Frank VP Red (105 octane)
Joined: 30 Dec 2005 Posts: 192 Location: Macon, Ga.
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Posted: Fri Nov 24, 2006 3:56 pm Post subject: Ford Racing Unveils New Boss 302 Blocks |
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Copied from Hemmings MotorNews letter
Performance Showcase
Among the product introductions made at this year’s SEMA spectacular in Las Vegas was Ford Racing’s latest program: the new Boss 302 engine block. The name will be immediately familiar to anyone that’s ever paid attention to muscle cars or road racing, having made a lasting impression during the two brief years that it was originally offered to the public as the powerplant in the Boss Mustang while simultaneously cleaning up on SCCA’s Trans Am circuit, taking the championship in 1970 thanks to Bud Moore racing and Parnelli Jones.
The Boss 302 engine of yore made its first appearance for the 1969 model year and was quite different than the standard 302-inch small-block V-8 offered in other Ford cars and trucks at the same time, primarily because it used canted-valve cylinder heads borrowed from the Cleveland engine family that would debut in 1970. The Boss block had other unique features, mostly aimed at strengthening it for the rigors of racing, but it was never a common item, with relatively few Boss Mustangs and even fewer Boss-powered Cougar Eliminators built.
Despite the name, the new Boss was designed to be compatible with standard small-block Windsor-style cylinder heads, since that’s where nearly all of the performance development, both at Ford and in the aftermarket, has been done over the past couple decades. Since the new block features four-bolt mains, screw-in freeze plugs, siamesed bores, and is cast from high-grade iron (in this case matching the specs from Ford’s diesel program), and because it was designed with both the racetrack and the street in mind, the Boss name was revived.
Other features of the latest iteration of the Boss include one-piece rear-main seal, hydraulic roller lifter compatibility, improved oiling, and enough cylinder bore meat to accommodate up to a .125-inch overbore, facilitating the 363-inch max displacement, according to Ford. As a bonus, the new Boss carries an M.S.R.P. of $1759, which is over $200 cheaper than the Ford Racing R302 racing block that had been the only choice for serious performance previously. All the details can be found at www.fordracingparts.com
- By Terry McGean _________________ Thanks,
Frank
A really swell guy from Warren Harding High. |
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