A New Shade – The 1956 Jensen 541 Gets New Wheels
March 20, 2024
With our 1956 Jensen 541 project moving quickly now, the team have had a chance to try out some new ideas for the car. One
1956 Jensen 541
Rebuild Progress
March 18, 2024
The rebuild of our 1956 Jensen 541 by technician Paul has carried on recently. Paul fitted the engine and gearbox to the car before cleaning
The Restoration Continues
March 11, 2024
Classic car technician Paul has continued his work on our 1956 Jensen 541. Here is a list of the work completed recently:
More Jensen Progress
March 1, 2024
The heat shield on our 1956 Jensen 541 has been finished and the throttle pedal has been fitted. The vacuum valve and heater pipes were
Sound Deadening And Brakes
February 21, 2024
Lydia recently covered the gearbox tunnel of our 1956 Jensen 541 with sound-deadening material. Paul has also made and fitted the brake pipes from the
More Paint And Wiring
February 14, 2024
Chris has applied dtm gloss to various components of our 1956 Jensen 541. While he was doing this, Paul finished wiring the loom into the
Lots Of Work Complete
February 7, 2024
Our 1956 Jensen 541 has made a lot of progress recently. Paul has finished the dash mounts and has started work on the wiring. After
Repairs And Modifications
January 19, 2024
Classic car technician Paul has been working on our 1956 Jensen 541. He fitted the heater box and fabricated various parts before fitting the handbrake
More Progress
January 11, 2024
Classic car technician Paul has been continuing his work on our 1956 Jensen 541. He has fitted the brake pipes and rear shoes as well
Brakes And Axle Supports
January 3, 2024
Classic car technician Paul has manufactured brake pipes for our 1956 Jensen 541. After fitting these to the car, he then fabricated axle support straps
541 Progress
December 21, 2023
Paul has been working on our 1956 Jensen 541. He made and fitted the fuel tank before fabricating parts for the driver’s side footwell and
Rebuilding Continues
December 13, 2023
Classic car technician Paul has been continuing the process of rebuilding our 1956 Jensen 541. He has fitted several more components as well as fabricated
Steering rack bracket
December 7, 2023
Monty has made up a new steering rack bracket to replace the existing one on our 1956 Jensen 541.
Better than new – Retrimming the dash panels on our 1956 Jensen 541
December 6, 2023
Brian has been hard at work in the Bridge Classic Cars in-house trim shop working on getting the various interior trim pieces and panelwork done
Jensen Front Suspension
November 24, 2023
Classic car technician Paul has been working on the front suspension of our 1956 Jensen 541. After removing the worn bearings, new parts were fitted.
More Paint Work For Our 541
April 26, 2023
Our 1956 Jensen 541 has continued its stay in the Bridge Classic Cars paint shop as classic car technicians Chris, Al, and Mauro have been
A New Coat Of Paint
April 5, 2023
Some good progress has been made on our 1956 Jensen 541 recently. After being prepped and primed, the body and various components have been painted.
Priming A Jensen
February 16, 2023
Our 1956 Jensen 541 has had the fibreglass on the inside and exterior of the roof completed. The body of the car had its coating
Good As New
January 10, 2023
Our friends at Wyatt Polishing recently completed some restoration work and zinc plating for a number of seat runners and bonnet struts for the Jensens
Bonnet Panel Levelled
November 8, 2022
The bonnet of our 1956 Jensen 541 has been panel levelled by classic car technician Al. Once that had been completed, the bonnet was ready
Inner Arches
November 1, 2022
Classic car technician Al has been working on our 1956 Jensen 541 lately. Recently, he has been focused on continuing the painting of the chassis
Chassis Painted
October 27, 2022
Since returning from the sandblasters, the chassis of our 1956 Jensen 541 has spent some time in our paint shop being painted. It’s not very
Epoxy Primer For Our 1956 Jensen 541
October 20, 2022
Classic car technician Alan has been doing more work on our 1956 Jensen 541. After repairing the roof and bonnet of this classic car, Alan
Off To The Sandblasters
October 18, 2022
The body of our 1956 Jensen 541 has been carefully removed ready to be sent for sandblasting. While the body of this rare vehicle is
More Fibreglass Work
October 14, 2022
Classic car technician Alan has once again been repairing and replacing parts of the fibreglass body of our 1956 Jensen 541. He ground back the
Jensen Bonnet Strips
October 10, 2022
Our classic car technician, Clinton, has been making parts that will ultimately go on to be fitted into one of our ongoing Jensen projects. The
Repairing A Hole In The Bonnet
October 6, 2022
Not only has classic car technician Alan been busy repairing the fibreglass roof of our 1956 Jensen 541, but he has also been repairing a
A Very Special Roof
October 5, 2022
The history of the Jensen 541 is an interesting story that goes all the way back to 1953. Before the release of the 541, Jensen
A Brief History Of The Jensen 541
October 4, 2022
The Jensen 541 was a car produced by Jensen Motors. Each one of these cars has an individual story to tell, but the story of
Bonnet Repairs, Panels Aligned, And A new Layer On The Roof
September 30, 2022
Our 1956 Jensen 541 has been the target of our classic car technician’s attention as of late. Over the past few days, the bonnet has
A New Shade – The 1956 Jensen 541 Gets New Wheels
March 20, 2024
With our 1956 Jensen 541 project moving quickly now, the team have had a chance to try out some new ideas for the car. One of which being the cars wheel colour.
