any old school ford guys?

[Hetzer7]

First car was a 67 Fastback. Needs a special manifold (or Boss 302)  to do that but its great, check out this link:

http://www.themustangshop.com/clevor.cfm

[Rich46yo]

If you remember the period I dont think American drivers were as concerned about handling as they were pulling up to a light, seeing another fast auto, and running him. Maybe highway or boulevard cornering was appreciated but I always envisioned Euro-drivers as more into pure handling/cornering. I'd like to know what stock American car of the time handled the best.

The Mustangs were not known for handling either.  Even the Shelby version of the Mustangs involved a strictly brute force approach to handling.  They just put big enough sway bars and harsh enough springs on it to keep the body from rolling, but then they bounced all over the place on anything but the smoothest streets.

[Randy1]

Actually, the Boss 302 was meant to be a drag racer. 

Hardly.  Not sure what you are thinking on this one.

[Skuzzy]

Hardly.  Not sure what you are thinking on this one.

We are talking about the original 69 Boss 302.  Not the new one.  The original was okay for its time, but in the real world, it was used at the drag strip, not the road races.

I raced against plenty of them at the drag strip.  Never saw one of them on the road course.

Even the old car rags made comments like, "best handling car Ford has made", which was not a really great endorsement considering Ford's street cars were not the best handling cars around, at the time.

Now, I grant you this.  Ford originally intended the car to be a fit for the Trans Am race category, but quietly quit pushing it.  Although Ford never did get around to offering the "Drag Pak" option for the Boss, but did offer it with the 428CJ.

It was an odd car in the real world.  No matter what Ford intended.

[ink]

We are talking about the original 69 Boss 302.  Not the new one.  The original was okay for its time, but in the real world, it was used at the drag strip, not the road races.

I raced against plenty of them at the drag strip.  Never saw one of them on the road course.

the Mustang wasn't in the Trans Am racing circuit ?

[Skuzzy]

the Mustang wasn't in the Trans Am racing circuit ?

It was.  Kar Kraft and Shelby built the ones I recall.  I also recall the 428CJ as being the base cars they used in 1969.  They dropped the 302 into those and used the Boss name.  The "Boss 302" was never used by them as the base car.

As a matter of fact, very few parts were used from the stock car they represented.  The suspension was completely rebuilt.

EDIT:  Ohhhhh, I see where the confusion is.  DOH!  Okay, let me be clear.  The "Boss 302 Trans Am" is not based on the "Boss 302" production car.  Names are similar, but they are not related.  There are hints of the ideas from the "Boss 302" production car in the "Boss 302 Trans Am" race car.

[Masherbrum]

Skuzzy saved me a lot of typing.   Salute ink and skuzzy

[ink]

It was.  Kar Kraft and Shelby built the ones I recall.  I also recall the 428CJ as being the base cars they used in 1969.  They dropped the 302 into those and used the Boss name.  The "Boss 302" was never used by them as the base car.

As a matter of fact, very few parts were used from the stock car they represented.  The suspension was completely rebuilt.

EDIT:  Ohhhhh, I see where the confusion is.  DOH!  Okay, let me be clear.  The "Boss 302 Trans Am" is not based on the "Boss 302" production car.  Names are similar, but they are not related.  There are hints of the ideas from the "Boss 302" production car in the "Boss 302 Trans Am" race car.

cc that.....I thought the Mustang was part of it...didn't know the specifics though...

[ROC]

I want a Boss 429 so bad

2010 Motortrend article on Ford Mustang Boss 302, Boss 429, and Boss 351

http://www.motortrend.com/classic/features/1103_ford_mustang_boss_302_429_351/viewall.html

[Skuzzy]

You don't want one of those ROC.

If you want a car, that is rock solid, in the 69 Mustand era and makes most people smile.  Try a Shelby GT500.  At least the 428 in that car will run all day long at redline.   The 429,..not so much.

[ROC]

Well, ya but I can actually FIND a Boss 429! for a decent price   The Shelby is so far away from what I would be able to get but no doubt that is a much better choice.
I actually do like the 429, but then, I had the 429CJ in my 72 Ranchero back when I was in high school, that thing was a monster at the time. 
My garage now has a lot of cars, but none of my ground pounders.  Porsche Boxster, Twin Turbo BMW 335i, 530i and my 05 mustang. 

[Randy1]

We are talking about the original 69 Boss 302.  Not the new one.  The original was okay for its time, but in the real world, it was used at the drag strip, not the road races.

Yes, I am talking the ordinal Boss 302, big sway bars and spring tower stiffeners for handling.  It was intended to be a  car to fill the  sports car market share but what sold magazines was horsepower and magazines sold cars in those days.  Keep in mind the Triumph Spitfire had a small but nice market share.  The wine and cheese cars some would say.  The Boss was to take that market share with an American V8 road car.

[Skuzzy]

Well, ya but I can actually FIND a Boss 429! for a decent price   The Shelby is so far away from what I would be able to get but no doubt that is a much better choice.
I actually do like the 429, but then, I had the 429CJ in my 72 Ranchero back when I was in high school, that thing was a monster at the time. 
My garage now has a lot of cars, but none of my ground pounders.  Porsche Boxster, Twin Turbo BMW 335i, 530i and my 05 mustang.

Good points.  Just that Boss 429 head had a number of issues and heaven help you if you cracked an exhaust valve.  The CJ is a different beast.

Yes, I am talking the ordinal Boss 302, big sway bars and spring tower stiffeners for handling.  It was intended to be a  car to fill the  sports car market share but what sold magazines was horsepower and magazines sold cars in those days.  Keep in mind the Triumph Spitfire had a small but nice market share.  The wine and cheese cars some would say.  The Boss was to take that market share with an American V8 road car.

Yes, but it failed in that role.  Even though it was probably the best handling Ford built, at the time.  I mean you can only do so much with that old Falcon suspension system.  It was never designed for actual road racing. 

Yes the body roll was minimal, and it handled well enough on smooth pavement, but anything less than smooth pavement and the car would walk all over the road.

There was a reason the Trans Am teams had to completely gut the suspension system and redesign it in order to have a chance at road racing wins.  Oh, 69 was not a winning year for Ford at Trans Am (not a bad year though).  70, Ford came back, but then everyone got mauled by AMC in 71.  Well, I should say Donohue mauled everyone.

[CAP1]

And what makes you the authority on that? What facts of your back up what you say?

A mistake?    I've never heard two guys ever argue about the Camaro vs the Mustang, Vettes and Stangs...countless times.

 you must be smoking the good stuff. that's all mustang guys talk about, is hammering camaros. and the only thing camaro guys talk about is hammering mustangs. even back in 79 when i had my first 67 mustang coupe, my best friend had a 68 camaro, and we used to run em all the time.

[CAP1]

I grew up in those days.  I remember well going to see the first Mustang.  There were articles of the day saying things like, "The Mustang is no Corvette."  Keep in mind too, on the car lot, the common Mustang was a straight 6 when it first hit the market.

The Boss was beat up pretty  bad in a lot of the articles and school ground arguments of the day but mostly because the Boss was never meant to be a 0-60 stellar performer being more of a handling or Sports like car. 

Then the EPA and compression ratios dropped ending the pony wars.

 the boss302, and its big brother the boss429 sucked balls on the street. that is because they were literally race engines dropped into street cars to homologate them for their respective race serieses. and the boss302 did i believe take the trans am championship back in 69 and 70