| Ford Boss 302 V8 | |
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| Manufacturer | Ford Motor Company |
| Type: | Small-block V8 |
| Successor: | Ford Boss 351 V8 |
| Bore: | 4 in (Expression error: Unrecognised punctuation character "{" mm) |
| Stroke: | 3 in (Expression error: Unrecognised punctuation character "{" mm) |
| Displacement: | 302 cu in (Expression error: Unrecognised punctuation character "{" L) |
| Valvetrain: | OHV |
| Fuel system: | Normally aspirated |
| Power output: | 290 hp (Expression error: Unrecognised punctuation character "{" kW) @ 5900 RPM |
| Torque output: | 290 ft·lbf (Expression error: Unrecognised punctuation character "{" N·m) @ 4300 RPM |
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.'
