There are few engines around the world that have made a big enough impact on the performance market that their names have become legend.  While some models featuring certain engines have become sought after like the 1970 Mustang Boss 429 or the 1969 440 6-pack Plymouth Roadrunner, only a handful of engines will forever be known to gearheads everywhere by a simple name.  Arguably one of the most well known and well traveled engines is Chrysler’s Hemi.  While the Hemi has gone through a wide variety of engine sizes, the 426 cubic inch model of the late 60s and early 70s featured a design that is still advanced enough that most of the NHRA’s fastest cars use a design similar to the Chrysler Hemi, and the modern Hemi has continued the legacy of high performance. 

From General Motors, one motor making a lot of noise since the original muscle car era is Chevrolet’s 350 cubic inch small block, often referred to as the SBC (small block Chevy).  Again, the SBC has undergone a great many changes in displacement, this remains one of the most common performance engines in the US, and many performance parts for the SBC can be purchased at any parts store.  More recently, the SBC has become the secondary performance legend to GM’s LS engine series, and that is lead by the LS1.  Featured in Corvettes, Camaros, Firebirds, and GTOs, these engines have acquired an amazing reputation for being easy to build to make big power and with the more recent LS3 and LS7, along with the supercharged LS9, the LS engine series has already secured itself in the automotive history books.

Ford Motor Company has had a handful of high performance big blocks in the Galaxie, Fairlane, and Mustang which have hurt the feelings of many opponents on the street and strip, but no Ford engine has made such a reputation for itself as the taunted 302 cubic inch small block, known more commonly as just the “Five-O”.  While the 302cu turned 5.0L engine has appeared in many different vehicles, there is no dispute that this little powerhouse has gained the biggest part of its reputation while packed under the hood of the Ford Mustang.

The story of this famous small block began in 1968, when Ford Motor Company took their Windsor engine block measuring 289 cubic inches and changed the stroke to 3 inches, but using the same pistons as the 289, this new engine measured 302 cubic inches.  Since at the time Ford was using this small block along with another block made in Cleveland, Ohio which hit the market in 1970, the two engines were designated by either a W or C.  The most obvious physical difference between the Windsor and Cleveland engine is that with the Windsor engine, the radiator hose connects through the intake manifold, but with the Cleveland engines the coolant runs directly into the engine block.]

The Windsor small blocks were introduced in 1962 and measured 221 cubic inches, which grew to 260 cubic inches, then 289 cubic inches, then reaching 302 cubic inches a short time into the 1968 model year.  It would later be joined by a 351 cubic inch engine, but the 302 variant would be a relative mainstay in the Mustang lineup from 1968 until 1996, when the new 4.6L Modular motor replaced it, and by 2001 the 5.0L engine was no longer available in any Ford products (although the 302/5.0 is still available as a crate motor from Ford Performance).  All of the early 302s were carbureted and most wore a designation of either 2V or 4V, which causes a common misconception due to modern engine designations.  The 4.6L modular engines which replaced the 5.0L are often referred to a being either 2V or 4V, and that correlates to the number of valves per cylinder, but all of the 302 engines used a 2 valve per cylinder setup, and the 2V or 4V used in conjunction with the 302 name stated the type of carburetor, which is why some sources will specify 2bbl and 4bbl. 

Due to the popularity of the Fox Body Mustangs of the 1980s and 1990s, the phrase “Five-O Mustang” most commonly refers to those models, even though the 302 cubic inch engine actually measures 4.9L.  The Five-O Mustang was so popular in the 1990s that it even received mention in popular culture, such as in the song “Ice Ice Baby”, performed by then-popular rapper Vanilla Ice, and the star was shown driving a Fox Body Mustang convertible in the music video.

