Just glancing through my Haynes manual, it says to remove the upper radiator hose and tstat housing. I haven't had a chance to look closesly at the engine yet, but is it at all possible to do it without draining the coolant?

 

You can save and re-use the coolant in a drain pan. It doesn't have to be pitched.

You may want to filter it though - easiest way to do that is use a funnel to put it in a jug, then put a rag over the jug opening and tie a string around it.

This will strain it out while you pour it back in.

 

It's a lot easier to pull the radiator to work on getting the crank pully off...for that matter, I'm not sure a puller will fit in there at all with the radiator in the way so yes, you should drain the coolant. Shouldn't need to remove the T-stat housing though...

 

I would try to get the pulley off first. It doesn't always need a puller, just a couple of long screwdrivers behind the pulley working it off. Then again, sometimes a sledge hammer won't get the thing to budge.

I just put a new belt on my Merkur. It took about an hour, and I didn't pull the radiator. jd

 

Wow, so the crank pulley has to come off? I guess it's a bigger job than I had figured... May have to carve out a few hours of time before I attempt!

 

Yes, the crank pulley has to come off to get the old timing belt off, and the new one on.

I've done the timing belts on both my BIL's Rangers, an '86 and a '93. It was very simple to pull the radiators on both, and it gives you a lot more room to work. I suppose I could have done it without pulling the radiator, but might have buggered it up in the process...

 

If you pull the radiator, and have A/C, put a piece of cardboard on the engine side of the condenser. Or thin plywood. If you have a Hulk moment, where something instantaneously comes loose while you were expecting it to stay seized in place, you will dent the cardboard rather than putting a hole in the tinfoil...
You will find it hard to get to one of the bolts without removing the thermostat housing. The crankshaft pulley may come off easily, or you may need a puller. If you live in Cleveland or similar, the rust will hold it on. You will need to loosen the tensioner boltS and then pry the tensioner to the release position, and, while holding it away from the belt, tighten the hold down bolt. Make sure it is at TDC when you start. The woodruff key in the crankshaft will be at 12:00 at TDC.
tom