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1959 Jensen 541R

Bolted Down Tight – Seatbelts Installed on the 1959 Jensen 541R

May 25, 2022

The workshop team have fitted and secured the new seatbelts into the mounts for the beautiful 1959 Jensen 541R at our Suffolk HQ.

Dave, one of our technicians, has been busy preparing the classic Jensen to have the brand-new seatbelts fitted into the 1950s GT car. Before, the team worked on replacing the threaded amounts throughout the car to make sure that the fixings that secure them can be properly tightened and torqued down to spec.

With this completed, the team ran the various belts through the openings in the interior pieces of the car and check their latching to ensure everything operated smoothly and properly for the car’s owner.

Back to Basics – Stripping Back the Seats of the 1955 Jensen 541

May 20, 2022

The interior team at Bridge Classic Cars have worked their way through the teardown of the front seats on the 1955 Jensen 541

With the seats in such a delicate condition, the team had to approach this task with a meticulous and thorough approach to get the classic Jensen’s bucket seats stripped all the way back to the fibreglass cores. The team made careful note of every fixing location and took detailed measurements and notes for the seats reconstruction later down the line.

Key Features – Work on the 1959 Jensen 541R

May 17, 2022

The workshop restoration team at Bridge Classic Cars have been working on completing several jobs on the beautiful 1959 Jensen 541R in with us.

The first job that need completing was to get the moveable front grille working again. The front grille of the 541R is moveable to vary the airflow into the radiator of the car. This whole mechanism is cable operated and needed to be replaced and tensioned in order to get the system working exactly as it should.

Next, the team turned their attention inside the classic 541R. The team had been tasked with replacing the seat belt mounts in the car. These are a vital safety feature of any car so their mounts must be secure, stable and flat in order to have the belts fixed properly into place. Each of the mounts was removed from the car and replaced by the team. The key mounts go through the gearbox tunnel of the classic Jensen, which were cut out and replaced then painted in rust proofing.

Progress – Update on the 1959 Jensen 541R

May 10, 2022

The team at Bridge Classic Cars have been making progress on the beautiful 1959 Jensen 541R in our restoration workshop.

Firstly the team began by removing the seats in order to correctly fit the centre console of the classic Jensen. For some reason, it had been previously fitted backwards. So, the team removed the seats to get access and then reinstalled the piece in the right orientation.

Next, the team began work on replacing the rear windows of the car. These are plexiglass pieces which have been made specifically to fit the 541R, the team carefully refined and worked them into place.

The team have also gone through the fuel system of the car. Upon inspection, they found an issue with the several filters and pipes leading from the fuel tank to the carburettors. Our technicians noticed the main feed line had a severe kink in it which was causing a fuel flow issue and along with that, replaced the in-tank fuel filters (both primary and reserve) to make sure the big straight-six is getting all the fuel it needs.

A request by the owner of the car was to fit a new steering wheel to the classic Jensen 541R. For this the team also went into some of the switches and selectors to service and clean them out. Then, they could begin to remove the original steering wheel. Uniquely, the 541 steering wheel is actually riveted to the boss. The team carefully drilled out each individual rivet to separate the steering wheel from its boss. Then, working in reverse with the new steering wheel the team reattached the wheel and got it back into the car.

And while they were working on the interior, they have replaced the handles with new pieces which really set off against the grey/blue inside of the classic 541.

With The Current – Fitting a New 12 Volt Power Supply and New Float Arm on the 1959 Jensen 541R

May 4, 2022

The restoration workshop at Bridge Classic Cars has been working through the jobs on the 1959 Jensen 541R in with us. This time, it was fitting a new 12-volt power supply and fixing the issue with the fuel gauge.

Dave fitted a new auxiliary power supply underneath the dash of the classic Jensen for the owner.

Along with this, Dave has worked on resolving an issue with the fuel gauge. Upon inspecting the float arm inside of the fuel tank, he found it had a previous repair carried out. Once he removed the sender from the tank, the old repair actually fell apart in his hands. The issue was that the arm had actually seized in the sender unit and not giving the gauge reading. So, Dave got some new copper pipe and bent up an exact replica of the original and fit it into the sender.

Progress – The Restoration Team Begins Inspecting and Working on the 1959 Jensen 541R

April 28, 2022

The restoration team in the Bridge Classic Cars workshop have begun work on the beautiful 1959 Jensen 541R for its owner.

The team have started by addressing an issue the car did on its way to our restoration workshop. On its way, the bonnet of the 541R came loose and flew up. Unfortunately, this damaged the stays in the struts which hold the one-piece fibreglass clamshell up during any work. So, our technicians managed to release them in order to remove them from the car and inspect them.

