Shortly after featuring Chase V’s Mach 1 Mustang find, he told us about another Pony car he had just recently found, but this one is even more incredible than his previous find. Hiding in this barn, he found a 1970 Boss 302! And while it is an amazing machine, the story behind it is even more powerful. You see, the previous owner purchased the car back in 1976 and parked it in the barn in ’88. He had planned on restoring it with the help of his two sons, but tragically both died in car accidents. The pain of losing his sons left him unable to even look at the car, but in late 2014 he decided he needed to let it go to a new home. He listed it on craigslist and that’s how Chase discovered it.

Chase was surfing craigslist one evening, as most of us do, and he decided to try searching for Boss 302. To his surprise he actually found something of interest. He thought it might be a scam, but decided to send the seller an email. He was quite surprised when he got a response back with Kline’s (the seller) phone number. He called and from that point, Chase and Kline started a genuine friendship. The barn was about a 5 hour drive from Chase and given the asking price, he wasn’t sure if he should even go look at it, but he called Jeff Sneathen at SEMO Mustang and asked a few questions about the Boss. Jeff recommended that he go look at the car, even if it was just to have a look. Not wanting to regret not at least having a look at it, he decided he would make the trip. At 5 a.m. on a Sunday morning in December, he made the five hour drive. When he arrived, he was greeted by Kline and a number of Mustangs parked in the driveway.

Kline lead Chase to the barn, as he pulled back the doors Chase got his first look at the Boss. There it was parked in the middle of the barn. It was covered in dirt, with a bale of hay piled next to it. It was the kind of scene we all dream of and he was living it! As they looked it over, Kline told him the story of his sons, their plans for the Boss, and the family’s love of Mustangs. As they talked for the next three hours, Chase did as much investigation work as he could to make sure it was a legitimate Boss 302. He decided to take a few photos of the underside and he was a bit disappointed to see the condition of the floors, but not nearly as much so as Kline was. Between the pain of losing his sons and recent medical issues, he hadn’t really taken a close look at the car in years and didn’t realize how bad things had really gotten. Eventually Chase had to head back for home.

Over the next seven weeks the two stayed in contact. Because of its condition, Chase had offered Kline considerably less than the asking price. They spoke at least once every week and Chase even called to check on Kline before and after he had major surgery. It was at that point that Kline decided that even though he had other interested buyers, he wanted Chase to have it. I’m sure it also helped that Chase plans on making this a father son project! He also plans on keeping Kline in the loop for every step of this project and will be making the drive to Ohio again when it’s completed so Kline can take it out for one more spin. Chase told me they still talk frequently and each time Kline tells him a new story about the car!

I have to say, this is an incredible story that just about brings a tear to my eye. You can read the complete and detailed story here on mustangandfords.com and be prepared to tear up a bit! I want to thank Chase for sharing his finds with us. He just recently sent me updates on his Mach 1, which I need to post, and another recent find that he hasn’t even pulled out of his trailer yet! I hope he will keep us updated on the progress of all his finds and I wish him luck!