gee, I make one comment about how good gasless mig is, and stubbbornly ignore all of your valid recommendations about using gas, and I'm suddenly the no.1 gassless ticketholder? :).
 
Admit it Marty, its better on the dark side and not having to constantly buy refills will save you pennies for more toys  or filament!. Even Dave's Garage is a convert. It does with the cleanup to use anti splatter spray, I just forget each time.
 
Not having played with one, the only thing I see about the pin puller, is being able to cleanly remove the pulling pins afterwards, otherwise I dont think i'd use one enough. I'd probably just spotweld a few tabs on and then use a cheap slide hammer or MCGyver something. 
 
I like the deisle heater though,  thats definately  on my wish list before too long.

Your dry weld has it's place in the welding community however those little melted on ball bearings and holes in clothing caused by thousands of random sparklers is the main turn off. I wouldn't use it to stitch a floor pan in but will use it to make a frame or bench etc, that back window edge was a long job and would eat some gas plus it's not in a noticeable spot . Maybe I need to get onto it more . Gas weld is still the best, I'm doing a floor corner patch on the rally pack and using gas just cause it's predictable and far less mess.

With the needle/nail welder and clean up the spot where it's been is to snip the stalk off and linish the stub back, do not wiggle of the needle as it'll pull a hole in the panel, I know that by testing it.

That's the roof just about done for now, I'd say it's about 90% there, I'll reinstall the sunroof and do adjustment where needed



Moving to the sill and rear panel now, there was a small area that was drumming so I pulled the Tig out and set it on real low and done the heat trick to pull it tight again, actually worked after about 5 spots to shrink ..

While playing filler n sanding I decided to get the tank out for some action, I will be painting this silver instead of the usual black from factory , as it's exposed in the boot I want it seen instead of playing the hiding game.

Last weekend I asked a friend to help dredge out the van I've had sinking down to the sump and leaf springs. Got the old courier ute, plugged it in 4x4 mode and pulled it out, some silly plonka had it in gear so it skidded out.
It's a late 77 2.0 Pinto with 8mph bumpers (which got plasma cut into bits and binned) . A day to get the battery charged and fitted the starter motor, plugged in the tacho dash and other stuff. Cut the fuel line and used a beer can for the fuel tank, fuel pump still works after 16yrs laying dormant, some rust to attend to as well, most is superficial and straight forward. This is the van going to become a ute later on that I've been going on about.
Just cause it's lost a lot of panel from rust don't make it a scrapper just yet. Might paint it back to it's original Modena Green colour even tho I don't like green much, this is a bright green from the bits I can see under the blue respray.

bubble arched ute would be a rearely seen combo.
 
Some ute inspiration for you:


 

Thanks Deano ..

I got out the compliance tags and noticed 2x anomalies .
The first is the paint code which I can't find on line
Y017 , some sort of grey I think is original colour.
The other is the year made , 11/73, but from all the mk1s I've worked on is they have upright shocks from Sept 73 but mine has not got them and why I installed turrets



Apologies the pics are up side down

Marty,

Y017 is a falcon colour from the XA series. It is Aluminium.

Couldn't quite follow what you meant on the shocks? It had vertical ones on it that had been changed? Or you changed them?

73 should have early floor pan.

Shaun

It is a very rare colour in the XA range, under the fleet/corporate colour section.

I doubt there'd be many escorts in that colour??

Shaun

Thanks Shaun, I might keep it that colour if it's a rare one.
The colours I had in mind are either Hyundai's performance Blue, or a USA Ford colour Area 51 which is a grey blue.

With the rear shocks, the Escort is 11/73 which means it's well into the upright rear shocks zone( as mk2 Escort has) , though it came out with the inclined shocks , with the cross brace they bolt to as on panelvans .
Because my car had the inclined shocks, I deleted it all and installed turrets.

No problems on the colour.

Well there you go.. I always thought upright cars were from 74 in Oz.

Always learning. 👍

Shaun.