped. A nurse friend said it should've had stitches but tape did the job as good😁.
With the floor panels you've got there the front folded bit that gets cut off and binned as it would cover the ribbing where the seats bolt to. I usually remove the rib as part of the repair process and it also hides the weld join, plus the rib could also be rusted out so it'll be handy to make new ones while there.
How bad are the jacking points inside the sills? it's a brilliant rust area for vans

yes, I was lucky with the tetnus. We had a new addition to the family (not immediate family, although I would tomorrow, but the boss is getting a bit too old now ()), and before we could see the new bubs, we had to get an imunisation jab. Part of that, was Tentnus as well, so that was a bonus (sorry Bonus), done in 2018.
Hosing the tear out sounded fun Marty.
I havent looked at the jacking points yet, I'm trying to focus on one section (ok, 3 sections) at a time, or else i'm sure that i'll sit down at one stage and the reality will hit, as it will look like a total basketcase.
 
Currently:
-1 rear door stripped and sanded
-passenger door off
-passenger guard off and 1/2 stripped
-passenger inner sill and floor cut out (previous owner)
-driver floor and seat crossmember cut out (previous owner). I see what you mean Marty about floor pan tab.
-anywhere thats painted black on the bulkhead  is likely to be paint over no more gaps
Update: that window pictured above is now primed, and came up ok to me. It needs some high build and spot putty just to sharpen up the fold lines a little, but thats ok for now.
 
I welded up the antenna hole in the guard, just to do something, and have started to make corner panel infills for the front of the well. Problem is, the corners on both sides were already chopped out, so it's  guesswork as to how it should look. In my last trip to metalland I bought just some sheet offcuts, and bingo, there as some 1.2? Definitely harder to form, but the folder did ok actually. The best thing I learnt, the folder makes a great clamp just to hold steel why you cut it. Worth buying for that alone. My other find was the poly strip disks for the grinder, gee they do a great job. Sorry no pics, i'm meant to be doing something else, and will be off air for a week.
 
I got the bubble arches last night (they are Magnums ,and yes painted black as norm), just have to figure out which is which 
Mind you, none fit with the wheels on, the inner stamping flange needs trimming first.
The temptation is so great just to start hacking the rear 1/4 to get fitting, but the van needs more strengthening before I start cutting more bit out, so I have to wait....
 
I'm thinking I really might have to make a roll over jig though. I practically have 1/2 already with dads bus engine stand. welding the sills and inner arches would be much easier.
I emailed Compomotive Uk to see if they could identify roughly what the rear wheels were on the white bubble van. Mainly the offset or backspace. I know it probably impossable to tell from a pic, but I like the way the spokes look longer because of the disk. Wheel ocd. And I think the wheel color will be gold.
Just cant pic the van and stripe color. 
Time to move past orange.
Have a good week fellas. Keep your fingers and toes.
 
 
 
 

Great lot of updates here!

Looks like its coming together very well and your learning alot which is always the fun part of the project!

Keep the photos coming!

Maybe one day ill get myself a van

Just finding out what I missed after a month off the social media.
Congrats Deano on the Van, birthday and progress so far. Watching with interest...

hey Drew, I thought you'd been quiet recently, almost MIA.
Nothing wrong with a social Media detox.
 
Last week I caved into the pressure after 50 years and joined facebook for the first time.
Theres an escort FB group that has some parts come up at semi-reasonable prices, so I had to join so I can get in the fun, plus I'm going to need some bits for the van. Pinto/zetec/diff/struts/brakes/seats anyone?
(Still not on Linkedin,Instagram but we do have whatsapp to catch up on the kids)
 
Anyhow, some progress on the van today, will post pics tomorrow.
It seems theres bugger all stock coming in from the UK atm, so I made an inner sill from scratch instead. 
I think I just about worked all day for about $100 bucks.
 
(The vans starting to look good though, at least one one side).
 

some pics from weekend 4.
Inner and outer sills cut off.
Do the coupes have the stiffening box section also, or just vans?
Obligatory pic of the cut offs, and a huge file of good aussie dirt.
The folder got a good work out.

might just tape the bubbles on, although the rat rod wheels are growing on me.
If I can find the Gold Compomotive wheels in Australia that would be good.
 
Next job is to hang the door again, then start to stopweld the sills in place.
 

Are you sure they are compomotive and not performance but in a large spec? Im leaning towards 8-10inches wide

Im sure one of the fb pages would have the answer - the owner might even be able to be tracked down and give you the real details of them
 

I think you've got the back arch on backwards, it belongs on the other side