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Topic starter
28/01/2012 5:07 pm
Update on Edsel wagon, 1/28/2012 Saturday
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The gap in the tailgate to body has also been fixed since this picture was taken.
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I finally got a tailgate that opens level or all the way after five different tailgates. Rear bumper is done and looking close you can see a licence light on both sides of licence plate insert.
I narrowed the "C" pillar more and I added a round emblem above the tailgate trim that is the round part of the Edsel hood ornament so it has the "E" in it. I epoxied it to a pop rivet and drilled a hole for it to fit in.
Tomorrow it get's the final coat of paint, still have some interior trim to do and I have the side windows made. I also reshaped the rear corners of the top for a more Mercury look to the top.
I also show a couple of pictures of the hinges I used, the larger one's for the tailgate work real well. They are nylon for model airplanes.
28/01/2012 6:58 pm
I sure wish I had your skill, talent, patience and perseverence Dick!
28/01/2012 9:14 pm
This wagon project is coming along nicely. I miss the horizontal tail lights though. I realize ....
..however, all projects have compromises and no one can say the tailgate doesn't look good. I really love the scratch-built emblem (wish I could see it in focus--lol).
Are you adding belt-line windown trim around your new rear wrap-around side windows? I ask because what works best (for me) is to add all trim first, prime & paint then "Bare Metal Foil" afterwards.
This will be a grat looking model when finished; I'm surprised Ford didn't issue this body style back in '58 when Edsel had so much promise.
Keep up the great work Dick. I look forward to last few installments as you wrap this one up.
-Chris
28/01/2012 9:26 pm
I can't help but be ssooooo jealous.. what fantastic skills you have to produce such a beautiful recreation..
29/01/2012 3:15 am
This project is coming along quite nicely. I would have been impressed if you just ...
... had shaped the tailgate. To have a WORKING tailgate is just over-the-top extraordinary!
Topic starter
29/01/2012 3:25 am
I also wish I could have kept the horizontal taillights ,
I wanted it to really keep as much Edsel look as I can but they just made the tailgate to thick and it wouldn't open all the way down and if you look at the back of a 57/58 Mercury wagon this one I have on it now looks much closer and since in real life they did share as many body panels as they could I thought it just made it look more correct and then I thought after seeing the taillights this way it carries the verticle theme of the grill to the rear of the wagon and they are still the inner part of the Edsel lights. Yes there will be more trim to install the windows with. The trim around the windows and the front drip rail are larger than the Merc just to set it apart more with "Edsel" trim and they will be chrome. I still have some carpeting to do on the tailgate and install a real cloth headliner in white.
For the headliner I first installed a very thin plastic over the inside of the top to cover the seams where the two tops join and then I used a white cloth and then painted it white with several coats of white paint so when it dried it makes it stiff so it will cut to shape easier and will use spray trim cement to install it over the smooth surface.
Yes I wish I could get a clearer picture of the emblem and I will try. The "E" in it is very small but can be seen.
Thanks for all the kind words guys. Should be finished soon.
Have a great day.
Topic starter
29/01/2012 3:33 am
Thanks Marlowe, I just had to make it work,,
It took 5 different tailgates made and installed to get this one that works all the way and it looks more like the Mercury gate also and since this is based on the Mercury 2 dr wagon it just seemed the right way to go after all the tries at something different.
Thanks for the kind words.
By the way, the gate is also installed so it can be removed and re-installed at any time should I ever want to as it is not fastened in place with cement of any kind. These neat hinges allow me to do this and they also look like the real one's on the Merc.