[MightyMach]

I gotta friend down south, and likes GM. Him, and his dad will argue to the death over what motor is/was better. I am not sure if he meant in street form, or Trans Am racing series. What do you guys think? I know we are in a FORD FORUM...but lets call a spade, a spade. Lets talk

Jeff Given

 

[qtrhors]

The Boss is King...in either 302 or 351 Form.
The Cleavland is the King of ALL smallblocks

 

[Bartholomew]

When they were racing 302's in TransAm the Chevy's just managed to edge out the Ford's as far as total wins/championships is concerned. But the Boss 302's did make more horsepower, but it was peakier and at a higher rpm. The Camaros didn't make as much peak hp but they had more useable power in the mid rpm range to get them out of the corners, resulting in better lap times but not peak straightaway speeds. These are generalizations as both brands won quite a few races, but the wider power band of the Chevy's helped get around the twisties better.

 

[mavman]

you're comparing a Boss 302 to a chevy 302? Hell, I didnt know there was a comparison....the Boss has that name for a reason!

 

[Bartholomew]

Hey Jeff, Did you really want to have an 'objective' discussion on this subject, or just a 'bang the drum for Ford' session? I find good and not so good things in ALL the marques. Of course, this IS a Ford forum, but that doesn't mean it has to be blind to all the rest. I noticed that Syndicate (if I may be so bold as to use you as an example, Syndicate) has a couple of those dreaded Brand X cars listed in his signature, and nobody is chasing him away. Nor should they; we really flourish because of each other's diverse interests.

The Boss 302 was an admirable creation; but if anyone would care to notice, even Ford realized along the way that the size of the ports was just too darn big for the 302. The racers found a solution by making plates that raised the floor of the exhaust port so that they would flow properly. This is just one example.

On the other hand, I have personally considered the swap of Cleveland 2V heads onto a windsor (either one) as a good idea, but it does take a little work. Like always, it depends what you want. 8500 rpm screamer that doesn't have any poop below 5000, or a solid street capable engine that still doesn't mind turning 6500. As for the Chevy 302, they kind of hit the middle between these two with peak power around 7200 rpm.

Looks like not too many folks want to discuss this, though I'm not sure why....

 

[BOB PHILLIPS]

Ive allways been a big fan of the Ford small block but back in the 70's and 80's we raced Bowties not only because the were cheaper but they made more usable power. You couldnt keep a cleveland together long enough to run a 50 lapper in a late model and the Boss 302 just didnt have the torque of the 350 and 406 Chevy. While I do agree that the Boss 302 was a better street motor and even run on the circle tracks with a chevy 302 I feel it would perform better I don't remember anyone that ran a 302 Chevy in late models. We won 6 track championships in eight years at one point and they were all won with 350-406 Bowties and never, never did a Ford win a single main event. No one ran Fords. Maybey two or three a week but even those didnt do much. I know that things have changed alot since then and that the Ford has caught on but you still have no 302's in Ford or Chevy that wins on a consistant basis.
However with that said I would still rather have a Boss 302 Mustang than a 302 Z28 anytime, Hell, anyone can wear a Bowtie but I would still rather ride a Ford

Bob

 

[MightyMach]

I was just wondering your opinions. Damn, after all that, I feel like a jack ass saying that the BOSS 302 was better

Jeff Given

 

[BOB PHILLIPS]

I still have to agree with ya, The Boss was better.

 

[1970galaxie]

The only 302 Chevro's around here "Used" to run really good for a while, then flew apart. The actual Z28's ran good,but people always blew them up. Coincidence?, or P.O.S.?

 

[qtrhors]

Jack Roush destroyed GM and all comers in the 80's with 302's topped with cleavland style heads in Trans Am and IMSA GTO. Also Ford won the 1970 Trans Am Championship With the Boss 302 in only its second year of competition. In 71 Ford pulled out of racing. The ability to build HP was countinued by independent racers...although far and few...there was no real support by the aftermarket for the engines. But in drag racing where by the early 80's it was generally accepted the the C motor could build more HP per cubic inch on gasoline NA then ANY motor(talkin assembly line mass produced engines). Still today in most of the NHRA sportsman classes C motors are hadicapped or kept away from small block chevies. I would take a Boss 351 any day over say any LT1 350 from the same time period and kick its butt.....any mods allowed...NA, carbs, and gasoline the only rules. Send the women, children, and small block chubbies home when the king comes to play....just ask Bob Glidden.