So I recently aquired a Howard head for gm straight sixes. I know almost nothing about these. What can you guys tell me? How do they run? Rarity? Value? Desirable?
New one on me. I found this: http://www.museumofamericanspeed.com/GMC-302-CID-HowardandArias-12-port-Aluminum-Head,18630.html When Rich wakes up he may chime in as he did in this thread. Find a rare speed part and you can almost bet Rich Fox knows something about it. https://www.jalopyjournal.com/forum/threads/wayne-12-port-question.789565/
Howard Johanson, in my opinion, perfected the Wayne GMC 12 port by making the intake ports at a 45* angle instead of flat like the Wayne or Horning or Skinner. They have no chamber like the Horning and rely on the rod/piston for compession. They are the best ones in most folks opinions who run them today. They have been remanufactured as the Arias and perhaps better. I could give you flow #'s but not of a non-ported one. They are very, very good. The Wayne injectors fit on the Howard. Today the remakes are even hard to find as the costs to cast and machine them are a lot for a small community of those interested.
Here is my Howard head in my '32. They were a good design as Tone says. harder to find then a Wayne head. JD passed on this one because it needed to much work. I didn't know any better. They were cast from bubble gum. The new Arias heads are much better and a source for parts if you need them. I was in the pits at Bonneville when this little old guy says to me, "You have my head." I answered that it was mine, I bought it and it belonged to me. He says "No. I mean I made that head. I'm Howard. My names on it." Pretty cool, I thought. "
PS They don't fit Chevys. GMC only as far as I know. JD Tone (jimmy six on here) I suspect knows more about these things. I just ran what I had.
Wayne Horning developed the 12 port head for the Chevy 216 in 1946 ( he had the concept in'39). The 12 port head for the 248-270 GMC came out a few years later. The whole story is a bit convoluted, but you can read it on the Inliners International website under "Historical".
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