Edselchero?? 1959 Edsel Villager Pickup Conversion
I did a double take when I saw this one listed on eBay. What do you call this? A Villachero? An Edselchero? The seller says right out of the gate, “If you want to turn heads at your local cruise in, this is it. DARE TO BE DIFFERENT!” Well, this is different alright. You rarely see Edsel Villager station wagons at car shows and cruise-ins, and you’ll probably never see another one like this. The seller doesn’t give much history or details and describes this as “an older custom conversion where they have taken a 1959 Edsel Villager 4-door wagon and converted it to a Ranchero style but using all Edsel parts.” I don’t know who “they” were, but they appear to have done a good job with this conversion. Located in Hondo, Texas, this 1959 “Edselchero” is for sale here on eBay. As of this writing, 13 bids have been placed, but the $7,750 top bid hasn’t met the seller’s reserve.
I hope somewhere there’s a photo book that documented this interesting conversion. This ’59 Edsel started out as a 4-door Villager station wagon that left the factory painted in President Red and Snow White. The Villager was the intermediate trim level model and only came as a 4-door. A total of 7,820 Villager wagons were produced for the ’59 model year with 5,687 being 6-Passenger versions and 2,133 being 9-Passenger versions.
The President Red paint is presentable and shiny and I’m not seeing any bumps, bruises, or scratches. The tasteful side spear trim, roof top, and tailgate cove are accented in Snow White. The chrome, trim, and most of the glass (the seller says there’s a crack in the driver’s door glass, but a spare crack-free glass is included) look good. The rear glass is larger than the flat glass seen on ’59 Ford Rancheros as the customizers repurposed the Villagers curved rear glass. The full wheel covers look very good but I would spring for some period-correct whitewall tires. I’m not spotting any major rust, but I’d check out the driver’s side rocker panel.
The Edsel’s back end styling looks kinda Oldsmobilish to me, but the styling department did a commendable job of reworking Ford’s rear end with their huge after-burner round taillights. Edsel wagons in ’58 had those cool, but bizarro boomerang shaped taillights. For ’59, the stylists reshuffled Edsel’s six round taillights as dual tail lights that are set in the belt line in an oval shiny pod, and the back up lights were placed underneath in the cove above the bumper.
The red and white interior looks good and compliments the Edsel’s exterior very nicely. The ’59 Edsel sales booklet actually shows a Villager red and white interior and the current pleated vinyl door panels and seat upholstery isn’t correct, but still looks period correct. I’m not seeing any major wear or tear on the seat, but the door panel vinyl is wavy. The instrument panel looks to be in good order and there are aftermarket gauges visible under the dash. The red carpet isn’t original and looks a bit lumpy over the transmission hump but is covered with a black floor mat.
It’s always strange when a seller doesn’t post any photos of the engine bay. The seller says “the engine is a 354 with an FMX transmission. Both have been overhauled a few years ago and run perfectly. It sounds amazing with dual exhaust and a deep tone.” I’m no engine expert, but isn’t a 354 a Hemi? Edsel power plants for a ’59 Villager was the standard 332-cubic inch Express V8 or the optional 361-cubic inch Super Express V8. The seller also shares that the rear end is a Ford 9″ and has recently had the pinion bearings replaced and is quiet and smooth.
The seller ends the ad by saying “You could never build this truck for close to this money, so don’t miss out.” I would tend to agree with that statement. I’m not sure what it would cost in today’s dollars to undertake this kind of automotive surgery. So, what do you think of this Villager station wagon to “Edselchero” conversion? I think it’s very cool, unique, and a guaranteed head-turner. Happy Bidding!
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Comments
Edsel might’ve stayed afloat if they’d sold this. Looks like a nice conversion, tho it’d be good to know what kind of engine is really under the hood..
Definitely unique!
Um, no, see below,,,
I’d like to see a closer shot of the bed. The Rancheros of that era had nice stainless trim around the top edge that would just look odd without it. I’ve have a friend who put an Edsel front clip on his 58 Ranchero. All lot easier way to do this.
Beautiful conversion.
