Projects Custom 1959 Edsel Ranger build - Finally back at it

Mike, this is an Atlas lift I bought from Greg Smith Equipment. They have a showroom and facility in Newark, DE. Being you're in south-ish NJ, it pays to go there yourself with a truck and trailer since you won't have to pay for truck shipping ($250) or sales tax (there is none in DE). It's a significant savings. This is the 9KOH model, which is their cheapest model but more than suited for what I need. It's rated for 9000 lbs, but even heavy '50s era cars are like 5000. It lifted my 454 K2500 extended cab no problem. The lift components themselves seem to be of good quality, though I will say the electronics are kinda cheesy. The overhead bar switch was bad from the factory, and then a few months later the main contactor went bad. The tech line was good though, and they shipped me a new part no questions asked. I think soup-to-nuts it was like $1600, which is damn good. I'd buy from them again.

 

HAHA!! No, not that I am aware of..

 

Alright alright, some good progress this weekend.

Before I welded this thing in, I wanted to quadruple check my measurements and make sure everything is lining up where it needs to be. I should have marked the axle centerline on the fender prior to removing it, but too late for that. But look, how convenient, I just happen to have a '59 Galaxie right here to check the distance of the axle centerline relative to the fender.



Dead on, 30" from the back of the fender to axle centerline. So we proceed.

Instructions call for internal gussets, which makes a lot of sense. That way there is a bit more meat welded rather than just the abutting rail. Fatman supplied these 1/8" plates. I drilled the frame, and plug-welded these in, then inserted the stub in. Rechecked my alignment with the axle center, set it in place and started welding.





Here it is all welded up with the supplied blend wedges in place below the rail. I ground these welds mostly flat since I want to smooth and bodywork these rails prior to painting the chassis. While I'm doing that, I'd like to smooth the frame and weld up all of the extra holes from the steering box (which dented the chassis), and smooth over a spot on the passenger side that was kicked in about 1/8" from what was probably a prior collision.



I realize these pics aren't the most exciting (yet), but I find myself often scouring prior build threads on the HAMB to see how someone has approached a similar issue I may be experiencing. If I can help someone else benchmark their build, I'm happy to do that.

With this in, we can now move onto engine and transmission mounts and the rear suspension.

 

I'm not sure where all the previous pics went, but little by little I've been putting in some time on this.

Here's the power plant for this project. GM Crate 350, 290hp version with iron heads, and a 700R4. Will be a nice driver a surely provide thousands of trouble-free miles. We'll doll it up as best we can, and the Edelbrock C-26 intake will help, which my cat seems to enjoy.



Props to Welder Series, their engine mount kit worked great and was a real head start on fabbing the engine mounts. I drilled a few lightening holes for decoration and tacked these into place. I clearanced the driver-side mount for the snout of the steering rack, but it cleared even without it. I wanted to give myself a little extra room for both install of the rack, but also of power steering line fittings.






Next we're onto transmission crossmember fabrication and exhaust and steering fitment.

 

Doing some research for a 59 Edsel villager wagon. What was the part number on the MII front suspension, where did you get it and after installation do you like it? We will be doing a similar swap doing an LS engine and 4L60E.
Thanks