S U Carburretor

[pjmburns]

I couldn't find a thread for this factory.
I have been using lockdown time to sort out a pile of old family photos. In doing so I came across a few of my Grandfather at work at S U Carburetor. I know he worked there prior to WW2, moved with them to Shirley in 1940 after the Birmingham factory was damaged and then continued to work at the Erdington factory until he retired.
When he moved jobs to Shirley my gran decided she did not want to stay living in Saltley as it was too dnagerous and the whole family moved to Shirley to the house in which I lived when I was born before my parents got a house of their own.
The photo is of one of the workshops - I remember as a child of 7 or 8 visiting it and hating the noise. I do not know the date.

More about the history can be found here https://www.calverst.com/technical-info/su-carbs-the-history/

 

[pjmburns]

As I said in post #1 my Grandfather worked at S U until he retired. The photos here are of his retirement presentation.

 

[pjmburns]

In amongst other things I also found this pass made of plastic:
I assume it was in use during WW2 but that is only a guess.

 

[Astoness]

what wonderful photos jan you are lucky to have them...thanks for sharing them with us..also love the pass..what a nice bit of history that is

lyn

 

[pjmburns]

Thanks. I hadn't seen the pass before. Must ask my Dad about it. He started work at the SU but as an apprentice electrician not on the shop floor. We still have the barometer that was being presented. Will take a photo when I next go to Dad's.

 

[boomy]

Thanks. I hadn't seen the pass before. Must ask my Dad about it. He started work at the SU but as an apprentice electrician not on the shop floor. We still have the barometer that was being presented. Will take a photo when I next go to Dad's.

I worked in the SU experimental department in the early 1960's and did all the test bed development of an Austin Healey 3000 rally engine fitted with six carburettors .
A nice place to work, but under BMC, starved of money and their fuel injection equipment was never fully developed to be put into production.
Boomy

 

[nickcc101]

I used to take my car to S U In the late sixties for the triple carbs to be tuned, the expert engineers would rip out all the old parts and replace with new if you asked them to which resulted in a vast improvement in performance.

 

[Pedrocut]

in Grace’s Guide...

S. U. Co - Graces Guide

www.gracesguide.co.uk

 

[Pedrocut]

Birmingham Post, November 1945, S.U. War work...

 

[Dave M]

I used to take my car to S U In the late sixties for the triple carbs to be tuned, the expert engineers would rip out all the old parts and replace with new if you asked them to which resulted in a vast improvement in performance.

Early 70s used to take my Austin Healey Sprint to SU carbs, always did a excellent job.

 

[Morturn]

I too recall the Erdington SU Factory. They were a real bunch of dead helpful guys who worked there. Knew all there was to know about SU Carbs. The gave me the right needle (ABQ) and (Red) spring to put on my Ford Cortina. It centrally vastly improved performance over the FoMoCo carbs.

 

[boomy]

Birmingham Post, November 1945, S.U. War work...

View attachment 145306

About 1928 the SU company was relocated into the Adderley Park East Works, Birmingham, but when Morris Commercial was bombed in WW2, the company was moved to the Co-op furniture factory in Shirley to safeguard the production of carburettors fitted to Merlin engines.
After the war, SU moved to Wood Lane, Erdington and I think in the late 1970's the experimental department and exhaust emissions laboratory were moved to Ashold Farm Road, where I used to take Sherpa vans for the European exhaust emission Bag-Test.
Boomy
Boomy