Thoughts on Soft/Hard Top, 2003 Torch Red

S

Sharps40

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Joined
Mar 4, 2020
Thunderbird Year
2003
So, since I bought the car, I really like it. Its a much better daily driver than I thought it would be. I've driven it over the past three months in all three modes. Hard top on, Soft Top up and Top down. I'm fortunate, the original soft top looks like it was never raised until I bought it in March of this year. But, I'm going to clean and seal it and stow it away over the next week or two.

I like the look of the hard top best. As a convertible, the car just looks like an over long Mazda Miata. For the most part, it is a less noticeable car without the Port Hole. And, since I don't intend to keep the Ford, it'll be best to keep the cloth in fine, unfaded, clean condition. And I suppose it'd be best for the next person if I didn't roll this one over 100K miles.

Love the car but I'll have my first car, a 37 Dodge Sedan on the road in a few weeks and by fall, my first car will be my main car. But the Tbird did teach me that I'm gonna have to have a coupe too, so maybe an older one.
 

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Sharps40 said:
So, since I bought the car, I really like it. Its a much better daily driver than I thought it would be. I've driven it over the past three months in all three modes. Hard top on, Soft Top up and Top down. I'm fortunate, the original soft top looks like it was never raised until I bought it in March of this year. But, I'm going to clean and seal it and stow it away over the next week or two.

I like the look of the hard top best. As a convertible, the car just looks like an over long Mazda Miata. For the most part, it is a less noticeable car without the Port Hole. And, since I don't intend to keep the Ford, it'll be best to keep the cloth in fine, unfaded, clean condition. And I suppose it'd be best for the next person if I didn't roll this one over 100K miles.

Love the car but I'll have my first car, a 37 Dodge Sedan on the road in a few weeks and by fall, my first car will be my main car. But the Tbird did teach me that I'm gonna have to have a coupe too, so maybe an older one.
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First, I am glad that you're happy driving your Tbird. I personally like driving the Bird with the top down and it looks quite nice in that mode. A Mazada is not even in the same sentence with a Bird. I will have had my 03 seventeen years this June the 19th. I think you either love this car or you're just passing through and it may be that is what you are doing. So, enjoy it while you have it, take care and happy motoring.
 
Sharps40 said:
I like the look of the hard top best. As a convertible, the car just looks like an over long Mazda Miata.
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I agree, I’d rather it was about 25% smaller. Somewhere between an Alfa Spider Véloce and it’s size now. But that’s probably just me.
 
We are I guess weirdos .. Always have top on .. Love the looks that way .. Clearly designer designed it as the package .. darn, they are pretty cars. I've been lucky enough to have some nice ones over the years, but nothing near as pretty as this one top on

Funny, used to drive my 65 T Bird with Roadster cover over backseat top down even in cold weather, but that was 30 years ago

Novelty wore off maybe? ... I became dinosaur?? .. and no longer close enough to the ultimate slow evening cruise area of Stanley Park along ocean in Vancouver BC where I slow cruised the 65 top down. I might be tempted if was closer to that area
 
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I’m the same. I’ve driven convertibles all my life, top down most of the time. These days I keep telling myself that I should store the hardtop and put the top down once in a while, it’s just not a priority. Also, partner is using the table saw a lot and that’s a dusty problem.
 
Georgia Cat said:
First, I am glad that you're happy driving your Tbird. I personally like driving the Bird with the top down and it looks quite nice in that mode. A Mazada is not even in the same sentence with a Bird. I will have had my 03 seventeen years this June the 19th. I think you either love this car or you're just passing through and it may be that is what you are doing. So, enjoy it while you have it, take care and happy motoring.
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I like my 02 Bird with the top down and a hard tonneau cover.
 
I realize that by far most like their birds for the top off option. I fully understand why.

I just figure she's too pretty to do that to .. maybe if she wan't the Cashmere Edition we love so much, I'd be more tempted to off the top
 
Always had convertibles, my boss when I was younger asked me if I ever put it up. He was behind me coming to work in a light rain. If you drive and don't stop light rain just blows over the top. Hope I never get to old to love the feeling of wind in my hair, [ even if it is thinner now].
 
