1969 Mustang Boss 302 / Specs, Model History, Photos

If you're searching for one of the fastest Ford Mustangs out there, the 1969 Mustang Boss 302 might fit the bill. The 1969 Mustang Boss 302 was a direct result of what Chevrolet was doing with their new Camaro on the race track.

The late 1960's was a time when horsepower was at center stage. The 'Pony Car" era was alive and well. Long hoods and short decks were in style. These were the years just prior to new federal emission and safety standards that would do a lot to rein in horsepower beginning in the early 1970's.

1969 Ford Mustang Boss 302

Mustang vs. Camaro 

The Chevrolet Camaro was introduced in 1967 as a direct result of the success of the Ford Mustang which came out in mid 1964. In fact, when the first Chevy Camaro rolled off the assembly line, the specs of the car were almost identical to the Mustang.

Interestingly enough, the 69 Ford Mustang Boss 302 was designed by ex-GM employee Larry Shinoda. This was at the time that Ford Motor Company had a new CEO in Semon "Bunkie" Knudsen, former GM CEO and replacement for the departed Lee Iacocca. Knudsen no doubt had designer Shinoda follow him to Ford.

An interesting side note is that the muscle car designed by Larry Shinoda was originally going to be named the Trans Am, however that name was already taken by GM. The "Boss" name, reported by some, was a reference to the new Ford CEO Bunkie Knudsen. Shinoda it was said always referred to Knudsen as the 'boss". Of course, another story contends that during the 1960's the term boss referred to something superior, number one, the best, bad (as in powerful, dominating, outstanding), etc.


The 1968 Chevy Camaro Z/28 was selling fast. In fact, research showed that the likely Camaro volume for the 1969 model year would probably triple the 68 numbers and come in at about 20,000 units. The Chevy Camaro Z/28 was outperforming just about everything on the road including the Ford Mustang. The Camaro was threatening to dethrone the Mustang as the top "pony car" so something had to change with the Mustang. Ford Motor Company decided that it was due time to react and the result was the 1969 Boss 302. The Ford Mustang Boss 302 was a street legal Trans AM racer that was ready to take on all competition.

The Boss 302 and 429

The 1969 model year saw the Boss 302 and Boss 429. The Boss 302 was similar in concept to the Camaro Z/28 package. Both of these models were built for the 1969 and 1970 model years. The Boss 302 produced 290 horsepower, and its 429 cube big brother made 375 horses. The Boss 302, which was created to race Chevrolet's Z/28 Camaro on SCCA Trans-Am road courses. The Trans Am series were becoming increasingly popular. The 429 V-8 was built for NASCAR tracks.

The 69 Boss 302 had a trunk top spoiler, front under bumper lip spoiler and distinctive body side striping. Also side scoops and new panel ornaments.

Total production over the two model years was about 8,500 units for the Boss 302 and about 1,360 for the 429.

Ford Boss 302 engine

1969 Ford Mustang Boss 302 Specifications

The 69 Boss 302 engine was a Ford 302 cubic inch small block V-8 with a thin wall high nickel casting and with specially designed Cleveland style heads. The engine was developed for the Trans AM racing series but was put into the production Boss 302's for the 60 and 70 model years. This engine put out a rated 290 HP.

Some have stated that the real horsepower with this 302 engine was more like 350. The maximum rated speed for this car was 121 MPH.

The 0-60 was rated at 6.7 seconds and the quarter mile at 15.2 seconds. 

Fuel made it's way to the engine with a Holly 4-barrel carburetor.

Standard gearbox was a 4 speed manual.

Front brakes were power disc with rear being hydraulic drum. 

Stiff competition suspension was used. Quad headlamps were used for the first time in 1969.

The 1969 Ford Mustang was restyled and was larger. For example, the overall length was 4 inches longer than the 68 model. Dimensions for the 1969 Boss 302 included a 108.0 inch wheelbase..an overall length of 183.6 inches..width of 71.3 inches ..height of 49.2 inches and a curb weight of 3,417 lbs.

