FORD TOTAL PERFORMANCE

‘69 BOSS 302 ROAD & TRACK MUSTANG

Ford’s new Boss, Bunkie Knudsen, fast-tracked the long-awaited ‘69 BOSS 302 ROAD & TRACK MUSTANG, Dearborn’s Z/28 Camaro challenger.

‘69 BOSS 302 ROAD & TRACK MUSTANG

Mustangs had been on two-year restyling cycles, and there were major changes in 1969. Overall length was increased by almost four inches and width by approximately one-quarter inch. Curb weight was up by 140 pounds. Leading the charge was a portfolio of Mustangs, ranging from the Boss 302, above, photo by Stuart Schorr, to the R-Code 428 Cobra Jet Ram Air and Boss 429 models. Finally, the Z/28 Camaro would have a serious competitor on the street and in Trans-Am Road racing.

A serious performance car, the ‘69 BOSS 302 ROAD & TRACK MUSTANG was not available with automatic transmission or air conditioning. Its imposing front spoiler was dealer-installed to avoid damage during shipping. The fiberglass rear wing and backlight louvers were optional. Because of its standard F-60 tires, special fender/wheel well contours were required. Ford engineers, working at Kar-Kraft, designed the Boss 302’s HD suspension. Boss 302 Mustangs, priced at approximately $3,500, went on sale in April of 1969, and Ford dealers sold 1,628.

The Boss 302 Mustang showcased the new 302-inch small-block with four-bolt mains, forged steel crank and rods, .524-inch solid-lifter cam, new “Cleveland” canted-valve, big-port heads, and a manually-choked 780-cfm Holley on a high-rise alloy manifold. A factory-installed rev-limiter was set at 6,150 rpm. Like the CJ engine, Ford under-rated the Boss 302 at 290 horsepower at 5,800 rpm to avoid insurance company surcharges for 300-horsepower-and-up cars. There was also a drag strip classification advantage. Stock Boss 302 Mustangs with 3.91 Traction-Lok gears were often quicker and faster than larger-engine Mustangs. Back in the day, well-tuned Boss 302s accelerated to 60 mph in the low sevens with quarter-mile times of high-nineties in the low-mid fourteens.

‘69 BOSS 302 ROAD & TRACK MUSTANG Ford’s 1969 seven-car Trans-Am “fleet” was race-prepped by Lee Dykstra’s group at Kar-Kraft, then divided up among its factory teams. Three went to Shelby Racing in Torrance, CA, three to Bud Moore Engineering in Spartanburg, SC, and the remaining car to consummate racer, Smokey Yunick, in Daytona Beach, FL. Bunkie had a long-standing relationship with Smokey, dating back to his Chevrolet days. It was finished and painted with Smokey Yunick’s gold-trimmed black Best Damn Garage in Town livery at Kar-Kraft. For some unexplained reason, it ended up not being raced.

Engines for the seven M-Code Trans-Am Mustangs were developed as part of the Boss 302 “Cleveland” engine program. Ford Engine & Foundry personnel, working in leased space at Kar-Kraft, developed the new small-block that showcased canted-valve, big-port heads. The Boss 302 program development group included Ford’s legendary racing engine engineer, Moses “Mose” Nowland.

“We assembled the race-ready Boss 302 engines for the factory teams at Triple-E (Engine & Foundry Division’s Engine-Electrical-Engineering facility) in Dearborn, adjacent to the Henry Ford Museum. That’s where we built prototype engines for future production and race engines for motorsports teams,” added Nowland, who retired as Senior Motorsport Engineer in 2012. He passed away in 2021.

The blueprinted and balanced Boss 302 Trans-Am engine utilized a cross-drilled, forged steel Indy engine crankshaft, .615-inch lift solid cam, GT40-style forged steel rods, headers, and aluminum intake manifold with individual runners and a pair of Holley Dominator four-barrels. Dyno-tested output was 475-plus horsepower at 9,000 rpm. All race engines were assembled with O-ringed cylinder blocks for dry-deck, gasket-less sealing. The process utilized gas-filled stainless-steel O-rings around the cylinders and Viton rubber rings around water and oil passage openings.

