1994 Ford Thunderbird timing cover

Unfortunatly, it does not look as if you can remove it without simultaneously removing the oil pan. However, removing the oil pan is one of the last steps so you can try to remove the front cover without dropping the pan. It looks as if part of the front cover fits inside the oil pan, eliminating the possibility of a leaky front oil pan seal, but nonetheless causing a real headache. Ford has always gone above and beyond to make relatively simple tasks major repairs.