Big Bad Boss: Stealth as is . . . under pressure
Extremely difficult, certainly, but not impossible—washing two
cats at the same time, that is. That’s how 34-year-old travelling
pineapple salesman Chris Merriner describes driving his Boss 302 over
180 mph. It’s a handful, to be sure, but one that he wouldn’t quit in a
lifetime. Once he’s left the mark, it’s on the gas, off the gas, gear
change, manage the boost, and log each pass—nearly as distracting as
trying to bathe a pair of felines simultaneously. Merriner says, “So
it’s a cluster, and I’m always busy in there because these cars were
never meant to go this speed.”
Speed, this speed. For the past decade or so,
the interest in top-end “racing” has grown like kudzu, spreading across
the country east of the Rockies. The usual slalom, braking, handling,
and quarter-mile program has been done to death and they are tired of
it. They want that adrenalin-saturated passage of going as fast as the
car can go. One of the more popular organizations for testing their
limit is WannaGOFAST, an outfit hosting facilities in six states. Since
Merriner is a Floridian, he races there (Ocala), but he also crosses
Texas, Virginia, and Georgia state lines.
2016 Ford Mustang
$23,895
Base Model (MSRP)
17/28 MPG
Fuel Economy
“I bought the [Boss] specifically to turbo it,”
says Merriner. “Tore it down at 1,300 miles to install the turbo kit.
This car seems very basic when you look at it. All the gauges and
anything else that says ‘fast’ is tucked away and hidden during street
duty. If you do not know the car you would never suspect.”
Though Merriner followed the usual path of modification to the
chassis, suspension, and interior, he put most of the effort in the
motor. The cylinder block wisdom is simple: If you’re looking for 1,000
hp or more, you will do well to sleeve the cylinders to keep the bores
straight and strong and promote torsional stiffness under high-boost
pressure. In anticipation of that conversion, Tim Eichorn at Mustang
Performance Racing in Boynton Beach, Florida, did the machine work and
the mechanicals, and fixed the block with Darton sleeves. For a
completely forged lower end, Eichorn joined a new Boss crankshaft with
custom Diamond 10:1 pistons and Oliver connecting rods. He put a billet
oil pump in there too, and put some bigger valve springs (for the stock
camshafts) on the otherwise stock cylinder heads.
Lately, Hellion Turbo’s twin hairdryer packages
have been flying off the shelves and on to unsuspecting Coyote motors.
Merriner’s combination includes Precision 62mm turbochargers, an
air-to-air intercooler, a Turbosmart boost controller, and Hellion
four-into-one tubular shorties channeled to a 3-inch system. Nourishment
is provided by 95-lb/hr Injector Dynamics feeders and three staged
Walbro 465 fuel pumps monitored by a FORE Innovations pressure
regulator. Whether he’s taking his daughter to school or cranking the
Boss out the back door for all its worth, Merriner’s setup is programmed
for E85 fuel.
As such, it was tested in mid-January, but Merriner says he had
to keep the tuner’s name under wraps because of government clearance
requirements. But he sent us the chassis dyno chart that read 1,145 hp
and 1,018 lb-ft of torque at 20 psi. All righty then! How to hold this
in line? A McLeod twin-disc RXT1200 clutch assembly and steel flywheel
precede the T-56 Magnum, which passes grunt to 3.31:1 gears in the
8.8-inch axle.
Since the Boss was built for acceleration in a
straight line and not for handling or cornering under another kind of
pressure, Merriner upgraded the chassis and suspension accordingly,
combining Ford P springs on the stock struts in front and rear, and
braced the body with Whiteline adjustable 33mm and 27mm bars. He cinched
the front and back halves of the car together with Stifflers frame
connectors. The front control arms are original; the rear control arms
are adjustable (both upper and lower) from UPR Products in Lake Worth,
Florida.
As for the energy-grinding proposition, Merriner says, “Most
people think that the half-mile is about the acceleration part.
Actually, it’s more about braking, stopping, using that next half-mile
to slow the car safely. I don’t use a ’chute. The [14- and 11.8-inch]
Full Tilt Boogey two-piece rotors, braided lines, and Hawk pads are more
than enough.”
We’re going real fast here (183.2 mph at this
writing), so we need some high-speed rubber and wheels to get us there.
Merriner went to Weld for its 77B hoops (18x9.5 front, 18x12 rear) and
capped them with Mickey Thompson 275/40 Street Comps followed by chunky
345/35 ET Street Radial IIs.
Outside, the ghost-white body is nondescript.
Merriner removed the Boss logos, slapped a faux gas filler cap on it,
and made up its face with Roush upper and lower grille pieces. Were
anything to give away the stealth, it would be those oversize rollers—if
you could see them in time.
For such a ferocious beast, the Boss doesn’t give away anything
on the inside, either. A rollcage is on the to-do list. The gauges are
discretely tucked away out of sight, and the surroundings are just as
anonymous. The only hint of something nefarious is the Laguna Seca rear
seat delete package. Aside from the cleanliness of the installation, the
X-brace adds a measure of rigidity to the chassis. Ever the obfuscator,
Merriner even removed the logo.
“The Boss rides and drives perfect under normal
throttle,” he says. “I have taken it on many seven hour road trips as
well as around town with zero issues, but under full boost, I am
definitely putting in work in the driver’s seat. This car has been a
love-hate relationship. I typically do most of my own work and it has
been my first Mustang build. I got wronged by a shop and it took most of
2014 undoing the damage. However, it is a blast to drive. My 4-year-old
loves it, and her face lights up whenever she goes for a ride. This is
one of my favorite things to do with the car.
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