Ford has always done more with less. That's admirable, from any angle, I don't care who you are. Just look how many different versions of the 302 there have been and the BOSS 302 was a frikkin barn burner.
In my experience the 289 K motor was the best all around. I never had any experience with a Boss 302. I do have experience with 351 Cleveland 4 barrel heads, Wow!