Our technician Dave noticed that the stops/catches had broken and were out of shape. These had to be repaired and rewelded in places in order to get the bonnet to both hold open and remain closed. The team will also be looking into how the bonnet managed to open from the clips that keep it tightly shut.

Along with the work on the struts, the team have been looking into the reported issue with the fuel gauge on the classic Jensen. The issue is believed to either be with the gauge or with the sender unit within the fuel tank itself. The team did find the arm for the float level was broken so that has been repaired and are currently looking at, inspecting and investigating the rest of the fuel system in the car to narrow down the root cause of the issue which includes the wiring to gauge itself.

Piece Together – Interior Pieces for the 1955 Jensen 541

April 13, 2022

The Bridge Classic Cars in-house trim team have been continuing on the hand-made one-off interior for the 1959 Jensen 541R Princess Grey.

Lydia has been working on getting the centre console and rear seats finished up for this particular 541R. Finished in all matching red, this interior for Princess Grey is going to look absolutely incredible when back in the car.

Each piece has been individually cut, stitched and finished to ensure the best possible fit and final result for the classic Jensen.

This Just In – 1959 Jensen 541R

April 13, 2022

The Bridge Classic Cars restoration workshop at our Suffolk HQ have welcomed this beautiful 1959 Jensen 541R for our teams to carry out a series of jobs for its owner.

Apart from its stunning colour combination, this is a beautiful example of the 541R and the teams are looking forward to sorting out a few niggles on the car which the owner has highlighted. Due to our long history of working on and refining the 541 family, the car will be gone through by our restoration teams to update certain aspects of the car and to also make sure its original features work perfectly and look perfect.

Keep an eye out here on the Bridge Classic Cars news page for more updates on the 1959 Jensen 541R.

From Scratch – Rear Seat Base on the 1955 Jensen 541

April 6, 2022

The rear seat base for the 1955 Jensen 541 has been hand-cut and finished by the in-house trim shop at Bridge Classic Cars.

Lydia has been made the whole piece and the foam work from scratch for this unique Jensen. Lydia used some of the original pieces as templates to create the bespoke interior pieces needed to make up the matching rear seat base.

Each of the pieces was put together and carefully pulled/stretched to get the best fit before being glued and stapled into the base board.

Finished Up – Fitting up the Cover onto the Squab Seat of the 1955 Jensen 541

April 5, 2022

The in-house trim shop at the Bridge Classic Cars restoration workshop has been working on finishing up the rear squab seat on the 1955 Jensen 541.

Lydia and the trim team have made the new red leather covering for the squab seat from scratch specifically to fit the new foam and base intended for the interior of the classic Jensen 541.

Using what was left of the original material, Lydia created templates that she could then refine further to get the best fit and finish for the piece. After each piece had been sewn together, Lydia finished the edging for the seat in matching bright red for the final touch.

Once wrapped around the foam and base, Lydia could systematically staple the covering down to the piece carefully stretching and pulling it for the final shaping.

Collection Day – Collecting the 1959 Jensen 541R

March 29, 2022

The Bridge Classic Cars team took a trip over the weekend to head north and collect the 1959 Jensen 541R from its resting place and bring it back to our Suffolk HQ.

It was an early start with our new van hitched up to our enclosed trailer to make the journey to the north of England to collect the most recent of our 541’s. This car was offered to us for sale because of our long-running history of restoring the Jensen 541 family to the very highest of standards.

Once the team had reached the home of the 541R, and some seriously skilful trailer driving by our director Gordon, the car was carefully pulled out of its garage and out into the open for the first time in several years. The car is remarkably complete with most of the pieces removed from the classic sports car stored back inside the body.

Gordon and Eva inch by inch loaded the 541R into the enclosed trailer, safely secured it and then began the long journey back home with the latest addition to the Bridge Classic Cars family.

Old & New – Finishing the Front Seats and Stripping the Rear Seats of the 1955 Jensen 541

March 25, 2022

The interior of the 1955 Jensen 541 has been in the Bridge Classic Cars in-house trim shop to have the front seats completed and begin the strip-down of the rear seat.

The front seats for the Jensen 541 have been completed and finished in a beautiful bright shade of red. Lydia has meticulously been working on getting these seats into the incredible shape that you see here completely from scratch.

With the front seats complete, the trim team could begin carefully dismantling the fragile rear seat to use as a template for the brand new rear seats being made. Every piece of the rear seat had to be slowly unpicked in order to preserve each panel to be used later on in the process.

