Ford Mustang Boss 302 (1970)

The story has it  that the designer of this car whose name was Larry Shinoda was asked about this project during development and at the time it was still a secret so he just responded with he’s working on the boss’s car hence the name boss and it’s stuck and it’s fitting because this car is pretty boss. The boss 302 mustang is an extremely popular car not only for mustang fans but for muscle car fans in general and one of the reasons is because this is the street going version of the Trans-Am Racecar that Ford was obligated to sell to the public to make the Mustang platform legal for trans am racing. The boss 302 debuted in 1969 and was mildly revised for 1970 and the most noticeable change on our car is that it is painted in code “T” which is candy apple red a brand new color for the boss for nineteen seventy. The nineteen sixty-nine cars only came in four colors but for expanded that to more than 16 colors for nineteen seventy which included a special color option as well and they may just over seven thousand boss 302 in the 1970 model year up from just 1628 in 1969 and just over 500 of those were painted red for nineteen seventy.

They ride on special suspension with disc brakes magnum 500 wheels with good year Polly glass GT tires to help improve the handling as well. The GT and a poly glass tire indicates that these are 60 series aspect sidewall tires whereas the regular polygon lass with no GT was a 70 series. And a lowered stance which was all designed to give this car cornering ability as well as high-speed performance.

Another small detail is the elimination of the quarter panel scoops that are normally found right behind the door handles. Those scoops were non functional so designer Larry Shinoda remove them from the boss 302 design. The boss 302 also has less bright trim than the fancier mustang mach 1 package or even some of the base model Mustangs. But the boss wasn’t just an appearance package. The 302 engine was different from the typical 302 in the fact that it had a higher nickel content block for better strength the crankshaft was held in place with 4 bolt main caps and a quick identifier of a boss block our screw in type freeze plugs rather than the press in peace is found on standard 30 tues. Ford claimed the power output to be 290 horsepower at 5200 RPM, but these engines were designed to live at higher rpm and featured a new cylinder-head design to flow more air. Some of the internal parts were carried over from the hi-po 289 engine like the connecting rods, but the crankshaft was a cross drilled forged unit for better strength and durability. The camshaft was a solid lifter design with for 77 inches of lift and 290 degrees of total duration which was designed to pull a lot of air through that large valve Cleveland style heads. The valves sighs actually were reduced in some of the later 1970 cars to aid in lower rpm street driving manners. These cars had domed Pistons which yielded a 10.5 to 1 compression ratio and the fuel mix was sent through a huge Holly 784 barrel carb an aluminum intake manifold and it was lit off by a duel distributor. Many of these cars featured a mechanical rev limiter to keep them alive on the street, and it kind of seems ironic on a race inspire car, but these engines also featured a new smog control system installed from the factory, and as you can imagine most of these systems were removed, but properly restored cars like this one have to feature all the correct smog parts to maintain accuracy.

This car features a 391 rear gear and a four-speed manual transmission, and it was capable of 0 to 60 times in the high six second range and quarter mile times in the mood for teens. It wasn’t the fastest Mustang on the drag strip, but those were approaching big block numbers and this was churned out by a little 302. And after all the boss was designed for the road course and not necessarily the drag strip. Inside you won’t find many luxury amenities in a 70 boss 302, but the bucket seats were supportive and the driver set low in the chassis making it a little difficult to see out of the slope sports roof rear window, but it is one of the most comfortable muscle car cockpits we think we’re ever built.

For nineteen seventy the production numbers increased dramatically on the boss 302 and they made just over seven thousand boss 302 in the 1970 model year up from just 1628 in 1969 and just over 500 of those were painted red.

SPECIFICATIONS

Engine: 301.6-cu-in/4942cc OHV V-8, 1×4-bbl Holley carburetor.
Power and torque (SAE gross): 290 hp @ 5800 rpm, 290 lb-ft @ 4300 rpm.
Drivetrain: 4-speed manual, RWD.
Brakes: front: solid disc; rear: drum.
Suspension: front: control arms, coil springs, anti-roll bar; rear: live axle, leaf springs.
Dimensions: L: 187.4 in, W: 71.7 in, H: 50.4 in.
Weight: 3300 lb.
Performance: 0-60 mph: 8.1 sec, quarter mile: 15.8 sec @ 90 mph, 60-0 mph: 112 ft (Motor Trend), April 1970.

 Review Ford Mustang Boss 302 (1970) video and sound

Source: https://cartofuture.com/ford-mustang-boss-302-1970/