S197 Alaskan Boss 302 Build Thread Profile - S197 Mustangs

[907BOSS]

This is the Build Thread for Alaskan Boss 302. Reply below.

 

[907BOSS]

So I've been lurking here for some time, and finally decided to get around to making an account and creating a thread for my car. Some background, I've been racing Honda's for about 12 years now, the last six of which have been in an Integra Type R that was modified quite heavily. It had a K20Z3 from an 09 Civic Si, Ohlins DFV coilovers, Spoon calipers and a whole host of other suspension and interior mods. I'm a big fan of the whole OEM+ idea that evolved from the VW crowd and intend to do the same with the Boss 302.

I've wanted to do a CAM build for a long time now, and really wanted to build a 65-66 Fastback with Maier Racings catalog on it but the sheer cost of restoration and "old car hell" as we call it was not something I wanted to endure. Last year I found this 2013 Boss 302 on Facebook Marketplace, only 23,000 miles on the odometer and the guy who owned it really had no idea what was done to the car. A friend of mine had installed Whitelines entire catalog on the car, including their watts link, for a previous owner who had since passed away. The car was already well on it's way to go racing and the Boss ticks a lot of boxes between old school and new for me and I felt it was worthy successor to the "best handling FWD car of all time" ITR.

Our racing season is pretty short here, generally Autocross starts in early May and ends in mid to late September. We do two big race events in a sleepy little village called Tanacross, Alaska, no relation to the autocross nomenclature here, it's literally a coincidence. We use cones to set up a road course on an old auxiliary air base built in WW2, and we've been racing here since the late 50's! Non-caged cars get to do time trials, no passing allowed and generally only 5-6 cars on course at any given time, and for the handful of caged cars they get to do all the fun W2W stuff.

I've got a whole host of upgrades and changes planned for the remaining winter, to include a lightly used Stage 1 Calimer MT82 that I'll be picking up next week, FP front LCA, FP GT500 mufflers, Girodisc front rotors, GT500 rear brakes, and replacing some interior and exterior pieces back to OEM that had carbon fiber pieces put in their place. I can't wait to showcase the build process here with you guys, and share the awesome motor sports community we have here in Alaska with you!

 

[Bill Pemberton]

I am sure Dave_W will chime in as he has a twin to your SBY Beast and he runs a very Competitive CAMC in New England. DaveW will also be another fast pylon pilot running CAMC or CP with his Black S197 , and both can give you some winning tips as they are both swift Stang Slalomers! Great to have you on the site and I know everyone will be interested to see what racing is like in America's biggest State!

 

[302BOB]

Enjoy your new ride!!!!.....Is Alaska bigger than Texas????..........................................................

 

[Scootsmcgreggor]

Beautiful Boss! Welcome to the site. Is that Pioneer in the background of your title pic?

Enjoy your new ride!!!!.....Is Alaska bigger than Texas????..........................................................

You bet your ass it is BOB! Bigger than TX and the next two biggest states combined! California and Montana I believe.

Been a few years since I left but still have a dose of AK pride. And we LOVE pointing out how AK is bigger than TX.

 

[ArizonaBOSS]

You are going to have a good time!

 

[Bill Pemberton]

Oh, Bobby , silly question, but then since the abbreviation for Nebraska is NE. and you would not believe how many folks ask me where in New England I live, ha.
You could fit France, Germany, Italy and Great Britain in Alaska and still have more room!

 

[302BOB]

Bill, It may be silly to some, but I always thought TX was BIG...Never knew Alaska was that much bigger.....you live and you learn.......Bill, How you doin BTW??

 

[Bill Pemberton]

I am doing fine my Connecticut Yankee friend, and I hope things are going well for you, though there is a nasty storm coming towards you and other folks on the East Coast -- stay safe and inside!

 

[302BOB]

Bill, I ordered a battery powered snow blower yesterday...it won't get here in tyme for tomorrow's blizzard.....but it's a new toy to play with for future events......the snow shovels will have to do for now................where the heck are they?????????????????

 

[Bill Pemberton]

Those look interesting , but I bet our new member up in Alaska has plenty of experience with what really works well for the white stuff?

 

[302BOB]

what really works well for the white stuff

A gang of money hungry Teenagers with snow shovels.....I haven't seen them in a while!!!!!!!!!!!!!......I loved the money and the work when I was that age.............................

 

[Bill Pemberton]

Dear Bob,
Like Elvis, I believe they have left the building............

 

[302BOB]

So sad, But So true........I'd have a peanut butter and jelly and banana sandwich in honor of Elvis, but Son took my last banana yesterday

 

[907BOSS]

Beautiful Boss! Welcome to the site. Is that Pioneer in the background of your title pic?



You bet your ass it is BOB! Bigger than TX and the next two biggest states combined! California and Montana I believe.

Been a few years since I left but still have a dose of AK pride. And we LOVE pointing out how AK is bigger than TX.

Sure is, took that pic after one of the last autocross events. You can see our local drag strip in the background and to the left of the pic is our 1/3 mile paved oval. I must say we have the most photogenic race tracks in the world!

 

[907BOSS]

For reference, this is the old air base we use to do the larger racing events here in Alaska. Last year for the Memorial Day event we had a good 4-5" of snow through the pass! We drive a good ~350 miles from Anchorage to Tanacross on some very narrow, sketchy highways sharing the roads with truckers and tourists that almost certainly don't belong behind the wheel of an RV. If you zoom in you can actually see the rubber from the lay out we used that year laid into the asphalt.

Back in the old days when the event was larger and had 20+ W2W cars they ran the entire triangle, but now with smaller events we just use the main runway and adjoining taxi ways. The motorcycle club up here still does the whole triangle, and with how rough the pavement is those guys have balls of steel!

Tanacross · Alaska

Alaska

www.google.com

 

[Instructions_Unclear]

Hey there, new guy here.

Figured I'd reach out given your experience going from a lengthy Honda background to a Boss 302. I've been lurking around this site for a while now trying to absorb as much info as possible because I'm in a very similar situation to yours - currently driving a '10 Civic Si that's been modified to a similar OEM+ formula (although not as hardcore as your R was) but the Boss has really caught my eye while also considering the S550 as my next car. I could use your opinions or insight on the ownership experience. As you guys can probably attest, there just seems to be something both raw and tactile about the Boss while also being modern in many ways - things that have also brought a lot of joy to me when driving the Si, and I generally prize that experience over raw speed.

Has the Boss been a pretty good experience for you overall, and was a weird or natural jump going from the R? I'm going back and forth on whether the live axle is a fun new element to master or a liability (even though I'm a fairly cautious driver) for someone new to the platform. Either way, I admire the car a lot and understand why they're so prized given the attention Ford put into the development of it.

Sorry for all the questions, it just seems rare to see many Boss owners coming from a low-torque FWD background like I would be!

- Scott