See additional Muscle Car Journal articles on the links below... 

The 1969 Ford Torino GT 

Modified 1961 Chevy Impala SS 409

1996 Chevy Camaro SS Z/28

Reference materials for this article and excellent books include...Mustang Boss 302: From Racing Legend to Modern Muscle Car by author Donald Farr...Ford Mustang, America's Pony Car by the editors of Consumer Guide Automotive...The Complete Book of Camaro: Every Model Since 1967 by author David Newhardt.

Ford Mustang Boss 302 Valuations

Both the Mustang Boss 302 and 429 have plenty of appeal because of factory racer exclusivity. The Boss 302 offers outstanding performance and road handling and is a milestone car.

Finding one today in originality however can be hard. Production was for two model years only and was very limited.

As of this date, 1969 Ford Mustang Boss 302's show valuations in the range of about $40,000 to $90,000. These are for models in very good to immaculate condition. The highest price would be for a vehicle in perfect original condition or perhaps professionally restored in all areas.

(Article and photos copyright 2016 Muscle Car Journal)

1969 Ford Torino GT / A Muscle Car of the late 60's

The car featured here is a 1969 Ford Torino GT. This was the second production year for Ford’s Torino and it was also the year that the Torino Cobra and Talledega models were first built. Ford’s Torino, named a mid-sized model, was produced from 1968 to 1976. The three stages of the Torino are the upgraded Fairlane stage, the Torino uprising, and the Gran Torino era.

1969 Ford Torino

Torino's First Year

In 1968 the Torino took over from the Ford Fairlane model. The Ford Torino was designed as a better version of the Fairlane.

Fairlanes were built after 1968 but they had a lower level of trim that the Torinos. These were the base level cars and were produced for the American market. By 1970 Torino had become the main name for Ford’s intermediate model. The Fairlane then became a sub-series of the Torino.

Torino's came out with larger bodies than the Fairlane. The Torino's offered several different body styles including hardtops, sedans and convertibles. Probably the most noticeable design element of the Ford Torinos are their great looking fastback bodies which had some resemblance to the Mustang except with a very different roofline.

A 60's muscle car the Ford Torino was. The Torino fastback model was a big hit with NASCAR. Driver David Pearson took the 1968 title. A Torino Cobra model was raced starting in 1969 and the semi-inclining  lines on the Sportsroof model would see them transposed on the Australian Ford Falcon of Mad Max fame. In the mean time, the Torino GT Talladega, named for the opening of the Talledega race track made it’s entrance in 1969.

The Torino's fastback look

When the 1969 Ford Torino came out in 1969 most people saw cosmetic changes on the exterior body. What was really significant for that second year of Torino production was that the cars received quite a few performance upgrades. The 1969 model really stood out from the 68 model in the performance department.

Torino’s Big Engines for 1969

The Torino was built from the very beginning with lots of power and comfort with standard equipment V-8 engines from the small block 302, to the big block 390 and 428 Cobra Jet. The new 1969 Cobra was built purely for speed with one of the most powerful “showroom stock” performance engines ever built.

The full Torino line continued into the 1970 model year replacing the Fairlane with small six-cylinder and V-8 engines. These 1970 and 1971 models came with a complete new body style with entirely new looks.
Collectors were interested in the 1969 Torino GT and Cobra automobiles.

The semi-slanting GT car sold  56,819 units, however there were only 3,939 convertible models which made those pretty rare. The Cobra GT accounted for a small 7,675 buyers regardless of the fact that the car sported a 360-hp, Ram Air 429-cid V-8 and along with an optional four speed manual transmission.

See additional Muscle Car Journal articles on the links below.....

An All Electric Mustang Fastback That Does 0-60 In Under 3 Seconds

A Rare 2011 SMS / Bodurant Chevy Camaro

You may also enjoy this video of a 1968 Ford Torino Advertisement

Also see What Happened to the 60's Era Muscle Cars? 

Two excellent reference sources regarding the Ford Torino include... Steve Magnante's 1001 Muscle Car Facts by Steve Magnante and Ford Torino 1968-1974 Performance Portfolio by author R.M. Clarke.