This 541 is going to be fitted with wire wheels and to change things slightly, the team have opted for the dark red wheels you see here. This adds a beautiful flash of colour to the dark exterior and makes this car unique in its own way.
Rebuild Progress
March 18, 2024
The rebuild of our 1956 Jensen 541 by technician Paul has carried on recently. Paul fitted the engine and gearbox to the car before cleaning and preparing the oil filter housing for paint. He modified the wiper spindles to take new fittings, before making and fitting the starter motor main lead.
Paul then started to prepare the carbs ready to fit.
The water pump was fitted and measurements were taken to machine pulley to size. Paul fabricated the starter motor cover before starting to assemble the carbs and making seals and gaskets.
The Restoration Continues
March 11, 2024
Classic car technician Paul has continued his work on our 1956 Jensen 541. Here is a list of the work completed recently:
- Finish rear brake
- Fit splined hubs for spoked wheels
- Fit parts to gearbox ready to fit to engine
- Fit clutch to the engine
- Fit modified fuel filler pip
- Fabricate back plates for rear indicators and fit indicators
- Locate parts for gearbox ready to fit to engine
- Fit the last piece of the bulkhead heat shield
- Fit the gearbox to the engine and start fitting auxiliaries
- Fabricate the blanking plate to cover the fuel pump aperture
More Jensen Progress
March 1, 2024
The heat shield on our 1956 Jensen 541 has been finished and the throttle pedal has been fitted. The vacuum valve and heater pipes were also fitted.
Paul removed the handbrake mounts before painting and refitting them.
Paul made a finishing strip for the rear shelf of our 541 to hide some holes where the suspension mounts poke through. Lydia used foam built up in layers to graduate the slope to the wooden bar. She also applied a very thin layer of foam to the shelf to smooth over any imperfections in the fibreglass. Next, this was covered with a layer of black leather.
Sound Deadening And Brakes
February 21, 2024
Lydia recently covered the gearbox tunnel of our 1956 Jensen 541 with sound-deadening material. Paul has also made and fitted the brake pipes from the master cylinder to the main pipe connector.
Paul then went on to build up the engine bay ready for the engine and gearbox. He also fabricated the rear brake wheel cylinders backing plate and fitted it in place before fitting the gearbox tunnel, and bonnet hinges. He then cleaned and painted the servo valve.
More Paint And Wiring
February 14, 2024
Chris has applied dtm gloss to various components of our 1956 Jensen 541.
While he was doing this, Paul finished wiring the loom into the dashboard and fabricated a gearbox mount. He then went on to fit the floor boards and fuel line before cleaning the gearbox tunnel ready for repair.
Once this was done, Paul modified the old bumper mounts to fit the new chassis.
Lots Of Work Complete
February 7, 2024
Our 1956 Jensen 541 has made a lot of progress recently.
Paul has finished the dash mounts and has started work on the wiring. After fitting the loom, he began work wiring some of the electrical components into it.
The headlining has been fitted on our 541 too. Lydia made it from a cream vinyl with an embossed pattern. New holes for the roof bars had to be drilled as the previous holes had been repaired and filled in. Lydia then heated the vinyl and pulled it into place, making sure to remove all the creases as she went. She trimmed the excess away and tidied up the edges to make sure that the rubber for the front and back windscreens fit as they should.
Lydia then moved on to the side panels. She first covered the panels in a layer of scrim foam as the fibreglass was very bumpy. This helps to smooth out the thin headlining material. She then covered them in headlining material.
Christian got involved in the recent work too by fabricating a steering column spacer.
Repairs And Modifications
January 19, 2024
Classic car technician Paul has been working on our 1956 Jensen 541. He fitted the heater box and fabricated various parts before fitting the handbrake cable and welding the bracket in place.
He then modified the chassis to enable the fitting of the wiring loom.
More Progress
January 11, 2024
Classic car technician Paul has been continuing his work on our 1956 Jensen 541. He has fitted the brake pipes and rear shoes as well as assembling parts for the heater box.
