History 1960 Edsel Convertible 1 of 76.

Any Edsel lovers out there?
My buddies just picked this up in Ohio and dragged it back to Northeast Pa.
Total production was 76.
Anyone know how many exist?
The frame is rotted and broken. As well as the rear springs.
They want me to put the body on a good sedan frame and try to bring it back from the dead.










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Labowski

 

Good one to save.
Get to work.

 

Some 1960 Ford convertibles were used to fake a 60 Edsel convertible.. Do your research on this one.. Whether it's real or not it is very cool...

 

What's the serial number? Please post a photo of the data plate on the driver's side door jamb when you get a chance. When you post it I'll send it to Phil Skinner in SoCal who probably knows more about Edsels than anyone in the world. He can verify if it's one of the original 76. For more info on the Edsel go to Edsel.com....

 

Parked in 1970. Were people faking them that early? Seems like that would be a more recent thing.

And yes I will get a photo of that next time I get over there.


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I know you east side guys pay a big price and the Old Iron take a real beating. Out here on the West side, not the case. If your going to pull that job off you should know about Stan the Ford man. I'm not connected to him in any way other I have willingly spent a lot of $$$ with him and very pleased. His specialty is 59-69 Full sized Ford's. Everything I've bought from him has been quality used parts. He's old school so no web sight but you can call him M-F pacific time at 360-687-1216. Yes he's had some Edsels and lots of Ford parts cross over, like the Frames. He also ships things like Quarters, roofs, and seats. Over all a good guy to deal with and his Word is Ace's.
The Wizzard

 

I think it's very cool.....if it truly ''is'' an original, I believe it would be worth the effort to save it for sure.....I love that year Edsel, and a convertible !!!....nice design, and super rare....a nice combo indeed.

 

They weren't very collectible when they were only 10 years old so it's probably one of the original 76. I emailed Phil and told him where your thread is so maybe he'll reply here himself. It's definitely worth restoring. There's one for sale in the monthly newsletter of the International Edsel Club which has been completely restored and is loaded with factory options including A/C and continental kit which the owner is asking $110k for. The ad has been in there for a while so it's obviously overpriced. A decent resto on this one may make it worth about half that....

 

There is one of them in my area being restored. Its what was called a "Pilot Program" car.
Not a prototype but not a production vehicle either.Phil and the gang know of the car.
The pro restoring it has a bunch of extra Edsel items (such as a frame). The owner has about 60K into it so far and its not yet in paint.
You could eat off the frame! Its quite a site to behold.

P.M. me if you want a # for the guy whos restoring it,hes a good guy.

Oldmics

 

There is a sort of active facebook page for restoring edsels....and another one for customizing/modifying them....

Edsel guys are a special breed.

The 60 shared many parts with Fords, so it might even work to get a 60 Ford chassis to scavenge parts. Although Hollanders says 60 Edsel convertible frame does not interchange with anything.

 

Never seen a convertible....it's a really cool looking car...

 

These guys have 4 Edsel's altogether.
58 pacer vert (70s Camaro subframe, bb454)
1960 coupe(all original driver)
1960 sedan(parts car for 60 vert)
1960 vert

All the frames look the same from what I have seen rolling around with a flashlight. Besides the x in the Edsel frame it's even the same as my dad's 63 Monterey.

I'm thinking I'll use the 60 sedan frame and just take care of any small variations I find.

I wish they wanted it fully restored but really they just want it put together enough to drive.



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I heard back from Phil Skinner. His message is below. All 1960 Edsels were built in Louisville except for a handful which were built at the pilot plant in Dearborn. When do you think you can post a pic of the data plate?

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Dave, might be a pretty amazing find! I think it might be the pilot plant car, 0S15Y700008. That car has been stored away since the early 1970's and was complete but not running. Of the 76 convertibles built by Edsel for 1960, I have recorded 61 of them. I figure about 35-40 are still around, but no more that 20 or so are really roadworthy.

