Hi All, I am sloooowly starting to look for my retirement project car. To that end I really want a 57 (preferred), 58,59 Ford. Now I have seen Edsel's around and they are beginning to grow on me. However, I have heard nothing but bad news when it comes to their Teletouch trannies. People not getting them to work correctly and having to swap them out. I have also heard that if they are kept up on they are a good system but they have to be maintained. Can someone tell me what the issues are and are they serviceable by me (I fancy myself as a decent mechanic). Electrics on the other hand.....I remember seeing someone on the HAMB I believe that came up with a novel approach to fixing the electrical side of the tranny-should have bookmarked the thread. Thanks for any input on this. Mike
I know nothing about Edsels, but if it comes with an FE engine, couldn’t a C4 or C6 be used and eliminate concerns?
It isn’t the transmission itself that is a problem on the Edsels, they are conventional FOMOCO units. It is the electric shift push button selector in the steering wheel hub and the current path to the actuator that is the issue. Ray
Thanks Ray and Budget. If for some reason I come across an original car that has the Teletouch, I just wanted to know what to look for. So, the actuator at the transmission and buttons have the current issues. I assume there is a way to rectify this by shielding the wires, correct? Mike
I have seen these with the Teletouch disconnected, and a floor shifter in it's place. Fairly straightforward installation. Anything can be fixed if you have enough money or parts, but the Teletouch was a bit of a turkey when it didn't work right.
I remember my dad cussing those things in the 60's about not making good contacts and not shifting. Seeing him taking the steering wheel off to repair the contacts. Good idea from Ford , but poor design hurt their reputation.
Contacts and issues with the solenoids in the selector mechanism seems to be the big culprit, but ive come across enough people that rebuild them and resell them that if i was stuck on using it, it wouldnt be that much of a deterrent. i might be wrong and would have to check my Edsel books, but i believe some of the smaller series cars came with a column shifter automatic, that might be able to be swapped in. Everything was pretty well trashed from sitting with a blown engine for decades in the '58 Edsel Villager im working on, so we will be using a floor shifter with a C6 (and a 460) to keep it simple and reliable, (retaining the steering wheel but they will be dead buttons). i think i still have the teletouch 'box' in the garage in case i was feeling curious one day and wanted to take it apart to see how it worked. I say go for an Edsel! Taking it apart, I've found some funny choices the engineers made with the car, but i think theyre cool looking cars and really do it for me with the kind of '50s atomic age styling, especially with the dash/ gauges, arrow shaped taillights, etc. Parts support isnt what it is for similar yr Fords, but i havent come across anything that i just flat out havent been able to find, though some of the models seem easier to source parts for than others.
Thanks for the input guys. There is one for sale here that I have been salivating over but I have no place to store it, other than a storage unit. That and I would have to clear it with THE BOSS. But, if I come across a screamer of deal.... Mike
TeleTouch was one-year-only in '58, so if you don't want to mess with one, don't buy that year with that transmission. Some cars did come with a manual trans if you can find one. I do think the '58s are the best looking however... '60 Edsels are the rarest (and the ugliest IMO) but offer interesting possibilities if you're contemplating a custom.
sounds like you're not ready for the car, so just wait until you are...and in the mean time, do more research. I had a 59 with manual transmission, for a little while, it was fun while it lasted. They're definitely interesting cars.
There were definitely some '58 Rangers built with the column shifter from the '58 Ford car, if you really don't want to deal with the Teletouch system but you want a '58, I think you could fairly easily swap in a '58 Ford column and linkage. But the Teletouch system is one of the coolest features of a '58 automatic car. With the amount of knowledge out there, I'm sure you could rebuild the system and make it reliably functional.
I had the the shift motor rewound in my 58 Villager wagon. I cleaned all the contacts, made sure all the wiring was in useable shape. When I hooked it all up it worked fine. One thing I didn't do was connect the inhibitor switch, so one has to be careful about accidental shifting. The shift motors do not like heat. Mine, when after driving a couple hours on a hot day would get sluggish or not work at all until the shift motor cooled down. Build a heat shield around it and also wrap your exhaust with the proper wrap. Also if possible do not use park. If your on a hill or slope it puts a tremendous strain on the motor to get it out of park. Besides all the quirks with the Teletouch I wouldn't change a thing. As said above it what makes an Edsel truly unique.
I'd agree with you on the 57 Ford being an "A" list choice but........I remember riding on the school bus in about 1960 and one of the locals had the first year Edsel two door hardtop, black, I'd go for that in a heartbeat. Buy what you want
The Ranger/Pacer was based on the Ford, the larger Corsairs/Citations were Mercury-based and shared very little with the Fords. The columns and dash were enough different that some surgery would be required for a Ford column, definitely not a bolt-in. A same-vintage Mercury or T-Bird column would be a better choice if you can find one; if not, the later mid-60s to early '70s Ford/Mercury columns would be another good choice. You'll lose the OEM steering wheel unless you can fab an adaptor. As a few have mentioned, there are guys out there that can restore/rebuild the TeleTouch. There's one right here on the HAMB... 1958 Edsel Teletouch Rebuild Service | The H.A.M.B. (jalopyjournal.com)
I like the 60 models. Especially the 2 door hardtop that has the Sunliner roof. Too bad when they finally got the styling looking good it’s reputation made them kill it.
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