Brakes And Axle Supports
January 3, 2024
Classic car technician Paul has manufactured brake pipes for our 1956 Jensen 541. After fitting these to the car, he then fabricated axle support straps ready for them to be painted.
541 Progress
December 21, 2023
Paul has been working on our 1956 Jensen 541.
He made and fitted the fuel tank before fabricating parts for the driver’s side footwell and welding these in place.
Rebuilding Continues
December 13, 2023
Classic car technician Paul has been continuing the process of rebuilding our 1956 Jensen 541.
He has fitted several more components as well as fabricated steering box mounts and the pedal box.
Steering rack bracket
December 7, 2023
Monty has made up a new steering rack bracket to replace the existing one on our 1956 Jensen 541.
Better than new – Retrimming the dash panels on our 1956 Jensen 541
December 6, 2023
Brian has been hard at work in the Bridge Classic Cars in-house trim shop working on getting the various interior trim pieces and panelwork done on our 1956 Jensen 541.
He took the original dash panel section and after removing the old covering, sanded the piece down to remove any residue or adhesive which may have been on the surface. After a deep clean of the piece, Brian could work on getting the piece perfectly wrapped in the stunning dark red leather before test fitting the various dials and switchgear into the piece.
Jensen Front Suspension
November 24, 2023
Classic car technician Paul has been working on the front suspension of our 1956 Jensen 541.
After removing the worn bearings, new parts were fitted. The components that make up the suspension were then checked and cleaned ready to be assembled.
Paul then put the front suspension and brakes back together.
More Paint Work For Our 541
April 26, 2023
Our 1956 Jensen 541 has continued its stay in the Bridge Classic Cars paint shop as classic car technicians Chris, Al, and Mauro have been finishing off the painting of the body and other components.
Mauro has been painting various engine bay components black, while Chris spent some time polishing the newly painted body.
A New Coat Of Paint
April 5, 2023
Some good progress has been made on our 1956 Jensen 541 recently. After being prepped and primed, the body and various components have been painted. As you can see from the images below, the new colour looks great and was the perfect choice from the owner of this classic car.
While Chris was painting our 541, classic car technician Brian was working on the interior. He cut out the under-dash panels along with the kick panels and air vent holes.
Priming A Jensen
February 16, 2023
Our 1956 Jensen 541 has had the fibreglass on the inside and exterior of the roof completed.
The body of the car had its coating of epoxy primer while the back of the doors were prepped ready to be fitted up too.
It’s always good to see progress like this being made and it will be an exciting time when the car is painted in the near future.
Good As New
January 10, 2023
Our friends at Wyatt Polishing recently completed some restoration work and zinc plating for a number of seat runners and bonnet struts for the Jensens currently in the Bridge Classic Cars workshop.
When components like this look as good as they now do, you can tell that the fully restored cars they become a part of will be as beautiful as ever.
Bonnet Panel Levelled
November 8, 2022
The bonnet of our 1956 Jensen 541 has been panel levelled by classic car technician Al.
Once that had been completed, the bonnet was ready for polyester primer to be applied as it moved on to the next stage of its restoration journey in the Bridge Classic Cars workshop.
Inner Arches
November 1, 2022
Classic car technician Al has been working on our 1956 Jensen 541 lately.
Recently, he has been focused on continuing the painting of the chassis and its numerous components.
As well as painting the rear inner arches of this soon-to-be beautiful classic car, Al also painted the door frames too.
Work will continue on our 1956 Jensen 541 and it is great to see progress being made in its restoration.
Chassis Painted
October 27, 2022
Since returning from the sandblasters, the chassis of our 1956 Jensen 541 has spent some time in our paint shop being painted.
It’s not very often that you see the chassis of a car in this state so it’s always interesting to see this stage of restoration work.
Epoxy Primer For Our 1956 Jensen 541
October 20, 2022
Classic car technician Alan has been doing more work on our 1956 Jensen 541.
After repairing the roof and bonnet of this classic car, Alan turned his attention to the doors. He removed the door skins from the frames so he could apply epoxy primer to both sides.
Epoxy primer was also applied to the front wings and sill covers too.
This is part of the preparation for the body to be repainted.
Off To The Sandblasters
October 18, 2022
The body of our 1956 Jensen 541 has been carefully removed ready to be sent for sandblasting.
While the body of this rare vehicle is out of the workshop, classic car technician Alan has been doing some work on the bonnet, boot lid, and bonnet flap. These have all had a coating of epoxy primer ready for the final coats to be added later on.
More Fibreglass Work
October 14, 2022
Classic car technician Alan has once again been repairing and replacing parts of the fibreglass body of our 1956 Jensen 541.
