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Tech: Twin-Turbo Boss 302

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Tech: Twin-Turbo Boss 302

Speeding Bullet

Pro 5.0 legend Les Baer targets Blow-By Racing for a Hellion upgrade on his rare Boss

By Steve Turner
Photos courtesy of Steve Gelles/Blow-By Racing

Does the name Les Baer sound familiar? If you are into fast cars or firearms, it should. Les was a big dog on the drag strip during the heyday of Pro 5.0 drag racing. Always a threat to win at the races, he made history in his 1982 GT racer before turning the street-legal drag racing world on its ear with his iconoclastic SN-95 Mustang racer, which pushed the Mustang racing world toward purpose-built machinery.

“Les wants a fun, fast street car that has great road handling, and can tear up the street and hopefully destroy some GM cars...” Chris Jones of Blow-By Racing said. We think he has the complete package in this twin-turbo Boss 302, which came to BBR with only 70 miles on the clock.
“Les wants a fun, fast street car that has great road handling, and can tear up the street and hopefully destroy some GM cars…” Chris Jones of Blow-By Racing said. We think he has the complete package in this twin-turbo Boss 302, which came to BBR with only 70 miles on the clock.

As you might imagine, racing at that level for any length of time is not for those working with a small budget. However, Les always ran a self-backed effort. He could do so because he paid his bills as a successful and noted gunsmith. His weapons are highly regarded by firearms enthusiasts and used by many top professionals.

With a storied history in racing and an exciting business keeping him on his toes, it’s not hard to imagine that Les might desire some exciting street cars too. That he does. He has a robust collection of performance Fords, including vintage Shelbys, modern Boss 302s (like the one you see here), and one of each Cobra R—1993, 1995, and 2000.

Of course, this isn’t just any Boss 302. This is the even rarer Laguna Seca edition, which notches up the handling of a Boss as high as the factory would take it. Even with its solid-axle, a stock Laguna should give the 2015 Mustang GT PP a run for its money on the road course.
Of course, this isn’t just any Boss 302. This is the even rarer Laguna Seca edition, which notches up the handling of a Boss as high as the factory would take it. Even with its solid-axle, a stock Laguna should give the 2015 Mustang GT PP a run for its money on the road course.

As cool as these cars are, Les likes a bit more power than the factory puts on the lot. To that end, he often turns to experts to take his rides to another level. For many years, one of the shops he has relied on is Blow-By Racing in Boca Raton, Florida.

“Les is a longtime customer of ours, and we are honored that he continues to choose us as his go-to performance shop. As far as getting involved, it’s pretty simple. Les called me and said he wants to do twin turbos on his 2013 Boss Leguna Seca,” Chris Jones of Blow-By Racing said. “I said, ‘Sure, like the other two Boss mustangs we did for you?’ He asks: ‘Are there any new upgrades we can do?’ I informed him that Precision has these new Gen2 Turbos that are awesome. He replied, ‘Let’s do it.’”

And do it they did. A longtime proponent of the bolt-on turbo systems created by NMRA Street Outlaw super star John Urist’s Hellion Power Systems, Chris ordered Hellion’s Boss kit with the aforementioned Gen2 turbos. He then took it a step further by encouraging Les to balance the car with a well-rounded selection of supporting mods. The results were pretty impressive.

Blow-By Racing had all of the hot-side tubing on the turbo system ceramic coated in black by Jet-Hot Coatings. Not only does the coating look great on Les’ black Boss, but also it holds heat in the exhaust where it belongs.
Blow-By Racing had all of the hot-side tubing on the turbo system ceramic coated in black by Jet-Hot Coatings. Not only does the coating look great on Les’ black Boss, but also it holds heat in the exhaust where it belongs.

“…The goal for this build was 750-800 rear-wheel horsepower, which we know is extremely easy to reach safely. We started at 6 psi as we always do to make sure tune was spot on and car made the average horsepower of 600 range,” Chris explained. “Long story short, we played with the controller and tried to achieve the correct boost level we were looking for. We made a partial dyno pull at 14 psi and kept her under 6,000 rpm, the car dyno’d at 949 rear-wheel horsepower! I was shocked to say the least. We turned everything back down to a safe level and the results are what you see. Maybe you will see a built motor next year and some crazy horsepower out of this beast.”

When we said all of the hot-side piping, we meant all of it. A standard Hellion kit looks great, but there’s just something mean about the blacked out setup on this car. Naturally, BBR did install a set of NGK plugs with a cooler heat rang to work with the big boost from the turbos.
When we said all of the hot-side piping, we meant all of it. A standard Hellion kit looks great, but there’s just something mean about the blacked out setup on this car. Naturally, BBR did install a set of NGK plugs with a cooler heat rang to work with the big boost from the turbos.

Clearly the RoadRunner engine takes to boost like Wile E. Coyote to an Acme anvil. However, the big dyno numbers are one thing. This car is still a street car. So, how does it drive? Well, Chris is one of the lucky few that will get behind the wheel of this Laguna.