Moore’s Mustangs proved to be faster and more reliable than Shelby’s. It was rumored at the time that Shelby either modified or replaced the Ford-supplied engines. Parnelli Jones won at Michigan International Speedway and Donneybrook, and George Follmer took the win at Bridgehampton. Sam Posey won at Lime Rock, posting the only win for Shelby racing. When SCCA championship points were tallied, Ford unfortunately finished second to Chevrolet…again!

In 1969, I changed the Hi-Performance CARS magazine annual award from Top Performance Car of the Year to Top Performance Manufacturer of the Year, for the first and only time, to honor Ford Division and the ‘69 BOSS 302 ROAD & TRACK MUSTANG. When I presented it to General Manager John Naughton, I said, “The Division deserved the award for its attitudes toward and achievements in the high-performance field. In addition, for its great new engines, drag racing options, specialty cars, and its continued support of racing.”

For details on the ‘69 BOSS 302 ROAD & TRACK MUSTANG, and complete 1969-1969 ½ Mustang lineup including sales brochures, road tests, and Fact Sheets, please visit Over-Drive magazine @

https://over-drive-magazine.com/2023/11/10/1969-ford-mustang-fact-sheet/

’67 FORD GALAXIE: 427-CUBE HEAVYWEIGHT

In 1967, Ford ‘called out’ the GTO with its hot 390 and 427 Fairlanes, put a big-block in its Mustang, and won the Daytona 500, Indy 500, Trans-Am Championship, and Le Mans. And, the ’67 FORD GALAXIE: 427-CUBE HEAVYWEIGHT took no prisoners!

’67 FORD GALAXIE: 427-CUBE HEAVYWEIGHT Even though all factory drag and NASCAR racing programs were centered around the new 427 Fairlane, Ford still offered customers a choice of W-Code or R-Code 427 side-oiler engines with four-speed transmissions in the full-size Galaxie. Collector Charlie Lillard owns the rarest 427 R-Code four-speed Galaxie XL hardtop – one-of-one built!

’67 FORD GALAXIE: 427-CUBE HEAVYWEIGHT

In the 1967 model year, Ford built almost one million full-size models including 21,053 XL-trim hardtops. Of those XL hardtops, just 21 were equipped with R-Code dual-quad 427 engines. Eight were also optioned with the 7-Litre Sports Package and two painted Candy Apple Red. Only one was equipped with a red vinyl bucket seat interior. A full Marti Report confirms that Charlie Lillard’s Galaxie, is rare, real, and a ’67 FORD GALAXIE: 427-CUBE HEAVYWEIGHT.

For 1967, the 7-Litre model quickly disappeared, but the engine option was still available. Little else changed, except for trim and the styling. Most engines were available, from the 240-inch six-cylinder to the 428 V-8 – less the 352-inch V-8. The high-performance R & W-Code 427 engines remained options and powered the ’67 FORD GALAXIE: 427-CUBE HEAVYWEIGHT.

Everything you have always wanted to know about Ford’s 1967 full-size models, including the 427 Galaxie can be found @ https://over-drive-magazine.com/2025/02/06/1967-ford-full-size-cars-fact-sheet/

Ford’s 1967 high-performance road and track cars and race history are featured in https://www.amazon.com/Day-One-Automotive-Journalists-Muscle-Car/dp/0760352364/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1493561421&sr=1-1&keywords=Day One by Martyn L. Schorr

1965 FORD 427 GALAXIE

Ford enthusiasts in 1965 may have been more interested in Mustangs and Fairlanes, but the 1965 FORD 427 GALAXIE surprised a lot of Ponycar and Musclecar owners on the street and strip!

1965 was a year of firsts and incredible accomplishments for Ford on racing circuits worldwide. No other American carmaker – and few European manufacturers – even came close to Ford’s seemingly unstoppable assault. Ford cars and engines prove to be unbeatable on the world’s toughest proving grounds: Daytona, Indianapolis, Nurburgring, Pomona, Riverside, Sebring, Targa Florio.

