Man that is something else!
2013 Boss 302 Gets Upgrades and Retro Styling
- Thread starter SID297
- Start date
I think the 2013 looks great! So glad they ditched the black plastic from the rear fascia and rocker panels, it looked so cheap! Also like the HIDs much better than the regular lights.
I wouldn't get too riled up about "creature comforts" in this car, it's not like you can get leather or heated seats or the nav system. I don't really qualify HID headlights as a creature comfort.
I wouldn't get too riled up about "creature comforts" in this car, it's not like you can get leather or heated seats or the nav system. I don't really qualify HID headlights as a creature comfort.
History repeats itself. I'd be careful about what that is to mean. The Boss 351 was at least a step backward from the Boss 302. It was no longer an elite handling car. The Boss 302 engine was a race engine and the 351 basically a Mach 1 engine. It was a bigger number but not as capable as the Boss 302. In short the Boss 302 was a special car. The Boss 351 a nice car, but not special.
If they drastically bump the horsepower in a Boss 351 project, the car produced for racing Grand Am and World Challenge would very likely not be the B351. Part of what makes the Boss program so interesting is that the turn key race car program of 302r and 302S is based directly on the Boss 302 street car. I dont see how that continues with a Boss 351.
If they drastically bump the horsepower in a Boss 351 project, the car produced for racing Grand Am and World Challenge would very likely not be the B351. Part of what makes the Boss program so interesting is that the turn key race car program of 302r and 302S is based directly on the Boss 302 street car. I dont see how that continues with a Boss 351.
Correct me if I'm wrong, but didn't the Boss 351 hold the quarter mile record for a stock Mustang for about 20 years?
I agree with your assessment. The current Boss 302 is a much more capable car than the original and I expect the same of the Boss 351 if it comes to fruition.
i cant say. considering the decreasing performance of mustangs that started in 1971, holding a 1/4 mile record til 1991 isnt saying a whole lot. thats really beside the point, though. boss 302 was a road course car that was the best handling car of its class of its era. boss 351 was none of that.
2012 boss 302 resets those standards. boss 351 doesnt say boss 302 anymore than boss 429 does.
2012 boss 302 resets those standards. boss 351 doesnt say boss 302 anymore than boss 429 does.
i dont understand the reason for a boss 351. boss 351 was never considered a car at the same level as a boss 302. ford's racing specs for boss 302 applications are based current performance level per the rules in grand am and world challenge.
boss 302 went away because scca changed its engine formula for trans am to allow 350+ c.i. and with that the entire program went away. the 351 program was an afterthought.
TXPD, I think you are wrong about the Boss 351. No, it did not have the actual racing heritage of the Boss 302, but it WAS built for racing. But then Ford pulled out of factory backed racing after 1970.
It is also my understanding that it was the fastest regular production mustang for quite a long time, oddly enough. It was turning low 14's / high 13's in factory trim. Not bad for the time. It also had standard front disc brakes and standard competition suspension.
Just because you (and many others) revere the Boss 302 does not make the Boss 351 an inferior car.
Last edited:
I like the LEDs, don't like the grill (looks like a Dodge), like the updated electronics inside, don't care for the reflective stripe, like the "functional hood vents."
Did someone say the 2012 Boss's were having overheating problems at the track? I got mine late in the year and won't be tracking until next year.
Did someone say the 2012 Boss's were having overheating problems at the track? I got mine late in the year and won't be tracking until next year.
Bud Moore ran Mustangs in the 1971 Trans Am series. He ran his 1969/70 body cars with the Boss 302 engine package. He did that because the 71 package was not viable.
It might well be that the B1 laid down a good quarter mile time. Maybe it was a good drag car. Boss 302 then and now is not a drag car. Thats the issue.
Yes they are. Poor airflow to the radiator is the main issue. A bar grill like a Roush in a GT surround usually solves the problem.
I think since the 351 was such a good drag car we can have some beers on it! :beer:
Seriously, I think the 351 held the quarter mile time for at least ten years maybe more. One look at the size of the '71 cars and you'll know why it was never going to be a corner carver. When I was a kid the neighbor was an early Chuck E Cheese tycoon (at 21) and his *I THINK* '71 Mach 1 came with a Cleveland. He swapped it out for a 427 within 5k miles! :rockon:
You take a N/A 5.8 and stuff it in the current chassis and you have a monster. Actually I think every Mustang these days is a monster of sorts. :mj:
In regards to "history repeating itself." I'd forget about a 351 (5.8L) in a new Boss as it is an 'old' engine, but rather the engine Ford just put out that they actually named the Boss, the 6.2L. Roush was testing a 7.0L n/a version of this engine that is oh so close to 429ci. Although that was a race engine using e85 and making 800hp, a middle of the lineup 500hp on premium should be easy whereas an old 4v modular (even a 5.8L) needs to be squeezed to reach that number.
Last edited:
We are all thinking about a n/a version of the 5.8L (stroked coyote? :shrug
from the '13 Shelby. Not sure what the Shelby's actual cubes are, but I bet they would still call it a 351 Even if they crank out a Boss'9, it would still be beyond my budget, I'm sure.
Noooooooooooooo! :nonono:
Step backwards if its true. A new 5.8 based on the coyote architecture would be a real winner. I would much rather swap in the current Boss engine as opposed to a bored out 5.4 n/a Shelby engine.
I agree but the new GT500 engine would seem an obvious choice. It's all speculation at this point anyway.
Not sure how you would get 5.8L out of a Coyote. Wouldn't that be stretching it pretty far? Especially for a factory engine. I'm not an engine builder so this will probably sound dumb, but if we can only stretch a 4.6 to 5.3L (0.7L difference) then a coyote that shares the bore spacing and deck height should get at least 5.7L, but I don't see an OEM manufacturer going with a BB/Stroker. But who knows, maybe they just pull a FRPP 351 Boss block off the shelf and give that a go.
^^^^^^When I say a 5.8 coyote based motor I'm talking about a brand new engine that shares a similar architecture. Much in the same way the 5.4 is related to the 4.6. Not a BB and stroked 5.0.
Users who are viewing this thread
