Just hope what I bought from Alibaba is all correct
Mark A, when going thru the order process they are very thorough and helpful, they ask what year and then post a pic to double confirm so all is good with them. That's what happened with my recent purchase and now am waiting for final checks before shipping .
MK2 panels are very cheap there, possibly Magnum branded which we've all used before, quality isn't great tho still decent.
i did want to stock up on body filler and primers but the shipping for 'dangerous' goods blows the price out huge. A good brand like HKS is only $3.50 a litre but with $145 post for a 12 pack if it gets sent is about $500 just not worth it.

Yep Marty, Covid put the price of freight up and it has never come back down.
Dangerous goods freight is more specialised and I have only done it within OZ. Let my supplier worry about getting it into the country.
 
 

nothing to show, but ta-da, I now have a working set of wipers, and a wiring loom that is less mystifying.
Once I had a few things tidyied and a heap more earths connected, there were fewer blowing fuses and more blinky lights.
Anyhow, that was a delay, so now back to progress hopefully.
 
 

the RC Escort got a chassis, and new wheels from Ali which were about $12 with tyres.
Would look good Ken Block style, or a Baby Blue replica.

 
 Plus for under $4.00, I found these: sets of 4 working lights with covers and mounts, should look good.

 

Wait a minute, short history message, I designed that escort shell like 35yrs ago for a RC Bolink tenth scale on roader cause their shell was an ugly NASCAR. I had no idea the wheelbase/track would be the same or close as today's RC cars.
You could use a pair of those LEDs as headlights, maybe your ahead of me with that...

Still no photoworthy progress on the van, certainly nothing not like our boys having their cars recently painted.
 
I've made some progress on the wiring, main loom is routed in the car with the dash back in, and new main leads for the relocated battery, relocated fuse panel and alterations from 1300 to 2L wiring. Plus an isolation switch is hiding in there too somewhere.
A guy is coming to fit a new windscreen in the next week or so. Technically thats probably out of order, but the surrounds have been given another topcoat in readyness, and it will give me the illusion of some progress. I can soon put down the underfelt, and seal the interior off.
 
There's one pesky rust spot near the fuel tank I was going to ignore.
It really needs doing before we go playing with unleaded, so thats next on the list.
That and an earth strap to the engine block is just about the only thing stopping the first startup.

Your making progress though Deano.
Main thing is not to walk away from it for too long.
Sounds like the pesky rust spot would have kept you up at night which I fully get.

some more little jobs, just nice to get ticked off.
 
These sun visors were really manky before I cleaned them with washing powder and a stiff brush.
Against the new headliner though, they still look average, so will instead get a respray in black vinyl paint when I do the brown doorcards.
 
I'd never taken much notice of sun visor placement in a van, and despite there only being 1 spot for them, and the screw holes all lining up in the roof frame, they definitely look odd and had me worried, so I had to pull the headliner back away to have a good look. Yep, thats where they go. They are MK1's though, and interestingly identical, not handed.

That gave me the chance to redo the front roof panel, covering it with scrim foam stopped much of the creasing in the pics. I'm expecting the window rubber will improve much of that again around the opening flange.
 
And the final rust repair done. I'm beginning to hate welding upside down.

 
 
Marty's pod got a Raceworks oil pressure gauge. Apparently you can set low oil pressure warning on it.
And choose from a variety of funky led colours.


My windscreen guy has been off with the flu for a week.
Next job is to look at replacing the thin coil signal lead which broke off the distributor when installing the oil sender.
Then maybe fill brakes with fluid and see how many leaks we have.
 

Real chance of this vehicle being ready soon 

Looking good Deano.
I know what you mean with the visors. I have done a double take before too.
That would be an electric oil sender?
Good luck with the brakes. Is it just the standard front/rear circuits from one master?