Henry Ford II was most impressed when Ford was presented with the 1965 Alec Ulmann Cup for the second year in a row. The silver bowl is presented annually to the American manufacturer whose engines earn the highest number of points in four of the world’s toughest and longest road races – Le Mans, Nurburgring, Sebring and Targa Florio.Ford completely restyled and re-engineered the full-size 1965 FORD 427 GALAXIE with new sheet metal and chassis and suspension updates. These could be ordered with 410 horsepower single four-barrel and 425 horsepower dual four-barrel 427 engines. Coil springs were used fore and aft for the first time, which improved ride qualities. Along with all the obvious changes, Ford also invested in upgrading interior soundproofing. Testing showed that the new Galaxie was actually quieter than a Rolls-Royce and that became one of the new car’s key marketing themes.Early production (up to January 1965) 427 Galaxies were powered with carryover 1964 model big-block engines. The later production 1965 FORD 427 GALAXIE came with new side-oiler big-block fitted with a forged steel crank, high-rpm valve train with lightweight hollow-stem valves, and heads with machined combustion chambers. This was the block used for the 427 SOHC race engine. However, advertised horsepower ratings remained the same.

Even though the 1965 FORD 427 GALAXIE had a 119-inch wheelbase and was a big car, it offered surprisingly good performance on the street. Some of my old CARS Magazine test notes show that a 427/425 Galaxie with four-speed and 3.50 limited-slip (Detroit Locker) rear (factory Equa-Lok could not be ordered on 427 cars) could sprint from 0 to 60 mph in the low-5s. On the drag strip it was not unusual to run the quarter in the 15.0s at around 95 mph. When equipped with headers, ignition tuning and sticky cheater slicks, a 427/425 Galaxie could clock high-14s.

For more information about the 1965 Ford Galaxie, please visit https://over-drive-magazine.com/2024/08/22/1965-ford-full-size-cars-fact-sheet/

Check out details of the Ford FE-Series big-block engine @ https://over-drive-magazine.com/2023/02/14/the-ford-fe-series-v-8/

FORD 428 COBRA JET & BIG BLOCK HERITAGE!

In February 1968, 1968½ Cobra Jet Mustangs swept Super/Stock Class and Eliminator titles at the NHRA Winternationals. FORD 428 COBRA JET & BIG BLOCK HERITAGE! is showcased here, and in the latest edition of Over-Drive Magazine.

Ford’s primary performance car for 1968 was the mid-year 428 Cobra Jet Mustang, with Toploader four-speed manual or beefed C-6 automatic transmissions. The powertrain option was available in coupe, convertible and fastback SportsRoof models. In 1968 the Mustang was pretty much a carryover vehicle with small trim, suspension and safety updates, and important powertrain changes. Ride and handling was improved and, if you ordered a V-8, you could opt for Michelin radial tires for the first time. Gone was the 289 small-block, including the venerable 271 horsepower solid-lifter version, replaced by a new 302 small-block. You could order a 390/325 big block or wait for the mid-year introduction of the potent 428 CJ engine.

Cars tagged for the new CJ option automatically received special attention at the San Jose, CA and Metuchen, NJ assembly plants. Those cars were given reinforced front shock towers, nine-inch rears with 31-spline axles, and four-speed Mustangs were equipped with stagger-mount rear shocks. All CJ Mustangs were factory fitted with a functional fiberglass hood scoop with ram-air induction capability. Under full throttle acceleration, a vacuum-controlled flapper on the air cleaner assembly opened up, allowing air to go directly to the carburetor. Under normal driving, air was channeled through the air filter.

Before there was a production 428 Cobra Jet, the CJ Mustang was first conceptualized by Bob Tasca, working with John Healey and Bill Lawton, and presented to Ford. Tasca had built his own “Cobra Jet” – a KR-8 “King Of The Road” Mustang powered by a 428 engine with 390 GT cam and valve train, heads from a low-riser 427, 428 Police Interceptor intake manifold with a 735-cfm Holley and 390 GT exhaust manifolds. He felt that Ford didn’t have a suitable Mustang to compete with Chevrolet’s new Camaro that could be optioned with a 396/375 solid-lifter big-block engine. He had built a Mustang that would give any stock Camaro nightmares! Tasca’s KR-8 Concept was well received and became the inspiration for the production 428 Cobra Jet Mustang.

Prior to regular production, Ford built 54 Wimbledon White Mustangs with 428 Cobra Jet engines specified by Domestic Special Order number DSO-892017 at the Dearborn plant. They were ordered specifically for NHRA Stock and Super/Stock competition. Essentially, they were base Sportsroof Mustangs, not GTs, built without radios and heaters and with trunk-mount batteries, Police Interceptor drivetrains and 3.89 limited-slip rears with traction bars. Just 20 were produced without any seam sealers or sound deadening materials. Two different engine packages were employed – one rated at 335 horsepower for C/Stock; the other with horsepower north of 360 for Super Stock/E. Distribution of the first Cobra Jet Mustangs included Ford dealers involved in drag racing programs in the U.S and Canada, with Tasca Ford receiving the most – ten CJs. Approximately ten were assigned to Dick Brannan’s group at Ford Special Vehicles Activity.

