The Ford Barn

midgetracer · 07-30-2011, 02:24 PM

Does anyone have any experience or literature on tuning the Miller Carburetor that was sometimes sold with the Miller overhead conversion Sold by Harry Miller inc.? I have a miller carb on my Miller overhead and would like to get it tuned up. I have found no info on the net. Any help would be appreciated.
Rod

Jim Brierley · 07-31-2011, 12:20 PM

I've never seen any literature on them, that doesn't mean there is none. Those carbs were meant for track use and I think you will find them less than ideal for street use if that is your intention? If I recall right there is only one adjustment, for idle. The jets on the spray bar should be OK as-is unless it ran alcohol and you want to run gasoline. I've seen guys spend a lot of time and energy trying to run Riley carbs on the street, and they were never really right.

just plain bill · 07-31-2011, 12:42 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by midgetracer

Does anyone have any experience or literature on tuning the Miller Carburetor that was sometimes sold with the Miller overhead conversion Sold by Harry Miller inc.? I have a miller carb on my Miller overhead and would like to get it tuned up. I have found no info on the net. Any help would be appreciated.
Rod

In Mark Dee's book "The Miller Dynasty" There is a chapter on Miller and Winfield carburetors. It has some general information on the design of the Miller carburetors as they progressed. The later carburetors were delivered with a set of small number drills that were to be used to size the spray tubes to tune the individual engine. The last one "The Automatic" used a vacum piston system similar to the SU design. See if you can borrow a copy and read that chapter. It is a wonderful book full of photographs and stories of exciting engines and how the Miller 4 cylinder design evolved into the famous Offenhauser

midgetracer · 07-31-2011, 07:00 PM

The carb I have has the vacuum piston with an adjustment on the spring. I assume that by putting less tension on the spring, I will lean up the mixture. Does that make sense? I also have a mixture screw that does not seem to do anything. I also have a idle stop screw that sets the idle stop on the rotary venturi. Any help is appreciated. I am trying to locate a copy of Mark Dee's book to borrow. I have found one for sale on Amazon, but it is very pricey.

just plain bill · 07-31-2011, 07:06 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by midgetracer

The carb I have has the vacuum piston with an adjustment on the spring. I assume that by putting less tension on the spring, I will lean up the mixture. Does that make sense? I also have a mixture screw that does not seem to do anything. I also have a idle stop screw that sets the idle stop on the rotary venturi. Any help is appreciated. I am trying to locate a copy of Mark Dee's book to borrow. I have found one for sale on Amazon, but it is very pricey.

Is there any name cast on the carburetor?

midgetracer · 07-31-2011, 09:31 PM

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There is a serial # stamped into the carb that starts with H and has about 7numbers following it . Other than that it has the Miller Carburetor Harry A Miller inc Los Angles Ca Label pinned to the top of the float bowl with two brass pins. It is made of brass, but the carb is made of the aluminum alloy

Manuel · 07-31-2011, 11:04 PM

I think I may have read this some where--
Didn't Miller sell his carby companies/or the right for someone else to build his carbys, a couple of times.
Then he just started up again??
There is a cut-away drawing with part names, of a Type H carby from the 1920s in the "Miller" book by G. Borgeson.
HTH
Manuel in Oz

Jim Brierley · 08-01-2011, 10:41 AM

Good info Bill, I've never seen a Miller carb with the vacuum system, but then you are much older than I am :-)

just plain bill · 08-01-2011, 12:03 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Jim Brierley

Good info Bill, I've never seen a Miller carb with the vacuum system, but then you are much older than I am :-)

I just have a big book with lots of photographs and time.

just plain bill · 08-01-2011, 12:23 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by midgetracer

There is a serial # stamped into the carb that starts with H and has about 7numbers following it . Other than that it has the Miller Carburetor Harry A Miller inc Los Angles Ca Label pinned to the top of the float bowl with two brass pins. It is made of brass, but the carb is made of the aluminum alloy

The "H" carburetor in Mark Dee's book is a barrel valve. The vacuum or Automatic had flat plate butterfly.

