Wow - Great props to all who have posted here to defend our favorite cars!
BTW I have always liked my Boss 351. ALWAYS.
Anyway I decided to do a little 'spinning' of that article. Kinda like the unique reporting of the recent election coverage seemed to do at every turn! :whistling:
SO here is what I got - albeit loosely quoted - from this very Car & Driver Boss 351 article!
"almost every mechanical aspect of the Boss is efficient and competent"
"...on the basis of its external appearance. In fact, that side of it is generally attractive—striking rather than beautiful but it turns more than its quota of heads... "
"...the engineers emerge from the project as real heroes. Central to the Boss 351's personality is its 351 cubic inch HO (High Output) engine and it performs admirably. It produces a generous quantity of power for its size and yet is remarkably tractable and docile."
"Using the approved Ronnie Sox method of driving, which is to say wide-open throttle shifts, the times drop down to 13.9 seconds at nearly 102 mph. With performance like that, the Boss should easily do the job on its GM competitors... the Z/28 Camaro and Firebird..."
"It's just that the parts for the Boss are treated to a few extra operations in the manufacturing plant for increased durability (shotpeening and Magna fluxing for the rods and special heat treatment for the crankshaft). As glorious as that may sound to all of the world's main bearing mavens, it's the top half of the engine that is really exciting—the cylinder heads, to be specific. They are essentially the same as those used previously on the Boss 302 with staggered valves the size of man-hole covers and ports like laundry chutes. It all makes the Z/28 look like a gas mileage motor. The same generous proportions can be found on the camshaft lobes, which lift the Boss' valves to rare heights for a street engine. In fact, only registered extremists like the L88 and aluminum block ZL-1 Chevys have more valve lift than the Boss 351 engine."
"...the Boss is remarkably well behaved, considering its race-car-like hardware"
"Like the engine, the controls are responsive and predictable"
"Certainly shifting is a pleasure. The effort is light and the Hurst linkage is totally free of vice."
"Easily the most significant of the Mustang's mechanical advancements has been made in the steering. It's not particularly quick on center but it is remarkably precise—certainly as good as the best from Detroit—and small steering corrections can be easily and accurately made. Two distinct areas are due credit for the improvement; front suspension geometry has been completely revised for 1971, and all models with the competition suspension (front and rear anti-sway bars) are available with the... variable-ratio power steering gear. The test Boss was so equipped."
"...the drivetrain and the steering meet with our enthusiastic approval"
"it doesn't roll much and it will generate high lateral cornering forces in situations where you can use plenty of power to keep the tail out."
"...the Boss had one option which is easily worth its price of two additional monthly car payments—the AM/FM stereo radio…and its tone is so pleasing that you'll probably begin to wonder what's wrong with your living room hi-fi."
Sorry IT just HAD to be DONE! I like the article a lot better now that I see all the positive comments!
Ray
