1959 Edsel

Other

8 - Cyl.

Automatic

C9UG705220

Gasoline

I bought this Edsel off of Ebay in Feb 2003 at a cost of $5500--it had been a life-long Arizona car around the Phoenix area. The original owner had died and his wife put the car in their garage and it stayed there until the wife died and the family sold it at auction. The guy I bought it from had it trucked to Minnesota and it was in Minnesota when I purchased it--I live around 30 miles south of Chicago and I asked about having it sent to me--it turned out that the trucker that brought it from Arizona lived in Chicago and was coming home the next weekend--we worked out an arrangement that he'd bring me the car on his car carrier--it's been garaged at my home since then--the car has never seen salt on the roads so there's no rust anywhere. I've enjoyed the time I've owned it and have done much to restore it to original condition--it's been to numerous car shows and it always brings attention since most people under 40 have never heard of an Edsel much less seen one---I can't remember ever going to a car show that I havn't brought home some kind of a trophy---not always 1st place but usually there was some kind of a trophy. I believe the mileage shown is correct since it was stored for years. I'm approaching 70 years old and the car shows are getting a little harder for me to handle--it's time for someone younger to carry the torch and show people what an Edsel was. I've done so much to it both myself and with professional help----I'm going to try to convey all that's been done to the car since I've owned it----I'm sure I'm going to forget something so I have nothing to hide about the car and I will be as honest and forthright as I can be about the car-----there are no disappointments here----what you see is what you get. I bought the car in Feb 2003 and payed $5,500 for it as is---since then I've spent upwards of $23,000 in personal and professional restoration----I will descibe as accurately as I can what has been done. When I got the car in Feb 2003 the exhaust system was hanging down and rusty---I called a friend that owns a muffler and suspension shop---I asked about the cost of a new exhaust and inquired about adding a dual system--we talked about mufflers and I wanted a more throaty sound than the factory system and yet didn't want the noise of glass-packs---we settled on turbo mufflers which are somewhere in between---duals of course---with chrome tips. I found a company which remanufactured the original hangers just like Ford made them--I sent away and bought them. I wanted to have the engine and trans rebuilt and I found two brothers in the auto business and owned shops and had them work their magic. One brother rebuilt the engine while the other brother rebuilt the transmission--the engine was rebuilt with new pistons, new cam and lifters, elctronic ignition was installed--all work done professionally. While the brothers were doing their thing I took the driveshaft home and replaced both universal joints----they have grease fittings. There was a squeak in the front end and the fiber grommets around the kingpins was worn down to metal--the only way I could find these fiber washers was by buying a complete front end kit with new washers, new ball joints upper and lower, and new tie rod ends--since I had these parts I had them all replaced and front end aligned. The front end is solid and like new. There is no power steering or brakes which on older cars is a benefit since generally the power steering pump leaks or there's a vacuum leak in the power brakes. The original wiper motor was vacuum operated and was not very satisfactory--I bought a rebuilt electric wiper drive which is a direct replacement. I managed to find the guy that bought the computer program from Ford when Edsel's stopped production--if you give him the vin number he can tell you how the car was built and what options are installed on it--if you added anything as I did he can also tweak them in as though it was factory option--in my case I added a rear speaker and electric wipers which appear on the printout as though they had been factory installed along with original cost. This is something that always attracts attention at car shows to see what things cost in 1959. I wanted a professional refinishing job and I found a guy in Battle Creek, Michigan that rebuilds cars for museums--this is his full time job so his work is top notch. He came and got the car on his trailer and hauled it to his shop and did the complete restoration. The chrome and stainless was completely removed from the car and the stainless was polished and there was extensive rechroming done--anything that needed rechroming got done--after sanding and painting the chrome was all replaced professionally. While the car was in Battle Creek the interior was gutted--I wasn't happy with the original padded dash and found a company in California that replaces the original padded dash at a cost of $550 the original padded dash was replaced--the entire dash was sanded and painted the original color--the clock didn't work but I found a company to rebuild it--it now works but I've added a switch in the glove box to prevent it from running continuously---when I want it to run I open the glove box and turn on the switch. The radio--listen to this--it appears as original but the radio has been professionally gutted and replaced with modern components--it looks original but it plays AM-FM stereo--I didn't want to break from original looks so I didn't want to add stereo speakers--I seperated the stereo front to back using the factory speakers--it looks original but plays in stereo. The carpeting was replaced with new--the seats were removed and reupholstered using remanufactured Edsel fabric for the seats--the cloth used has miniature horsecollers in it--in the interest of safety I added two seat belts on the front seats since I didn't plan on ever seating more than two people anyway--they can be tucked under the seat for originality. I payed $500 per seat to have them reupholstered along with the cost of the new carpet. Did I mention that the steering wheel was removed and sent to a shop that refinishes them--the wheel is in new condition--shiny bright with no usual wear spots on it ($350) The gasket around the windshield has been replaced and all available felts and rubber gaskets around all the side windows have been replaced. There are 4 new Coker wide white walls on the ground and another new Coker in the trunk. I found a guy that had a set of NOS floor mats that are original Edsel with the big "E" on them. They're in there. In the glove box you'll find the original owner's manual. You'll find little to do on this car that hasn't already been done--it's a turn-key show car--included is the cover that's over it when it's parked in the garage to keep the dust off of it. I've already gone into my reason for selling the car--I'm getting too old to take care of it as I should and I don't have the energy to go to many car shows anymore--they were totally enjoyable when I was going--the car really attracts attention especially from the younger folks that have never heard and certainly never seen an Edsel--this car is a piece of history and I've had fun preserving it's heritage--the chrome is as bright as the day it left the factory--people say the car is so attractive---why didn't they ever catch on ??--I can't answer that but I've been able to show them what the car looked like back then--most people are impressed--they look at the sticker on the window and can't believe that this car originally sold for around $3200. I'm selling it for a fraction of what I have invested in it so please don't ask if I will take less--the price is what it is and it's a bargain at that. I realize that this time of year is not the best time to be selling a classic car--if it would help I will store the car in my garage until spring. The car would belong to you however and it would be a good idea for you to acquire insurance on it--my insurance runs out in Feb 2012.