1958 Edsel

WAGON Wagon

8 - Cyl.

Automatic

W8RT700593

Gasoline

1958 EDSEL BERMUDA WAGON 400 V8. TELETOUCH TRANSMISSION ICE COLD AC. UPGRADED POWER STEERING UPGRADED POWER BRAKES RUST FREE BODY! RUST FREE FRAME! ALL ORIGINAL BEAUTIFUL SoCal CAR THAT CAN BE DRIVEN ANYWHERE! HISTORY SINCE NEW. WELL KNOWN CALIFORNIA EDSEL MAGAZINE CAR... THIS IS THE CAR USED FOR THE DIECAST MODEL One of 1456 produced engine cowl signed by ROY BROWN.. designer of Edsel! This is a magnificat, jaw dropping , iconic car that personifies a great period of the American automobile. This is an original, rust free, car from southren California, that has been chronicaled since new. It has been owned by a few of the top Edsel enthusiats in the country.. and if you are looking at this car.. you probably already know about it. The car drives flawlessly, and i would not hesitate to drive this car back to California tomorrow! I had the car professionaly refurbished with $34000.00 of reciepts. The car was purchased out of a San Diego car collection for $36000.00 before I sent her out for refurbishing/ restoration. Obviously the fact that I am selling a car that I have over $70k invested is nauseating.. but a car I have been following for 24 years is coming up for sale and i simply have to free up space and money to acquire it. I NEVER thought I would sell this Edsel... hence the $$ put into it.. but like a lot of things in life.. priorities and opportunities change. I am a realist.. i know we are in a recession.. and i never understood anyone who seemed to think that they automatically get back the $$ that they put into a car. been around the hobby too long to know it does not work that way. I am not giving the car away,, but i think i have it lowballed enough (i hope!) that it is a quick sale. That being said.. please read the description thougoughly, and please feel free to email me any questions, or to give me a call, and of course, inspections are welcomed, and encouraged. Before I get into things, I will say up front: This is a show car... BUT it is NOT a 1000 point AACA show car. I guess it would be classified as a #2.. but I had modifications added for safety and reliability when I had the car redone. I am not one to leave my car locked in a trailer... drive onto the showfield. back on the trailer to the next show. I use my classics as drivers. This wagon has hauled my family to the Jersey and Maryland beaches on many occasions. It is meant to DRIVE!!!!! I acquired the car from the San Diego Collection in May 2006. I have all recipepts , Bill of sale for the $36k paid, and a copy of the california title from the SD Collection. I drove the car for a few months.. it drove quite well, but ... frankly.. it drove like a 1958 wagon. I had the car shipped to Thunderbirds Southwest, Inc. (whom I highly reccomend). Lance and his crew did a wonderful job of creating a reliable, pleasure to drive car, that can be driven with complete confidence on today's highways, keeping up with todays cars, etc. Lance and his crew had done a 59 Thunderbird covertible for me almost 9 years back.. which is still holding up perfect! Believe me.. i would not be one to pay for shipping to and fro from Maryland to Texas.. and back.. just for "ok" work! I digress.. the work completed includes: -all new hoses, belts, engine mounts, radiator rebuilt, engine flush -electric wipers installed -all gauges removed, re-calibrated, repainted, etc. -all new dash lights installed. new headlight switch, rheostat, etc -fuel tank cleaned, sealed, etc - factory radio sent out to S&M Electro-Tech for AM/FM conversion with aux input in rear (for ipod.. cd, sat radio, etc... looks completely stock) -clock rebuilt (quartz conversion) -carburator rebuild - petronix ignition, new coil, spark plugs, plug wires, distributor..... essentailly a whole new updated ignition system - I had a period correct AC unit added. It is not a factory Edsel unit, but looks quite period correct. all components are new: hoses, compressor, condensor, etc.. and it is properly installed with factory FE brackets. it is 134 and blows ICE COLD. Believe me, for a big wagon, this AC really works!.. When you are in Ocean City beach traffic.. in 95 degrees.. and the whole family is cool in the car (and the engine IS NOT OVERHEATING)... you got a good set up!!!!! -an alternator (new.. not rebuilt) was installed in leiu of the generator (which was not working right) in order for efficancy and reliability. To make the Edsel a much better and safer driving car... the following was also done: -Front and rear heavy duty sway bars. -Front Disc Brake kit with dual master cylinder and power booster from MASTER POWER BRAKES was installed. -5 correct disc brake rims (NOS Ford Grenada) were used to allow for proper tire size (to use original Edsel hubcaps).. and fit the rear hubs correctly. rear brakes were redone.. they are drum.. but new shoes/ drums, etc. all new