Pole Barn Find: 1970 Boss 302 Mustang
So my jaw hit the floor when I was reading the listing here on eBay for this 1970 Boss 302 Mustang. The seller says they “put it away in a pole barn for 30 years and kind of forgot about it.” Really? Oh well, at least they are now moving it on to someone that is more interested (presumably). The car is located in Utica, Michigan, and bidding is up to $28,100 with no reserve!
Presumably, this is the car being brought from the pole barn. It looks relatively solid despite what the seller thinks is the original paint having deteriorated badly. The seller bought the car in 1986 and replaced it in 1988 with a new Buick Grand National. I won’t debate that issue (although you readers are welcome to in the comments) other than saying I’d rather have the Boss, complete with those great wheels.
The seller tells us that the floors are solid although the driver’s side torque box will need a patch panel. There’s also minor rust in some fenders. No idea if the 29,301 miles shown are actual or not, but it’s interesting to contemplate if they are.
The interior has certainly seen some use. The seller makes a comment about a possible Shelby center console and roll bar–but the pictures aren’t really good enough to tell. They also hypothesize that the car may have been used for drag racing. And while that brake pedal certainly looks intact, the seller tells us the brakes are not, although it didn’t stop them from driving the car onto a trailer.
The engine is described as being “strong”, although there is an issue with the manual choke on the carburetor. A brand new spare carburetor that is said to be exactly the same as the original for the Boss 302 minus the Ford part number is included. All in all this seems like a pretty sweet purchase if the bid stays near where it is now. What do you think?
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Comments
How the F does someone forget about a ’70 Boss Mustang sitting in storage…with 30,000 miles…if the owner wasn’t in jail, he/she should have been because that is a crime…
LOL I asked a friend a question on how he could forget about a $250,000 CD at a bank!
Part of the Barn Find appeal is wondering what were people thinking.
Looks like a really nice solid car that has not been messed with. The spare carb is a nice piece, but not original. The carb on the car is not the original. There is no info on if the original carb is there because that’s an expensive piece to locate as is the missing rev limiter.
At his original “buy it now” price of $28,000 I think it was a bargain too. But now it is headed for a higher price.
What a cool car, but that resistor certainly is hanging in the “ballast”!
How long have you been waiting to say that? 8-)
Thanks for recognizing my lame attempt at humor. It sparked my imagination, and I couldn’t resist.
Alright, I’ll stop already.
Just some observations if you were trying to restore to stock. VIN number should be stamped on the back of the engine block, at the firewall behind the intake manifold. Vin should also be on both inner front fenders. It is missing the correct rev limiter, distributor, radiator cap, pulleys on fan look questionable, the elbow on the intake manifold for the heater looks strange, also the thermostat housing. the heater ” tubes” are missing, replaced by rubber hose. Fuel line from pump to carb is missing, replaced by hose. Oil filler cap is wrong. Lots of money to replace just the items on the engine.
Another reason I love this site! Iain just shared some knowledge on this car from looking at pictures. Because of that, I know a little more about a Boss 302 engine. To me, that’s one of the fun parts of this hobby. Always learning.
Used Cat the Drag with my buddy along time ago in a very similar car. Ah memories!
Lain,
The elbow on the intake is correct. Thermostat housing is correct. Also, I don’t remember any heater tubes on these year cars. Looks like someone hot rodded it back in the day, and replaced the dual point dual vacuum diafram dist with a 289 HiPo dual point mech advance dist. and removed the rev limiter just like I did with mine in ’72, not to mention the smog crap. No gear head want’s to be limited when you’re 24 years old. Then the bigger cam and steeper gears, and a real Hurst shifter.
Just think when this car first went into the barn it was worth 1500-2000
I could have bought one in 1980 for 1200. Kicking myself ever since then.
Seller has been a member of Ebay for 10 years, but has not yet sold anything – strange.
I’ve been a member almost from the beginning of EBAY and have never sold anything. Buying is another story…
Ditto
No feedback = Didn’t buy anything either. What would Jim Morrison say about that?
“People Are Strange”
People are strange when you’re a stranger
Faces look ugly when you’re alone
Women seem wicked when you’re unwanted
Streets are uneven when you’re down
When you’re strange
Faces come out of the rain
When you’re strange
No one remembers your name
When you’re strange
When you’re strange
When you’re strange
People are strange when you’re a stranger
Faces look ugly when you’re alone
Women seem wicked when you’re unwanted
Streets are uneven when you’re down
When you’re strange
Faces come out of the rain
When you’re strange
No one remembers your name
When you’re strange
When you’re strange
When you’re strange
When you’re strange
Faces come out of the rain
When you’re strange
No one remembers your name
When you’re strange
When you’re strange
When you’re strange
Would still think that in the $28K range this is a good deal. Agree that there’s been some monkeying around under the hood but we’ve seen a lot worse cars go for a lot more money.
Not driving such a car is a shame, but storing one (not in a swamp) is also like money in the bank. When I owned a powder coating company one of my best customers bought a ’70 Boss 302 to fix up and drive. He’s a hard driver and the Boss suited his skills. Over time so many people were riding him about making it perfect and preserving it that he did just that, and now it goes to shows and sits in a climate-controlled trailer. I do understand that but the engineers must weep to see one of the era’s best handling road cars put on a shelf.
I agree Todd, what a waste. I’ve got to drive ’em.
”…one of the era’s best handling…”?
real ford fan here but not so accurate if compared to the entire field.
At any rate some unusual monkey business goin on here (“Strange”) so as seen frm my house (not up close’n personal) if stops/goes & just the tq bx repair: $10 -15K?
The driveline alone will cost you 10K.
What is a pole barn find? Is that description of the thing that people who pay $35,000 for something like this get in their rear end?
The console is for a 1969. You can see that the cigarette lighter is in the face of the storage compartment and the holders for the seatbelts. I believe having the extra gauges in front of the shifter and the switches behind the shifter make it a Shelby console.
I’m bummed that the seller did not have all of his research in order before listing this Mustang (assuming that he is honest). The lack of records makes things even more confusing.
I’m guessing a few minor mechanical fixes would boost the value, as well.
I hope everything pans out.
I just spoke to a gentleman named Ed today at the Garden City Summer Nostalgia car show. He had brought his 1970 Mustang 428 CJ Drag Pack, which he bought new in Winnipeg (1 mile from the show!) 1 month before his 20th birthday. It has been stored in his garage and started 3 or 4 times a year for 30 years but not on the road. He just pulled it out this week and washed / polished / plated it. 47000 miles 1 owner. Time capsule.
Winning bid:US $31,105.00
[ 18 bids ]