Late 60′s Ford Torino’s Make Good Collector Cars
 

69 Ford Torino dashboard

Some of the lure of the late 1960′s Ford Torino’s is that they were a big part of the performance effort in mid sized cars. The year 1969 in particular saw the introduction of the Cobra and the Talledega as well as Richard Petty joining the Ford Motor stock car race team.

To give you an idea of asking prices as of this writing, we see Torino’s priced from the mid teens to the high $30,000 range. Originality, actual mileage and degree of restoration if any will determine the asking price.

We also see a rare Talledega with an asking price nearing $90,000. We also see an all original 1969 Richard Petty Edition GT Cobra with an asking price of $79,500.

(Article and photos copyright Muscle Car Journal)

The Fronty-Ford / One Sharp Model T Race Car

Early Automobile Racing and the Advantages It Offered

One way to publicize the new motorized vehicles including one's own brand was to enter your automobile into competition. Chicago has the distinction of being the first city to officially put on a road race. The race occurred in 1895 with a 54 miles course. This first automobile race was one by Frank Duryea in a competition that lasted some 10 1/2 hours.

Fronty-Ford Racer

The car was named the Duryea Motor Wagon was powered by gasoline (steam power was popular at the time) and it's average speed was calculated to have been 7.5 MPH.

With such publicity the Duryea Motor Wagon Company sold thirteen of their vehicles in 1896, representing the first automobiles sold in the U.S. Nine years later in 1905 the Duryea Motor Wagon Company was producing sixty cars per year.

Model T Conversions and the Fronty Fords

The Ford Model T’s factory 22 horsepower engine was going to be modified quite a bit. A company known by the name Frontenac and founded by Louis Chevrolet and his two brothers in 1916. It's interesting to note that Chevrolet itself had been formed just five years earlier by the Chevrolet brothers and William C. Durant. The Frontenac company was located in Indianapolis, Indiana.

The company enjoyed several victories in the few years just prior to World War One. What they were building were race cars on a Ford Model T chassis. They were building speed parts and mechanisms and bodies to put on a Ford Model T chassis. These cars were given the name "Fronty Fords" .Another name used for the car was simply a "Frontenac".

These cars were known for their advanced cylinder head devleopment on the Model T Ford engine. The top race was a DOHC cylinder head that was built specifically for racing. The racing model SR featured twin Zenith carburetors and an overhead camshaft

Fronty-Ford or Frontenac on Model T chassis

Fronty Fords at the Indianapolis 500

The first Indianapolis 500 Race was held on May 30, 1911. Driving a Frontenac Ford race car, Gaston Chevrolet competed in the 1919 Indianapolis 500, finishing in tenth place while his brother Louis finished seventh. Gaston would be killed later that year in an accident at a race in Beverly Hills, California.

A Fronty Ford won the Indy 500 in 1921. One of the Frontenac Model T conversions came in at fifth place during the 1923 Indianapolis 500 with an average speed of just under 83 MPH.  In 1924, a Fronty Ford attained a speed of 100 MPH on a straightaway. These early 1920's Fronty Fords played a real important role in American car racing history.

A very good book regarding the Model T and the Model T conversion race cars is Model T Speed and Sport by author Harry Pulfer. Another book that might interest you is Model T Speed Secrets / Fast Ford Handbook by Murray Fahnestock.

See additional Muscle Car Journal articles on the links below.....

A 1924 Dodge Brothers Hemi Street Rod 

A 1937 Chevy Master Deluxe Street Rod

Chevrolet Engines

Louis Chevrolet had a fascination with engines and with auto racing. With impressive showings at the Indianapolis 500 Race, the Chevrolet brothers acquired a reputation for powerful and reliable engines.  The Chevy engine retains that same reputation even to today.

A Fronty-Ford Conversion

Chevrolet Brothers Aircraft Company 

Later in the 1920's, brothers Louis and Arthur left the automobile business altogether.

