The name Howards has been synonymous with high performance camshafts since the 1940’s. Over 60 years of race winning performance! The company was founded by Howard Johansen as Howard’s Power & Racing Equipment, as a manufacturer of racing cams in 1945.
Howard and his wife retired in 1965 and turned the business over to his oldest son, Jerry, who ran the company until 1985. Jerry was considered one of the top engine turners of his day, and along with Don Madden, ran a series of “Howard Cams Rattler” and “Howard Cams Special” top fuel cars out of the shop as test beds for new products. Howards Cams have always used on track experience to design the most powerful designs. This includes early Top Fuel favorites driven by Jack Chrisman and Larry Dixon Sr. Today they have even a greater group of experienced racers in Circle Track, Drag Racing, Road Race, Mudd Bogg and Marine. Sportsman to Pro. They use all this input, plus the most advance computer design software to design the most competitive race winning products. A great number of valve train innovations can be traced back to Howards Cams.
Howards was the first to produce a special camshaft for blown alcohol applications that provided a giant leap forward in performance and horsepower. That basic cam timing is still used today. 1998 Howards Cams was on the move again to an all new, completely retooled facility, in Oshkosh Wisconsin. With the new facility came new products and a new name. Howards Cams & Racing Components. They started manufacturing precision American made forged steel connecting rods and crankshafts, along with billet main caps, forged 2618 aluminum pistons and numerous new camshaft profiles and valve train components. Pioneering new products continued to be developed.

1996: The Direct Lube face oiling lifters for mechanical flat tappet applications. These lifters feature a precision laser EDM .021” hole in the center of the lifter face allowing a constant oil supply to the cam lobe. This increased oil supply allows for high valve spring pressure, more aggressive lobe profiles and reduced cam wear.

2004: The Precision Dense Forged Connecting Rods. These are the most technically advanced and reliable Chev 6” performance rods available. Forged powder metal technology features an extremely dense grain structure when compared to a billet or conventional forging. They are manufactured from superior ASTM?4260 blended specifically to meet today’s racing demands. Not brital like OE material. Fracture cap technology insures correct cap alignment every time with no fretting. Finished off with ARP2000 or optional L-19 capscrews. Howards is so confident in these rods that they offer a one year unconditional warranty against rod breakage (PPF6000 & PPF6000-L19). These have already become their number one selling rods!

2006: Forged Steel 10° Valve Locks. These forgings are as strong, more precise than machined steel locks, at a lower cost. They offer longer life, even under high pressure race environments.

2007: Ultra Lite Billet Composite Fuel Pump Pushrods. Ultra light weight, only 0.9 ounces (27 grams) to eliminate fuel pump cavitation. Manufactured using a proprietary blended carbon reinforced bearing grade polymer. They are self lubricating, super strong, and have a super long life.

2008: Ultimate X, X-Beam Forged Billet Rods for the 6.6L Duramax Diesel. All new X-beam design for the ultimate in strength and durability. A precision “EDM” laser burns a hole from the top of the rod bearing journal to wrist pin bushing supplies extra oil to the piston pin. These rods were used in the land speed record holder Mormon Missile at 321 MPH.

2009: MAX Z.P.M. Camshaft Break-In Lube. Break-in lube is not new, however the blend of MAX Z.P.M. offers the highest levels of Zinc- Phosphates (ZDDP) of all the major brands tested, plus the addition of moly for added protection. What’s coming in the future? They’re keeping a tight lip on that, except to say more innovative products are being developed. Of course new applications and new cam grinds are always being developed to keep ahead of the competition.

In the last year alone they added 10 new part numbers to their ProMax 4340 Crankshafts, including Chev small block with big block snout and Ford small block, 14 applications for Maximum Effort Forged 2618 Aluminum Pistons for Ford small block, 12 part numbers for Tool Steel Piston Pins, 6 new application to the Ultimate Duty Forged Billet Rods including 2 for the new Forged Billet Lite, 16 pushrod sizes, 12 lifters styles/applications and approximately 370 new cam grinds. Howards Cams & Racing Components’ main objective is to produce the highest quality product at a reasonable price while also offering exceptional customer service. From pioneers in drag racing and oval track to cutting edge marine development, Howards Cams is at the forefront of the industry.

For further information on Howards Cams and Racing Components call 1300 350 351 or you can check out there 2009 catalogue.