Donny Johanson

[jimmy six]

I received word that Donny Johanson son of Howard Johanson past away Saturday. He had continued in the cam grinding after his dad and did speciality cam grinding after the Howards Cam name was sold.

I know very little of the circumstances but from what I heard it was from a fall of some kind.

Donny personally ground all my record setting camshafts and for a short time employed my son who he taught to grind cams for Donny.

He was was a good friend to me and many others and I will miss him.

[jdincau]

Sad to hear this Donnie was always good to Ken and I,

[Stan Back]

Sorry to hear this.  I found him a great guy, easy to work with a guiding hand.  Meeting him at the Menifee "shed" was a memorable occasion along with seeing him later (or before?) at Chet Herbert's working along side of what looked like piles of hemi Chevy heads holding up a work bench -- I shoulda followed his advise.

[Stainless1]

Years ago we had the privilege of sharing the Gates booth at the SEMA show with Howard, Donny and the Roadster... great folks with a long racing history, sorry to hear this
My condolences to family and close friends.

[desotoman]

I met Donny in the early 1980's at Howard's Cams on Main St. in Los Angeles. At the time I was designing a one off cam for a Flathead ford and was there to see if he was interested in grinding a cam. To my surprise he was interested, as I had been turned down by many cam grinders, as at the time Flathead ford business was dead for cam grinders. So we worked together and he ground me a cam, but more importantly we became friends.

Donny was one of the good guys. Always there to help in any way he could. You will be missed my friend. RIP and Godspeed Donny.

Tom G.

[johnneilson]

I am fairly new to this adventure, but met Donny about 10 years ago.
He looked at me kind of funny, "you want to build what" vintage POS?!?
Good times, it took almost an entire afternoon to lay out the timing on a two up/two dn motor. 1,3,2,4 FO
Years later, the layout was still on the white board for reference.

A character that will be missed, J

[kiwi belly tank]

I met Donny in the early 1980's at Howard's Cams on Main St. in Los Angeles. At the time I was designing a one off cam for a Flathead ford and was there to see if he was interested in grinding a cam. To my surprise he was interested, as I had been turned down by many cam grinders, as at the time Flathead ford business was dead for cam grinders. So we worked together and he ground me a cam, but more importantly we became friends.

Donny was one of the good guys. Always there to help in any way he could. You will be missed my friend. RIP and Godspeed Donny.

Tom G.

Amazingly enough the current Howards Cam company has kept the same ideals. I talked to all the other cam companies wanting to do a custom one-off cam for my KB600 & Howards were the only people to step up & I had it in my hands even before getting a negative response from Comp.
  Sid.