The belt doesn't need tightened, simply install the belt with both tensioner bolts loose, rotate the engine by the crankshaft bolt, once at TDC and at rest tighten both bolts, that's it, all it's supposed to have is the pressure of the spring at that point, don't put any extra stress on the belt. For some stupid reason my '97 was still running when the belt was loose enough that once I got the crank pulley and timing cover off I didn't need tools to remove the belt...
On my '90 I've had the timing belt migrate into the timing cover and wore a groove in it, it stopped there, doesn't do anything stupid, come to think of it I think it did that when the belt was loose enough to skip a tooth, after that I lined the belt back up (I was in the sand dunes, probably 2 hours from the nearest belt), set it like above and it worked for a couple more years...
I've had those times, I had a heck of a time with my F350 a few years ago when the high pressure oil pump went out, the $800 for a wild guess was hard to jump into but stumbled on a good deal on a used one that is still going... that took me 5 months I think to get going again, september to about february I think...