We follow from day one the journey of this car from being pulled out of the desert weeds of Alberquerque New Mexico to it's race debut.
December 2nd 2004.
Dale's comments - Here's a few pics of what I'm up to!! This is my own car and is a genuine Boss 302. I have all it's history from day one, sold brand new inAlberquerque, New Mexico and I purchased it 33 years later not more than 30 miles from where it was sold new.
It was crashed around 1977, "back when they were worth nothing" and stripped off it's motor, gearbox and wheels, pushed out in the desert and left until I bought it through a USA contact.
His name is John Slack from Bakersfield, California. Without him getting this Boss would have been impossible. He knew where the car was and dealt with the owner for me!! He also has a Boss that came from the same guy. he is now a good friend and I visit him when in the USA.
Here is his story -
Hi Dale, As far as history on the car, I told you it was sold new here in Alberquerque. I have the original invoice for it! Sold new at Wayne Lovelady Ford, Alberquerque.As far as I know I am the third owner.I don't know much about the first owner but the 2nd owner drove the crap out of it.
He blew up the motor and stuck the crank and rods in a regular 302 and put 289 HIPO heads on it and that's what was in it when I got it. He had wrecked it around 1977 and taken it to a body shop and that's when I found it.
Everone in Alberquerque had tried to buy the car when it was in the body shop, including me. After 4 years I finally got the owner of the shop to agree to sell it to me if I would find out what happened to the owner and if I would file all the lein papers on it so that he could get the title for it.
It turns out the owner had killed someone and gone to prison for life and while he was in prison he was killed. I ended up filing all the lein papers and once I got the title for him he sold it to me as he agreed to do. I really thought he was going to sell out from under me but he didn't. That was probably 15 years ago.
I've had it inside my warehouse since then except for the last few months when I pushed it outside to make room to get another car out and then I never seemed to have room to bring it back in. I think I even have some pictures of when it was sitting in the weeds at the body shop.
It also had a Shelby rollbar in it. While it was at the body shop some kids jumped thefence and stole it out of the car about a week before I finally got it.
Dale: I have an older guy in his late 50's doing all the panel work. He had his own panel shop in Whangarei for years. Without him I'd be lost. Give him a panel sheet and he'll make what you want? The Boss is back out at his shop at the moment for the next phase. I can't stop him on this car as he knows what it's going to be!!
I'm running more modern steering and suspension setup. I use a Mitsubishi powersteering box and tubular suspension arms, Wilwood 6 pot front brakes. I want the car to drive nice, rather than fighting it like Moffat, etc had to in those days.
My Boss engine as you see it in that picture is only a mock up, with no
internals!!
I do have all the bits to build it, but that probably won't start until about march.
I do this so i can Dummy fit the engine to the car and fabricate all the required brackets and parts, like the exhaust, radiator, gearbox, clutch,etc.
That way i don't have to do it when I final fit the completed Engine, and scratch any paint work.
But this is what the engine will be. A Brand New 8.2 deck World Products Dart Block, 3.25 Eagle stroker crank with matching Eagle rods, Custom 4.155 High Compression Pistons, Stock Factory 1970 DOZE Boss 302 Heads, Stainless Valves, Comp Cams solid Roller Cam and Valve Train, Fulkner & Dunn IDA Intake with Brand New 48 IDA Webers, Hooker Headers, MSD Disy, Stock Car Products Dry Sump System,Magnesium Nascar Bellhousing and Triple Plate Clutch,etc.
The Heads are prepared by Kevin Ban from Kelfords in Christchurch and the engine assembly will be done by Tony Marsh in Auckland and Dyno'd, probably about 450 HP (which is usually 600 Bullshit HP, LOL.) All the Belt Drives, Pulleys,Alternator/Powersteering Brackets and Throttle linkages, etc are custom made by myself.
Kevin Ban(about 40 years old?) is who i know very well, as he is from Tauranga, a Motor Machinist by trade and very good Race engine / cylinder head guy!! in the past i've had him build some "cheap" Ford race engines for me, which he hated doing, but they all went very well and lasted!! Kevin then went to work for Tony Marsh in Auckland for a couple of years until he purchased Kelford Camtech in Christchurch and has never looked back!! I phone him quite often to run "Tech-o" questions by him(none of us know it all)
I don't know Tony Marsh very well, only from when Kevin worked for him, but Tony(probably in his 50's) has been around building race engines for years, started with Datsun engines and he even raced 120Y's at Baypark years ago. He is probably NZ's number one engine builder, and has built some very impressive Stock engines over the years that have performed unbelievable and i think be built last years, NZ touring cars top 3 place winners, Engines!!! He has a 6 month waiting list for which i've had to book in!! has an in house dyno and full machine shop equipment.
Stonewall, Yes,larger than stock. But the F & R flares are matched very evenly, its a bit hard to tell from that angle.
I had my Panelbeater "Wedge" the front inner fenders 1" as they did on the T/A cars,(alot of work to do this)so the nose has that "ground hugging" look. I also have 10" wide front wheels, so along with the dropped nose the fenders took some massaging to make it all fit with no fender rub.
Dale's business is all about classic Mustangs. From a general service, complete mechanical overhaul, Race car builds to concourse, Import and Export. As you can see from this page Dale can do it all!!
Winning Proposals - How to dramatically increase your odds of landing that great sponsorship deal! The Art Of Cheating - When your competitors are getting away with murder what are you supposed to do? More Racing Secrets Here
It was crashed around 1977, "back when they were worth nothing" and stripped off it's motor, gearbox and wheels, pushed out in the desert and left until I bought it through a USA contact.
But this is what the engine will be. A Brand New 8.2 deck World Products Dart Block, 3.25 Eagle stroker crank with matching Eagle rods, Custom 4.155 High Compression Pistons, Stock Factory 1970 DOZE Boss 302 Heads, Stainless Valves, Comp Cams solid Roller Cam and Valve Train, Fulkner & Dunn IDA Intake with Brand New 48 IDA Webers, Hooker Headers, MSD Disy, Stock Car Products Dry Sump System,Magnesium Nascar Bellhousing and Triple Plate Clutch,etc.
