Nothing like the thrill of buying a classic car and then driving it home 177 miles. Thats the thrill I'm about to embark on tomorrow. Yesterday I drove 177 miles to the middle-of-nowhere Virginia to look at a 58 Edsel Pacer. The price was VERY right, and there was no way I could turn this car down. The car has 48k miles, original, and has not been restored. The only modifications are: Repaint in factory Horizon Blue in the 1980's (body only, top original paint - they painted over the white scallops), 1960's seat covers, added compass accessory. The test drive was amazing. Other than some minor work (someone added Radial Wide Whites), an oil change, and newer master cylinder / wheel cylinders, this car is untouched. Not a single rattle, shimmy, or shake. The teletouch worked perfectly. Even the wipers moved under their own power. Now, I'm not absolutely crazy. I am picking up a replacement fuel pump, plugs / wires, condenser, points, etc just in case. I also have my AAA up to dat
That is cool as Hell. I'd have bought it, too, and I don't even have room for a picture of another car anymore
Thanks guys! Plans are some buffing, cleaning, removal/repair of the dash, and mechanical maintenance. Not too much for now, other than make it driveable and enjoyable. Here are a few more pics.
Neat car. Great thing about the Edsels is that they're out of the ordinary, but underneath are all Ford. Enjoy it
Treat the push button trans with kid gloves. I hear they are very hard to get parts and fail after all these years.
Update for you all! Yes, someone DID take care of it. It was a one owner / family car from new until 2016 (so I'm told). It last had an inspection sticker from 1982 on it, though the wide white radials are significantly newer. Turns out, everything works minus the heater servos, and the headlights. Radio, teletouch, wipers, everything. Being a manual brake / steering car it takes a bit of grunt to drive, but that's half the fun right? I attempted to drive it home, however, after about 25 miles or so the park inhibitor switch blew, and dumped the transmission fluid out. No worries, that's what AAA is for. Fast forward two days, I had it dropped at the only mechanics shop I could find within a 20-mile radius that had the time and inclination to look at it. The mechanic was very receptive and I told him to "remove the switch, plug the hole, and leave the switch plugged in." He also inspected for other leaks and found none. So I was finally able to get it home. Now comes the 'fun' challenge. I live in an apartment in the DC region. I was able to secure parking in a long-term storage parking section of a local garage. Can't work on it there, but I do have friends who have offered their driveways. The good thing is, the car doesn't need anything major. Most things I'll be able to take care of myself in an afternoon. The plan is to eventually get a place with a garage (in the next two years). Having been an old car guy my entire life I also have to say that this car drives incredibly smoothly with no shakes, rattles, or anything. On the transmission. Yeah, there are a lot of people who are 'scared' of the teletouch. Alot of these cars got modified back in the 70's to manual floor shift. The teletouch in this one works great. Not a single problem (other than the blown inhibitor switch). I was able to snag an entire teletouch motor/shift unit, harness, and clip on Ebay and plan to have it rebuilt and 'on standby' should the older one give up the ghost. Other than that, its a standard Ford cruise-o-matic - nothing to be scared of!
I usually just use regular cleaners. In this case, Scrubbing Bubbles. Its not as abrasive as some cleaners smells good, is relatively cheap, and doesn't damage / stain. I've had good luck with it for about 20 years now. Here's a before and after.
So I've done some cleaning and repair. FYI - I replaced the Holley that was on it (mechanical secondaries - and way more worn out than the engine in the car) with a new Holley 4160. I had to fab a 'clip' for the accelerator linkage, but man, does this thing run so much smoother now. Smooth idle, no hesitation, and I'm no longer dumping fuel down the intake and getting 7 mpg. I may be as high as 10.5 (based on my estimate). Also changed out the plug wires, points, condenser, generator (new / rebuilt from Nappa same as 62 Fairlane), voltage regulator, and gave the old girl a thorough wash. Would love to get a better sounding exhaust!