Conference vmsnet::car$note:carbuffs

    
    
    I looked around but no notes on Belts. I know this sounds dumb but 
    I loked at my girlfriends Tempo over the weekend and could not for the
    life of me figure out how to change the main sertpentine belt ? Any
    ideas.
    
    first it appears that the motor mount may have to be removed ? Does
    this sound right ? I did not see an idler adjustment ? 
    
    You can hardly even see the belt because the motor mount is in the way.
    
    If I do have to remove the mount will the engine move or will it stay
    inplace and line up when I go to put the mount back on ?
    
    Can someone shed some light,
    
    
     Thanks,
    Brian
    

    Rainy Day Blues;
    
    1987 F250 5.8L HO with a Holly 4-barrell   85,000 miles.
    
    	On rainy days my F250 has a hard time maintaining idle until
    the engine really warms up. For the first 15 minutes or so it wants
    to stall out. The idle works it's way down until a few backfires
    then stalls. If I keep my foot on the pedal it will run fine.
    
    Already changed the wires, cap, rotor, plugs. Any other obvious things
    to look for?

    
      Check to see that the heat riser is working, or the warm air
     circuit is working. What you got is a lean condition caused by
     cold air and not enough fuel (darn these EPA guys!) Warm air
     effectively richens the mixture for a while while the motor
     warms to operating temperature.
    
      Bob
    

RE:    Rainy Day Blues

Clean all of your electrical connections starting with the battery.  Clean the
conections for your computer and also all the connections to your alternator
and coil. You either have a bad + connection or a bad ground connection 
somewhere in my opinion.

Jim

    
    	Ford is going to put the Thunderbird on hiatus until after the
    	turn of the century.
    

Had a similar problem w/ '87 aerostar, 3L v-6. First replacing the idle air
bypass solenoid helped. Seems that it got sticky somehow which worsened in the
cold weather. I took the van to the dealer who found the coolant sensor had an
intermittent connection.  Works like new now.

cbp

    Help settle this bet: Was there a version of the early Thunderbird
    (~1955-1957) with a retractable hardtop? Or is the only Ford
    with this kind of roof the Skyliner Retractable of 1957-60?

    
    	Removeable hardtop, yes, but not retractable.
    

    re: tbird going on hiatus
    
    Just a question - if they put the tbird on hiatus, what will the
    NASCAR guys use for ford products?  I had thought that the body
    style used by NASCAR had to be a currently available one by the
    manufacturer.  
    
    andy
    

    
    	Countour?
    
    	Nah, probably not.
    

    rep 426.
    	Its the only way GM can come out totally on top!!!
    dave

    rep .426
    
    Nascar allows a given model to compete for 3 years after production stops.
    Ford says they will have a new T-Bird after 2000. That should cover
    them till then. Maybe a Lincoln Mark VIII would be slippery enough. Or
    maybe they will make a two door Taurus...nah. 

re Note 64.424 by STARCH::HAGERMAN 
	-< Retractable Thunderbird? >-

i'm not an expert on early tbirds, but what i remember is ...
there was an option for a removable hardtop on at least some years
of the 2 seaters.  i don't know if it came from ford or was aftermarket.

the 4 seater had the retractable hardtop option.
i think they started in 58.

HTH

    The 4 seater had a retractable convertible (into the trunk), but 
    I don't remember a retractable hardtop...

Had a neighbor who ran a FORD dealership and he had one.
Hardtop retracted into the trunk, it kind of limited the 
trunk space.  I think they only offered it for 3-4 years and
was in the late 50s, early 60s timeframe.  I don't they
actually sold to many.

Bob...

    Ok, but please be careful. There was a series of Ford cars
    that were four-passenger sedans with fully retractable into
    the trunk hard top roofs. These were the Skyliner Retractables,
    and were made for I think three years, either 57-59 or 58-60.
    
    Then there was the original series of 2 seater Thunderbirds,
    from about 55 to 57. They had retractable soft tops and an optional
    hard top that lifted off. Then there was a later series
    of Thunderbirds that were larger 2+2 cars starting in
    about 1960 or so, that also had retractable soft tops.
    
