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Burman Gearboxes

If recall Burmans made power steering racks at Kings Norton they supplied Austin's for the Wolseley 18/85 and the Wolseley 6.
Today that may not seem like a big deal but back then power steering was rare in any car, and for it to be a steering rack was pretty much unheard of, Jaguar XJ6 had a power rack as well and that's about it.
Rolls Royce had power steering but not a rack and pinion it was a system style used on many American cars, one had to wait for the Shadow 2 for a power rack in a Roller.
Bob, you are absolutely right....Burmans were ahead of their time with rack and pinion steering......Unfortunately their quality was not the best. Their gear boxes were good except the syncro on first did not work well. They used a syncro ring instead of a cone which made all the difference in the world.
 
My Uncle worked at Burman Gearboxes in the 30's. I've tried to find out where the Burman factory was at that time - and there seems to be some dispute on the Forum. One respondent says the Gearbox works (did Burman have more than one factory ?) was in Kings Norton, another says Ryland Road, Edgbaston. I think the latter is more likely - he lived in Ladywood. Can anyone shed any light on this ?
Hi my grandad William Smith worked there known as bill smith he said that Burnham's moved from there to kingsnorton if any help
 
Hi there my grandad William Smith known as bill smith worked at Burnham's in b end section I think around 1956 onwards just wondered if anyone remembers some of these names (forgive me if spellings are off on names not sure how they were spelt just going on how grandad pronounced them , he remembers someone called. Larry Kelly , Tony Keith I think he said he was a foreman, Paul Butterworth and his dad Fred Butterworth , Les cotteril , ken cotteril, charlie clarke who was in welding ,Ernie hobbis tho he wasn't too sure on the name said he was a boxer too ,harry clarke used to work in clipper shop, any one remember these people?
 
  • In 1954 Kieft started to make a two seater sports car which could also be used as a road car. Using a Coventry Climax FWA engine, all independent suspension using transverse leaf springs at the rear and a lightweight glass fibre body the car was really a racing car and at £1560 it is doubtful if any were bought just as road cars.

  • The company was losing money and at the end of 1954 Kieft sold the company to racing driver Berwyn Baxter.

  • Kieft Cars left Wolverhampton in 1956 and moved to nearby Birmingham where they concentrated on preparing and tuning other makes of cars. There were plans for a return to making Kieft cars but these failed to materialise. The company was sold again in 1960 and changed its name to Burmans. Len.
This one brought back a few memories Ivor Newby whose Dad owned M M Lillies owned a Kieft sports car Ivor drove me down to London docks in it a very windy journey my first experience being driven very very fast this the same Ivor Newby who attempted to cross the English channel in an ex-army duck which sank
 
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