Ford introduced the "High Output" 302 in 1982, sparking new interest in Ford small block racing. Throttle Body Fuel Injection came in 1984 and Sequential Electronic Fuel Injection in 1986. As computers started taking-over control of emissions and fuel injection systems in the early 1980's, horsepower gains would become regular feature of the 302 for it's remaining years. As mentioned earlier, 1969 introduced the 351W engine rated at 250 HP with a 2 barrel and 290 HP with the 4 barrel. The 351W has a taller deck height to increase the stroke. While al 289, 302 and 351 Windsor's share a 4" bore, the 351W engine has many changes that set it apart from other Windsor engines. The intake, heads, pushrods, block height, and firing order are just a few of the more notable differences between the 351W and other 4" bore Windsor engines.
Even though the Windsor engines no longer adorn today's Ford production vehicles, the aftermarket market bristles with excitement. Enthusiast have a long list of specialty parts to choose from, which are all made especially for the 5.0 liters of yesterday. Thus, keep the a legend alive for many year to come. CC |
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1971 emissions regulations began robbing horsepower from the once might
small block. With reduced compression ratios and the addition of
mechanical smog devices, the 302 manage to only pony-up 140 HP in
1975. In the mid to late 70's, small block performance stagnated
amongst factory built 302's. 
Another
variant of the small block Windsor is the Boss 302. These engines
where built as Ford's entrance into Trans-Am road racing. SCCA
racing rules required that at least 1,000 production vehicles were to be
fitted with the Boss 302 in order to qualify for the event. Boss
302's used a standard 302 Windsor engine block, but are fitted with
cylinder heads from the 351 Cleveland. This and other improvements
set it apart from the standard 302.