Ford Boss 302 engine
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Ford_Boss 302 V8 | |
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| Manufacturer | Ford Motor Company |
| Successor | Ford Boss 351 V8 |
| Class | Small-block OHV V8 |
| Engine | 302 in³ (4.9 L) |
| Related | Ford Windsor V8 Ford 335 Cleveland V8 |
| Similar | Chevrolet Small-Block V8 Chrysler Hemi V8 |
The Boss 302 engine is a racing small-block V8 from Ford Motor Company. It was a hybrid of two small-block Ford V8s - It used the block of the small Ford Windsor engine and the heads of the larger Ford Cleveland engine. It was created for the SCCA's Trans-Am road racing series, and was fitted to the Boss 302 Mustang.
The high nickel content block has a thicker deck, cylinder walls and beefy 4-bolt main caps. It is easily identified by screw in freeze plugs on the side of the block, pent roof valve covers, very wide heads and a very wide intake manifold. The connecting rods are heavy, high strength steel forgings made for high rpm use. The crankshaft is a cross drilled high strength steel forging. The cam and lifters are high lift solid mechanical units.
The unique, wide, large port Cleveland style 4V heads with poly angle, semi-hemi style valve placement are what give the Boss 302 its unique high power capabilities. Early units were typically characterized by very large intake and exhaust valves sitting in a small quench style combustion chamber. Huge intake ports made certain that the engine only "woke up" above 4000 rpm, while at low RPM the Boss 302 motor ran very sluggishly. At racing speed the engine's performance was quite remarkable.
The motor has a unique sound as a result of its solid lifter configuration. At idle, properly tuned, the engine has a great deal of 'chatter.'
Ford will reportedly reintroduce the Boss 302 to production in 2006, to prepare the market for the new Boss/Hurricane V8 which will be introduced in the 2008 F-150. The 302 will not be similar to the original due to wedge heads and very different from the 2008 production model. It will be offered only as a crate motor, not as an original equipment engine in any Ford vehicle. But this motor will be the new heart of the mustang GT in 2008 as it takes over the older 281 4.6 liter engine.