Saw one of these at an auto show in Michigan. Owner called it a double lemon. I liked the vehicle. He claimed it was not a conversion, but a factory offering. Said they made a few of them that year.
I very seldom am at a loss for words,but this one has me scratching my head! Would love a few x-tra pictures,but I think I’m liken it. Conversation piece for sure
I love Ute conversions as long as the rear window/roof treatment is done aesthetically correct like this one. (just chopping off the roof and adding a flat rear window generally spoils the look) IN MY HUMBLE OPINION!
I like it!
I agree, interesting and apparently well-done custom conversion.
Yes the 354 was a Hemi, used in Chryslers from 55-56. I’m guessing the seller meant to say 352, which would still be incorrect, as the 352 wasn’t available in Edsels in 59, so it’s probably a 361, which is identical to a 352. Somebody put a lot of time and effort into this, and it looks to have been tastefully done, definitely something unique. Reminds me of a friend I had years ago, who put a 58 Edsel front clip on a 58 Ranchero
I am thinking the engine is a later 351W because the seller says the transmission is an FMX which came out in the 60’s and was not used behind the FE or LEM motors.
The old cast iron Cruise-O-Matic of the 50s evolved into what was later known as the FMX, so basically the same transmission. They were used behind pretty much every Ford/Mercury/Lincoln V8 at one time or another
Very nice find! I’ve seen several “Edchero” conversions where the front clip/doghouse was swapped out and some interior modifications made to complete the “Edselization” of a Ford ranchero.
Although I only saw it in passing on the expressway, I think that was the case for the one I saw in Tulsa years ago. It made me do a double-take.
I actually liked the Edsel. It may have been a bit “out there” for most, but look what Chrysler was doing. Now, I couldn’t imagine a more colossal failure, an Edsel pickup. The Ranchero or the El Camino was not a popular vehicle, it was a poor car, and a poor truck. The Edsel wasn’t popular either, so what do you get when you combine the 2 failures? Right here.
Now, I think this is really cool. It’s the epitome of unusual, and should, by all rights, be gone by the time I finish this post,,( checking), nope, up to $10gs, and struggling,,,tells me people today, for whatever reason, just don’t appreciate something like this. I suppose to many it’s still an Edsel/Ranchero. Go buy your rusty Bronco,,
This folks, is the kind of comment we get when someone gets up on the wrong side of the bed, and hits Barn Finds before having that first cup of coffee. Cranky cranky
Hey, I supported you on the GTO post, what’s cranky about it? I think it’s a really cool car, or did you miss that part? Besides, I was up for hours before turning on BFs. What did YOU add to this post, hmm?
I think this thing is great. Probably the best Ranchero/Camino conversion we’ve seen here on BF.
How about “Ran-chedsel”?
I’m with you and HoA. As a semi practical person it would be useful for runs to the lumber yard……and a great conversation piece given the modern reputation of Edsels and their somewhat bizarre styling versus the generic Ford.
But hey.seems like everyone has a new 80 grand F-150. Don’t know how or why. I’d rather have this.
Nice car/truck conversion depending on when this was done this may be a real lead sled. GLWTA
WOW, someone put alotta work into this. Building one of these is more than just cutting off part of the roof. Welding in those rear doors and building the structure behind the seat was a big undertaking to do it right. It was most likely done in the 60’s or early 70’s when this was a 100 dollar car nobody wanted. I remember as a kid there was a ’56 Ford wagon for sale on my paper route for a 100 bucks. Even with no rust (rare in northern Pa.) it sat there for months. Finally some neighbor kids bought it and made a pickup out of it. They did a good job and even used the lift up back window as the back window for the cab. I used to see it driving around town in the summer with back window up. No idea what ever became of it.
When in high school I saw a very nice 57 Ford two door wagon hauled in to the Ford dealer I worked at to be crushed. They were doing a local cleanup for the town and all kind of neat old tin was hauled in. Couple of us convinced dealer to keep car and he did.
If that thing sat in someone’s yard for months I guarantee there was noyhing left of the undercarriage. I know, I lived in western PA for 60 years!
100% Awesome!
