Shortly after its creation, the Boss 302 became one of the brand's most famous motors, powering the Mustang and the Mercury Cougar Eliminator. 

Ever since its inception in the early 1900s, Ford has, without a doubt, been among the most recognized automakers of all time. It's been a brand that went where no other automaker dared to take the first step. You can look at it as an ego-driven company that, instead of conforming to tradition, has constantly taken a lot of reputation-threatening risks. And risks are exactly what Ford took with the F-150 Lightning and the Mustang Mach-E – two vehicles that have since helped the brand join the EV sector and build its EV market share in the United States.

We’re going back to the 1960s. During this time, Ford was a very outspoken company. During the time, it was popular because of its GTO in 1964, and the Mustang in '65. It wasn’t long before the brand took the world by storm with its GT40 supercar, but that was right before defeating Ferrari at Le Mans up to four times.

Then by 1969, Ford developed the Boss 302 – a special high-performance V8 power plant. While it seemed like a risky venture at the outset, the engine's capabilities proved that the engineers really knew what they were doing after all. Shortly after its creation, the Boss 302 became one of the brand's most famous motors, powering the Mustang and the Mercury Cougar Eliminator.

Read on to learn more about the legendary Boss 302 engine.

Ford’s amazing line of V8s didn’t begin with the 302 Boss. Before that, the brand had the 427 FE Series big-block. This was the engine that powered the limited-edition 1964 Thunderbolt Fairlaine, the same that won in the NHRA competition. Then, of course, there was the 306-hp 289 ci high-performance small-block V8, which hid behind the grille of the Shelby GT350s, allowing the muscle car to take on the Corvette and the rest.

In search of more victory, as the 1968 Trans Am season was on the horizon, Ford began developing the 302 engine. But, 1968 turned out to be a disastrous season for the automaker. Returning to the drawing board, Ford began creating a 351 ci engine that would make its debut in 1970. Building on the foundation set by the 289 and the 302, the 351 had a similar bore spacing. This really seemed like a logical move since the 302 Tunnel Port had a sound steel crank and a good four-bolt main block.

The 289, on the other hand, had enhanced rods and special pistons. The 351 was, in this case, destined to carry the best of both worlds. Then, the Boss 302 engine was born. This powertrain powered the 1969 and 1970 Trans Am, before joining the SCCA competition. If you’re curious, it was Larry Shinoda, the engine’s designer, who came up with the "Boss" name, as a way to pay homage to Ford’s CEO, Bunkie Knudsen.

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As you can probably tell, the Boss 302 engine was very different from the regular 302 motors. Along with bringing distinct four-bolt mains, the Boss engine had a canted valve design that was originally developed for the 351C. The canted valve design later became standard to the factory-made Boss 302 Mustangs of 1969-70. Compared to the regular 302, the Boss 302 had a significantly higher nickel content as well as screw-in freeze plugs, which became the norm for 1970.

Because of the large heads, the engine featured taller intake manifolds. Earlier iterations of the engine had 2.23-inch intakes and 1.70-inch exhaust valves, which were sodium-filled to help in cooling the massive engine. Furthermore, the block itself was much thicker than usual. To accommodate the higher RPMs, the powertrain had a bigger diameter power steering pulley, which worked marvelously. It also utilized the 289’s larger alternator pulley and a unique harmonic balancer.

Aiding the RPM generation was the spot face for 3/8 inch bolts, which had a distinct football-shaped head. Compared to the 5/16 counterpart for the base engine, the Boss 302 was able to rev to the higher redline. Speaking of which, there was an RPM limiter, which protected the owners’ warranty. To lessen the harmonic resonance at high RPMs, the engine had dual-unit valve springs (inner and outer). All those RPMs needed pushrod stability, so Ford developed pushrod guide plates and screw-in rocker studs.

While the standard 302 had six cover bolts, the Boss version had up to eight bolts, with the same connecting rods as in the 289 counterpart – all carrying the C3AE-D signature. Ford cross-drilled the crankshaft for greater stability, and the cam featured provided .477 inches of lift.

A Holley 780 cfm manual choke carburetor supplied the fuel to the engine. To avoid issues associated with the heat from the intake making contact with the carburetor, engineers used a phenolic spacer. This type of spacer incorporated an aluminum tube for the PCV hose. Despite the large components of the engine, it had smaller 14 mm AF 32 Autolite spark plugs, which were a perfect fit.

Thanks to the larger port heads with good valve placement, the Boss 302 had an impressive output. Because of the unique head design, the Boss also had forged pop-up pistons that would go deep into the 351C head’s 64 – 67cc chambers, allowing Ford to achieve a desired compression ratio of 10.5:1. Fun fact: TRW created the pistons.

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It’s no surprise that the engine was a hit. With its enhancements, the Boss 302 generated an astonishing 290 horsepower at 5,200 rpm and 290 lb-ft at 4,300 rpm, with a powerful rev that could reach a peak of 6,250 rpm. Ultimately, the Boss 302 was able to square up against other popular small blocks, such as the Chrysler 340 and the Chevrolet 302.

Besides the power, the engine was also very harmonic, thanks to the genuine lifter configuration. In addition to propelling the Trans Am, the Boss 302 engine was also available as an optional feature in the Mercury Cougar Eliminator, with 500+ examples produced. In 2012, Ford introduced a new 302 Boss engine for the Ford Mustang.

Wilfred Nkhwazi is a screenwriter, actor, and sports car enthusiast from Blantyre, Malawi. He has written 2 feature films and a thriller trilogy. Wilfred holds an associate degree in Electric Car Technology and spends a lot of his time writing for hotcars.com, penning down fast whips, celebrity collections, and everything else in between. When he isn't writing, he loves to take long drives around the city, make music, and drink hot chocolate.