Two of them are in Sweden, 0U15W700100 and 0U15Y703193 and are two Swedish versions.

Phil

 

Bless you guys for saving this iconic rig, never ever have I seen this rag top offering. sololobo

 

0U15W701919
76B J 55 10K 3 3


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Thanks. This isn't the one he was thinking of so it may be one he isn't familiar with. Do you have any pics of it in the garage or barn (or field?) where it sat all these years? Thanks again....

 

Unfortunately I do not. The guys who went to get it may. I'll ask them.


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Cool car. I love those tail lights. East coast rust amazes me, but not in a good way.

 

when I lived in Plattsmouth nebraska in 1968, there was a high-school kid had a 1960 edsel starliner hardtop. He beat that think till it would go no mo! only one i have ever seen. I do not know if it was called a Starliner??

 

When I see what West Coast guys consider junk. it brings a tear to my eye.


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The Starliner is a Ford. Edsel only had 2 models during their 1960 production run of 2 months in which they built 2846 of them. The wagon was called the Villager and the sedans, hardtops and convertibles were called the Ranger....

 

Phil will gladly accept any info or additional photos of this car like the name of the city in Ohio it was in. Here's what he knows about the car.

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Dave, Wow, thank you for passing this information and this photo of the data plate. This car was first recorded back in March of 1973. All we had was the serial number and the color code "J" for Regal Red. No interior, date, trans or axle. This fill-in information is so very important!

The name of the owner was Rolland Ampach, but no location, no city, state, nothing. Please fill us in with that information!

Phil

 

I'll post more information later when I talk to the current owners. They're going back there for the sedan next weekend. So maybe they could take some pictures then.


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If possible could you please take a pic of the data plate of each of the other three Edsels and one pic of the outside of each car as well for Phil's registry? Thanks....

 

Sure can. Here's a pic of the 58 vert.
Purists will probably agree we ruined it.
I welded in a Camaro subframe and dropped in a bb454.
They wanted me to use what they had.
They didn't have a y-block or an fe. They did have an 80s dumptruck and a beat Camaro...
But hey. It's being used instead of rotting in a field.
This one is from down south by the way. I forget what state.








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That's gonna be way sweet.
Its interesting how we zero in on one like that and the blood pressure gets into the , "I feel that" range.

 

76B is a convertible, subscribed
1960 Edsel Facts:

• Chief Stylist: Bud Kaufman
• All 1960 Edsels were produced in the Louisville, KY manufacturing plant.
  (Although a few cars from the Allen Park, MI pilot plant are still in existence)
• The 1960 Edsel introduced such innovations as horizontal coolant flow through the radiator to improve cooling, and placement of the muffler away from the passenger compartment to reduce heat.
• Production of the 1960 Edsel began on September 14, 1959
• Introduction of the 1960 line was made on October 15, 1959
• The last official day of Edsel assembly was November 19, 1959
• Total Production for all 1960 models: 2,846
• With such a limited production run-time, the 1960 model included some of the rarest Edsel models of any year
• Counterfeit 1960 Edsel Convertibles do exist! By taking hood and rear deck sheet metal from a 1960 Edsel sedan and modifying a 1960 Ford Sunliner, you have an Edsel forgery. (At a very rare production total of 76, and prices reaching $47,000 for a mint 1960 Edsel ragtop, it's easy to see why it happens). Don't be fooled - a true Edsel convertible has a correct dataplate solidly riveted to the pillar, a cross-member on the frame, and vehicle ID numbers that match the dataplate, found at various points along the frame.

1960 Edsel Ranger
2-Door Convertible
Model Number: 76B
Total Production: 76
Original Sticker Price: $3,000
Curb Weight (lbs): 3836
Length (in.): 216.0
Width (in.): 81.5
Height (in.): 57.11

 

This is obviously a few years old because they go for a lot more than that now....

 

Here's one from a local car show