Vertical X-Brace behind Passenger Compartment

[AZTB]

I have done a search on the site and can't find an answer to this question: how do you access the vertical x-brace behind the passenger compartment?

I believe this brace is welded, but I'm not sure - I did find this same question asked as early as 2002, but there was no answer provided (that I found) on the forum. I have checked the torque on both x-braces on the under carriage, and the single brace above the firewall in the engine compartment, but can't find how to access to the vertical x-brace (car seems to have too much twisting going on).

Anyone know how to get access to this brace? Perhaps the shop manual has info (I no longer have a manual).

[Tbear]

Jim, I can't find that brace in the book. Someone more skilled at searching the manual than I may have more success.

[AZTB]

Thanks, Dave, for the response. I am the one who posed this same question on this forum back in 2002, but didn't get a response. SO, I decided to back the car into the garage and go at it myself. First, I pulled out my 2002 Thunderbird Michael Lamm book, and I found the brace on pp 53 and 54 during Ford's snaps of the assembly line process - you will see the bottom of the x-brace under the bottom of the softtop during installation.

[007Cruiser]

Not able to open the file.

[AZTB]

I discovered the vert x-brace is bolted on, at both the bottom (on each side) and the top (each side). There appears to also be a supporting brace to the x-brace on each side...the x-brace is painted the color of the vehicle, but the supporting braces are painted black. All are bolted in place.

You access this by unsnapping and pulling the soft material covering the brace and technology, but you have to leave the soft top up while doing this. I'm 5'10", so I am rather short, but if you're 6 ft or over, I doubt you could fit in there.

I'll attach some photos I took...17 years later was finally able to get an answer to this question (although it appears I'm the only one interested in this - go figure ).

And thanks again, Dave, for the response. Hope all is well in your neck of the woods - storms take out any trees?

[AZTB]

Not able to open the file.

Sorry, Gene...the site is telling me I've reached the limit of my downloads. Anyone wants the pictures, you can email me at jim.dube@ymail.com and I'll send them to you. Just know that accessing the brace is not a big a deal as I originally thought.

EDIT... Okay...went through my DC thread of 2017 and deleted all those snaps to allow me to add these photos of the vertical brace. Here's a snap from pp 53-54 of Lamm's book...you'll see the x-brace at bottom of photo, just below soft top.

Vert X-Brace Lamm bk pp 53-54-1.jpg
Vert X-Brace Lamm bk pp 53-54.png

[AZTB]

With soft top in closed position, unsnap and pull back the soft material in the well of where soft top will lay in open position...it will expose the x-brace and technology "buried" there.
First snap is top of x-b on passenger side:
fullsizeoutput_2375.jpeg

top of x-b on driver's side

fullsizeoutput_2376.jpeg

bottom of x-b on driver's side

fullsizeoutput_236c.jpeg

[007Cruiser]

So today you taught me something. I had never heard of this. Was it loose? Did tightening it improve your ride?

[Tbear]

So today you taught me something. I had never heard of this. Was it loose? Did tightening it improve your ride?

What Gene said..

[AZTB]

I thought it was loose, but it wasn't...I was trying to discover why the car behaves differently than the other 2 I've owned. I had incorrectly assumed the vertical x-brace was welded, but instead it's held securely in place by several bolts in both the upper and lower portions. So, my search goes on - I may check the rear suspension next (if something's wrong there, Ford ESP will cover it).

[007Cruiser]

I assume that you already checked the other X braces.

[Brad]

I thought it was loose, but it wasn't...I was trying to discover why the car behaves differently than the other 2 I've owned. I had incorrectly assumed the vertical x-brace was welded, but instead it's held securely in place by several bolts in both the upper and lower portions. So, my search goes on - I may check the rear suspension next (if something's wrong there, Ford ESP will cover it).

If you haven't yet, get a 4 wheel alignment, if they are unable to align it, they can probably tell you what's wrong. Old hard tires can give a real rough ride

[AZTB]

I assume that you already checked the other X braces.

Yep...see post #1.

[AZTB]

If you haven't yet, get a 4 wheel alignment, if they are unable to align it, they can probably tell you what's wrong. Old hard tires can give a real rough ride

Thanks...good point. I'll give that a go as well.

[AZTB]

UPDATE: I decided to loosen all 14 bolts to the main x-brace under the passenger compartment, and the 4 rear bolts to the x-brace under the engine. My reason for doing this was simple: with the flex noise I was getting from the car, I began to wonder if the 2 horizontal braces under the car might have been tightened when the car wasn't flat (all the work done on the car by the prior lady was done at the dealership, but I have been in this long enough to know that Ford dealerships don't always know this car). I felt I needed to be sure these bolts were "tight" when the car was flat...or at its "zero" position for tightening these bolts.

So I put the car on a flat surface (garage) and loosened all 18 of these bolts - I pulled the car out of the garage onto the street, and then backed it back into the garage (allowing the braces to "realign" to a flat position). I then tightened all 18 of these bolts to specs. I then pulled the car out and drove it around the block, turning in both directions, listening for flex noises.

The noise seemed to be significantly diminished - so I'm going to watch it for a while and see if it's really better. I will be putting the hardtop on here in the next few weeks as our night-time temps start climbing into the high 80's/low 90's. Then I'll check it again. If it gets noisy again, I'm taking it in to have rear suspension looked at and also get a 4-wheel alignment per Brad's suggestion.

If anyone has any more thoughts/suggestions, I'm always open to this site's expertise.
Thanks.