Jensen Interceptor Check
Classic car technician Steve has been conducting his initial check and assessment of our 1976 Jensen Interceptor. His findings will now be reported back to the owner.
Tag Archive: classic jensen
Jensen 541 Engine Support
Paul has fabricated a temporary engine support for our 1960 Jensen 541R. He then fitted the engine and the steering arms.
Once this was done, Paul then fitted the front hubs and started mounting the front subframe.
Jensen 541R
Paul has been fitting the front discs, callipers, and steering arms to our 1960 Jensen 541R. He also fitted the engine mounts, fitted and aligned the clutch before starting to modify the chassis in order for it to take the seat belts.
Jensen Carb Mixtures
Jonn has been adjusting the carb mixtures of our 1956 Jensen 541. He left the air filter housing in place and removed the brass jet covers from underneath and adjusted each jet in turn.
He then refitted the brass caps, jacked up each corner of the car and checked the brakes.
Final stretch for the Jensen 541
Looking lovely sitting in the middle of The Atelier. The final touches are being made to the door and the car is hopefully only days away from the testing stage.
Jensen 541 Clutch
Once our 1956 Jensen 541 was up on the four-post ramp, Jonn was able to chock the engine and remove the gearbox. He then cleaned the bell housing and fitted new thrust bearings.
Once this was done, Jonn cleaned the flywheel and fitted a new clutch and refitting the gearbox.
Coming Toward The End
Our 1956 Jensen 541 is coming toward the end of its restoration here at Bridge Classic Cars. It has been a long process but now, technician Paul is starting to put the last few pieces back together. Although the car will still need testing and other minor bits, it’s safe to say that it is now looking very close to its finished form.
Paul has now assembled the doors and fitted the rear bumper and rear side windows. While he was doing that, Lydia made and fit the door cards as well as the boot chain covers.
Jensen Doors And Window Frames
Paul has been continuing his work on our 1956 Jensen 541.
He has now fitted the nearside and off-side doors before he started to assemble the window frames. He then had to modify the door frame to make sure that the glass didn’t rub.
The door window frames were then fitted.
New arrival – 1976 Jensen Interceptor
The latest addition to the hangar and a future restoration project for us at Bridge Classic Cars is our 1976 Jensen Interceptor.
Work will commence in 2025 on this one. We are very much looking forward to it.
Jensen Springs
Tony has delivered the springs from our 1960 Jensen 541R to Owen Springs in Rotherham.
Sender Calibration Unit
Workshop Manager John has been fitting a Spiyda calibration unit to the tank gauge of our 1956 Jensen 541. This is to match the sender to the gauge.
Jensen Wheels
Tony recently collected the wheels for our 1956 Jensen 541 from Wheelworx and brought them back to the workshop.
541 Progress And Repairs
Paul has been working on our 1956 Jensen 541. He fabricated a cover to protect the wiring to the fuel pump and checked over the engine.
He removed one of the runners from the glass and repaired it before he started assembling the door chrome work and fabricating a bonnet support.
Paul then built up the door windows and quarter light before drilling the doors ready to fit the mirrors.
We also had our friends from Coltec in the workshop as they were setting up the engine of this rare classic.
Interceptor In Paint
Our 1975 Jensen Interceptor MK3 has been in the Bridge Classic Cars paint shop with Chris.
He prepped the inside and underneath of the car ready for dtm and raptor. He then applied epoxy to all of the inside and engine bay.
Chris then applied dtm satin black and raptor to the inner wheel arch parts.
Colour was also applied to the back of the doors and hinges.
Jensen Progress
Paul has continued his hard work on our 1956 Jensen 541. Here are his notes of what he has been up to:
Fabricate throttle pedal stop and fit cable,fit trim to door apertures, fit speakers in parcel shelf,find and match parts for doors chrome etc.
Prepare window chrome for chroming,fit heater hoses and fabricate mounts,cut perspex rear windows using template.
Fit front grill and reshape to fit,fit rear side windows,fit front bumper and measure up for spacers,prepare trim for window for lydia, modify air box to take return spring.
A Very Busy Jensen
A lot of progress has happened with our 1956 Jensen 541. Paul has continued his work and has completed a lot of tasks. Here are his notes:
Fit propshaft,check rear axle alignment, fit fuel line at tank,fit n/s door catch captive plate,fit gearbox tunnel, Prep manifolds ready to fit,fit drive shaft,connect pedals to master cylinders,fabricate water bottle mount.
Fit washer bottle and wire in,make loom for electrics to heater fan and wiper motor,fit exhaust manifolds,fit oil feed pipeto gauge,and fabricate mount for flex oil fed pipe,fit clutch and brake pedal pads,fit brake servo pipe.
Fit spare wheel carrier, top up gearbox,engine and differential oils, add fluid to brake and clutch systems and bleed through,fabricate hand brake rods and modify fittings,fit vacuum pipe for brake servo.
Fit brake pedal return springs,wire in loom for bonnet ,fit headlights in bonnet,start fitting bonnet air flap.
