Best Boss Barbeque Pit
Well, not exactly; but that's one recommendation for this '70 Boss 302 front clip that was rescued by the combined efforts and donations from 26 members of the Boss 302 Registry. After the clip appeared for sale on eBay, the registry forum lit up with fears that the clip would be purchased by some unscrupulous character who could cut out the VINs and add them to a regular Mustang fastback, then sell the car as a real Boss 302. As a preventive measure, Registry members contributed the cash to purchase the clip, then had member Jim Kelly pick it up. According to Registry Webmaster Randy Ream, "The VIN plates and remaining ID of the car are in the care of the Boss 302 Registry. The actual clip and remains are in the care of Jim Kelly, who is considering turning it into a barbeque pit."
Best Low-Mileage Collection
Bob Perkins has a knack for locating low-mileage Mustangs, particularly if they are Boss cars. His current collection includes a 900-mile '69 Boss 429, a 1,500-mile '70 Boss 302, and a 2,800-mile '71 Boss 351, all displayed in Perkins' replica of a '60s-era Ford dealer showroom.
Bob obtained the Black Jade Metallic Boss 429 first, purchasing it shortly after it was offered to him at the Mustang Club of America Grand Nationals in 1981. It was originally owned by a collector who paid $1,000 over sticker to get his hands on one of the rarest high-performance Fords ever built.
The detailing on Bob's '70 Boss 302 is incredible, thanks to foresight by the original owner, who parked the car after it dropped a valve at the dragstrip. When Ford refused to honor the engine warranty because the rev limiter had been disconnected, the owner parked the Grabber Orange Boss on jackstands and wisely preserved it by spraying the undercarriage and engine bay with 90-weight oil. According to Perkins, the Boss 302 has the best-preserved engine, chassis, and suspension he has ever seen on a Boss 302 Mustang.
The Boss 351 remains exactly as Bob bought it from its second owner in 1983. Originally purchased by an airline executive, the car was driven infrequently; due to a company strike, the owner feared it would be pounded by bricks if he drove it to work. When the original battery failed around 1975, the Boss was parked for good. One oddity on the car is the Mach 1 hood striping, which is apparently an assembly line mistake. The Boss 351 hood striping did not taper off at the front corners.
Best Boss That Wasn't a Boss
Model year '72 kicked off with less than a bang. Gone were the Boss 351 and 429 Cobra Jet engines, leaving only a 266hp 351 Cobra Jet to hold down the Mustang's performance image. Later, though, Ford unleashed the R-code 351 H.O., a 275hp option for all '72 Mustang body styles. Essentially, the H.O. was a Boss 351 with open-chamber heads, as opposed to the higher-compression, closed-chamber heads used on the Boss 351, and flat-top pistons, also for lower compression. Otherwise, the 351 H.O. was a Boss 351, including the Boss's four-bolt-main bearing block, nodular-iron crankshaft, forged rods, solid-lifter camshaft, aluminum valve covers, dual-point distributor, aluminum intake, rev limiter, and Autolite 4300D spread-bore four-barrel carburetor. Also like the earlier Boss 351, the 351 H.O.-equipped Mustangs received the Hurst-shifted four-speed, 9-inch rearend with locking 3.91 gears and 31-spline axles, Competition Suspension with staggered rear shocks, and dual exhaust. Air conditioning was not available, another Boss trait.
Super Boss 429
The Tasca Ford dealership in Rhode Island was great at marketing Ford performance. When the Boss 429 was introduced in early 1969, Tasca received the seventh car off the Kar Kraft assembly line to use as a prototype for a possible "Super Boss 429" that Tasca considered building for retail sale. The result was the multi-hued "Super Boss," a car that was utilized as a showpiece for the Tasca program. With its 494ci Boss 429 engine, the Super Boss was campaigned by Tasca Ford throughout the Boss 429 production run during '69-'70. Tasca even made a standing offer of $1,000 to anyone who could beat the Super Boss.
The original Tasca Ford Super Boss is now owned by Ford drag racing restorer and collector Brent Hajek.