History Asleep At The Wheel

Great picture, and a beautiful car - the fast ones usually look good as well. Less is more and form following function, all that stuff.

 

Cool. What advantage was gained by reversing the motor so the exhaust exited on the left?

 

Cool piece of history and a neat car.

Brings to mind Wild Willy Borsch asleep in the staging lanes and Mousie bumping the car to wake him up for a run.

 

Cool image. There were 2 schools of thought about intake/exhaust flow. Some believed that it was best to have better flow for the exhaust, others for the intake.

Poor Tommy must have children...

 

About the sleeping thing. When your in the line up area waiting to race you have entered a zone of self security. Your race car is " The safest place on earth " at this time you are really relaxed and the adrenaline doesn't start flowing until they push you off and fire the engine. Dozing off will become very easy at this point. Most racers from back in the day will say that the race car has got to give you the sense of security or it won't be fast however while on the track 2 shakes from being out of control will merit the fastest speeds. I am always very impressed at the speeds that these cats could get out of the cars from back in the day. They get the prize for enginuity that's for sure >>>>.

 

i've heard some guys run the exhaust different in order to drive under someone in a corner and not have them hear the pipe as early, you'll be beside them on the inside in a corner and before they realize and hear you, your far enough beside them, startle them and make a move

could be wives tale though?

 

My initial thought on the exhaust flow is in regards to engine rotation. Perhaps it was deemed better to exit the left side based on crank position?

And is Tommy sleeping, or praying? I think both is a good idea

 

Man I had just the opposite problem. While sitting in the line up area I would doze off constantly but as soon as the engine fired all hell would break loose!! And I did share these stories with a lot of other drivers that had the same thing going on. That's why I'd say we all differ in life >>>>.

 

One of my favorite MILLER Race Cars of all time! There is a good chapter on the car in the Mark Dees book, along with an original photo of the car at Langhorne, Pa. Tiny Gould found the car in the F&J Shop in Philidelphia in the late 1960's, and it sold at his auction at Pocono Raceway. It was totally restored and sold at the Pebble Beach auction in 2007. I believe it is now in a collection in Texas.

 

Could you imagine doing over 150 MPH in that car? I think that I would soil myself before I hit 75! It's such a rad car and I am definitely putting one of these cars on my "list" for things to build later in life. They look like a blast to drive, although, I am sure they are a handful. Love that pic.

 

Sorry for the crappy photos, I need a new camera. This is the purchase instruction letter dated February 19, 1926 For the exMilton MILLER at that time Norman Batten owned it. Fischer & Jacobs bought it, H.D. Carpenter was a partner and funded a lot of their projects. The car ended its racing career on the dirt and board speedways around Philadelphia. Note the maximum allowed to be spent on the car was $4,000, without futher instructions. I have more paper on the car. === Can someone lighten the photos? Thanks.

 

As a mechanic I'd pace before a race

As a driver sleep

Different jobs ..........

Gotta go look at the blueprints of the carbs and see which way the floats swing........ and jets placed....... get the hint?

By the way I would pace till the checkerd .....

 

Yes I could! This was the first MILLER I ever stood next to, they are tiny in real life. This must have been fun on the Dry Lake....NO BRAKES, except for one drum behind the transmission. Made for a great Aero package.

 

I usually fall asleep in my car while in the staging lanes, not because I think that is the safest place to be or any other cosmic stuff like that. It is because I have usually been up most of the night getting the car ready, then got up at 0' dark thirty to haul the car to the track. I am just plain and simply tired and the drivers seat of the car is a place that few people will bother me.

 

Here it is at Langhorne, when Jimmy Gleason drove it, note that the steering pitman arm is on the right side, and the hood side has the large buldge for the carbs, two features this car had but other 122's didn't. Note the twin cam Model T powered car with the crank driven blower.

 

When I first saw this I thought you were talking about Ray Benson and the Gang>>>>.

 

I love hearing the responses from those of you who are in the know, I appreciate the insights and possible conjecture with the personal experiences. This is my favorite part of this whole site and association. Please never stop expressing your personal experiences and thoughts.
Not having any expertise in this arena, my only thought was that of put exhaust in someones face. Thats me though.

 

Engine Pro, not sure if you mis-spelled "ingenuity" intentionally, but it is absolutley in context when you're referring to some of these early machines. Intentional or not, I love the spelling.....

 

You caught me. LOL >>>>. Now do ya know who Ray Benson is???? >>>>.

 

Great pic!

 

He might not be sleeping...he could have his head bowed in silent prayer, considering what he was about to attempt.

 

Great photograph, fantastic race car. Looks to me like Tommy is concentrating on the task ahead.
I sometimes (nearly) fall asleep driving home.

 

I have been around this car quite a few times at the Milwaukee Miller meet. It was called "the convertible" because it not only ran with the 183 engine but, the crew would change engines overnight and also, run for 122 cu in records,


Here is my new Miller replica of the Boyle Valve Spl.

 

I love this stuff. I have been dreaming up a miller/bugatti influenced rod for almost 2 years. It seems that as I get older, so do my interest. I've come a long way since my first car "moment" in 1983. Thanks for steering me down the right course, fellas.

I've always assumed that the reverse rotation was about the size of the valves in the head and the port layout. The Old Crow has siamesed exhaust ports now that it is reversed, allowing better scavenging than a conventional exhaust, I guess.
Until Bluto dropped a hint about carbs above, I hadn't thought about fuel flow and float action. I think I can understand how it would matter in a circle, but not sure about the long straight.

Nice pic Ryan. Where else can we see this car?

 

For what is worth, a customer of mine owns that car. I maintain it for him along with a Miller front drive and the FWD Miller of 1932, (called the "Last Great Miller") . I am here to tell you that compared to anything else made in 1924, it is a light year ahead. Every bracket, gussett, clamp is a work of art, nothing waisted, nothing ugly, nothing that doesn't look right..it is a honor to be able to work on such things.

 

Reverse rotation, in oval track applications, was usually done to use engine torque to help plant the left front. Smokey (of course) tried it at Indy in 1960, and most everyone else who has tried it came to the same conclusion, that it wasn't worth the effort.