 In 1929, Louis and Arthur Chevrolet formed the Chevrolet Brothers Aircraft Company with a new engine of their design called the "Chevrolair".  The company was lost to investors, principally to aviation pioneer Glenn L. Martin and his Martin Company. Martin took a ninety-percent stake in the Chevrolet Brothers Aircraft Company when the brothers fell on very hard times.

The Chevrolet brothers did get back into the automobile business in the 1930's with Sprint type racers.Unfortunately both brothers had tragic endings. Louis died in Detroit in 1941. Arthur died in Slidell, Louisiana in 1946 by suicide. It was said that at the times of their deaths both Chevrolet brothers were broke or near to it.

(Article and photos copyright Muscle Car Journal)

1932 Ford 3 Window Coupe Street Rod / Chevy 350

The automobile featured in this article is a 1932 Ford 3-Window Coupe Street Rod.  Ford models from the 1932's have long been popular as street rods and dragsters. Don't be surprised to see a modified 1932 Ford Coupe power packed with a 510 HP Supercharged 355 cubic inch SB Chevy engine. Our featured car in this article has a 350 cubic inch Chevy V-8 engine.

32 Ford Coupe with 350 Chevy V-8

Chevy 350 Engines

Chevrolet's small block V-8 made a name for itself in automotive engine history. The engine was considered technologically advanced when it was introduced in 1955.

There have been several variations of the Chevy small block V-8 . These highly popular engines have been put into a large variety of vehicles, including race cars, off-road trucks, boats, and  custom motorcycles. Today, you'll find many of these in classic Ford hot rods like the one featured here.

A real interesting bit of automotive history is that this small block Chevy V-8 of 1955 was not the first of it's kind. There were several thousand automobiles built with the little known Chevy Series D V-8 between the years 1917-1919. These were 288 cubic inch V-8's that delivered 55 horsepower. The Series D V-8 was also the first overhead valve V-8. It took some 35 years after this initial small scale introduction that the small block Chevy was born. Without a doubt this was the best engine series ever created.

A good look at the small block 350 Chevy engine

The 1932 Fords

The year 1932 found the country entering the Great Depression. Prices were down. The 1932 Ford automobiles were selling new at a price range of about $500 to $650.

Ford’s were mass produced for volume and as such they were essentially targeted to the middle and/or working classes. The high end cars during the early 1930′s either sold at high prices to those who could afford them or they didn’t sell at all. This is why the 1930′s represented the end for many of the higher priced automakers and caused a several key mergers between them.
result.

Every 1932 Ford whether it was a Model B or a Model 18 came with black fenders and wire wheels. The difference between the Model B and the Model 18 was in the engine. The Model 18's had V-8's and the Model B's had four cylinder engines.

Dashboard on customized 32 Ford Coupe

The Ford Model 18's

The 1932 Ford Model 18, also known as the Ford V-8, was the world's first low priced V-8 and was the result of a secret project between Henry Ford and a team of his engineers.

This project was spurred by two things. One was the onset of the Great Depression where something new was needed to sell cars but also at a low price. The second reason was simply heavy competition from Chevrolet for the lower priced market. The hope was that a higher powered V-8 at a low price would help sell cars.

The Model 18′s in 1932 were offered to the pubic in some eighteen different body styles. These styles included the 2 door cabriolet, the 2 door roadster, 4 door phaeton, two and four door sedans, four door ‘Woodie’ station wagon, two door Convertible Sedan, two door Victoria, Panel and Sedan Deliveries, 5-window coupe, and the 3-window Deluxe Coupe.

1932 Ford Coupe as Street Rods 

As mentioned above, 1932 Ford Coupes make very popular street rods. The frame was light and putting a V-8 into it made for a powerful hot rod or street rod. The most popular Ford hot rod is probably the 1932 Ford Deuce Coupe. These were relatively plentiful and cheap to buy during the 1940's. These were many of the cars that were raced on dirt tracks along the west coast and on the dry lake beds outside Los Angeles.


