Chopped 58 Edsel Custom

[Ferbz]

On 11/10/2025 at 2:23 PM, Kanada Kustoms said:

Nice progress!

Thanks! 😎

[Ferbz]

On 11/10/2025 at 6:10 PM, meechum68 said:

Oh this is awesome!  

Thank you! 👍

[Ferbz]

On 11/10/2025 at 8:14 PM, DumpyDan said:

Nicely done, super clean chop.  Keep us posted!

Thank you! I've learned over the years of cutting things up that the cleaner I can make my cuts and the more precise I can measure things out, the btter the overall job will turn out. Not to mention that cleaner mods make for an easier time with paint prep. I certainly will do my best to document the steps on this build! 👍

[Ferbz]

On 11/11/2025 at 4:51 AM, bobss396 said:

Sharp trick to slant the A pillar cuts and cut out the rear including the cat walk. 

I reinforce my splices using fiberglass fingernail wraps. Much thinner and thin CA glue holds it well.

Fingernail wraps? I may have to look into that! I have been considering with using thinner styrene than my usual .020, like .010 but I wonder how strong it would be. Would I be able to go to any standard beauty supply store and find those fingernail wraps?

[Ferbz]

On 11/11/2025 at 6:50 AM, customline said:

Looks like the center slice solves any windshield fit issues. Very good, Ferbs! 

It does! I thought I was going to need to do the same for the rear window opening (I had planned on making two relief cuts in the top, one on each side of the main one going down the center for the windshield). Turns out I was able to nudge (slightly bend) the top halves of the C pillars outward and the bottom halves inward, in order to line them up again. However I still need to sand down the .020 thick styrene plating I used to strengthen the cuts at the pillars to confirm rear glass fitment. I'll wait to do this later. I probably should have switched to .010 thick styrene in this case....to late now! lol🤪

[Ferbz]

On 11/11/2025 at 9:20 AM, Spex84 said:

This has been very inspiring, thanks!

I went down to my stash and pulled out my single Edsel kit, mocked up some custom parts to try out some ideas, and.....nothin'.

I just can't get past the headlights, the vertical central grille, the unique taillights, the narrowness of the body. Every idea I try, even some fairly extreme changes, it just fizzles out. Like the '53 Studebaker, I can never decide if the stock '58 Edsel is an incredibly slick design or unbearably awkward. It flip-flops on me like an MC Escher drawing. 

So I'm extremely interested in seeing where you go with this build!

Ha! I feel the same way about it. On one hand, the 58 Edsel is a very unique design, which is what makes it 'cool' to me. On the other hand, it is also generally kind of weird and awkward lol As a result, I've challenged myself to see if I can turn this strange car into a slick custom that is rooted in the history of that late 50's era. In the recent past I was able to take a Revell 50 Ford Pickup and tastefully customize it (I think) and improve it's otherwise 'unhandsome' factory look. We'll see if I can do a similar thing with this Edsel:

[customline]

That's a wicked cool pickup, Ferby! 😎

[bobss396]

2 hours ago, Ferbz said:

Fingernail wraps? I may have to look into that! I have been considering with using thinner styrene than my usual .020, like .010 but I wonder how strong it would be. Would I be able to go to any standard beauty supply store and find those fingernail wraps?

Any beauty supply store should have them. The brand is Suisse something.

They are sticky on one side, place it down, soak the back with thin CA glue.

[Ferbz]

14 hours ago, bobss396 said:

Again, there is some pretzel logic going on with model designers. The '59 Edsel looks light years better than the '58.

I was at the NNL East when Revell introduced their new '49 Mercury. They were not happy when I suggested that a '51 would have been a better choice.

Don't even mention the AMT '41 Plymouth to me, the '39 or '40 is much more pleasing to the eye.

I thought the same thing when I saw that Revell had come out with their 49 Merc kit! I asked myself why would they make a 49 when we already have 1949 offerings that exist from both AMT and MPC? Also, aside from the extra custom parts, it's not a very good kit in my opinion: The body is not accurate, and the chop is not done very well as the top sits too high at the B pillars 😑👎

Edited November 13 by Ferbz

[Ferbz]

1 hour ago, customline said:

That's a wicked cool pickup, Ferby! 😎

Thanks! 😁

[bobss396]

11 hours ago, Ferbz said:

I thought the same thing when I saw that Revell had come out with their 49 Merc kit! I asked myself why would they make a 49 when we already have 1949 offerings that exist from both AMT and MPC? Also, aside from the extra custom parts, it's not a very good kit in my opinion: The body is not accurate, and the chop is not done very well as the top sits too high at the B pillars 😑👎

I do see more AMT Mercs out on the contest tables than the Revell ones.

