Show It WHO's Boss

The Aussie boss V8 is sure to wake up your classic Ford. Here’s how to make it work

- Craig Parker

Retro Tech: The art of dropping a late-model motor into an old-school chassis. It’s a great way to improve the starting, running, driveability and maintenance of any classic Streeter. Better still, it often comes with the added bonus of more power!

Although a little unloved, Ford Australia’s 5.4litre quad-cam Boss V8 has a tonne of hidden potential. Unfortunately, the difficulty of slotting one into a classic FoMoCo hasn’t helped its popularity. But Sydney-based Ford suspension specialist RRS has come to the rescue. Using its unique strut front suspension system, RRS has developed and completed a number of Boss swaps, and offered to run us through all the ins and outs.

THE ENGINE

A HYBRID version of the American ‘Modular’ V8, the 32-valve, 5.4-litre Boss motor is uniquely Australian. It’s incredibly strong (thanks to cross-bolted mains), loves to rev and makes good power past 6000rpm. You’ll find them in XR8, GT and GT-P cars from 2003 through to 2010 when the all-alloy 5.0-liter V8 was introduced. There are four basic versions: Boss 260, 290, 302, and 315. The number of each designates its kW output.

At 780mm, the Aussie Boss is seriously wide – 132mm wider than a Cleveland and 94mm wider than an FE or 460 big-block. In fact, it’s 19mm wider than the famed Boss 429 and 427 Hemi! Surgery is unavoidable, but RRS offers both a solution and an upgrade: a shock tower notching kit (which adds plenty of extra room) and a bolt-in HO strut set-up.