The aerodynamics are superb in these 11 th editions to keep dry on the fly ... a beautifully designed machine
 
BillM said:
Always had convertibles, my boss when I was younger asked me if I ever put it up. He was behind me coming to work in a light rain. If you drive and don't stop light rain just blows over the top. Hope I never get to old to love the feeling of wind in my hair, [ even if it is thinner now].
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I can testify to that the bird also works very well top down in heavy rain.
Got caught in an "unexpected" shower last year. Well, not that unexpected since looking at the sky I knew I soon had to stop and raise the top unless I could find a dry path between the clouds. But not driving an offroad vehicle being able to cross through gardens between houses to stay on the dry path I realized I needed to raise the top pretty quick.
But then, out of the sky (p l e a s e excuse the pun) it started pouring heavily. While looking ahead for a dry path I never saw the cloud right above me :-/
I quickly realized that while only doing 50 km/h (Sweden), the interior would get real wet fast. And besides, before I could stop and get the top up, it would take about 20 seconds. 20 seconds is a looong time during a heavy shower...

So I trusted the laid back design of the windshield causing hardly any backdraft , pushed the pedal and hit 100 km/h. A minute later I got out of the rain. The interior was totally dry incl the folded top.
The bird is obviously a great car top down in heavy rain. Doing 100 km/h or more that is...
 
I've had legions of convertibles and some darn nice ones - and the first gen Corvettes were also soft top down, soft top up and an auxiliary hard top:
1959_MG.jpgmustang1.jpgIMG00038-20110513-0656.jpgIMG_3375.JPG
Which is part of the attraction of the retro bird, three different looks for the car, as I age I am less heat tolerant so the soft top stays up a lot and I drive less at night when its cooler so top down driving is limited living around Orlando. If forced to choose I'd say the hardtop on the car is the more distinctive look by far. As to "limiting" driving to preserve the car for some future owner - to heck with that. I'm driving it until I can't anymore or it degrades so badly or parts are unavailable that its impractical.
 
BillM said:
Always had convertibles, my boss when I was younger asked me if I ever put it up. He was behind me coming to work in a light rain. If you drive and don't stop light rain just blows over the top. Hope I never get to old to love the feeling of wind in my hair, [ even if it is thinner now].
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I've owned a '73 Mustang Convertible, a '69 Cutlass S convertible (sti,ll have it), and now my'04 Tbird. I've always said it only rains at stop signs! My roommate back in the late '70s got the top-down bug from driving my cars, and went out and bought the 1980 Limited Edition MG brand new. We got caught in a hailstorm on vacation in Denver on the freeway with the top down, no exit for miles, we avoided taking a beating by hunching close to the windshield. Car survived fine, but give me American sheetmetal any day! I've had the Bird for only 3 months, and with the lockdown haven't removed the hardtop, which has never been off. Temps here in El Paso are hovering near 100s, but the day is coming soon...
 
I have had a few convertibles over the years next to my 2005 50th anniversary (my favorite by far) my first convertible was a 69 olds cutlass built 455 with 750 dual pump holy four barrel carb 400 turbo w/shift kit I bought this car when I got my license in 1976 and drove it all through high school built and repainted my self I had a lot of good times. But with that said I did set up an electric lift in my garage to remove the hard top my self, this made it easy for me to pull the top off and put the hard top on any time I want with in minutes. I am 59 years old now and have owned and built a lot of cars , trucks and jeeps started rebuilding with my first 1949 f100 ford truck when I was 12 years old flat head V8 painted it red and here I am all these years later with my 3rd Bird still working on it like I was still a 12 year old kid but I like it and will still be installing lights under the hood until I die.
 

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BirdTMan said:
I have had a few convertibles over the years next to my 2005 50th anniversary (my favorite by far) my first convertible was a 69 olds cutlass built 455 with 750 dual pump holy four barrel carb 400 turbo w/shift kit I bought this car when I got my license in 1976 and drove it all through high school built and repainted my self I had a lot of good times. But with that said I did set up an electric lift in my garage to remove the hard top my self, this made it easy for me to pull the top off and put the hard top on any time I want with in minutes. I am 59 years old now and have owned and built a lot of cars , trucks and jeeps started rebuilding with my first 1949 f100 ford truck when I was 12 years old flat head V8 painted it red and here I am all these years later with my 3rd Bird still working on it like I was still a 12 year old kid but I like it and will still be installing lights under the hood until I die.
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Love the coil pack covers! Where did you get those?
 
Mach5 said:
Love the coil pack covers! Where did you get those?
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I bought the thunderbird badges from Amazon for around 35 bucks, (These are ford original same badge that are on the back 1/4s of the car) I just pulled of the coil / Valve covers and painted them and put these Badges on (They have 3m brand adhesive on the badges)
 
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