1970 Mustang Boss 302: Our shed

By: Guy Allen, Photography by: Guy Allen

Date: 10.06.2014

1970 Mustang Boss 302

Uncle Phil gets all racy with the boss...

Our shed: 1970 Mustang Boss 302

Mustang Boss 302

> Watch the video here

WHEEL BOY

You’d think the bloke who owns one of our recent cover cars, a Mustang Boss 302, would be happy. Not Uncle Phil, despite the fact it’s dead original and there’s not a single surface you couldn’t eat off. He has to fiddle.

Okay, fair enough, a lot of unique car owners are the same – they just have to put their own little signature on the monster before they’re entirely satisfied.

In this case, Phil reckoned he had a car made famous by USA race legend Parnelli Jones, and it was in the right colour. So why not complete the competition look with the right wheels?

Enter stage right young Mister Russell Stuckey, ringmaster at Stuckeys Tyre Service in sunny Coburg, Vic. Russell has been around the game a while, has a fair old motorsport bent himself, and is one of those rare people you can take a little challenge like this to.

Phil explains, "I wanted to go for the original Parnelli Jones look, because it’s the right colour and model. So I specified to Russell I wanted that dirty muddy look, which is not everyone’s cup of tea, but having seen the wheels they’re exactly what I wanted."

Challenge number one was to find the right wheels to replace the stock Magnums, which are no doubt tucked away somewhere in the shed. The pair agreed on Minilites, from the original maker in the UK. "They’re a genuine Minilite, which was the period wheel for the day and it’s the ducks guts in wheels so far as I’m concerned," says Phil.

He goes on to highlight that he wanted that period ‘muddy’ look. Russell quietly points out the colour is called Anthracite. "The wheels took a bit of getting, in the right offset, the right size and colour," he says.

Next up was the question of tyres. "I want the car to look angry," says Phil. "A lot of people have nose-up cars, but old cars have got to be angled down with the rake down to the front." To that end the original wheels are carrying slightly different sizes front to back: 235/60-15 and 245/60-15.

"We’re using 60-series front and back, but the backs are two sizes larger than the front, to give it that rake," says Russell. "We found some Japanese Dunlop high-performance tyres – modern tyres, modern technology, but in 60-series sizes, which is important. Some people fit 50-series tyres on these, but it lowers the car too much and doesn’t fill the guard."

Branded Sumitomo, the new rubber is bigger and sports a greater size difference front to back: 255/60-15 and 275/60-15.

There’s no question it’s mission accomplished when it comes to looks. "I had a vision in my head and that’s gone right out the door. It’s a whole lot better than I thought," says a grinning Uncle Phil.
And how does it drive? "Beautiful!" From him, that’s saying volumes.

If you’re thinking of a similar conversion, Stuckeys says the wheels are worth around $575 each and the tyres about $280.

*****

More reviews:

> Watch the video: 1970 Mustang Boss 302

> 1970 Mustang Boss 302

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