jgkurz Posted February 24, 2008 Share Posted February 24, 2008 Hi Everyone, I had a unique experience today that I wanted to share. I've seen this car in my neighborhood but I've never known who's it was. Today I stopped by the mailbox for the mail then cruised around to see if the mystery car would reveal itself inside an open garage. I guess I was snooping a bit. Low and behold the owner was 3 blocks away and was about to take the car out for a spin. I stopped to gawk at this flawless 1970 Boss 302. The owner was very friendly and invited me to look over this car and also his equally amazing 1965 Mustang convertible. After spending some time looking over the car he backed it out of the garage and invited me for a ride along. Cool!! He idled the car for a few minutes to warm it up then realized that the transmission was stuck in 3rd gear. It is the original Borg Warner T-10 with a Hurst shifter. He didn't have any luck getting the shifter freed up. I volunteered to help since he wasn't sure what the problem was, and to be honest I still wanted a ride. We jacked the car up to take a look at the shift rods. I figured that the problem was either the shifter rods or possible the shift forks inside the transmission. A shift fork problem would be bad. I couldn't quite tell what the issue was so I disconnected the rods from the transmission shift levers. Once the rods were disconnected the shift levers moved properly so I figured the transmission was not the problem and the rods were simply mis-adjusted. My experience is that getting Hurst shifting rods adjusted perfectly is a science in itself. It looked like the rod for 3rd gear was the culprit. After about an hour of adjusting and testing we got it shifting great. The owner was so grateful he threw me the keys to take it out for a spin. My jaw about hit the floor.... I had a little trouble with the clutch as you can hear in the video but eventually I got the hang of it. The little 302 is a great engine but not overly powerful. The sound of the flat tappet cam clicking and clacking and the lope of the cam would give any muscle car fan shivers. The exhaust note was amazing. Driving a Boss 302 was something I've always wanted to do. What a gift I was given. Brief video: http://home.comcast.net/~jgkurz/images/Boss302.wmv Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MJLamberson Posted February 24, 2008 Share Posted February 24, 2008 wow, I saw one of those today and talked to the owner, only he didnt want to restore his... it was still cool though Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pete84 Posted February 24, 2008 Share Posted February 24, 2008 Great sound!! I've found that helping people out on their cars is a great way to get rides and access to tools Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
johnc Posted February 24, 2008 Share Posted February 24, 2008 Always loved those cars and the 302 powered Z28s. I was lucky enough to drive a 302 powered 1968 Z28 and it had plenty of power. You just had to get it above 5,500rpm and keep it there. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jgkurz Posted February 24, 2008 Author Share Posted February 24, 2008 Always loved those cars and the 302 powered Z28s. I was lucky enough to drive a 302 powered 1968 Z28 and it had plenty of power. You just had to get it above 5,500rpm and keep it there. I love the 1969 Z/28 as well. I have a close friend with an all original tuxedo black RS/Z28. It's a stunning car. Interestingly, his Z28 and the Boss 302 drive very similar. Both cars still have exhaust manifolds instead of headers to maintain their authenticity. I couldn't feel any difference in the power band between them. With both there's little torque below 3500rpm. Headers would probably improve HP greatly on these engines. In a nutshell, I'd say the Z/28 had better steering and the Boss had better brakes. These characteristics may be something unique between these specific cars but that's what I noticed. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
xxjoeyxxeb Posted February 24, 2008 Share Posted February 24, 2008 My friends Dad had a 69 Vette back in the day with a 427 engine and a 302. He said the 302 was more fun to drive because the power actually got down to the road and it was high revving. It's always a great experience to be able to drive a nice car. My Dad bought a 72 Vette with a 454, and when he threw me the keys I was smiling ear to ear. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Z-Gad Posted February 24, 2008 Share Posted February 24, 2008 Very cool !! Did you offer to take him for a ride in your Z? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jgkurz Posted February 25, 2008 Author Share Posted February 25, 2008 Very cool !!Did you offer to take him for a ride in your Z? I'm doing a few minor upgrades to the Z right now. As soon as it's back on the road I'll give him the keys and turn up the boost. I may need to put a seat liner on the driver seat so it doesn't get soiled... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Midnitz Posted February 25, 2008 Share Posted February 25, 2008 You are indeed a lucky man...Those Boss302s weren't meant to be ground-pounding straightliners like the 427s, 428s and 429s of that day....these cars were designed for the trans am circuit....where the large-port head 302 can do its thing at or above 4500rpms. They handle quite well and are worth big bucks now....$65+ K for a #2 car. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MJLamberson Posted February 25, 2008 Share Posted February 25, 2008 so how did it feel in comparision to a Z? I know its apples and oranges but still... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jgkurz Posted February 25, 2008 Author Share Posted February 25, 2008 so how did it feel in comparision to a Z? I know its apples and oranges but still... The steering was vastly worse than my Z but that's not unexpected from a 38 year old steering box vs rack and pinion. The Boss 302 rode better than my Z since the wheel base was longer and my Z has stiffer suspension. The biggest surprise were the outstanding brakes. On the street they're probably just as good as my Z. The "seat" dyno was not even close. My Z would leave it standing still but that's hardly a fair comparison. If the car were mine I'd be tempted to pull the engine and trans then put them safely in storage. I'd then put a 550HP stroker Windsor with 5spd Tremec. Of course I wouldn't cut or modify the car in any way that would keep me from putting it back to stock. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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