photos and video by: Lethal Shutter Productions

A State Trooper Makes a Coyote Scream

When Ford resurrected the Boss 302 nameplate in 2012 and 2013, you can imagine the level of excitement generated simply because of the waves the original car created. The seasoned veterans in the automotive world waxed nostalgic; recounting the first time they encountered the Boss, or their first Trans Am race, or how they’ve always wanted one, or loathe ever selling theirs back in the 80’s for mere chicken feed.

But along with the introduction of the new Boss 302 in 2012 and 2013 came a new generation of Boss fans. Sterling Hall of Martinsburg, West Virginia, is one such aficionado; a WV State Trooper by day, and also an active Tech Sergeant In the National Guard, Sterling wanted a 2013 Boss and he wanted it bad. But who could blame him?

The new-generation Boss engine was not only a work of art, but state of the art. Ford’s latest version of their extremely popular and durable Coyote engine, dubbed “Roadrunner,” featured go-fast goodies like CNC-ported heads, powdered aluminum rods, and forged pistons, which produced 444hp and 380 lb/ft of torque. All of that with at 7500 rpm redline.

Like many Mustang enthusiasts, Sterling grew up with the 1970 Boss 302 as his dream car. When Ford introduced the Boss 302 Mustang back in 1969 and 1970, it was a definite game-changer. A small-displacement, deep-breathing V8 that could rev to the moon was trouble for the competition on the streets, as well as the track, and set the standard of the current Mustang is today. However, the Boss 302 only ran for two years—which shows the magnitude of the impact these cars had, and continue to have today.

Now, Sterling isn’t new to Mustangs, having owned an ’86, ’95, and ’98 Mustang GT, as well as three 2003 Mustang Cobras, so having several hundred horses at your command isn’t anything he had to get used to. However, it had been a while since his last pony car, and he wanted something new, but different. So, when the Boss came back in 2012 and 2013, Sterling knew exactly what he wanted, and set his sights on a 2013, as the graphics more closely resembled his dream car, the 1970 version.

It wasn’t too long before a good friend of his got him in touch with someone selling a Performance White 2013 in North Carolina. Sterling saw that it was definitely a good deal, and even though he was on vacation, he set things in motion and purchased the Boss upon his return. He finally had his Boss 302.

It only stayed original for a short while. Another friend of his who had a similar Boss to his, was in the process of making some major changes to his setup and sold his bolt-on pieces to Sterling. Things like long tube headers, cold air intake, larger fuel injectors to run E85 fuel, and a ported Boss intake and throttle body. This setup was good for fun, but Sterling wanted to start making some serious power—and if he was going make serious power, then he had to get some serious power-producing parts.

One thing those of us in the performance world knows, is that opportunity is always just around the corner. This is because a project car is never finished, and any time it goes through a transition, then a friend can benefit from the parts you removed. So, that’s where this project really began to take shape. A friend was upgrading his turbo system and sold his CPR turbo to Sterling. He had another friend change from an air-to-air intercooler to an air-to-water intercooler, so Sterling picked that up as well. He then dropped the Boss off at BPR (Brad’s Performance and Repair) in West Virginia, and began the task of boosting the Boss.

They began with upgrading the oil pump gears, crank sprocket, and balancer to ensure the stock block could withstand the extra power. The turbo was installed with the intercooler and 1300cc injectors, along with the aforementioned long tube headers and ported intake. The engine was tuned by Adam Brown Revolution Automotive in Rosedale, Maryland with an end result of 848hp and 718 lb/ft of torque to the wheels. Power is fed through the McLeod aluminum flywheel and twin-disc clutch to a Calimer-built MT82 6-speed and MGW shifter; finally ending at a 31-spline Detroit Tru-Trak diff with 3.31 gears.

The Boss rides on a full BMR suspension set up for street/strip. The factory Brembo brakes bring the whole car to a halt, and it rides on Weld S71RTS wheels with M&H Racemaster skinnies up front, and 28 x 10.5 Mickey Thompson E/T Drags out rear. The exterior is all stock, except for the GT500 rear spoiler. The interior is also standard issue Boss 302, right down to the leather Recaro seats, except for the Ecoboost 2 controller for the turbo system.

The entire setup drives like your everyday mild-mannered Mustang. Sterling says it’s a blast to drive, and it’s very streetable, until you dip into the boost—which turns it into a monster. How monstrous is it? Well, Sterling has currently run a best quarter-mile time of 10.12 @ 144mph. His sort-term goal is to get into the 9’s, but ultimately, he’s looking to be the first S197 manual-shifted Mustang into the 8’s. He’s already planning for a sleeved block, and more trans mods make it strong enough to take on the arduous task of rowing a manual transmission into the 8’s. I think the people at BPR and Revolution Automotive are in for some long nights ahead!

The love of cars can have a powerful impact on one’s life. For Sterling, his journey began with a love for a 1970 Boss 302, and now he’s come full-circle with a Boss of his own. Not only did the original Boss have a major influence on young (and old) car enthusiasts to where it became an obsession, but it also had an effect on today’s Mustangs, creating a whole new generation of enthusiasts, with their lives forever altered in pursuit of everything automotive, and even sometimes, everything Mustang.

Tech Sheet:

• CAR: 2013 Mustang Boss 302
• OWNER: Sterling Hall
• ENGINE BLOCK: Stock 2013 Boss 302
• PISTONS: Stock 2013 Boss 302
• CONNECTING RODS: Stock 2013 Boss 302
• CAMSHAFTS: Stock 2013 Boss 302
• CYLINDER HEADS: Stock 2013 Boss 302
• COMPRESSION RATIO: Stock 2013 Boss 302
• INDUCTION: Ported stock intake manifold, port-matched throttle body
• POWER ADDER: CPR Turbo, set up for 8, 10, and 12 psi, depending on fuel
• INTERCOOLER: CPR
• EXHAUST: CPR Headers, Corsa Extreme with quad tips
• FUEL DELIVERY: Fore regulator, 1300cc injectors
• TUNING: Adam Brown Revolution Automotive, Rosedale MD
• TRANSMISSION: Ben Calimer-built MT82
• CLUTCH: McLeod Twin-disc
• SHIFTER: MGW Race-spec
• DRIVESHAFT: Aluminum
• REAREND: 31-spline Detroit Tru-Trak, 3.31 gears
• SUSPENSION: Front: BMR Control arms, BMR drag race springs, stock Bilstein Struts; Rear: BMR drag springs, BMR anti-roll bar, Viking Crusader shocks, stock control arms
• BRAKES: Stock 2013 Boss 302
• WHEELS: Front: Weld S71, Rear: Weld S71 bead lock
• TIRES: Front: M&H Racemasters, 17×5, Rear: MIckey Thompson E/T, 28 x 10.5
• HP/TQ: 848/718
• 1/4-Mile E.T.: 10.12 @ 144 mph

PJ Rentie

Living in Richmond, Tx, PJ Rentie has been in the automotive industry for more than 30 years. This former Assistant Editor at Vette Magazine also spent time with companies like NOS, Edelbrock, Hillbank Motorsports, Classic Industries, and was an automotive instructor for Cypress College for ten years. In his spare time, PJ hopes to one day bring his Fox Body Mustang out of the back yard and back onto the street!