Today is the second to last Monday of the month and that means , along with the Mustang Owners Club of South Eastern Michigan (MOCSEM), I am bringing you the Mustang of the Month. Last month, we recognized Ken Janus's 1969 Ford Mustang Mach 1 428 Super Cobra Jet and this month we stay in the category of classic performance packages with Mark Storm’s 1970 Boss 302.
If you are not familiar with the Boss 302, it was introduced in 1969 by Ford Motor Company, offering a handful of performance features to make it a stronger competitor for the SCCA Trans-Am. The 1970 Boss 302 came with standard front disc brakes, larger sway bars, shock tower braces, a four speed transmission (no automatic was offered) and the mighty Boss 302 engine. Thanks to a set of high flowing Cleveland cylinder heads, the "G Code" engine offered 290 hp – although it is widely believed that this number was underrated.
Mark had this to say about his Grabber Orange 1970 Mustang Boss 302.
Life began for this 1970 Mustang Boss 302 in January of 1970 where it was built at the Dearborn Assembly plant and shipped to Dobbs Ford in Haleyville, AL. It sat on the dealer lot until August before it was eventually sold to its first owner; these cars were deemed to be too expensive in the day and were sparse on options. The car changed numerous hands and states, moving up to WI, IL (at the Volo Auto Museum), and eventually in NY where I found the car in 2001 and then returned it to its birth home in the Detroit Metropolitan area.
Previous to this car, I owned a 1969 Mach 1 which I had no intentions of selling until that “right” offer was presented. Since the 1969/1970 Mustangs are my favorite body styles with the Boss 302 being at the top of my list I wasn’t going to look at anything but those years to replace that car! This car is an original Grabber Orange exterior with the standard black interior; the options included: shaker, slats, front & rear spoilers, power steering, optional axle ratio, tachometer, clock, AM radio, and console.
When I purchased the car I knew I was going to do a “little” work on it, but what began as some spot paint & rust repair on the car became a complete restoration project. Although this was not a rotisserie restoration the doors, hood, deck lid, fenders, bumpers, valence panels, glass, and interior were all removed. Panels were bead blasted, new floors, tail light panel, and torque boxes were installed. The entire project took over a year to complete including the few months it was in winter storage before I could resume.
With the help of swap meets and ebay I was able to locate these original items missing from the car:
Rev Limiter
Holley 780 Carburetor
Correct Style PVC
Hurst “H’ shift design handle
Floor Console
Space Saver Spare / Inflator Canister / Jack
Original Seatbelts Complete w/Shoulder Belts
The car finally made its’ debut at the Ford 100 Celebration in Dearborn 2003 where I had the opportunity to have Parnelli Jones get behind the wheel and sign my driver’s side visor. Although the major work has been done, there is always something to repair or improve on.
I enjoy taking the car to local Cruise Nights and various Car Shows and look forward to my annual participation in the Woodward Dream Cruise. Most of all, I just enjoy taking a leisurely drive to listen to those solid lifters!
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Congratulations to Mark Storm and his spotless 1970 Boss 302 for being the Detroit Autos Examiner’s May Mustang of the Month! Check out the gallery below for a better look at Mark’s 1970 Boss 302 and stay tuned to your Detroit Autos Examiner for my monthly Mustang features and news from around the automotive world!
Comments
awesome! my favorite year and model.
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