Most people accept the difference between a street rod and a hot rod depends on the car's parts. If the car has mostly original parts it's referred to as a hot rods. Hot rods are those going back all the way to the 1930's. Street rods are considered those cars built with mostly new and reproduction parts. The car featured in this article is a street rod.

Rear view of the customized 32 Ford

See additional articles on Muscle Car Journal on the links below...

A 1924 Dodge Brothers With DeSoto Hemi

A 1968 Chevy Nova Muscle Car  

1937 Buick Coupe / Turbo 455

1937 Chevy Master Deluxe Street Rod


1932 Ford Coupe Kit Cars

The 1932 Ford 3 Window Coupe over the years has been modified into many type street rods. Modifications are all over the place. You'll see many fiberglass kit cars as well. In fact, several companies sell 1932 Ford street rod bodies.

Just to give you an idea of how large the industry is for 1932 Ford Coupe kits, including bodies and body parts, below is a partial list of suppliers as of this writing...

American Street Rods / Maryville, TN

Bear Fiberglass / Prescott, AZ

Brookville Roadster Company / Brookville, OH

Rod Action / Lincoln, NE

(Article and photos copyright Muscle Car Journal)

A 1949 Anglia Custom Racer

Ford Motor Company brought out the Anglia model in late 1939. This was a car designed and produced by Ford in the United Kingdom. The Ford Anglia was an economical vehicle with few appointments.

It was an automobile that was meant for the low cost end of the market. The Anglia was a model that was the basis for other models and lasted for some twenty years. All Anglia's were styled with a two door, four seater saloon body that was usually if not always finished in the Ford black paint.

The car featured in this article is a 1949 Anglia Custom Racer. It's often been stated that every Ford Anglia imported into the U.S. ended up as a hot rod. There's some truth to this however we also have seen a few non racers. The small automobile without all the bells and whistles and very light weight is really ideal to modify into a dragster.

It was 1948 that Ford began importing the Anglia's into the U.S.and Canada. Though Anglia production technically ceased in 1953, the nearly identical Ford Popular 103E picked up where the E494A left off and continued another six years until 1959.

Specifications for the 1949  Ford Anglia Racer in this article is as follows...


Small block 350 cubic inch Chevy engine

365 Horsepower

350 Automatic Transmission

Holly 4 Barrel Carburetor

Edelbrock Intake manifold

Oversized Hot Rod Aluminum Radiator

Four Wheel Disc Brakes

Chrome Jaguar Rear End with Traction Bars

Anglia Racers Early Days

Others have said that if all these Anglia's weren't  modified into hot rods there might not have been too many of them still around today. The hot rodding with the Anglia really started in the mid 1960's. The gasser peak for the Anglia lasted from then to the mid 1970's. Starting in the late 70's the Anglia became populat as a street rod.

From the time that the Ford Anglia, Prefect and Thames were imported in 1948 until the end of 1953, these automobiles became the most sought after small cars ever to hit the drag strip. That being said, the projected sales figures for the U.S. and Canada came up far short. Buyers at that time seemed to prefer a larger and flashier car. As a result, dealers dropped their prices significantly, in some cases up to 30%.

In 1961 there were rules in place by the National Hot Rod Association that essentially disqualified the Ford Anglia from racing. Among two rules were that the car had to have a body manufactured in America. The second rule was that a racer was to have a wheelbase of 94 inches minimum. In 1963 the rules were changed significantly. Foreign automobiles would be allowed to compete in NHRA events and the cars could compete in the gasser classes even with a wheelbase under 94 inches. Good news for the Anglia since it's wheelbase was 90.0 inches. With these NHRA rule changes the popularity of these small foreign cars, such as Ford Anglia's, surged.

Articles on our AutoMuseumOnline website that you may enjoy are on the links below...

The Very First Auto Race

Racing Model T's 

Big Oly / Legend of the Baja 1000


It didn't take long for some people to look at the Anglia and note it's racing potential, that is racing with an engine other than the standard one put in by Ford.as mentioned above the 49 Anglia featured in this article has a 350 Chevy engine. We've seen a variety of other engines used in the Anglia hot rod including a Boss 302 and a 354 V-8. In addition to the 350 automatic transmission we have also seen an Anglia built with a '69 Muncie four-speed with a Zoom clutch.Gassers of course are heavily modified by definition.

