A race car for the street. Can beat up on other road cars on the road all day. What you want is a street car for the race track ;-)

 

This is good news that we have several different forum members working on this. Last weekend we had the bumper of the LS and we fabricated a jig representing the front end and the placement of the OEM radiators. We have also fabricated a preliminary set of brackets - getting the basic shape right but will be finalized when we make the final oil cooler selection. We also have an extra OEM cooler and some approximations of the BTU capability. More to come...

 

2012-LS134 and Jscheier - you guys rock! Great call on the cooler bypass - money well spent. Not letting the oil get up to temp can cause major pre-mature engine wear.

If you are able, please take pics along the way and maybe post a DIY thread.

 

I too repeat the thanks and accolades to those pioneering owners who are working on this overheat problem!

That's what makes this Forum so beneficial to ALL of us.

Thanks!

 

Now we are talking - Boss 302S runs hard at VIR this weekend with temperatures at 112F and 100% humidity. Below is Mark Wilson's post today at BossMustangsOnline.com. This is the perfomance level we are shooting for...being able to drive hard and not worry about high ECTs or Oil Temps.


mwilson7Member

Posts: 53



Grassroots motorsports Ultimate Track Car Challenge
« on: Today at 04:49:17 PM »

Ford Racing and a couple of WC Boss 302S's participated in this weekends Grassroots Motorsports Ultimate Track Car Challenge event at VIR. For those not familiar with the event you basically run what you brung and run the best times you can. There are trophies in a number of categories so it's not only the overall fastest time that wins.

First thing you need to know about this years event..... IT WAS HOT!!!! Not just hot but REALLY HOT!!! We saw a sustained 112 degrees with close to 100% humidity.

We are very proud to say that with those conditions the stock Boss 302S ran a time of 2:02.255 which is flying around VIR. If track temps were in the 80's we could have broken the 2:00 mark which was our goal but with the temps you could feel the cars lack of power due to the heat.

In the end the Boss 302S finished 11th out of 76 entries and won the fastest Ford at the event as well as the "Whoa Wonder" award which was the fastest factory built car with stock brakes. I'm pretty sure that this was the fastest time with a stock engine as well but there was no award for that catagory.

 

Impressive.

 

I just finished another HPDE here in South Florida and the Boss ran great. For anyone worried about hitting the track with all the issues being posted, well don't worry. I doubt I have a magical car and the hottest I saw was upper 220's maybe 230. The outside temp was around 95 and the track temp was 140.

Most of the guys having cooling problems belong in a Boss 302S. I don't mean that as an insult rather a complement. You guys are running way harder then most of us will ever learn how. I do not baby my car, I run as fast and hear as I can and have never had any issues. Like I said before Ford has to make a car to preform well on the street and in many different climates, I think they did a great job accomplishing that and still being able to hit the track as a rookie pushing it and having a blast. Some of you guys are just a bit more skilled then this and have had a few problems but for the rest of us don't let all this talk stop you from hitting your local track for great day.

 

I would love a 302S but the fact of the matter is that I can't afford or transport one

 

very well put. "when in doubt use a higher gear with practice you will drive up to it "

 

I think YB made a good point. However when you advertise the car as a street legal race car then you need to deliver that....

If Ford put a better radiator in, a REAL oil cooler, had the fan programmed correctly, opened the top grill a little bit, MAYBE put a rear diff cooler on (they recommend it....) Then it would have been a street legal racecar. I mean how much $$$ difference are we talking if done during production?

By the way the 302s guys are busting the stock granny and upgrading to the one ran in the 302r....

I love the car and Ford did an amazing job, and surprised everyone. That is a huge understatement. I just wish they had made the above changes...

 

Well if they did all the above what upgrades would they offer in the '13 Boss?

As for the tranny I've heard the *****ing but have yet to see a post about the switch on a street Boss. Where did you get your intel?

 

Have any of you switched thermostats ? Do you use a 160 degree thermostat for track days ?

 

Why build a street legal race car in a way that you upgrade the next model year because of perforamnce issues......? See my point. This is not a normal production run Mustang that they should be improving every year. It is what it is and should be setup this way from day one. Next year make it look like a 70 boss and that's it.

I have a good friend who ordered one of the first 302s and is obviously in direct contact with Rehagen Racing and the people who run that shop. His car was, and others were, busting the stock tranny (the ones we all have in our street Boss). They upgraded to the tranny out of the 302r. It is a ford racing part that you can order.... Now let's be clear those guys run those cars HARD, however don't be surprised to see street cars having issues.

 

The trans is a whole other issue, that IMO is the real weak point on the Boss. I broke down after this weekend and I am having the fluid changed. I don't expect much of it but at this point I am willing to try anything.

The point I was making before was aimed at the track rookies. I felt there might be some people that are afraid to track the Boss. I doubt there will be any cooling issues with the first timers out there. Is the Boss perfect for the track, I guess not but it seems most of the issues are with the advanced drivers. I am just looking at Ford's position on this, if they built every truck ready to hit the monster truck rally they would not sell too many. I doubt even one percent of trucks ever see off-road duty, how many Bosses will really see track duty?

 

I don't believe the 302S ever had the standard Boss tranny. From the start I thought they were using the GT500 Tremec.

 

That is correct--TR6060 from the factory.

On a somewhat corroborating note, I do know that Rehagen has been putting the 302R T56 boxes in at customer request (and additional charge). That thing is bulletproof.

 

Maybe I have my facts mixed up or I am confused with specifics. Here is what I do know. Whatever transmission came in the 302s is not stout enough and the answer has been the 302r. I did not take the upgrade as a customer request or a huge additional charge. Cars have been breaking transmissions and the fix is to replace them with the upgraded transmission. Bottom line the 302s is wrecking it's original transmission and the answer is the 302r. When I talk to my friend again I will find out more specifics. How this relates to us is we need to be paying attention to our transmissions....


Do you have a post about your transmission going south? Details....

I totally understand what you were trying to say and agree. For 90% (I wish it was a lot less as the car was made to be at the track) how the car is stock is great. Where the problem arises is Ford advertised, directly or indirectly, as a race car made for the street. The problems that are arising when the car is driven like a race car in the intended situations (road course) it needs a few upgraded parts to really perform reliably and consistent. That is the issue.

However we have gone way off topic and I apologize for being part of the reason. We should start a new thread with the issues heavily tracked cars are already seeing..... Lets get back on topic.

What have you experienced with cooling issues and what solutions have you implemented?

 

So a Tremec in the R is replacing a Tremec in the S but as yet no street Boss has had a transmission replaced with a Tremec under warranty?

Now I have had my own issues with the car, groans, leaks, loose parts and fuel stumbles but so far any transmission issues I've had have been linked to the faulty part behind the wheel.

 

M-8005-MGT arrived yesterday from Latemodel Restoration. I'm taking Friday off to install it. Going to run 50/50 Distilled Water and FoMoCo coolant + 2 bottles of Redline Water Wetter.

I'm hoping this is a sub 4 hour job

Will post weight, measurements and install issues as soon as I'm done. Maybe photos if I can get around to it.

Will also be flushing brakes and installing ATE Super Blue.

 

Good luck! I usually double my initial estimate and then still can't do it in that time frame.