The Early Years

When the 302 cubic inch engine was released shortly into the 1968 model year Mustang to replace the 289, it used a standard over-head valve setup, as would every 302/5.0 engine built by Ford.  The original 302 in 1968 offered 210 horsepower in its 2V form, and a slightly more powerful 302 4V was offered, which made 230 horsepower.  The 1968 GT350 featured a special high performance 302, and that engine made 315 horsepower.  That power was made starting with a high-strength engine block, topped with increased valve-size cylinder heads, taking in the air through a high rise aluminum intake manifold and forcing the spent exhaust gases out by means of a set of high flow cast exhaust manifolds.  This engine selection was very rare, as at $700, it increased the price of the GT350 by almost 20%.  That gave you a 315 horsepower GT350 which cost just shy of $5,000, where the GT500 with a 428 cubic inch big block and 335 horsepower cost only $4,400.

1969 brought about no change to the standard 302, as it still made 220 horsepower, and the Hi-Po 302 found in the GT350 was not offered, but 1969 did introduce the world to the Boss Mustangs.  The big brother of the Boss lineup was the Boss 429, and this 376 horsepower beast helped plant the Mustang securely in the record books among the other high horsepower big blocks of the time, but the Boss 429 was outsold by almost two to one by the 1969 Boss 302.  The heart of this new trimline began with another high strength 4-bolt main 302 block, but it was fitted with a set of high flowing Cleveland cylinder heads, which were the key to the additional power thanks to their ports and valves being larger and having a smoother air flow design.  The Boss 302 engine featured a handful of modifications to help handle the add power, such as thicker cylinder walls, a performance prepared crankshaft linked to heavy duty connecting rods, and forged pistons.  The Boss 302 advertised 290 horsepower, but it has been rumored that just tuning the stock setup will produce closer to 315 horsepower.  The 302 lineup would remain exactly the same for the 1970 model year with the 220 horsepower 302 2V and the Boss 302 (4V) being the only 302 options.

The early 1970s brought about some changes for the auto industry on how horsepower was rated, and the new system made the power of all vehicles seemingly plummet.  In most cases, a given engine was no different than the 1971 model year engines, but the testing standards for the horsepower required the engine to be tested under load of all engine driven accessories.  Although nothing had actually changed, the drop in power, accompanied by the looming fuel crisis caused Ford to list the 1971 302 at 210 horsepower, but the exact same engine in 1972 and 1973 was rated at only 140 horsepower. 

The Mustang II

1973 marked the end of the “classic” Mustang era, as Ford would attempt to shift the Mustang more towards the economy end of things with the introduction of the Mustang II in 1974, but the 302 cubic inch engine was not available as the biggest engine available was a 2.8L V6.  Perhaps public outcry over the lack of a performance engine in the Mustang II woke Ford up, and in 1975 the Windsor 302 returned to the Mustang lineup, offering 140 horsepower.  There was no change to the 302 in 1976, and in 1977 the only news was bad news, as the 302 dropped to 134 horsepower and the power would remain there through the end of the Mustang II in 1978.

The Fox Body

When the Fox Body Mustang was introduced in 1979, Ford made an obvious step towards making the Mustang a sports car once again, but for the first time since 1973 the 5.0L engine was challenged as the most powerful engine in the Mustang.  What made that challenge more interesting was the fact that it was offered by a turbocharged 4-cylinder.  The 5.0 made 140 horsepower, and the turbo 4 cylinder made 132 horsepower.  The 5.0 seemingly lost the challenge as it would not return for 1980, having been replaced by a 119 horsepower 4.2L V8, with the turbo 2.3L making 132 horsepower, but in 1981 the turbocharged engine was also gone, as the highest performing engine in the Mustang was the 120 horsepower 4.2L V8. 

1982 brought about a return of the 5.0L V8, and with 157 horsepower, it appeared as though the 5.0 was back on its way to being a performance engine.  The 1983 5.0 supported that idea, as for the first time since Boss 302, the Windsor engine was topped by a 4 barrel carb.  This gave it another jump in power, up to 175 horsepower, even though there was also a Turbo GT model featuring the turbocharged 2.3L making 145 horsepower. 