There’s a feature on a similarly converted ’59 Edsel in This Old Truck magazine from January/February, 2002. It was also a Texas vehicle but the interior, the rear window and the tailgate are different. This one also has the 361 FE engine.
I have that magazine. The man that built it used three parts cars. It appears flawless in the magazine. He used a 59 Ranchero, a 59 Edsel Station Wagon and a 59 Edsel 2 door sedan. He used the Ranchero as the base. It looks very similar to this one. They’re both great looking vehicles.
I like the way this was executed, only one thing I think would have added to the remake would be a retractable roof, slide it down during the nice days of spring and fall and just cruise all day
Definitely, a rare bird, wow. An older custom build that appears to have been done well. It would certainly cost a small fortune to do in today’s dollars. I’m hoping the engine is a Ford and not a Mopar. Surely be turning some heads at your local car show in this one.
It’s most likely a SBC unfortunately.
I’d call it a “Dude-Ranchero” 😄
I really like it. It’s different and seems to be done well. I wouldn’t want to own it, or try to duplicate it, but if you want something unique, this one hits that nail on the head. After seeing dozens of late 60’s Chargers in every state of rust-through imaginable, it’s good to see something different on BF.
I know of a mid 60’s Ranchero where the old timer used a Comet front end and faked Mercury origins. Looks good actually like this Edsel.
Cool car regardless of motor
If the front clip is an Edsel, it would be nice to have the original or similar engine it came with, maybe a 361. Would be nice to have some engine pics to confirm what it does have hiding under that big hood.
It doesn’t look like a conversion. What does the title say it is?
A clue to what motor is in it is the transmission. It’s said that it has an FMX transmission which was used behind small block Ford engines such as the 351W that was introduced in 68 which would make sense of the typo of the engine size and the engine was swapped in at some point in the cars history.
Yeah, if this baby has a 351 hiding under the hood I’m all in, and it would be a blast to drive.
If the owner actually bought that line of BS, he’s probably in the market for the Brooklyn Bridge or some swamp land in Florida!
Go look at the ad on e-bay. There are three pictures of a Ford produced engine sitting in the engine bay. If I can see them with only vision in one eye, how come no one else can?
The seller mentioned he just recently added engine pics, that’s why
I have a recollection of an elderly man in Texas who was interviewed on “Texas Country Reporter” with Bob Phillips. The man had a number of collectible vehicles, and if this isn’t the one shown in that video it is very similar. A follow-up program showed the overgrown estate of the man, and the same vehicles in the outbuildings amid the weeds and brush. I hope this is the good outcome for a sad situation.
That Texas gentleman would be “Shamrock” Shelley Cleaver, who was a fixture at the national Edsel Owners Club meets back in the 80s and 90s. I hope he is doing well.
Thank you for bringing up a very fond memory!
Yes! That sounds right. I think they showed a couple of earlier video interviews when he was still more active (I believe Bob Phillips of TCR rode with him in one of the Edsels in one of the clips), but returned later when he had difficulty getting around, and his place had grown up to a lot of brush, including around the outbuildings where his cars were still stored, but no longer driven. Bob Phillips asked about the cars and was told to go down to the sheds and look around. It was sad to see the cars entangled in weeds and deteriorating from neglect. Mr. Cleaver said he didn’t dare try to accompany Bob Phillips for fear of falling because of balance issues. I believe that as of 2022, Shamrock Shelley is in his very late 80’s, and has become something of a historian for Jacksonville Texas. I can’t find any mention of whether still lives on his homestead, or if he has had to move “to town”, which might explain the presence of one of his vehicles here.
A Ranchero uses the longer tudor door. I believe the rear window of this car is from a station wagon.
Update
On Dec-18-23 at 14:54:44 PST, seller added the following information:
SORRY, I FAT FINGERED THE ENGINE SIZE, IT’S A 352! I added underhood and underneath pictures. car is decent,
Would also be good to know what type of steel bed they used for this conversion in the back. All rancheros and caminos were prone to rust, right out of the factory in this area. Glad seller re entry added engine pics and the underside pics look good as well.