A Boss named Bruce
Specs & Mods
- Ownership Status
- Currently Own
- Year
- 2013
- S197 Model
- Boss 302
- Boss 302 #
- 3034
- Transmission
- Manual
- Mods - Handling
-
BMR Double Adjustable Rod Ends
BMR Relocation Brackets
BMR Adjustable Upper Control Arm and Mount
BMR Adjustable Panhard Bar
Pedders Coilover kit
- Mods - Power
-
Spec Stage 2 Clutch
MGW Shifter
DSS One Piece Drive Shaft
- Mods - Exterior
- Tiger Racing Hood
- Background & Plans
-
Once upon a time I had a Foxbody Mustang that my 8 year old daughter and I built from the ground up. She turned wrenches beside me and knew everything there was to know about it. By the time we sold it, at the age of 11, should could adjust the valves on a solid roller cam. I was and still am a proud papa. We owned the car for several years and raced it in NMRA and local Street Car shootout type classes. Eventually the engine met an untimely death. My wife, daughter and I considered several options for rebuilding it but ultimately decided we wanted something a little less focused and something that was a bit more of a street car first and drag car second. I knew it was finally time for a Boss. Since I sold the car my Daughter loved so much, seriously she cried when it left the house on a trailer and I felt like the worse Father ever, I told her she could pick out the Boss. After a month or so of searching she found a 2013 in Gotta Have it Green that was for sale locally. We picked up the car a week later and in a matter of hours my Wife and Daughter had named it Bruce. The car was on Pedders Coilovers with a no name relocation bracket and stock control arms. I decided to ditch all that and started ordering drag racing suspension parts, wheels and tires etc immediately. A good friend of mine begged me not to turn it into a drag car and talked me into taking a day trip up to the mountains. I knew within the first couple of turns on the winding mountain roads that I could not turn Bruce into a drag car. The next day I went to my first AutoX and was hooked. I canceled my order for the Weld Wheels and anti roll bar but kept the BMR relocation bracket, upper/lower control arm, panhard bar and added a order for handling springs, clutch and shifter.
My Wife, Daughter and I took our cars, she owns a 17 GT/CS, on the Hot Rod Power Tour where I spent the day in Kentucky making hot laps on their AutoX course. Through 2019 I was only able to do two more AutoX events but enjoyed several more days in the mountains. Then 2020 happened. Everything around me closed up and all the HPDE and AutoX schools I had signed up for were canceled and the Boss mostly just sat in the garage as I had to work constantly, which I am thankful I had a job to go to.
Things are finally starting to turn around car wise as AutoX and HPDE events are being posted. I registered for my first event next week and will compete in the Novice Cam C class. I have my budget from last year still in the bank, which I need to spend ASAP before my wife sees it and decides I dont need a new budget for 2021 lol. So I am in the process of deciding what to buy. I will be using the 2020 budge for parts and the 2021 budget for schools and seat time. The tires and brakes on my car are shot. So I figure I might as well upgrade to the 2015+ Brembo fronts and GT500 rear. I will also be purchasing some 11" wide wheels although I am back and forth as to whether to go 19 or 18's. Only con to going 18's is having to regear the car which I think it would require a tune to fix the speedo. My thoughts right now are to get some SVE 19's which would eventually become my street setup and get 18's down the road for HPDE/AutoX. Just have to figure out if SVE's will fit over the 15+ Brembo on my car with the Pedders CC plates.
Anyway, thanks for reading my story. I am excited to get started on the next chapter and look forward to meeting and learning from TMO members!