“This car drove like stock at part throttle and handled great with the Watt’s link,” Chris said. “Under wide-open throttle the car is a beast in any gear after 3,000 rpm. She is a handful, as the tires don’t stand a chance.”

Les concurs. “I got it back a week ago. If it’s not 75 degrees you can’t get on it. Even in fourth gear it blows the tires off it.”

That sounds like just the caliber of car to hold the interest of a Pro 5.0 legend. “You can’t compare the older stuff to the newer stuff. It’s like night and day,” he said.

So if you see a black Boss hurtling through the cornfields in Iowa, move out of the way. This one is faster than a speeding bullet.

Blow-By spec’d out Les’ Hellion kit with the latest turbo technology in the form of Precision Turbo’s 64mm Gen II units. They dialed in the desired boost level from these eager hairdryers with a Go Fast Bits Boost Controller.
Blow-By spec’d out Les’ Hellion kit with the latest turbo technology in the form of Precision Turbo’s 64mm Gen II units. They dialed in the desired boost level from these eager hairdryers with a Go Fast Bits Boost Controller.
A BBR Jackal fuel system feeds Gulf 116-octane gasoline to a set of Deatschwerks 95 lb/hr injectors mounted in Aeromotive rails.
A BBR Jackal fuel system feeds Gulf 116-octane gasoline to a set of Deatschwerks 95 lb/hr injectors mounted in Aeromotive rails.
Blow-By Racing’s Jackal fuel pump is a clever arrangement that was one of the first to allow installation of Aeromotive’s stalwart A1000 fuel pumps in a stock S197 Mustang tank. It’s an elegant way of converting your modern Mustang to a return-style system.
Blow-By Racing’s Jackal fuel pump is a clever arrangement that was one of the first to allow installation of Aeromotive’s stalwart A1000 fuel pumps in a stock S197 Mustang tank. It’s an elegant way of converting your modern Mustang to a return-style system.
Included in Hellion’s Boss 302 twin-turbo kit is this huge, vertical-flow, dual-inlet intercooler. This kit is, according to Hellion, good for up to 1,200 horsepower depending on its configuration and supporting hardware.
Included in Hellion’s Boss 302 twin-turbo kit is this huge, vertical-flow, dual-inlet intercooler. This kit is, according to Hellion, good for up to 1,200 horsepower depending on its configuration and supporting hardware.
The completed Hellion kit looks great. Included in the base system are two TurboSmart 40mm V-band wastegates, 2 TurboSmart VEE-port bypass valves, stainless 4-into-1 tubular headers, all American made stainless piping and two 3-inch downpipes that will connect to the factory exhaust if you so desire.
The completed Hellion kit looks great. Included in the base system are two TurboSmart 40mm V-band wastegates, 2 TurboSmart VEE-port bypass valves, stainless 4-into-1 tubular headers, all American made stainless piping and two 3-inch downpipes that will connect to the factory exhaust if you so desire.
Of course a factory exhaust wasn’t going to flow enough to support the kind of power Les wanted, so Blow-By Racing rounded it out with a 3-inch Bassani system. Even the mid-pipe is Jet-Hot coated in black.
Of course a factory exhaust wasn’t going to flow enough to support the kind of power Les wanted, so Blow-By Racing rounded it out with a 3-inch Bassani system. Even the mid-pipe is Jet-Hot coated in black.
Here is the complete exhaust as it exits the car. It is fitting that BBR backed the Hellion kit with a Bassani system, as Bassani creates the headers and tubing—to John Urist’s specs—for Hellion’s kits. Other under-car mods on Les’ Laguna are an Axle Exchange driveshaft, a Stifflers safety loop, a Stifflers Clutch Line, and a Barton Shifter.
Here is the complete exhaust as it exits the car. It is fitting that BBR backed the Hellion kit with a Bassani system, as Bassani creates the headers and tubing—to John Urist’s specs—for Hellion’s kits. Other under-car mods on Les’ Laguna are an Axle Exchange driveshaft, a Stifflers safety loop, a Stifflers Clutch Line, and a Barton Shifter.
BBR’s Chris Jones wisely suggested that Les balance the turbo Boss power with some suspension bits. The headline is a Watts link from Whiteline, but other upgrades include BBR lower control arms, a BMR upper control arm/mount, and a Whiteline trans-mount insert.
BBR’s Chris Jones wisely suggested that Les balance the turbo Boss power with some suspension bits. The headline is a Watts link from Whiteline, but other upgrades include BBR lower control arms, a BMR upper control arm/mount, and a Whiteline trans-mount insert.
With a conservative setup, Les Baer’s Hellion-boosted Boss 302 Laguna Seca put down 775 horsepower to the tire.
With a conservative setup, Les Baer’s Hellion-boosted Boss 302 Laguna Seca put down 775 horsepower to the tire.

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3 thoughts on “Tech: Twin-Turbo Boss 302”

  1. Let’s see what he tells people about this one he is a local and got quite pissed last year when I called him out on his other TT boss Bbr did for him was telling people it was 1000rwhp and he ran high 8s in on the stock street tires…..hate to say it but he’s one of those people who thinks his shit doesn’t stink and walks around with his nose in the air

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