To allow Paul to work on the bonnet, Tony transported it from our storage facility to the workshop.
Coming Out Of Storage
Our award-winning 1960 Jensen 541S has been taken out of storage and come into the workshop for a check-up, in preparation for it to go home to its owner for show season.
Here is what Steve has been doing:
Spot light wasn’t working traced fault to dirty contacts in switch. Pulled switch apart and cleaned contacts and reassembled, now works fine.
Condensation in headlamps, found that the rear seals were not sealing correctly and allowing in moisture. Cleaned out units and fitted some better fitting seals.
Removed indicator switch and black plastic end and fitted new ivory coloured one to match original.
Noticed a rattle in the boot while on test drive and traced it to the fuel pump access cover in the boot floor. Removed cover put felt patches on the contact points to cure.
More Interceptor Fabrication
Christian has continued to work on our 1975 Jensen Interceptor MK 3 in the Bridge Classic Cars fabrication bay.
He repaired the holes in the boot lid frame and fabricated a battery tray. He also repaired some holes and areas of rust.
Suspension, Glovebox, And More
Both Paul and Lydia have been working on our 1956 Jensen 541.
Once Paul had changed over the rear suspension leaf springs to the correct ones, he carried on fitting the door trim.
Lydia then made a glove box for our classic Jensen. It’s small in size as it has to fit into the dash around an air duct and wiper motor linkage. Lydia fitted the box she had previously made, then covered the front panel with red leather.
Unfortunately, due to the unique nature of the Jensen, the passenger seat didn’t fit next to the tunnel. Because it was made so long ago before the tunnel was ever fitted, we could not envisage this problem occurring. Lydia has test-fitted the seat into the vehicle and made alterations so that it will no longer fall on the gearbox tunnel, even when it is in its most forward position.
The door surrounds were then finished and the dash and extra wiring were also fitted for the fan motor and screen washer pump.
Seat Runners
As our 1956 Jensen 541 continues to make good progress through its restoration journey here at Bridge Classic Cars, Paul has been assembling the seat runners and drilling the mounting holes for these. The seat belt mounts have been fitted to the gearbox tunnel and the work has begun on fitting the door trim and the fabrication of a cage for the striker plate bolts.
Paul also fitted the chrome trim to the roof edge and aligned and pre-drilled the rear window hinges. He then went on to fit and align the front side panels before fitting the rear side window hinges. He also started fitting the aluminium ground panels.
Jensen Bonnet Brackets
Christian has been hard at work in the fabrication bay making bonnet brackets for our 1960 Jensen 541R.
Boot Carpet And More
Lydia has been looking at the boot carpet in our 1956 Jensen 541. She has templated and made the boot carpets, which are unique to each car. She has shaped and moulded the sides to fit the rear curves in the boot, and then completed it with a large over mat. She will finish glueing everything down when the wiring has been finalised.
Paul has also been working on our classic 541. He has made and fitted the earth cable, fitted the distributor vacuum pipe, cut a hole in the gearbox tunnel to make access to the speedo drive and fabricated a cover. He has also made and fitted the wiper motor mounting plate, and designed and made the seat belt mounts.
Getting Ready To Say Goodbye
As we prepare to say goodbye to our 1959 Jensen 541R, I thought it would be nice to take some photos of it in its almost-finished state.
A bit more testing is needed and then it will be off home to its owner.
541 Progress
Here’s what Paul has been up to with our 1956 Jensen 541:
Finish and fit adjuster for dynamator
Finish wiring in engine bay
Refurb and fit tank sender unit
Fabricate engine breather pipe
Fabricate cover for fuel tank inspection cover inside boot
Modify brake pipe mounts and brake pipes to allow fitting of wings
Modify of wing to make room for the steering box,also modify steering box mount,fit engine breather pipe
He also fitted and aligned the o/s front wing,connect wiring to gearbox for over drive, fit gear lever and over drive switch,fabricate spacer for oil filter body and refit oil filter,fit clutch push rod.
More Rebuilding
Paul has continued rebuilding our 1956 Jensen 541. He has:
- Assembled oil filter body ready to fit
- Fitted water pump
- Shortened steering arm and fit,
- Fabricated and fitted gearbox tunnel inspection plate
- Find exhaust manifolds and offer up to engine to check fitment
- fit rocker cover
- fit oil filter housing,
- Take rear suspension measurements
- Fabricate mounting plate for new brake servo and fit servo
He also made and fitted the brake pipes to the servo, repaired the exhaust manifolds ready for coating, checked and balanced the carb mixture screws, replaced the bulkhead heat shield, made and fitted the king lead, and carried on with the electrics.
Rebuild Progress
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.
Door Skins
The door skins of our 1960 Jensen 541R have been painted in DTM black.
The Restoration Continues
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
Sound Deadening And Brakes
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.
Interceptor Service
Our 1970 Jensen Interceptor has recently returned to the Bridge Classic Cars workshop for a service, which technician Neil has been undertaking.
