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Tillotson Carb Blueprinting

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Animal House

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Sorry I don't really know where this should go. I could not find any categories that seemed like the right place. Now to the point of this. Building engines many years. For what ever reason I have never really fooled with Tillotson Carbs. I have a couple on a LM and one on a open. I have taken enough interest as I near retirement to try to blueprint a Tillotson. EC lives about 50 miles from my house and I have tried to talk to them but it is understandable that no one wants to give up their old secrets. Is there anybody out there that will tell me what the sizing of the metering holes are. We can do this in private message. I am not totally ignorant of all of this. I have researched and studied a lot and there have been moments when someone would say something and I just collected those thoughts. I have milling capabilities and can do pretty much anything I set my mind to. I will say now that I would deeply appreciate anyone offering me good information on blueprinting a Tillotson. Thanks
Animal House
 
Dustin Stephenson or Jon Brogden would be the guys to talk to when it comes to tillotson carbs on this site. Jon's username on here is his name basically, Jon Brogden. I'm not sure exactly what Dustins username is but I believe its ske-outlaw or something like that, someone else will know I'm sure, he has a carb business, competition carbs, and Jon actually used to work with EC, not sure if he still does or not but if he did and you live close to EC, then chances are you live somewhere near Jon and he would likely help you out.
 
Jon is VERY knowledge about Tillotson carbs.

Back in the heyday of the flathead, there were several top builders who were really on their A game when it came to tillys. About the only one still around is Mike Clements.

Both of these guys will give you a good product for a fair price, without the extra high price for any wizardry ;)
 
First let me say that I deeply appreciate all of the responses. All, as you can see by the time of my response I just simply have too much going on and need to slow down. We run an open/outlaw Animal with a 1" cylinder extension and a limited Modified Animal. We have been running the HL 304 WX. As you know competition is stiff and we have done well thus far. Wins are never easy to come by. I also have a HL 314A and the flathead HL 348 all of which are alcohol. As we all do I am always looking for power which equates to speed. I just always wonder about the metering holes under the welch plug and the fuel flow holes at the high and low needles. Just wondering if anyone has anything to tell that I might compare my current setup to. Thanks again and you all are winners. David
 
Animal House said:
Is there anybody out there that will tell me what the sizing of the metering holes are. We can do this in private message. I am not totally ignorant of all of this.
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And there's always the possibility of buying an EC carb, tear it down, examine all the holes, come to your own conclusions. You could then modify one yourself and compare it to the EC. You could think of the EC carb as the standard to which you compare all others. At least that's what I'm told.

If you're going to do this kind of thing, might I recommend that you have an EGT (exhaust gas temperature) gauge. Getting a curve of the EGT temps will give you a lot of information on whether you did it right or not. Be forewarned, few want to go to that much trouble.
 
If your 304 is drilled for a limited animal you will prob find more hp in running a slightly richer drill pattern for your open.
 
Well, i guess i should chime in on this being were talking about my product.
Much over the years, i spend each and every day helping people with there Tillotson Carburetors at no cost regardless if the carburetor is bought from us or not. Though that never seems to be enough. Over the last 11 years since i've owned EC's, we have greatly improved our dominator line of carburetors. We have guaranteed our dominator and our intimidator carburetors and its very rare that anyone wants to return a carb to us. Usually, the reason being the learning curve in tuning those carbs. We give full support to those carbs from the time you first buy one and 5 years down the road.

But now one on one service has been replaced by the internet. That's ok I wish you the best of luck in your quest for carburetor help.

I'm not going to apologize for the cost of our carburetors and the wizardry that takes place to develop these carbs. As Mike Curry said, We are the carburetor wizards and frankly speaking it will be extremely difficult to find anyone with the knowledge along the full specturm of karting and small engine carburetion that we have. I have cut my teeth on Tillotson carburetors and have spent a lifetime working with air and fuel systems. I have worked with some of the best Nascar teams where i designed an air induction system know as Flow Control which i sold to K&N. This is still available through them over 20 years later. That being said, EC and I have done all the hard work building a quality product and i'm not just giving it away.

The very best engine builders in the country buy our carburetors. if the wizardry wasn't worth the cost and were so easy, then ask them why they don't build their own carburetors? There was at one time i tried helping some key, very experienced carburetor people where i gave them information.

In the past, I have tried to help people modify their carbs with all diffirent kinds of specs, including drill pattern. I remember helping one very fast engine builder with his carb, i was an open book of knowledge to him. You know what i got out of it? Less than nothing. Instead, He told me i was deciving him and i was not sending him or giving him the same information as one of his competitors. So, I lost a customer.

All that said i will not give out any drill pattern(which is only a small part of the carburetor equation)
But if you are looking for an education and look very hard you will find a book EC wrote and in honor of him i have left it on my website. There he gives a starting drill pattern and all the knowledge of how to build your own carburetor and what each hole does and how to tune it.

I can tell you this, regardless if you try copying one of our dominators you won't be the first. EC would say, "We are often copied but never duplicated" and, "Our 40 plus years of experience, will always be cheaper than your mistakes."

Carroll Ford
The Wizard
 
When EC was in the process of selling the business, due to his failing health.......he told me that he had taken Carroll in as a son/partner/brother, for many years.
EC had taught him the in's and outs of carb theory and practice and that Carroll had been a very willing student and quick learner as well as a fine businessman.
He told me that Carroll was indeed the correct person to sell his business to, because of his high ethical character, his knowledge of the product, and willingness to continue learning and developing the product.

To me, that's a strong endorsement, and Carroll kind of showed his ethical backbone, when in his post above this one, he states that no way would he give away the REAL information of how to work carbs. I was also, having been a professional at a pretty high level, and shared many of EC's type experiences, was fortunate
enough to have EC send me examples of his personal work, which I personally track tested, and returned to him with commentary on how the engine ran, and exactly at what point on the track did the engine need a better response.
He addressed those issues....successfully might I add......and we kept working that way together, until he felt he had a great product. He was RIGHT about that!

During our multiple....and incredibly funny conversations, he mentioned those builders of the type Tilly's raced on karts.
Those included Roadkill, Burris's, and Choo Choo.

One of the names mentioned in a much earlier post than this, he ridiculed as to working on carbs, and business ethics.
 
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