    The crux of the bet is whether there was ever a Thunderbird
    model (i.e. NOT a Skyliner Retractable model) with a retractable
    hard top. As far as I know, and my lunch this Friday depends
    on it, the answer to this is NO.
    
    Doug.

    
    	I can't get there right at the moment, but check out
    
    
    
    - Hot Rods & Classic Cars -
    
         A 1963 Ford Thunderbird with a retractable top. Beautiful! A 1965
    Ford Fastback Mustang:
    
         This super clean four-speed is rebuilt from the ground up and is..
    
         http://w3.whirlnet.com/hotrods/docs/60-70a.html - size 3K - 27 Nov
    96

    
    	And I have 3 pictures of "suspect" Thunderbirds that appear to
    	have trunks plenty big enough to store a hardtop, but I don't
    	know much about Thunderbirds.
    
    	You're welcome to copy
    
    	BUSY::BUSY_USR08:[SLAB]TB1.JPG
        BUSY::BUSY_USR08:[SLAB]TB2.JPG
        BUSY::BUSY_USR08:[SLAB]TB3.JPG
    
    	and take a look.
    

    On a related note:
    
    	I saw a 1957 T-Bird at a classic car show that had a rumble
    seat built into the truck. The owner claims it was a dealer 
    option and was known as the "bird's nest". 
    
    	Cool cars!
    
    	Mark

    Thanks for the pictures. Still no proof one way or the other, though.
    (I've proved my side of the argument by the picture at:
    http://www.gpfn.sk.ca/hobbies/fordclub/
    
    

    
	This might "prove" your side more than the picture, since it's the
    	IRFC and only mentions Skyliner and not Thunderbird.
    
    
    
Page 2

---------------------------------------------------------------------------

                    International Ford Retractable Club

---------------------------------------------------------------------------

      26th  National Convention  July 16-19 1997
              Valley Forge, Pennsylvania
                                                                    1998      Branson, Missouri
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                                                                       2000    Toronto, Ontario,             Canada

                             Car Show and Swap Meet.


The IFRC was founded: 1971 by John Bobo, Dayton, Ohio

Goals:  The purpose of the IFRC is to promote the restoration, preservation
and further interest in the 1957,1958 and 1959
Skyliner Retractable Hardtop produced by Ford Motor Company.

The SKYLINER Magazine is the IFRC magazine available to registered members.
Membership is $30.00 USA,  $32.00 Canada,  $41.00 All Other countries
  and open to anyone with an interest in the Retractable
with or without an auto.

National Headquarters
P.O. Box 389         Mariboro,  MA  01752
Phone 500-359-5857        Fax 508-481-9536

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    my 1958 T-bird was a 2+2 hard top, I never tried to remove it, but with 
    enough heat I could have probably got it off, on again?????
    
    Car was a fast POS, handled like a POS and I did not like the leaky
    trans.
    
    Other than sucking gas, and the above it was pretty enough.
    
    Dave

Re. .432

In retrospect it was not a Thunderbird but it was a Ford.
Aren't they all the same?

    
    	Yeah, they're all the same until you're betting lunch on a specific
    	model name.
    
    	8^)
    

    
        Why even argue the point at all...Powered by the infamous ford
    boat anchor 292 Y block, Most people after driving them home for the
    first time from the dealership would look under the hood to see how
    many sparkplug wires fell off. They shoulda test drove it first to see
    the slug they would have to endure until trade-in-time.
        Motor Trend magazine had these pretty cars wheezing through the
    quarter mile @17.8 seconds. WOW!
    
    -john

    I had a Merc with a 312 (same Y block as the 292) and never had a plug
    come out.  Now my friend with the 1970 Tangerino with the 390 ckpe
    plugs and wires with him at all times...
    
    Steve

    I think the poiint in .442 was "This *CAN'T* be a V8!"
    
    
    ...tom