Boss 302’s Engine: Bulletproof and Blower-free

The very first Boss 302 production engine that came off the production line went into very special duty. It was installed in a Boss 302R race car and taken to the track. In Grand Am competition, the Boss 302R Mustang has shown plenty of speed, taking two pole positions in seven races.

The Boss 302 production engine incorporates a number of changes from the already powerful 5.0-liter Mustang V8. Internally, the engine uses forged aluminum pistons with forged connecting rods to provide the strength needed with higher engine speed and combustion pressures. Upgraded crankshaft bearings, both mains and rod bearings, are in place to handle the increased loads.

Topping those pistons are new, aluminum-alloy cylinder heads with fully CNC-machined ports and combustion chambers, that significantly increase high-rpm flow enabling the engine to take full advantage of a new, short runner intake manifold. A lightened valvetrain, including sodium-filled exhaust valves, help the new engine move toward a forecast redline of 7,500 rpm.

“The core group of engineers on the Boss 302 engine understands and respect the heritage of the name and the history behind the original engine,” explains Mike Harrison, Ford V8 engine program manager. “The first Boss 302 was a specially built, free-breathing, high-revving small V8 that gave it certain desirable characteristics on a race course – and we capture that essence in the new engine.”

The changes to the Mustang GT’s 5.0-liter engine results in an output of 440-hp and 380 ft-lb of torque. More important though, are the characteristics of the power curve. The output from this Boss 302 engine remains broad and flat throughout the entire range, peaking – rather than falling off- at the theoretical redline.

The first engines to be released from the production line had a special destination. Normally, the first batch of engines would be shipped to the dyno testing cells, but more was planned for this mill.

“Ford Racing had challenged the Boss engine team to give them the first available Boss 302 engines,” explained Mike Harrison, Ford V8 engine program manager. “They came to us in August 2009 and told us they needed engines as soon as possible to build a limited number of Ford Racing Boss 302R cars for the January Daytona race. They got the engines 12 weeks later and the team got five Boss 302R cars prepped for the January race.”

Speed was not the only thing that Ford engineers wanted to verify, though. Any factors that would affect engine reliability are just as important as speed. As it happened, two areas for improvement emerged – engine cooling and oil starvation. Using race telemetry, the Boss team has been able to gather on-track data to help optimize engine calibrations, oil pan designs and cooling.

The changes needed to correct these issues have been successfully incorporated into the 2012 Boss Mustangs.

“Working with Ford Racing has been invaluable,” said Harrison. “They were a wealth of information for setting up torque and power curves for road racing and for identifying areas of concern during track runs that we wouldn’t have considered if we were just building a hot street engine. Every Boss 302 owner will benefit from their contributions to the program.”

For those Mustang enthusiasts that are prepared to live with a race-bred engine, the present opportunity is one that has simply not been avaialable for the past forty years. For those that say history doesn’t repeat itself, we say “No, no, no.”

Blue Oval Muscle in your inbox.

Build your own custom newsletter with the content you love from FordMuscle, directly to your inbox, absolutely FREE!

Free WordPress Themes
FordMuscle NEWSLETTER - SIGN UP FREE!

We will safeguard your e-mail and only send content you request.

Ford Muscle - The Ultimate Ford Mustang Magazine

FordMuscle

We'll send you the most interesting FordMuscle articles, news, car features, and videos every week.

Ford Muscle - The Ultimate Ford Mustang Magazine

FordMuscle NEWSLETTER - SIGN UP FREE!

We will safeguard your e-mail and only send content you request.

Ford Muscle - The Ultimate Ford Mustang Magazine

Ford Muscle

Thank you for your subscription.

Subscribe to more FREE Online Magazines!

We think you might like...


Muscle Car & Hot Rods
Muscle Car & Hot Rods
Drag Racing
Drag Racing

Ford Muscle - The Ultimate Ford Mustang Magazine

Thank you for your subscription.

Subscribe to more FREE Online Magazines!

We think you might like...

  • Muscle Car & Hot Rods Muscle Car & Hot Rods
  • Drag Racing Drag Racing

Ford Muscle - The Ultimate Ford Mustang Magazine

Ford Muscle

Thank you for your subscription.

Thank you for your subscription.

Ford Muscle - The Ultimate Ford Mustang Magazine

Thank you for your subscription.

Thank you for your subscription.

Loading