Dynamometer testing at Ford revealed that a 335-horsepower CJ engine with headers, open exhausts, maximum tuning specs, and without air cleaner or alternator, produced 411 horsepower. A red ’68 Mustang CJ engineering car was evaluated at the Kingman, AZ proving ground and clocked a best time of 108-plus mph in 13.4 seconds.

A small fleet of Cobra Jet Mustangs was reserved for the model’s California introduction at the AHRA Winternationals at Lions Drag Strip on January 28 and the NHRA Winternationals at Pomona on February 2-4, 1968. Those cars were shipped to Holman-Moody-Stroppe in Long Beach for race prepping. Engines used in the C/Stock Mustangs had “stock” specs and utilized forged 11-to-1 pistons, 427 steel rods and .509-inch-lift, 282-degree-duration hydraulic-lifter cams and valve trains and headers. These cars had 4.44 rears with Detroit Lockers, traction bars and Goodyear slicks. The modified engines permitted in Super/Stock were built with 11.6-to-1 pistons, GT40 forged steel rods, deep oil sumps with windage trays, steel cranks, .600-inch-lift, 380-degree-duration solid-lifter cams and Crane valve trains, lightweight valves and a dual-inlet 735-cfm Holley on a 427-aluminum intake manifold. Rear end gearing on the S/S cars was 4.71 with a Detroit Locker and bigger Goodyear slicks.

The Cobra Jet had a less-than-successful launch at the AHRA Winternationals when Hubert Platt red-lighted in the C/Stock Mustang, clocking a 12.62 in the first round of Top Stock. It was another story at the NHRA Winternationals when five Ford Drag Team drivers – Jerry Harvey, Al Joniec, Don Nicholson, Hubert Platt and Gas Ronda – showed up with six cars for C/SA, SS/E and SS/EA. Dearborn was there in force to showcase the hottest new “production” Ponycar. It would be the first NHRA National meet that Ford dominated. It’s all part of FORD 428 COBRA JET & BIG BLOCK HERITAGE!

It was Al Joniec, right with NHRA’s Wally Parks, driving the Rice-Holman SS/E Cobra Jet, Vin # 5050, that established the new Cobra Jet Mustang as the car to beat. Four of the six CJs made it to their respective class finals and Al Joniec beat teammate Hubert “Georgia Shaker” Platt’s CJ to win SS/E. He ran 120.6 mph in 11.49 seconds. Following that, he beat Dave Wren’s Plymouth for Super/Stock Eliminator.

“My CJ Mustang was capable of running in the low-11s in the 122-mph range, though I didn’t have to run it that hard to win,” said Joniec during a recent interview. “Since it was the official introduction of the Cobra Jet, I didn’t want to lower the record and lose any advantage at future events.”

Bob Gerometta and the folks at Over-Drive Magazine have done an outstanding job covering FORD 428 COBRA JET & BIG BLOCK HERITAGE! in their latest edition. Read the feature @ https://over-drive-magazine.com/2024/06/19/fords-cobra-jet-what-took-them-so-long/

427 FAIRLANE (THUNDERBOLT) PROTOTYPE

Before there was a ’64 Super/Stock 427 Thunderbolt, there was ZIMMY-1, the ’63 A/FX 427 FAIRLANE (THUNDERBOLT) PROTOTYPE.

Most Ford fans were really confused when Tasca Ford’s Bill Lawton first staged the Ming Green A/FX ’63 Fairlane coupe at the 1963 NHRA Nationals. They were used to seeing ’63 Fairlanes running in D/Stock, like Li’L Lord Fotus, the Fairlane Milo Coleman drove for the class win at 99.88 mph/ 13.75 seconds. What was a stock-looking Fairlane doing in A/FX? After Lawton made a 12.21-second/118.42 mph pass during Time Trials, it was obvious that ZIMMY-1 was not just a just a modified stocker. Driven by Bill Lawton, ZIMMY-1 fell prey to Don Kimball’s ’63 Z11 Chevy during Eliminations, below. Before shipping the car back to Ford, Lawton did manage to set the NHRA A/FX National Record at 121.29 mph at the Division One Points Meet at Connecticut Dragway,

ZIMMY-1 was powered by a blueprinted 427 big-block, which, at the time, was only available in ’63½ Galaxies.