brake lines. Proportioning valve, etc. (I don't understand the whole conversion.. but thats why I have a professional do it. I take brakes very seriously... nothing is 'shadetree mechanic' with this set up. this is a professional set up/kit from the top company (MPB) installed by professionals. Five (5- 4 corners and spare) new Diamond Back 215/75/14 WWW 2 3/8" Radials. NOTE: due to the above.. the car would not be a 'concourse correct' show car... but as I stated earlier.. it depends on what you are looking for. A factory perfect spec car with the factory chalk markings?.. No.... this is not the car. But a car you can hop in, turn the key, and drive wherever you want to go at highway speeds.. with one finger on the wheel.. you will find no better! The Edsel starts right up. Idles great. pulls out great. no hesitations/ flat spots, etc. runs down the road perfect.... no pulling, no wandering. Brakes tight. brakes straight (no pulling). cruise 75mph no problem. cruise 5 mph in beach traffic for 2 hours.. no problem. No overheating.. no funny gassy/ fumes smells.. (you know.. the ' what's that burning smell'? / do u smell that" etc) no vibrations. Starts right up cold, or hot. no issues driving anywhere in any conditions I can think of. Honestly. Engine does not burn oil. no leaks.... (If it sits for 3-4 weeks.. get a little red fluid) drive it once a week.. tight as a drum! No blow by, etc. Along with the car, I have all the reciepts (from Thunderbirds SW, MPB, Diamond Back, etc), a bevy of magazine articles, the die cast model, an assortment of orignal literature (original owners manual, Edsel Pointers manual from 57 for salemen, Edsel Features booklet ('57) all in MINT condition.. and some other cool odds and ends. I am an International Edsel Club member.. and would encourage anyone interested in the car (who is not a member) to join.. or use the website as an exellent database for all things Edsel. You will find the Edsel community to be very tight knit and friendly, and HELPFUL... ie. the polar opposite of Corvette owners ("i think your tail light gasket adhesive is .05mm too thick.. there buddy!") HISTORY OF CAR: I was contacted by the third owner of the Edsel after taking ownership. A very nice gentleman and a wealth of knowledge. he owned the car for many years, did most of the work under his ownership.. and was the longtime president of a California Edsel club. To the best of my knowledge the history of the car is as follows: The Bermuda was sold new at Leo Meeks Edsel/ Mercury in Bakersville, Ca. It was sold to a couple who lived in Lancaster, Ca. in 60, they moved one year to colorado and then moved back to pomona. Ca. The car was driven on a regular basis until 1966 when it was parked when the gentleman died. The second owner (whom I have also spoken with.. a very nice gentleman named Greg) purchased the car from the widow. Greg informed me he knew of the car for years sitting in the Ca desert until he acquired it in /about 1985. It was driven on occasion and in 1991, he had the engine rebuilt by Performance associates in San Dimas, Ca. the Engine was balanced and blueprinted with the original block, heads, valve covers, etc. the heads were ported and a high volume oil pump was placed. a custom exhaust was also fabricated. The engine is a bit of a hot rod!... it will get up and go and runs quite strong! This work was done with about 25k miles on the car. In 92/93(?) the Car was sold to Dave, an avid Edsel enthusiest. he finished up the restoration at the time. Among things completed were a complete rebuild of the Tele Touch Tranny motor.. (as an aside.. the factory heat shield is on the shifter motor... and the exhaust pipes runnin in that area were wrapped with thermal header wrapper. apparently one of the big causes of the failure of the Tele Touch set up is failure of the shifter motor due to overheating. I am told that the factory heatshields were usually disgarded early on when someone was working on the engine.. and over time heat from the manifolds caused motor failure. Dave essentailly made the Teletouch system as bullet proof as possible.. by basically keeping it as the ford engineers designed it!) {again, I digress.. but i always wondered why these set ups had such a bad 'rap'.. and it seems like a lot of the problems were from neglect.. not the system!} also.. all the Tele touch contacts were dissasembled, cleaned up and replaced. The transmission works flawlessly! At that time the car was repainted in it's original Turquoise color (Edsel code: D) Offically the wagon should be painted code: DED. D= body turquoise E=roof white and D=fender scallop turquoise. Dave decide to go with a DEE scheme..