Tunnel ram on Boss 302 need help

my dad has a 79 mustang with a Boss 302 it has an offenhauser tunnel ram on it and we have 2 holly 600 cfm carbs with vacuum secondaries. we can't get the thing to idle at around 1000 rpms. we have had the thing running before just fine. we can't get the carbs tunned right for some reason. if anyone knows wat we could do to fix it or any way to tune the carbs to get it to idle right we would appreciate it. we were also looking for a new distributor and were looking at the MSD wat one would fit the boss 302 with a tunnel ram does anyone know.

Evan Stott

 

You'll need to post more info. Are you certain it's a genuine Boss 302? And not the early 80's 302's that were advertised under the ad campaign "The Boss is Back" ? What cam's in it?

 

it is a 79 mustang that had a 4 cylinder in it my dad blew the 4 cylinder and then he got a v8. the engine is not all Boss. it is a 69 302 block with 70 Boss 302 heads that my dad got and we do not remember wat cam it has in it. but the intake we have trouble with because that is the only one my dad could find for a Boss 302. and also do you know where to get intake gaskets for the offenhauser turbo thrust 380 power port tunnel ram

 

you say it was working before. maybe it's a vacuum leak?

 

Edelbrock makes Boss 302 intakes now. Summit Racing stocks em, but not in the catalog. I'll see if I can look up the part numbers. You should be using 4 bbl Cleveland intake gaskets (I think )on those heads.

 

Here ya go: Edelbrock # 7129. Ford 302 with Cleveland heads. Summit's got it listed as EDL-7129 $260 It's an RPM dual plane airgap

 

thanks for the info and if i was to keep the tunnel ram wat carbs would be the best if i cant keep wats on it and i need help tunning

 

Carbs for the street? Holley 450's or 390's. For the strip, 600's will do you. It'll be a much happier engine with the Performer Air gap though.

 

thanks for the help we are going to work on it some this week and if anyone has anymore info on wat we could do with a tunnel ram plz reply.

 

Sounds more like the clevor engine setup. Boss/Cleveland style heads on a 302 block. I would look into getting one of the aftermarket single 4 barrel intake and should be good to go. Here's a link for the intakes I'm talking about. http://www.edelbrock.com/automotive_new/mc/manifolds/ford/perf_rpm-351c.shtml

 

That's what the 69-70 Boss 302's were. The term "Clevor" didn't come into use until the early 80's. And that was to denote the use of Cleveland heads on a 351W block.