He ground back the cracks in the bonnet before covering it in a new sheet of fibreglass.
In addition to this, Alan also reinforced all the bonnet supports as they were weak and loose. Once this had been done, the bonnet went on to be prepped on both sides ready for its coat of epoxy primer.
Jensen Bonnet Strips
October 10, 2022
Our classic car technician, Clinton, has been making parts that will ultimately go on to be fitted into one of our ongoing Jensen projects.
The bonnet strips he made can be seen in the photos below.
Repairing A Hole In The Bonnet
October 6, 2022
Not only has classic car technician Alan been busy repairing the fibreglass roof of our 1956 Jensen 541, but he has also been repairing a hole in the bonnet too.
He repaired the inside first by attaching some meshing which would provide more support for the repair. Once the inside of the hole was sealed, he then repaired the outside.
Repairs like this may seem small but they require high levels of skill and form an important part of the overall restoration project.
A Very Special Roof
October 5, 2022
The history of the Jensen 541 is an interesting story that goes all the way back to 1953. Before the release of the 541, Jensen Motors predominantly used aluminium to make the bodywork of their Interceptors. Interestingly, the boot lid of the Jensen Interceptor though was made from fibreglass.
Fibreglass was not commonly used in car manufacturing at the time, so when Jensen released the 541 with a fibreglass body, it was actually the first European production car to be made in this way.
At Bridge Classic Cars, we have a wealth of experience in restoring classic Jensens. Considering only a few hundred 541s were made, we have had several come through our workshop and undergone restoration work with us.
Our classic car technicians work hard to make sure the restored cars are as close to the original specifications as possible. That’s why Alan has been doing some very special work to repair the fibreglass roof of our 1956 Jensen 541.
This type of work may not be seen in many other workshops so we had to take some photos of Alan at work as the restoration of this classic Jensen continues.
A Brief History Of The Jensen 541
October 4, 2022
The Jensen 541 was a car produced by Jensen Motors. Each one of these cars has an individual story to tell, but the story of the Jensen 541, in general, is one that many car enthusiasts should be keen to hear.
If you want to know more about these truly iconic classic cars, then this brief history of the Jensen 541 can give you a good idea of how special (and rare) these cars really are.
October 1953 – The Launch Of The Jensen 541
At the Earls Court Motor Show of 1953, the Jensen 541 was shown to the public for the very first time. It would be another eight months before production properly started but, this was the date when the world was officially introduced to the 541.
Up until the 541, Jensen had mostly been using aluminium for the bodywork of their Interceptors (there were restrictions on the use of steel still in place as the world recovered from the second world war). When it came to making the boot lids of the Interceptors though, Jensen played around with a new material of the time – fibreglass.
When working on the idea for the 541, Jensen wanted to do something big, so they decided to make a lot more of the car from this new wonder material.
June 1954 – Production Begins
In June of 1954, production of the Jensen 541 began. At the time, you could buy your very own 541 for £2146.
October 1956 – Say Hello To The 541 Deluxe
A little over 2 years after production of the 541 began, the 541 Deluxe was introduced. As this was a more luxurious car that featured all disc brakes, the price of the car increased to £2626.
Only 53 Jensen 541 Deluxes were made in total.
October 1957 – Here Comes The Jensen 541R
A year later, the 541R was introduced. When first released, these were fitted with Austin Princess (DS7) twin-carb engines, and an overdrive gearbox. The price tag for a 541R, at the time, was £2866.
January 1958 – No More Original Jensen 541
At the beginning of 1958, the very last Jensen 541 was made.
October 1960 – From R To S
Two years later, the Jensen 541R was pulled from production too. At this point, less than 200 541Rs had been made. Jensen had now moved on to the Jensen 541S which had a larger interior, and automatic transmission as standard. Due to these upgrades, the 541S cost £3195.
January 1963 – The End Of The Road
At the beginning of 1963, production of the Jensen 541S ended. Less than 150 had been made before being replaced by the Jensen CV-8 which had been introduced the previous year (1962).
Bridge Classic Cars And The Jensen 541
Jensens have had a strong presence in the Bridge Classic Cars workshop for a long time. Our team of classic car technicians have restored multiple 541s and some of our current projects include a few more too.
Considering only a few hundred of these classic cars were made, we love seeing them in the workshop. We love working on them, and we love getting them back on the road for everyone to enjoy.
Bonnet Repairs, Panels Aligned, And A new Layer On The Roof
September 30, 2022
Our 1956 Jensen 541 has been the target of our classic car technician’s attention as of late.
Over the past few days, the bonnet has been repaired so that it now lines up beautifully with the doors, some body panels have been gapped and aligned, and a new layer of fibreglass has been added to the roof to fix the cracks that were present.
