Does anyone know when a engine by the name of Webber was manufactured? The engine in question is a four cylinder side-walve, with a BTH mag chain driven from the crankshaft. It is part of a damn big winch that was salvaged from a lifeboat hut on Spurn Point. The entire winch had sat for the last five years under a tarpaulin. Two ex-RNLI men and the farmer were giving it a good coat of looking at. Now it was a big engine with a starting handle, and none of them were young men. They were using a Fordson Major and a belt around the flywheel instead. Eventually it belched a cloud of fumes and a loud grumble from its open exhaust. Notwithstanding the flatulence from the exhaust it was surprisingly quiet runningonce it warmed through. I expect the water jacket makes a hell of a difference.
Webber is not a marque I have heard of. It has one of the crankcase inspection covers with the name on it. there was a brass plate on the engine but any details stamped on it were obscured by oxidisation. one of the ex-RNLI men suggested 1922 for a date. The winch and engine rest on a frame of rivetted girders.