I searched the archives here, but, didn't see anything helpful. Does anyone here recall seeing a magazine article concerning the cylinder heads Howard Johansen made for the Twin Bears dragster. I'm told the heads were available as early as 1959. These are intriguing to me and id love to hear from anyone else who has owned a set or has information regarding them. Thank you. WadeO
https://www.jalopyjournal.com/forum...picture-thread.228509/page-1961#post-13473708 The above link will be helpful, scroll down to post #58828 and others for info and photos.
these are listed right now. Sorry I can't help with history. https://www.facebook.com/marketplace/item/1859275161619736/
Big port for 1960 , I Like the bolt pattern also , I would think better then Stale . Wonder why not use Now , Any one have a ideal on CC & Valve Size then 2.02 2.06, 2.08 ?
My late Bonneville partner Bruce Geisler had one of these around his shop for years, he also had one that was cut up that I think is still around. I asked him about them years ago and I believe he told me that Howard had some problems with porosity in the castings and they never worked the issues out but that was years ago and I cannot remember anything else about them other than very few sets were made.
That is my also understanding from Donny Johanson. His 12 port GMC’s were the best flowing and had only minor porosity and some are still being used. I always wondered why they didn’t continue trying to get them right. Howard was a thinker and a doer and moved on quickly to new projects.
Hello, My brother and I grew up in the early days of drag racing in Long Beach at Lion's Dragstrip. We saw all kinds of race cars and street cars with the beginnings of “sponsored” race cars as a specialty. They were ways to get the future customer to see how well each speed part or fully built race cars are available to anyone. So, the market started. The showroom was the dragstrip and the pits with a car show every weekend. We saw very early street cars just driving into the pits, set up and go racing all afternoon. Then the huge amount of custom built drag race only cars that were towed or trailered into place before the eliminations started. The Howard Cam Company had their race cars in various cl***es and with the fast time shown to everyone, ***ociation by purchase or wearing shirts or jackets was the way to be involved. Yes, we had Howard Cam products on our Willys Coupe build. As shown by the large stickers on the rear facing windows. My brother just happened to be a Howard Cam fanatic and our last build of a 40 Willys Coupe with the only 671 supercharger on a SBC motor was pure magic. The national record was 12.40 e.t. Our best time to date was 12.60. So, we were doing something right and on our way... YRMV Jnaki Here is a close up photo of the Howard Cam Twin in its current configuration. Aluminum silver in the beginning and a few changes since, but still the same Maroon color since late 1961, the "Twin Bear" lives. One of the first residents in the Lion’s Dragstrip Museum. The Jack Chrisman area of the first rendition in the museum layout. The most recent placement of the twin motor FED: And from Hot Rod Mag: Finally, I was able to film not only the twin FED in the pits with Howard Johansen working on the prepping, but the race between the two fastest twin motor race cars of the time. Lefty Mudersbach vs the Howard Cam Twin at Lion’s Dragstrip. at 1:15 with the famous one of a kind single Hilborn Injector on each supercharged motor.
@jnaki Can you Reveal any spec's on Howard's Aluminum Heads for SBC ? I would think They where big advantage over any cast iron head @ the time especially on Blower Or Non Blown on Nitro especially with MFI . & Heads availability was there only Limited to 1 or 2 specific racers Or Howard's in house For there personal race car?
Yes sir, that is what I'm told also. These have been pressure tested and check good. However, that Blue Devil or the old Moroso white liquid chalk could help also I guess. By the way, I have the book of your car.
Thank you so much for joining in. I have full intentions of making these heads breathe life into another blown engine. I have all the pieces except pistons and a blower cam. I was fortunate enough to find an NOS set of heads. This engine will be for my '40 Chevy Coupe G***er. I think it needs a hint of Nitro just to make it stink.
Hello, The first time we saw the Howard Cam Twin Bear FED was at the March 1960 Bakersfield Smokers Meet. From the Drag News, dated March 12, 1960: But, it was a regular race car at Lions for the times we saw it locally. It was one of the quickest and fastest race cars when everything was in order. The HOWARD CAM COMPANY had many innovations during this early hot rod/drag racing era. Here is an ad for the Howard Cam Aluminum Head from the 1962 archives. Jnaki As mentioned earlier, my brother was a Howard Cam fanatic. Although, we had an Isky Roller Cam with the first 283 SBC motor, when we went to the 292 SBC with a 671 supercharger, my brother at the advice from Reath Automotive, purchased a Howard Cam 8 Cycle Blower Spec Cam and lifter kit. He also bought an Howard aluminum flywheel and was this close to getting the Howard Cam Chain Drive Blower System, until the NEW Isky Gilmer Belt System fell into our laps. Had this aluminum set of heads was for sale, on the market back then, that was a possibility. But, like others, we had our Chevy heads ported and polished. We worked with what we could afford, what we had, and the results were sufficiently close to the national record in C/Gas. With the new infusion of money and the items we had on order, ready for pick up in the middle of August, 1960, that record would have fallen. (Hilborn two port, B&M Hydro, M&H slicks, and Halibrand wheels.) Yes, these Halibrand Magnesium Wheels…
LOL ala Steve Miller's Livin' in the USA: "...and he's way ahead of The Howard Cams Special - and he takes it! The winner... Lefty Mudersbach!" I wonder if that is the run recorded on the record?
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