1984 offered another challenge to the 175 horsepower 5.0 4bbl, as the new SVO Mustang was offered, packed with a 175 horsepower turbo 4.  1984 also marked a new first for the 5.0L, as it was offered with an electronic fuel injection setup making 165 horsepower, where all previous 302/5.0 engines had been carbureted.  1985 saw both a fuel injected and a carburted 5.0, with the 4 barrel carb model wearing the High Output designation and offering 210 horsepower, with the EFI model offering 165 horsepower.  The SVO was still offered in 1985, and it also got a jump in power up to 205, but this slight difference made the 5.0 the king of the hill once again. 

1986 saw the SVO as the top engine for the Mustang, as the carbureted 5.0 HO was gone, and in its place was a lone EFI 5.0 making 200 horsepower the to 205 offered by the SVO.  This would be the last year for the SVO and the “four-eye Fox Bodies”, as they have become known since the newer, single headlight per side style was introduced in 1987.  There would not be a carbureted 5.0L offered in the Mustang again.

This 1987 model year Mustang was the model that truly began the reign of the 5.0 as a popular performance engine.  The new style Mustang was only offered with an 88 horsepower 4-cylinder and the 5.0L High Output engine, making 225 horsepower.  Mated to either an automatic or manual transmission, the 5.0L was offered in both the LX and GT trimline.  The 5.0 would remain relatively unchanged for the duration of the Fox Body generation, running through 1993.  1993 did see a higher performance version of the 5.0 in the SVT Cobra and Cobra R, and this 235 horsepower engine helped to plant the SVT division of Ford Motor Company as a serious contender in the performance world. 

The Saleen 5.0

During the Fox Body generation, starting in 1989, Saleen Industries began offering their high performance Mustangs, and the SSC Mustang packed 292 horsepower.  1990 had two Saleen models; one making 304 horsepower wearing the Saleen SC Mustang name, and a lower power Saleen Mustang with 243 horsepower.  The same was true of the 1991 Saleen lineup and in 1992 there were no SC models produced.  1993 offered a handful of Saleen models with the same power output as the 1990 model year units, but there also a single production model of the Saleen Mustang RRR.  Built for, and with the help of active performance enthusiast Tim Allen, the RRR made an astonishing 576 horsepower, but it included over $50,000 worth of modifications and at that price there was no intention to produce more than one.  In 1994 the Mustang would receive a drastic facelift, and the Saleen Mustang would offer either a 351 or 281 cubic inch engine for the 1994 model year.

The SN95

When the 1994 Mustang was introduced as the SN95, it was available with either a 3.8L V6 or a choice of two V8s.  Both of the V8s offered in 1994 were on the 5.0L Windsor base, with the Mustang GT offering 215 horsepower and the new SVT Cobra making 240 horsepower.  1995 would feature the same engine options, and the highest performance engine in ’95 was the 5.8L engine offered in the rare SVT Cobra R, making 300 horsepower.  This would mark the end of the 5.0s reign as the performance engine available in the Ford Mustang.  In 1996, the new modular engine was offering, measuring 4.6L and using an overhead camshaft setup, this engine was nothing like the Windsor 302/5.0, and it effectively ended the era of the pushrod V8 in the mighty Mustang.

Since the 5.0 left the Mustang lineup, there have been rumors about the likely return of the 5.0, but since 1995 it has not been offered in a factory production Mustang even though it has been used by some aftermarket tuners and the 5.0 Windsor engine is still available through Ford Motorsports performance division.  There continue to be rumors that the newest generation of the Mustang, named the S197, will follow its retro styling and take up a 5.0L engine, but there is no proof of that to date.

A trip to almost any car show or drag strip will have at least a handful of Mustangs powered by either the 302 or 5.0L Ford Windsor V8, but the Fox Body Mustangs, which started in the late 70s and continued through the early 90s cemented the 5.0 as being one of the most well known and heavily used engines in the US performance market.