Wick Humble · 04-02-2013, 11:53 PM

I have a Miller Automatic Carburetor, pat. dates 1917 and '18, Mfg. Harry A. Miller, L.A. CA. It is brass, updraft, throat about 1-3/8" (they're supposed to go by 1/4" increments), and has a float bowl that can be rotated around the body to adapt to various installations. It does NOT have the rotary jet-bar throttle that typified so many of Millers racing carbs, but is very simple. I don't doubt it was for racing, as much like a Hilborn injection system, is not set up for idle or low-velocity use. I have always suspected that it was on a banger set up, poss even modified T. I bought it for $3 at a junk shop in about 1972.
I really admire Harry Miller, a typically erratic genius but one that makes me proud of the USA, and wouldn't part with it for mucho dinero. I'll bet it wasn't easy to tune or run unless at racing speeds, either! I've never seen another, not even an illustration. My info came from the Addendum/Erratum booklet from Mark Dees big Miller book, as he forgot to include any notice of it in the original edition. Oh well....

07-30-2011, 02:24 PM	#1
midgetracer Senior Member Join Date: May 2010 Location: Bismarck ND Posts: 1,242	Miller Carburetor Does anyone have any experience or literature on tuning the Miller Carburetor that was sometimes sold with the Miller overhead conversion Sold by Harry Miller inc.? I have a miller carb on my Miller overhead and would like to get it tuned up. I have found no info on the net. Any help would be appreciated. Rod

07-31-2011, 12:20 PM	#2
Jim Brierley Senior Member Join Date: Jun 2010 Location: Temecula, CA Posts: 4,251	Re: Miller Carburetor I've never seen any literature on them, that doesn't mean there is none. Those carbs were meant for track use and I think you will find them less than ideal for street use if that is your intention? If I recall right there is only one adjustment, for idle. The jets on the spray bar should be OK as-is unless it ran alcohol and you want to run gasoline. I've seen guys spend a lot of time and energy trying to run Riley carbs on the street, and they were never really right.

07-31-2011, 07:00 PM	#4
midgetracer Senior Member Join Date: May 2010 Location: Bismarck ND Posts: 1,242	Re: Miller Carburetor The carb I have has the vacuum piston with an adjustment on the spring. I assume that by putting less tension on the spring, I will lean up the mixture. Does that make sense? I also have a mixture screw that does not seem to do anything. I also have a idle stop screw that sets the idle stop on the rotary venturi. Any help is appreciated. I am trying to locate a copy of Mark Dee's book to borrow. I have found one for sale on Amazon, but it is very pricey.

07-31-2011, 09:31 PM	#6
midgetracer Senior Member Join Date: May 2010 Location: Bismarck ND Posts: 1,242	Re: Miller Carburetor Sponsored Links (Register now to hide all advertisements) There is a serial # stamped into the carb that starts with H and has about 7numbers following it . Other than that it has the Miller Carburetor Harry A Miller inc Los Angles Ca Label pinned to the top of the float bowl with two brass pins. It is made of brass, but the carb is made of the aluminum alloy

07-31-2011, 11:04 PM	#7
Manuel Senior Member Join Date: May 2010 Location: ACT Australia Posts: 536	Re: Miller Carburetor I think I may have read this some where-- Didn't Miller sell his carby companies/or the right for someone else to build his carbys, a couple of times. Then he just started up again?? There is a cut-away drawing with part names, of a Type H carby from the 1920s in the "Miller" book by G. Borgeson. HTH Manuel in Oz

08-01-2011, 10:41 AM	#8
Jim Brierley Senior Member Join Date: Jun 2010 Location: Temecula, CA Posts: 4,251	Re: Miller Carburetor Good info Bill, I've never seen a Miller carb with the vacuum system, but then you are much older than I am :-)

04-02-2013, 11:53 PM	#11
Wick Humble Junior Member Join Date: Mar 2013 Location: Chico, CA Posts: 3	Re: Miller Carburetor I have a Miller Automatic Carburetor, pat. dates 1917 and '18, Mfg. Harry A. Miller, L.A. CA. It is brass, updraft, throat about 1-3/8" (they're supposed to go by 1/4" increments), and has a float bowl that can be rotated around the body to adapt to various installations. It does NOT have the rotary jet-bar throttle that typified so many of Millers racing carbs, but is very simple. I don't doubt it was for racing, as much like a Hilborn injection system, is not set up for idle or low-velocity use. I have always suspected that it was on a banger set up, poss even modified T. I bought it for $3 at a junk shop in about 1972. I really admire Harry Miller, a typically erratic genius but one that makes me proud of the USA, and wouldn't part with it for mucho dinero. I'll bet it wasn't easy to tune or run unless at racing speeds, either! I've never seen another, not even an illustration. My info came from the Addendum/Erratum booklet from Mark Dees big Miller book, as he forgot to include any notice of it in the original edition. Oh well....