Chopped 58 Edsel Custom

[Ferbz]

On 11/24/2025 at 6:39 PM, customline said:

Ferbz, I have an Edsel I want to do like this. It looks like it's definitely working. Can you show the pieces you removed from the fenders?

Also, I'm thinking there may be a chance that the fenders can get the extensions instead of the hood. That would put the inner fenders in their original locations. Of course, it's more work but it would look factory under the hood, meaningless in the case of a custom, but I'm just thinking about it now. 🤔

Edit: oh....you need to have room for the front wheels, too.

Yeah man, go for it! 👍 I dont have any pieces from the fenders since I used my dremell tool to grind away what needed to be removed. As I recall it was about 3/16" or more that got removed total. You'll want to measure on your own to ensure the amount that looks good to your eye. I also snuck up to the amount as well since I wasn't sure how much I needed: grind a bit, fit check, grind a bit, fit check again, etc. And yes, I didnt think about wheel/tire room until after I made my changes! lol The wheels/tires I want to use still fit, but it's pretty tight. All good tho I think since I plan for this to be a curbside model with no removable hood or engine/chassis detail. I may cut away the tight area of the inner fender wells, or modify them by cutting them and moving them inboard a bit.

[Ferbz]

On 11/26/2025 at 9:02 AM, espo said:

Seemed like a lot of work on the fenders until I saw the picture of the right front fender and how it flows into the headlights. Great design and looks like it was always that way.  

Thanks1 Yeah I was feeling like it IS alot of work only for it to feel almost factory looking and not full custom. Too late now lol

[Ferbz]

On 11/26/2025 at 10:12 AM, Speedpro said:

I think it was really worth narrowing the fenders like that. I like the picture that shows one side done and not the other side, really sums it up how big it changes things. One of the best mods you've done so far. Just wondering if you are double thinking the headlamp buckets yet? I think the ones you're using will work perfect, but I'm just curious. And I might be sorry for this, but just immagine a '32 ford grill cut down to fit. It just might work. Great work so far!

Thanks! Early on I was double thinking the factory headlights/buckets as they dont look as cool as what other 1:1 custom car builders actually used, like the 58-60 Lincoln units. They are more space age-y and cooler, and I'm sure I could source some resin or 3D printed versions of them, but I want to see what I can do with the stock Edsel units. Ha! I'm sure a cut down 32 Ford grill would work, but the factory Edsel 'horse collar' is actually a pretty cool shape in my eyes so I'm going to keep it.

[customline]

21 minutes ago, Ferbz said:

Yeah man, go for it! 👍 I dont have any pieces from the fenders since I used my dremell tool to grind away what needed to be removed.....

Yeah, that's how I'm thinking. I think I can do it full detail... wait.....I see a squirrel......

[espo]

On 11/29/2025 at 6:05 PM, Ferbz said:

Thanks1 Yeah I was feeling like it IS alot of work only for it to feel almost factory looking and not full custom. Too late now lol

I was just reading an article about the customization of car bodies based on the cars of the late '30's and up to the early post war models. The premise that was put forward in the article was about the fenders and how the customizers of the time were trying to blend the bodies lines from the front to the rear fenders in a way that they resembled the early '30's Chrysler models from a side view. What they were pointing out was that the customizations were done to basic car models to resemble the more expensive car designs at the time. Your design here making your body changes look almost factory is exactly what they were saying was the object of the modifications. The blending of your design changes with the original factory body and having it look like it was always that way should be looked upon as a compliment.  

[customline]

And I would like to add... if nothing else is changed beyond what has been done, it will be perfect but that's just my highly opinionated opinion 😉.  I can't think of a way to do anything in the rear that would be cool.  It's just too wacky already but you just might find a way, Ferbz. 👍🏻

[Kutnplastik]

On 11/20/2025 at 6:35 PM, Ferbz said:

made a 'light bar' from clear sprue on my 62 Belair custom.

Hey Ferbz, where did the mesh come from? How about the ends of the light bar?

[Ferbz]

56 minutes ago, Kutnplastik said:

Hey Ferbz, where did the mesh come from? How about the ends of the light bar?

The mesh is some model railroad brass material. I wish I had a brand name for you but it was scrap material I found at a small local hobby shop back in Austin, Tx. I've been meaning to try and search for it online at some point. The ends of the light bar are the chrome 59 Caddy lens custom units that come in the AMT 49 Merc kit. I cut a pair of them away from the custom unit then glued them to the ends of the light bar:

Edited yesterday at 02:44 AM by Ferbz

[Ferbz]

On 12/1/2025 at 4:58 PM, customline said:

And I would like to add... if nothing else is changed beyond what has been done, it will be perfect but that's just my highly opinionated opinion 😉.  I can't think of a way to do anything in the rear that would be cool.  It's just too wacky already but you just might find a way, Ferbz. 👍🏻

You're probably right. A few well placed custom changes here and there often go a long way. Less is almost always more! I rarely go hog wild with my custom builds but this one is making me think a little more aggressively than usual with the restyling. There are quite a few things that bug me about the original styling of this car that I'll attempt to 'fix' if I can. I've been thinking about that rear end and yeah, it is indeed wacky. But there's got to be something I can do back there. I'm thinking whatever the solution ends up being it should include something that will relate it to the front end, even in some small way....

[stitchdup]

2 hours ago, Ferbz said:

You're probably right. A few well placed custom changes here and there often go a long way. Less is almost always more! I rarely go hog wild with my custom builds but this one is making me think a little more aggressively than usual with the restyling. There are quite a few things that bug me about the original styling of this car that I'll attempt to 'fix' if I can. I've been thinking about that rear end and yeah, it is indeed wacky. But there's got to be something I can do back there. I'm thinking whatever the solution ends up being it should include something that will relate it to the front end, even in some small way....

a frenched in continental kit with the top end laid down to the existing dropped area sorta like the 80s caddy, but with the stock rear light fins and one piece lenses? the trunk woul be useless but....

[Spex84]

I tried messing around with some ideas for taillights, and laughed when I arrived at the '59 Edsel design independently: "yeah, fill those taillights, install a waffle-pattern chrome panel below the stock taillight location with floating double or triple round lights like a T-bird, that's the ticket..."

So I tried a few others on for size instead, just for fun.  I can't kick the idea of floating taillights in a chrome bucket, sort of like the late '50s Imperial's headlights. Also wondering if '58 Mercury Turnpike taillights would work.