[Ace-Garageguy]

I really like this project, but I LOVE your '50 Ford pickup.

Absolutely gorgeous-perfect.

If the Edsel is even in the same ballpark as the truck, it'll be a real WOW!!! build.

[Ferbz]

4 hours ago, bobss396 said:

I do see more AMT Mercs out on the contest tables than the Revell ones.

I will say that even tho I have issues with the body of Revell's 49 Merc, I think it's great that they produced a kit that was already chopped with lots of custom parts to go along with it. What it does is provide a way for younger folk (and anyone less experienced with chopping/modifying a stock body kit) to build a full traditional custom model car of their own. Same goes for their 48 Ford sedan kit.   

[Ferbz]

4 hours ago, Ace-Garageguy said:

I really like this project, but I LOVE your '50 Ford pickup.

Absolutely gorgeous-perfect.

If the Edsel is even in the same ballpark as the truck, it'll be a real WOW!!! build.

Thanks! Let's see where it goes. I feel like my creativity/ideas are hit and miss, honestly. I do love a challenge tho, and mostly I just want to see if I can pull it off! 🤪👍

[bobss396]

19 hours ago, Ferbz said:

I will say that even tho I have issues with the body of Revell's 49 Merc, I think it's great that they produced a kit that was already chopped with lots of custom parts to go along with it. What it does is provide a way for younger folk (and anyone less experienced with chopping/modifying a stock body kit) to build a full traditional custom model car of their own. Same goes for their 48 Ford sedan kit.   

The kit is very well done other than the body issues. I have a '48 Ford started too, in 2016!

All in all, these kits beat some poorly executed old releases that are churned out.

[Ferbz]

A little update: I've turned my attention to the front end at the moment. I've always thought that those quad headlights might improve that front end if they were canted! (This bodes well I think as it gives a design nod to the Edsel's sleeker cousin, the 58-60 Lincoln). I decided to hack off the headlight tunnels, and back them with some sheet styrene pieces. These backings will get hogged out and hollowed to allow the head buckets to sit deeper than stock depth. Here they are mocked up roughly where I think I want them to sit. (Admittedly, there are other things I want to resolve with the front end but I have to resolve this headlight mod first!). Next step will be to widen the hood and taper/integrate the headlight tunnels into the fenders. How do I do this? I'm not sure! lol 🤪 I think I have to cut away the inner portion of the front fender tops and trim them so they fit farther away from the hood. Then fill the gaps between them and the hood? Stay tuned as I try to figure this out...

Edited Monday at 08:33 PM by Ferbz

[Kanada Kustoms]

Canted quads looking good!

[Spex84]

I think it will be a ton of work to tweak the fenders to match the canted quads, but it'll be worth it. 
OR...you can just turn those little holes into scoops and stick forward-pointing antennae in there, boom done. Lol.

[customline]

Woo hooo! Great idea! 😯  You can still back out....🥴

[Starwulf]

The remainder of the original headlight location could be the new turn signals.

[Ferbz]

20 hours ago, Kanada Kustoms said:

Canted quads looking good!

Yeah I think they improve the front end quite a bit! I think what always bugged me about the stock front end design is that everything is at right angles. The angled headlights make it a bit more dynamic and makes that 'horse collar' grill a more purposeful focal point. How's that 'design speak'.....lol 🤪

[Ferbz]

19 hours ago, Spex84 said:

I think it will be a ton of work to tweak the fenders to match the canted quads, but it'll be worth it. 
OR...you can just turn those little holes into scoops and stick forward-pointing antennae in there, boom done. Lol.

Lots of work, indeed. Ha! That's a great way to make lemonade out of a lemon-y situation 😉 But I'm going to hold fast to plan A and see if I can pull it off. With great risk comes great reward....potentially.🤪

[Ferbz]

14 hours ago, customline said:

Woo hooo! Great idea! 😯  You can still back out....🥴

Thanks🙂 Ha! I think you're right I could back out, but I've made my bed and now I have to lie in it lol Besides, if I chicken out now, I feel like I won't really know what I'm capable of achieving. I gotta take a chance and see what happens. 'Once more into the breach.......!'🤪

[espo]

Like the new headlight design. I might have suggested mounting the headlights to match the upright grill design but can see the Lincoln connection.  

[Ferbz]

17 hours ago, Starwulf said:

The remainder of the original headlight location could be the new turn signals.

Not a bad idea! Spex84 mentioned they could also be scoops that have forward pointing antennas. Both ideas are very era appropriate 👍