(which i personally think is beautiful.. and accents the car much better. this means the body is turquoise, the roof white, and the scallops are white. ergo.. not "numbers matching.. don't want to mislead anyone... again.. the white scallops are the right look for the car! The woody trim was removed and redone in DEER CREEK BROWN (code 95). it is GREAT condition. a brilliant move.. when replacing the woody trim, the PO used stainless screws instead of replacing the factory steel rivots. I am told one of the main areas of rust in these csars in from those steel rivots that collect water and dirt. No issues with that on this wagon, due to 1. the SoCal history, 2. The Stainless Screws, and 3. It's been in my heat/ AC controlled garage since coming to the East coast and has never seen rain, snow, etc!!! a few other intresting points: 1. They painted a bright white under the DINOC (woodgrain material).. this white under the DINOC really makes it glow and is what really makes this woody POP! 2. There is/ was no Edsel DINOC material being reproduced. when the Body resto was done, they chose 3M Colonial Oak.. which is a little lighter in color than factory. just putting this out there for the purists. However. The Colonial Oak , I believe, accents the turquoise and white of the car better than the darker stuff I have seen. Also.. being 3M.. it is a much higher grade material: tougher, resists fading, etc. also, this DINOC is readily available if ever needed as it was the "woodgrain" used on the latest Buick Roadmasters of the 90's. 2 further points as to the DINOC. 1. I don't think I have ever had anyone notice it, unless i bring it up.. and 2. This particular Wagon is he one pictured in the Hemmings guide, it is the one featured in the 'Hot Haulers' Guide.. and it was used for the offical (and only) diecast model of the 58 Bermuda. (take a minute to look on ebay.. every model { the big and small}, poster, pamphlet, etc IS THIS car. so???? another intersting fact is that if you look at the underise of the fenders and the inside tailgate are (behind the trim).. it is stamped D... but then stamped TURQ next to the D. this is beacuse the car was built in August '57.. and D as a silver for Fords. The Fenders and tailgates were shared.. so they are stamped with the D.. then the Turq.. so the factory workers would not mess it up... just a cool little tidbit i was passed along. back to the car: Dave drove the car extensively thru the 90's to 2001 (?) he put on about 80 k miles on it driving to shows thru the west. He informed me that when he was president of the EOC, he picked up Roy Brown at the airport to attend f an Edsel Owners Club meet (another big Edsel club along with the IEC... but I think more west coast.... ) Roy signed the cowl of the car in the engine bay. pretty cool! there are a lot of Carroll Shelby signed mustangs out there... how many Roy Brown Edsel Bermudas??? In 2002 Dave traded the car to a collector named Mike Frankovich for 2 Edsel convertibles. Mr. Frankovich did not drive the car much and passed away in 2003(?). To the best of my knowledge, at this point, Mike's son did not have much interest in cars.. and the car sat for a while, until sold(?) to the San Diego Collection. I acuired it from them.. and at that point.. while the car looked great and ran stong.. it needed the refreshining as described above. The body was completley rust free and intact. and remains so. all the glass is original and all regulators work fantastic. all gauges, lights, signals, brake lights, etc. EVERYTHING WORKS as it should. The car needs nothing. nothing! Interior is in EXCELLENT shape. there is a wear/ tear(?) on the drivers armrest (you can see in the pictures). bit that is it. I believe the interior to be all orginal. it has pantinia.. but it is in very good shape!!.. you can tell it has been used.. but it is not beat up, or worn out. Headliner is in great shape. visors, dash, everything! Rear clamshell tailgate works fantastic.. all glass is good back there as well. upper gate support arms/knobs work as they should. We got lucky as heck as when the restoration was done, Dave acquired NOS turquoise (how lucky is that?) matting for the rear wagon area. normally this part is all scuffed, torn up. this is showroom perfect.. and factory correct! (not some shag carpet glued down!) i have a carpet over the matting to protect it from scuffing ( kind of ironic) that will go with the car. all chrome is in VERY NICE shape... show quality. all stainless/ pot metal trim is in very good condition.. not #1 show.. but super nice! bumpers.. horse collar.. all #1! all plastic emblems,etc are in fantastic condition. this is likely as nice as you will find on the market. The hubcaps are in great shape. The tires have about 3k miles on them. I should have cleaned the whitewalls for the pics.. but i promise, if sold, they will be showroom white! Not sure what else to say. If you are an "edsel guy" you know what you are looking at and please feel free to email me to discuss/ call/ more pics, etc any questions you have. If you don't know anything about edsels, but this car caught your eye.. dive right