Sample Prices for 1948 Ford Anglia Racers

As of this writing, the race modified 1948 and 1949 Ford Anglia's remain pretty popular and fully modified and custom for sale vehicles command respectable asking prices.Because these racers are heavily modified, both with the body and the engine, asking prices cover a wide range.

As of this writing, asking prices for 48 and 49 Ford Custom Anglia Street Rods appear to range from the mid teens to the high $20,000 area. Engine sizes and modifications including turbocharging arrangements will drive price.

(Article copyright Muscle Car Journal. Photos in the public domain)

A Beautifully Built Blown 355 Cubic Inch Ford T-Bucket

The 1923 Ford T-Bucket featured in this article is one mean machine. The T-Bucket is a very modified Model T. In fact, it is so modified you may not recognize it as a Model T. You typically will not see an engine cowl on a T-Bucket and the radiator will be from a Model T . The windshield is typically vertical which resembles the same as on an original Model T.

1923 Ford T-Bucket

Ford stopped building their Model T's in 1927. Most of the T-Buckets you see today at auto shows and swap meets are fiberglass replicas. In fact, by the 1950's it was hard to find a suitable original steel body Model T to modify.

Attention Getting Street Rods

Many of the Ford T-Buckets you see today are essentially show cars and there are some functioning as street rods as well. There is no doubt that anywhere this 1923 T-Bucket goes it will receive plenty of attention. Each of these T-Buckets are highly customized so you'll see a great amount of creativity in the bucket interior, engine of course, and paint schemes.Just take a look at the beautiful chrome on this engine.

Look at the engines in some of them and you'll see that they aren't practical street vehicles. The engine in the T-Bucket shown in this article is a Blown 355 cubic inch V-8 with some heavy supercharging. The transmission on this car is a TH350 three speed automatic. In general, you'll see a Ford T-Bucket that looks like it's much too big for the size and weight of the body and chassis. Some may say that a blower/supercharger on your T-Bucket is great for racing and perhaps for burning tires. If that's not your goal then the supercharger may be unnecessary.

Blown 355 V-8

Hot Rod Model T's are Hot

Model T's have been customized and modified into street rods for a long time. For traditional hot rodders nothing gets the heart beating faster than cool early Ford projects.

The very first T-Bucket fiberglass bodies came on the market in 1957 for about $150 and the 1923 models were the first produced.

T-Bucket Kits, Plans and Resources

As of this writing, complete T-Bucket kits are offered by companies such as Speedway Motors, Detroit Speedcraft, Spirit Motors, and Corbin Rods. T-Bucket bodies are offered by TBucketPlans.com.

TBucketPlans.com offers a publication titled...How to Build a T-Bucket Hot Rod Roadster for Under $3,000. It's been called "The Most Compete Hot Rod How-To Ever Written". Also, How to Build a T-Bucket Roadster on a Budget written by Charles Greenhalgh.

Another interesting site regarding the building of a T-Bucket can be found at hotrod.com. Cut and paste the url http://www.hotrod.com/cars/project-vehicles/hrdp-1306-we-built-a-speedway-motors-tribute-t-bucket-kit/

See our Muscle Car Journal article on the 1937 Chevy master Deluxe Street Rod

See our AutoMuseumOnline article on the 1931 Morgan Aero Super Dry


Those interested in building a Ford T-Bucket might take a look at the National T-Bucket Alliance. This organization works to bring together individual hot rodders with a common interest. Included are forums, for sale items and tech pages, an NTBA Hall of Fame, newsletters and more.

All leadership positions at the organization are volunteer. The organization is a group of dedicated T-Bucket fanatics who prefer big engines, huge rear tires and lots of fancy paint and chrome. Check them out at www.nationaltbucketalliance.com

(Article and photos copyright Muscle Car Journal)