[rowdyshayne]

Hello, I am new to this site, new to Broncos, new to trucks. I just recently traded a bike for a early 90's model Bronco with a freshly rebuilt 302 boss motor in it. I need to do two things to the motor before it should be ready to hit the mud pit, which is all I will be doing with it. I need to get a new carb. and a new radiator. I have heard that the Predator carbs are good for the mud because, well because its so simple. Which is good for me cuz I don't know jack about cars. They seem to run about $350 or $400 for a new one. My question is, is there another carb in that price range that would work better for me? And also, does any use one of these carbs and can you tell me what you think of it?

 

[raleigh]

That truck is fuel injected not carb'd.....

 

[rowdyshayne]

How do you know? the motor? or the truck year?

 

[raleigh]

All late 80's and 90's engines are EFI, you should be good to go.

 

[rowdyshayne]

I want to be clear, this is not the original motor that came in the truck. This motor before it was rebuilt came out of a Mercury Cougar. The old motor in the Bronco was traded out for this one. This is a 1970 1st Gen 302 boss. They came with a with Ford part number D0ZF-9510-Z carburetor. It is also Holley List number 4653. So, I am almost 100% sure it is not fuel injected. However, the truck is not sitting right in front of me and I have only seen it once, since I have not picked it up yet. So I could be wrong, you tell me.

 

[351w500]

How do you figure it is a BOSS 302 and not just a regular 302 ? Please send photos, I have never seen a Boss 302 used in a Bronco.

 

[351w500]

If you get a Predator carb, be sure to get the Idle circuit too-

 

[rowdyshayne]

ill have to get back to you with the photos...i can't pick it up until saturday so they will have to wait till then. The seller/builder is a close friend of mine so i am just taking his word on the deal (meaning that it is what he says it is and that it came out of cougar)... plus he knows a hell of a lot more than I do about trucks (he put the motor in the truck) but I really appreciate your help.

 

[rowdyshayne]

what does the Idle Circuit do?

 

[351w500]

I think it just helps it idle when in street use, But I have seen several friends over the years with them and they had carb fires, Blaming the fires on not having the idle circuit...Call Predator for your exact application. IF you really have a Boss 302 in the vehicle, you could sell it and build a nice 460, that is a mud bog set-up there !

 

[rowdyshayne]

well I thought that the motor I already have would be a nice match since the truck is still just a 1/2 ton......What about you?

 

[raleigh]

Ah, details are very important when asking questions like this! Good luck with your project, pics would be cool!

The 302 is not the high torque engine that a 460 is, a 460 would be better for your application.

 

[351w500]

A true Boss 302 is an all out track motor but it likes to wind out on a road course, It is a BAAAD motor ! It is worth a lot of cash, But it aint no mud bog motor. After you have sold the "Boss" you can put a bigger inch motor in there like a Built 351, 351 with a stroker kit, or a 400 with some parts in and on it.

 

[rowdyshayne]

Let me ask you guys this. Is there a sure way to tell whether I have a boss motor or just a plain ole 302? also, If I do have the boss motor, I have heard that I am going to be weak in the low end torque area because of the larger cleveland heads. why would bigger heads give me less low end?

 

[351w500]

Because of lower port/air speeds. I have built 2v 351c engines and 4v 351c engines and ill take a 2v iron head with a little portwork over a 4v anyday, The 4v port size was for Nascar 7000 rpm kinda stuff.

 

[351w500]

A sure way to tell is by looking at the block numbers and the crank and rod numbers.....i believe the bosses were crossbolted on the mains so look for that too.

 

[Blown460]

It's the same reason Boss 429 heads don't make much power on a stock engine. They were designed to be run flat out on the track on a built motor, not make gobs of torque down low.

 

[j. r. Nice]

You could Google "Boss 302" and find pics and history all day long. Just make sure you are looking at earlier (69,70s) versions. I would doubt it's a Boss. Not something most prudent people would waste on a Bronco. I don't remember Ford putting those in Cougars.

Look at the valve covers is the easiest way to differentiate. Regular 302s and 5.0s and 5.0 HOs have 6 bolts. Boss covers have 8 and are squarer.

Here's a pic:

 

[rowdyshayne]

i just seen that...i have been researching it and I found out about the 8 bolts on the valve covers and there are also 8 screw in freeze plugs too i think. does ford have a database of block numbers that I can reference it against? and you can be assured that if this does turn out to be a true boss motor, my first matter of business will be to pull it back out of this truck and put it directly on ebay. I can buy a real beast of a truck for what them things are going for.

 

[j. r. Nice]

i just seen that...i have been researching it and I found out about the 8 bolts on the valve covers and there are also 8 screw in freeze plugs too i think. does ford have a database of block numbers that I can reference it against? and you can be assured that if this does turn out to be a true boss motor, my first matter of business will be to pull it back out of this truck and put it directly on ebay. I can buy a real beast of a truck for what them things are going for.

If it's still in the truck, I would leave it there so it could be started and ran. Do your research, do a video, take pics, put it on Ebay.

Even if it's just the heads and intake on an early 289/302 block, it's still valuable.