in!.. come take a look. Edsels are a great car. They ARE NOT lemons as portrayed. they wer a great car at the wrong time. America was hitting the second (at that time) biggest recession and these cars were aimed at the upper middle class. depending who you talk to.. they were supposed to be above Mercs and below Lincolns.. although Merc guys will tell you they were above Fords and below Mercs! I am not getting into that one.. as I love all Fords! (except Probes :) ) I will tell you that this car is one you will never see again at this price! Again..I want to make it perfectly clear: This is not a concourse restoration. It is not an AACA show car. BUT, it is also not some half a$$ resto mod. It is a solid original car. that has been updated to make it safe, and reliable on todays roads. If disc brakes and seat belts offend you.. don't buy it. This car has the added sway bars, disc brakes, dual master cylinder, electronic ignition (no points!), etc. and add on AC. it is ment for fun, reliable crusing and minimal maintence. If you have a beach house. own a tiki restraunt, parrothead, whatever??? if you want an icon of America past.. will you ever get better than a turquoise Edsel that has a hotrod engine and updated saftey features and driveability? I guess we will see! also.. please. I know some of my fellow edsel brethren will remind me not to sell this car. Let me say I appreciate the sentiment in advance. i feel like @#%^ already... but if it goes for what I am looking for.. its something i have to do! It greatly pains me to put this Wagon up for sale. I would prefer to keep it.. but sometimes you have to realize you cannot have everything. I have it priced at a very fair (some might say extemely underpriced) value. I have it valued at what i would consider an acceptable loss in order to purchase my 'white whale' car without dipping into my family's finances, etc. That being said.. this is NOT a desparation sale.. so PLEASE.. no goofball low offers. My reserve is what I will sell the car for. It does not have to be sold. there is no 'baby on the way'... new house' ....lost my job...... off to Iraq' stories. Just a guy wanting to trade up. I won't BS you. please don't try and BS me. No scammers.. no offshore junk (unless you come to my house with US cash!) to see more pictures click the link below: http://s908.photobucket.com/albums/ac289/sluggoa/edsel/ a few rules PLEASE READ.... PLEASE READ PLEASE READ!!! 1. unless the BIN price is met. i WILL NOT end the auction early. i repeat.. i WILL NOT end the auction early.... please feel free to email me with any and all questions, etc. but NO OFFERS . bid what you think it's worth.. or hit the BUY IT NOW. i.e don't email me and offer..... the auction runs until it is over and the high bidder wins.. OR when/ if the Buy it now price is hit. Period!!! 2. Have funds ready before bidding! 3. Buyer must pay a non refundable $500.00 deposit within 24 hoursa via paypal. the balance is due within 5 working days. the balance must be paid via wire transer, or cash. U.S. checks, money orders, are acceptable.. but i will keep the car and the title for 6 weeks minimum.. NO EXCEPTIONS!!!!!!!!!!!! 4. Buyer is responsible for arranging and paying for all transport. 5. The vehcile has been described honestly and openly. please feel free to email me with any questions, additional pictures, or to set up a phone call "walk around", etc. the car is available for inspection until auctions end. BUT all questions/ inspections. etc should be done before you bid and/ or auctions end. i.e. do not bid.. then come and look at the car and tell me they paint is not as shiny as you thought. can we make a deal ???? allowance, etc"... NO. This beautiful woody Edsel is sold as is/ where is. : In it's present condition. the sale and all pertaining laws, obligations, etc ( the entirety) of this tranaction is in the county and state of: Queen Anne's county, Maryland. I hate to end on such negative notes,,, but people have gotten crazy latley. I have been on ebay for over 11 years.. i have 100 feedback. i have sold 3 cars and one truck and LOTS of parts (check my feedback). i take pride in not fluffing anything up. what you see is what you get.. and in most cases (if u read the feedback) most folks are think my 'things' are better than described. I am not a dealer.. not a curbstoner.. just a car guy trying to keep the hobby alive! If it were a perfect world.. i would not be selling this car. I really like it, and enjoy it.. but i guess i have to some fruition, or maturitiy, whatever... that you can only have and properly maintain so many cars. I guess i have found out that if you own too much stuff.. it (like they say) "owns you". Not trying to get all philosophical... but just letting you know why I am selling such a nice car... I would want to know! Please email for any additional questions.. photos, set up a visit/ phone call, etc. Thanks! Rick