Boss 302 engine worth?

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Mite be going to check a boss 302 with my cousin today...Anyone know what a real boss 302 worth ? Just thought i would give a yell out and see...anyone know what to look for? i saved most of the codes...But any help would be great before i roll out to see..guy says it is "but we all heard them stories before"

 
As the saying goes "its only worth what someone's willing to pay for it".

I don't see the allure of the boss 302 as an engine itself. Me personaly wouldn't pay much more than what you could build a regular 302 to the same specs/power. Unless you have a boss that needs a correct engine or making a boss clone.

Not sure if your talking about worth of the engine alone or the whole car. Imo a boss 302 engine is only worth money if it has the car to go with it. :)

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If the block has a VIN on it someone in the Boss registry might be looking for their original engine. That would make it worth more.

Other than that there is nothing really special about a Boss 302 engine.

- Paul

 
I have a somewhat unique opinion of the BOSS 302 engine.

First of all, for a factory-produced engine from back in '68, it was a pretty astounding offering. Great performance for that era, and with a factory warranty too!

With that being said, building or restoring an original BOSS 302 engine to factory specs would be a relatively expensive proposition...as compared to what a garden-variety 302 or 351 Windsor block could be built for using modern aftermarket parts.

The B2' engines were rated at 290 hp from Ford...most enthusiasts over the years feel that it is really closer to about 350 hp or so.

Now, that's in old-school, pre-SAE J1349-spec "gross" horsepower, which would be around 10% lower by today's SAE-net standards.

The true value of a B2 engine comes from it residing in it's original numbers-matching BOSS 302 ( or Cougar XR-7) body.

Putting an authentic B2 engine in a non numbers-matching Mustang ( or Cougar) will devalue the engine considerably. Putting that engine in a different model car altogether is basically a waste of the potential value of the engine in the propercar body.

If your goal is simply to have a rip-snortin' 302 that puts a smile on your face, could easily build a kick-ass 302 that will put any stock B2 engine on the trailer for far less of your money.

Plus, an all-original B2 engine is a relatively fragile and temperamental girl, requiring big octane. And the stock pistons are in effect high-speed hand-grenades.

So what am I saying? For collectabilty purposes, a B2 engine in B2 car is awesome.

For street-duty, a much-less expensive, more durable and more powerful 302/ 351 is a great choice.

 
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It all depends how pristine it is. I have seen Boss 302 Blocks that have been overbored/rebuilt so many times they need eight sleeves as well as having been notched for a stroker crank. It pretty much made it worthless for the casual enthusiast. Since it was a BOSS block they wanted far too much money for something that needed so much work put into it. Decking, repeated align honing and cooling service neglect can also ruin a engine block or make it undesirable.

Alao. It's not the shortblock that makes the horsepower. It simply contains it. Unless you are planning on >450hp out of a 302ci engine block, then a standard 302 block will suffice.

 
My brother has a complete spear 70 Boss 302 motor from carb to oil pan and water pump to top loader for his 70 Boss. He was offered 7k for it years ago by a guy who had a nice Boss 302 car with a 289 in it. He has been holding on to it until his original Boss motor is back from the engine builder and up and running. Which should be any day now.

 
The Boss block (as mentioned) has screw in core plugs and four-bolt main caps making it more desirable than a generic SBF. The heads are basically the same as closed chamber 4V Clevelands except that they have holes cut in the intake face to route coolant through the manifold (vs. a regular Cleveland that routes coolant through the block). I think they may have had special crankshafts as well, but that might be the racing versions only. The crank is the same stroke as a regular 302. The pistons are unique due to the combustion chamber of the heads.

As has been stated, I think the parts would be worth more to an enthusiast or collector than someone wanting to build a hot motor. One could probably build a 302 that would perform the same for less money.

But they couldn't pop the hood and say that they're running an original Boss 302....

 
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