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my 2004 operators manual on page 52 does say to push those screws in before raising the soft top(I did not see it till this thread,I had to look)
I think I figured out the whys for that part. Not clear in the instructions. It's for when one switches from hardtop to Softtop mode. Since George does the hardtop install and removal, it's part of the procedure I've never had to deal with and a hardtop is only on every few years. Don't think pushing down on a screw that is screwed in is what someone would do if it's just the soft top going up or down.
In my many years in the auto world it has always seemed that the guys who know the least always say the most, It's true that Ford could have done a much better job on the Thunderbird, but then many would say it's too mundane or boring. One of the great things about the car hobby ,,,,, it gives idiots like Doug a chance the let them think they know what they are talking about. There has been more than a few pretty bad cars come off an assembly line that have a loyal crowd of passionate owners. I also think the often maligned 3.9 liter engine is pretty impressive for a driver and weekend type car. I think at the strip it would hold its own in its class by NHRA rules. Also it was proven way back in the 60's that an automatic was faster than a 4 speed all else being equal.
Finally was able to view the video. I noted that the " used" car had some mods to it including the replacement of the heater switch plate and a reproduced owners manual. I don't know of any of the original manuals having black covers. Both my 02 and the 05 have blue/teal covers. The rest of his spiel was his personal view of the car and picking on some of the same points that were used by a number of reviewers back in 2002 which I think "colored" his view.
and after seeing him "push"? those screws in on the corners of the windshield header, I would say that those screws were either loose or someone had stripped them out in the past. They are tight on both of ours. I thought they were alignment screws that help to correctly position the top when it's up. Don't know why any one would need to "push" them "back in" unless they were broken.
found the spot where it talks about that in the 03 and 04 manuals. I just don't recall that we have ever had to do anything with them?? Any one using that manual instruction?
This guy didn't tell us anything new or different. It's just one persons opinion. He was right though that the car appealed mostly to a little older clientele who recalled the original cars. At 37 years of age when they came out in 2002, I didn't have personal experiences with the original 55-57 era Thunderbirds, but the fact that they were a reinvented version of such an iconic car is what drew me in too. I bought a new 2003 the following year after the initial fanfare wore off and picked up a used 2005 Thunderbird in 2008. I've been pleased with them overall. I've had these cars fo 16 and 11 years respectively. Longer than any other vehicle I've ever owned.
You have just proved my point to all my posts on this thread. I don't NEED someone to approve of my decisions, just like I don't need YOURS. What I like about the car is what I like about it - and I couldn't care less about someone else's opinion of it. If you need that validation, then that's on you.
And just because you started this thread does not mean everyone's going to agree with YOUR opinion...and it seems you're having trouble with that.
Does your Youtube channel have 3,000,000+ subscribers (that's three MILLION for the boomers)?
I thought so.
LOL
Just because he has a lot of people listening to him doesn't make his opinions any more valid than anyone else's. The same can be said for the guy with 68 million following his twitter account or the 7 million people that have made the Houston metro area their home. I'm more than happy to not be counted in any of those groups
My youngest son texted about the video. It must have come up when he was viewing youtube. There's 3800 comments already as of now on his video. He was kinda whiny for my tastes. I think the car is a blast to drive and is has very fast steering response and who cares if it's not super stiff in the suspension. I don't need that. It does fantastic on curvy roads. 280 hp in this thing will certainly be more fun than a small Miata or so. It's probably the fastest Tbird in acceleration. Only perhaps the superCoupe might be faster.
Another thing, I do not need to push any buttons down on the top edges of the windshield before I put my convertible top up. This appears to be the screws used to snug the front of the hardtop down once in place. I have talked to others that agree with me. Is anyone else aware of having to do this?
no, but if you had just removed the hardtop and the top screws were still up it might be a good idea to push them down. of course you would not do that again till the hardtop was put back on then off again then again I do swap out the hardtop and have never considered the screws
note: on page 52 of my 2004 owners operator manual it does say to push the 2 screws on the header down, Doug's still not informed well though
Last edited by hippy_mailman; Sep 6, 2019, 07:07 PM.
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