Tim Musico's 1957 Ford

A photo of the Ranchero taken in the late 1990s, after Fernando Rodriguez had fixed it up. Photo courtesy of Fernando Rodriguez.

The Ranchero as it appeared in 2008, after Steve Villa had purchased it and painted it flat black. According to later owner Brian Neu, Villa either lost or sold the rare Edsel Two-Door Wagon side trim while he owned it. Photo courtesy of Steve Villa.

In this photo the taillight housings have been painted black to match the color of the body. Photo courtesy of Steve Villa.

Villa installed a black tuck and roll interior with red piping in the Ranchero. Mechanically, he rebuilt the 360 Ford engine and the FMX transmission. The engine was bored .30 over and Villa installed a homemade floor shifter. Photo courtesy of Steve Villa.

Villa sold the car to Tim Musico in 2008. This photo was taken the day Musico came to pick it up and take it home. Photo courtesy of Steve Villa.

The Edselero as it appeared in 2009, after Tim Musico had given it a burgundy red paint job. Photo by Tim Musico.

Tim installed a 1958 Edsel passenger rear bumper to match the front bumper. The bumper had to be sectioned to fit the Ranchero. Photo by Tim Musico.

Tim pained the dash and roof in an offset 1980s Ford silver metallic base with a real fine Metalflake. Photo by Tim Musico.

Photo by Tim Musico.

Photo by Tim Musico.

Photo by Tim Musico.

Photo by Tim Musico.

After enjoying the Ranchero for one season, Tim decided to put it up for sale in July, 2010. Photo by Tim Musico.

Brian Neu bought The Edselero from Tim Musico in December of 2010. "This custom was exactly what I was looking for to make my long term daily driver," Brian told Sondre Kvipt of Kustomrama in 2019. Photo courtesy of Brian Neu.

A photo of Tim's old Ranchero taken late in 2019, after Brian had begun turning it into The Draggin' Fly. Click here for more info and photos of the Draggin' Fly. Photo courtesy of Brian Neu.

1957 Ford Ranchero originally owned and restyled Fernando Rodriguez of Whittier, California.

Fixed up and Edselized by Fernando Rodriguez

Rodriguez bought the Ranchero with a destroyed front end. The roof was crushed, so he replaced it and repaired the passenger side of the car. While rebuilding the Ranchero, he changed the appearance of the car by installing a 1958 Edsel front clip and taillights along with rare Edsel two-door Wagon Round-up side trim. Rodriguez completed the build in the late 1990s. Back then, it ran a two-tone flat black primer with white scallops.

Steve Villa buys the car

Rodriguez sold the Ranchero to Steve Villa of Orange, California. Villa painted it flat black with red trim while he owned it. He also installed a black tuck and roll interior with red piping. Mechanically, Villa rebuilt the 360 Ford engine and the FMX transmission. The engine was bored .30 over and he installed a homemade floor shifter. The car was upgraded with Ford Granada disc brakes and a late 1960s Ford 9" truck rear end, before Villa lowered the front about 2 inches by cutting the coils. He also redid the dual exhaust system with short stainless racing mufflers before selling it to Long Beach Cavaliers member Tim Musico of Anaheim, California in July of 2008.

Tim Musico turns it into the Edselero

Musico continued the build, turning the Ranchero into the Edselero. He began the transformation by shaving away trim, emblems, and handles. Door poppers replaced the door handles, while Airbags were installed in the rear of the car to adjust the height. During the rebuild, Tim installed a 1958 Edsel passenger rear bumper to match the front bumper. The bumper had to be sectioned to fit the Ranchero rear, and nearly all the chrome and stainless steel were re-chromed or polished. All body seams were filled in before Musico and a group of good friends gave it a burgundy mid-1980s Chrysler color called Vivid Red. The paint was custom-mixed, and Tim added more brown tones, and less purple. The dash and roof were painted in an offset 1980s Ford silver metallic base with a real fine Metalflake. Whitewall tires with Dodge Lancer hubcaps wrapped up the style. After working on the car for about one year, Tim finally completed the build in July of 2009.

The Draggin' Fly

After enjoying the Ranchero for one season, Tim decided to put it up for sale in July, 2010. Advertised for sale on The HAMB, Tim's asking price was US $15,000. Brian Neu of Ventura, California bought The Edselero in December of 2010. "This custom was exactly what I was looking for to make my long term daily driver," Brian told Sondre Kvipt of Kustomrama in 2019. After getting more familiar with the Edselero, Brian continued restyling it, eventually turning it into The Draggin' Fly. Click here for more info and photos of the Draggin' Fly.