Coborn Engines

The engines are quiet rare as air-cooled engines go and they were built in Letchworth, not a bad looking engine.

Thanks, maybe I should look for an engine to go with the operating instructions! There is no date on the guff, no mention of power output, capacity or history. In fact they have managed to write a perfect operating manual/parts list without mentioning anything else - though they do refer to it as the Browett-Coborn engine at one point - and using that as a web search term has at least turned up one hit. Would this be fairly recent, 60s or 70s ?

Steve

Steve,

The C3 is 3.8 hp and the C6 is 6.1 hp, the engines were built between the

30s and 60s, usual colour is red, K&L steelfounders took over the Browett and Lindley and carried on making the engines. Production ceased in 1963.

K&L were part of the 600 group of companies, Kryn & Lahy was the original company name. They were also involved in the Jones Cranes business on the same site.

The foundry sub-station was still around in the 1980's, but the Jones Cranes business went under and the site was sold for the new Post Office centre.

Peter

-- Peter & Rita Forbes Email: snipped-for-privacy@easynet.co.uk

"Peter A Forbes" wrote (snip):-

Originally I believe of No. 600 commercial Road, east London. ISTR reading that one George Cohen started out by buying up defunct companies for the scrap value of their plant and ended up running a substantial manufacturing group which included the Colchester and Harrison machine tool companies - is that correct?

Back to the plot - the Coborn/Browett Linley/KL engines are rather uninspiring looking fully cowled air-cooled side valve singles, but they good deal less common than (say) similar JAP models and I would imagine that literature is correspondingly scarce so definitely not a bin job.

Nick H

Pretty much as I understand it, they were very big in the 1950's and 1960's.

Yes, they are a fairly typical air-cooled single, but rare enough these days to be kept in preservation.

Peter

-- Peter & Rita Forbes Email: snipped-for-privacy@easynet.co.uk

Ah! Jones Cranes: Rust Into Pieces.

Regards, Dave Carter.

Internal Fire may appreciate a scaned copy for their site. They don't list anything from Coborn.

John

I've a Coborn C6 for sale on eBay at the moment, see:

Bought a bundle of engine manuals lately, including one for Coborn

Hi

I've got a couple of these engines in my collection, both a Coburn and the later Browett & Lindley example.

Cheers Paul Visit

for show reports & pictures of the East Anglian Rally scene

url:

Expected that to sell - though I thought the starting price was pretty much all the money. Suppose it just goes to show that its comparitive rarity doesn't necessarily mean it will command a premium over the equivalent JAP or Villiers.

Nick H

Lack of spares availability is probably the reason nobody bid.

Peter

-- Peter & Rita Forbes Email: snipped-for-privacy@easynet.co.uk

"Peter A Forbes" wrote

Clearly didn't bother the buyer of the Allan which went for over 8 1/2 K ;-)

Nick H

>

Another:-

Oh well, I guess that is the going rate then.

Nick H

Fairly scruffy non-runner that one. The previous one seemed a better buy, but a bit far away for me - besides I am a bit short of space - will have to sell before I can buy.

Steve

"Steve" wrote

Yes it was a tad ratty. I see there is now a C3 listed (one might almost think that this thread had brought out a few sleepers!) which to my eye is slightly more interesting for its right angled mag drive.

Nick H

Don't know how you spotted that with the name being spelt incorrectly. Even after you told me it was there I had trouble finding it.

Its interesting if mentioning engines teases them onto the market - what shall we mention next ??

Steve

I have recently purchased a browett coborn engine and would be interested in obtaining a copy of the manual. Please get in touch if you would be interested in doing some sort of deal, cheers.

url:

Eric,

Try this link, its not an article but could be useful information.

Martin P