Handmade Details – Details for the Seatbase and Rear Quarters on the Interior of the 1955 Jensen 541

March 22, 2022

The trim shop at Bridge Classic Cars has been working on the interior of the 1955 Jensen 541.

Brian, one of our trimmers, has handmade a lot of these details for the interior of the car. Including the rounded bases of the rear quarter panels finished with hand-formed aluminium brackets. These pieces have been entirely made by the trim team and will be recovered.

The seat bases have also been worked on by the team and the wooden spars carefully cut by hand to give the best fit and finish needed for the bottoms of the seats.

Piece by Piece – Working on the Interior of the 1955 Jensen 541

March 17, 2022

The Bridge Classic Cars in-house trim shop has been working on handmaking all new pieces for the interior of the 1955 Jensen 541.

Using their wealth of knowledge when it comes to the interiors of the whole 541 family, these pieces are being made to exact measurements which takes craft, skill and precision for the best possible fit.

Brian has made new seat woods, kick panels, floor supports and mounts specifically for the car.

Top Board – Making the Rear Quarter Panel Top Boards for the 1955 Jensen 541

March 8, 2022

The top boards for the rear quarter panels on the interior of the 1955 Jensen 541 have been made by hand in our in-house trim shop at the Bridge Classic Cars workshop.

Brian has made each individual piece by hand using original templates for the interior of the Jensen 541s. After they have been hand finished they will be retrimmed in the matching material to the rest of the car.

Capped Off – Finishing the Cubby Boxes for the 1955 Jensen 541

March 4, 2022

The Bridge Classic Cars trim shop have been working to finish off the handmade cubby boxes for the 1955 Jensen 541.

Brian has been making the lids for the new cubby boxes. This involves hand finishing the recesses in the lids for the brand new hinges to get the lids to sit perfectly flat onto the bases. He also created the recess in the top to fit the ashtray, this has all been done and finished by hand to give the best possible result for the car.

Along with these pieces, Brian has created the metal base for the cubby boxes. This was then wrapped in black vinyl to match the colour of the interior of the box and give one single uniform look to the boxes.

Seats and Ceilings – Foam and Panel Work on the 1955 Jensen 541

February 17, 2022

The trim team at the Bridge Classic Cars workshop in our Suffolk HQ are working through the interior pieces and trims for the 1955 Jensen 541.

Brian, one of our trimmers, has been working on shaping and putting together the fitted rear seats for the 1950s GT car. Each part of these rear seats is made by hand by our trim shop in-house. Every car is unique so each interior we do for a Jensen is also unique and fit specifically for that car.

This 541 is no exception. The rear seats have had their foams cut and shaped by hand to get the best fit and finish possible for the interior of the classic Jensen. Along with that, Brian has also remade and trimmed the ceiling pad to match.

Support – Finishing the New Seat Bases for the 1955 Jensen 541

February 16, 2022

The front seats for the 1955 Jensen 541 are on the workbench in the in-house trim shop at Bridge Classic Cars.

Brian has been testing fitting each part of the seat bases to make sure everything lines up and fits just right. He then made new wooden cappings to go along with the new metal frames. Once the fit was just right, the new bases could then me covered in Calico before being placed and fitted into the fibreglass bucket seats.

From the Base – Making New Seat Bases for the 1955 Jensen 541

February 14, 2022

The Bridge Classic Cars in-house trim shop have got the 1955 Jensen 541 seats on the workbench for the cars new owner.

Brian and Lydia are working through the interior of the car bit by bit and now, is the front seats. Brian has got the new seat bases for the seats as the old ones were in very rough shape. The seat bases have been made from brand new steel for the team to work from.

Bit by bit, the trim team will be working on getting the front seats totally put together and recovered for a very special car like the 541.

Repadded – New Padding into the Seats of the 1955 Jensen 541

February 11, 2022

The trim shop at Bridge Classic Cars have cleaned up and repadded the front seats of the 1955 Jensen 541.

Lydia has been working on hand-forming each of the padding pieces for the front bucket seats and shaping them roughly. These all have multiple pieces but the forms needed to be just right before the seat covers are eventually made to fit the fibreglass bucket seats.

Keep a look out on the Bridge Classic Cars news page for more on the interior of the 1955 Jensen 541.

Teardown – Stripping the Interior Pieces for the 1955 Jensen 541

February 11, 2022

The Bridge Classic Cars trim shop have worked on getting the original interior of the 1955 Jensen 541.

Lydia has been working through each individual piece to get them stripped down to the bases and components underneath to be inspected and assessed. Once they have been assessed, she can begin the work of completely remaking all the padding and covers for the interior.

Bridge Classic Cars have a long history of working on the Jensen 541 and creating the interiors for these amazing GT cars.

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