This unique 427 FAIRLANE (THUNDERBOLT) PROTOTYPE was the result of a joint venture between Ford Engineering (Dan Jones), Ford Special Vehicles (Charlie Gray), Ford Engine & Foundry (Bill Gay), Dearborn Steel Tubing (Andy Hotten) and Tasca Ford (Bob Tasca). The car was named after Frank Zimmerman, Ford Sales Manager who also headed up the Special Vehicles Group, ZIMMY-1 was Ford’s “mule” or prototype for the ’64 Fairlane 427 Thunderbolt.

While covering the NHRA Indy Nationals for CUSTOM RODDER and later at Tasca Ford in East Providence, RI, I spent a lot of time with ZIMMY-1 and driver, Bill Lawton. Over its short lifetime it was powered by three different big-blocks – 406 and two 427s – and fitted with a variety of fiberglass hoods. While at DST, ZIMMY-1 was built with fiberglass front fenders, hood and deck lid and aluminum inner fender panels and bumpers. Ready to race weight was 3,320 pounds.

After being sorted out, it was raced at the Nationals with a 427 High-Riser with Ram-Air induction built by Ford Engineering. They used the latest 427 NASCAR short block which utilized a steel crank, 12.7-to-1 forged pistons and machined and polished heads with 2.197-inch intake and 1.735-inch exhaust valves. A bustle with special baffles was added to the base of the engine’s stock oil pan to increase capacity to ten quarts. They topped off the engine with Holley dual-quads.

Ford engineers crafted tubular steel headers for the 427. Each tube measured 31 inches long and snaked around steering and suspension obstacles, dumping into 14-inch collectors fitted with an equalizer tube. Chassis-to-engine mounts were fabricated from 1/8-inch steel stock and topped with stock 427 rubber pads. As with 427 Galaxie Lightweights, the Fairlane’s engine was bolted to a Hurst-shifted Ford four-speed (2.36 First gear). To aid clutch cooling during repeated runs, the scattershield’s mounting bolts were shimmed for ¼-inch spacing. An HD 427 Galaxie driveshaft, shortened to 54 inches, hooks the powertrain up to a big Ford rear with 31-spline axles and a Detroit Locker with 4.44 gears.

When transplanting a 500-horsepower engine into an under-3, 300-pound car engineered for 271 horsepower, much attention has to be paid to the chassis and suspension. To effectively and safely transfer weight at launch, the chassis was “loaded” using a special (left) front coil spring and shock assembly and two-leaf (right) rear spring. The stock right front spring and shock and left rear three-leaf spring and shock were retained.

Increasing horsepower is relatively easy compared with getting power to the pavement. Completing the chassis “loading” was the fabrication of a pair of boxed steel traction bars, similar in design to the ones used on 427 Galaxie Lightweights and later on Thunderbolts. The traction bars measure 31 inches long and run from the axle housing forward to chassis mounting points which added structural rigidity and aided in weight transfer. A trunk-mounted 95-pound battery sits over the right rear wheel.

ZIMMY-1, the 427 FAIRLANE (THUNDERBOLT) PROTOTYPE was a work-in-progress while at Tasca Ford. Many small changes initiated by Bob Tasca, John Healey and Bill Lawton were incorporated into the final engineering of the ’64 Thunderbolt. They experimented with a variety of fresh air induction packages, the best being a sealed-air box with eight-inch diameter hoses ducting through grille inlets.

In 1964 ZIMMY-1 provided the blueprint for the creation of the limited-production Super/Stock 427 Thunderbolt. Totally illegal for the street (even though sold by Ford to a “straw” buyer and registered in Michigan), the 427 FAIRLANE (THUNDERBOLT) PROTOTYPE most likely went directly to the crusher after being returned to Dearborn. Its legacy lives on in surviving Thunderbolts.

Check REVan Evan’s video of Ray Paquet’s real 1964 Thunderbolt that runs 8s at 150-plus mph @ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V7_kZyMoagk