Is my Bird loose?

[Frank Dreano]

I bought an '02 T-Bird for the wife last Valentine's Day with 19,700 miles on it - a pristine survivor and original as all heck. Garage kept, well maintained and never abused. My experience is EXACTLY the same - the suspension feels jouncy over bumps and not normal to me....I did quite a bit of research and one of the complaints about these cars is that the suspension is "rubbery". That is an excellent adjective for it.

To wit, I don't think you have anything wrong - its just the nature of these cars. I have a 4 post lift and went over everything underneath the car as did my mechanic and nothing is loose or misadjusted and shocks and suspension are fine. I doubt the X brace bolts have gone out of spec in under 20,000 miles. Lowering the tire pressure will help a bit but you'll still feel the "looseness".

And yes, the hardtop will add some rigidity and you will notice it immediately when driving with it.

Again, I just think its the way these cars are....

[007Cruiser]

I must have something wrong with mine. Purchased new and I have never noticed any of this. I just took the hardtop off after a two year stretch. No big difference in handling. Thanks for giving me something to worry over. My only suspension change was switching to 55 series tires.

[2K2BIRD]

I doubt the X brace bolts have gone out of spec in under 20,000 miles.

Don't count on it. Some came from the factory out of spec.

[Welker]

Convertibles do have cowl shake. I have noticed the difference when the top is on. Actually, my wife and I decided that since we seldom put the top down we leave the hard top on all the time now. The top always took up too much room in the garage. The car looks and drives like a two door coup and we get many complements and comments about it....more than when it had the top down or the rag top up. I guess its the porthole. We keep the tires at about 28 PSI to smooth rough payment. With 125k on oursI have replaced the struts twice. I have told my mechanic I want the car to outlive me and he's trying to keep it running right. All the seals, all of the cooling system plastic and parts from the radiator to the head have been replaced. I wouldn't take the old car on long trips because I have never had a car this old or with this many miles but all that said, it still drives much like it did when it was new, as many have said, more like a comfortable car than a sports car. It is important to remember that these cars, even or especially with low mileage, are old. Seals, hoses and other parts, especially the plastic ones, do harden and get brittle.

[Frank Dreano]

My other ride is an award-winning 1963 Corvette split window with original suspension, so maybe my standards are different but I still say (and many reviewers have written about it) that the Thunderbird suspension has some esoteric qualities. I'm completely on board with the car as a "boulevard cruiser" but, yes, I notice the "looseness" on bumpy roads and its a bit disconcerting but I've gotten used to it.. I suppose some stiffer shocks or other mods might address it but I like running with original gear as long as it remains functional.

It may be the most fun car I've ever owned ...

[007Cruiser]

It may be the most fun car I've ever owned ...

That pretty much says it all. I bought mine for some fun and it has delivered in spades. I never expected a sports car, just something sporty and comfortable. Still lifts my spirits after sixteen years.

[carntz]

[QUOTE=RustyFrye;n1059381]I think my Bird is loose.... the other night it had a foreign aroma from the exhaust, oil that wasn't my brand on the headrest, and driving gloves in the glove compartment that didn't belong to me.......[/QUOTE

This sounds serious and maybe an appointment with Dr. Luz Cannon can wrench this up for U.

[Frank Dreano]

Can somebody provide a picture or drawing of those bolts that are supposed to be torqued to 46 ft-lbs ?
In an old thread I read there are 12 1/2" bolts and in the service manual it cites 10 crossmember bolts and also engine isolator bolts that should be at 46 ft-lbs.
chassis_marked.jpg Is it the red circles, the blue circles, both or some combination of the two ??

[michigangeorge]

Thanks for all the input folks. I did add the correct air pressure to my tires and it made a dramatic difference. Will make certain all of the bolts are tightened per Franks post.

[Mujiir]

46fp is correct on the X-member bolts. I did them all (in red and blue circles as noted above). And it is easy to do, as long as you can get back up off the floor once you get them tightened... It's getting harder every time I do it.

[Frank Dreano]

Well I torqued all the blue and yellow circled 1/2" bolts to 46 ft-lbs just now (I didn't realize the front two bolts on the engine brace had a plastic cover over them). I got maybe 1/2 turn on 3-4 of the bolts, not a lot, but they're all up to spec now...

When it cools down here in Orlando tonight the missus and I will take a top down ride after dark to see if there is any difference...

[HKS]

Well I torqued all the blue and yellow circled 1/2" bolts to 46 ft-lbs just now (I didn't realize the front two bolts on the engine brace had a plastic cover over them). I got maybe 1/2 turn on 3-4 of the bolts, not a lot, but they're all up to spec now...

When it cools down here in Orlando tonight the missus and I will take a top down ride after dark to see if there is any difference...

1/2 turn might make a difference.

[michigangeorge]

46fp is correct on the X-member bolts. I did them all (in red and blue circles as noted above). And it is easy to do, as long as you can get back up off the floor once you get them tightened... It's getting harder every time I do it.

I know the feeling so well :-)

[Frank Dreano]

Just to be clear - the picture I posted above is a bit misleading; after I rolled under the car to "do the deed" I found there were four more bolts on the larger "X" brace about 1/2 way towards the center of the car along the crossed braces - those got torqued too...

[Frank Dreano]

1/2 turn might make a difference.

I'll have to eat a little crow here; after a 35 mile ride last night over varying quality of roads I can feel a difference - no mistake...

There is a noticeable improvement in how the car reacts to bumps and uneven surfaces...it was well worth the effort to torque the undercarriage bracing..