1971 BOSS 351 MUSTANG

Ford decided to pull out of racing after the 1970 model year. The Mustang handily won the 1907 Trans Am Series and so, there was no need to continue building the expensive, limited production Boss 302 engine. Still, Ford got a lot of mileage out of the Boss name and so, continued the concept into the 1971 model year.

The Boss 351 replaced both the Boss 302 and the Boss 429 Mustangs. Like previous Boss Mustangs, it was a complete package, with limited options. Standard was the 330 hp 351 Cleveland V-8 featuring a four bolt main block, large port cylinder heads and valves, a solid lifter camshaft, an 11.7:1 compression ratio and aluminum valve covers. Other standard features were Ram Air, 3.91:1 rear axle ratio with Traction Lok, four-speed manual transmission, Competition Suspension, power front disc brakes, front spoiler, the Mach 1 front grille and lower bodyside paint treatment, bodyside tape treatment and Boss 351 decals in place of the Mach 1 decals. The Boss 351, however, came with the standard chrome front bumper. The hood, also differed from the Mach 1s as the black or argent paint covered most of the hood.

Standard wheels on the Boss 351 were 15x7 with trim rings/hubcaps. Optional were the 15x7 chrome Magnum 500s. Tires in both cases were Goodyear F60x15 RWL Polyglas GTs.

Not a light car (3,750lbs), the Boss 351 could do the quarter mile in the high 13 second, low 14 second range. This equaled or surpassed the acceleration of other big-block equipped Mustangs (and other Pony cars as well) and its weight distribution made for better handling and braking. It also had much better low end response than the peaky Boss 302 and Boss 429 engines. A nice Mustang indeed.

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