Our 1975 Jensen Interceptor MK3 has continued its stay in the fabrication bay with classic car technician Chris.
Chris has been busy working on various areas of this interesting classic car. He began by replacing the floor and installing the sills too. He then went on to add the last little bits to the wings before test-fitting the doors and sorting out any panel gaps.
The steering column mount was repaired and new front inner wings were made before Chris added captive nuts to the radiator frame. The radiator was test fitted before the frame was welded into position.
Repairing the boot lid was next for Chris before he went on to fit up the rear quarter panel. He added length to the panel and checked the B pillar window frame. The boot lid hinges were stripped and sandblasted too.
The front end was then trimmed and fitted to the bumper.
Classic car technician Al has been giving our 1959 Jensen 541R a new coat of paint.
After he prepped the freshly primed body, Al mixed the paint using the paintshop scales to make sure the paint was exactly the right consistency to use on the car.
Once the paint was mixed, Al made sure the body was completely clear of dust and debris. It was at this stage that the paint began to be applied. After the first coat of paint was on and fully dried, a second full coat was added.
A drop coat was then applied to help get rid of any patchiness that may be present in the new paint. Finally, 2 coats of lacquer were applied (5 minutes apart) and the car looked great in its new green colour.
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.
We love Jensens here at Bridge Classic Cars. We think they are very special cars and we have spent lots of time working on various Jensen models from Interceptors to FFs, 541, 541R, and more.
One extremely special Jensen is our 1960 Jensen 541S which has recently returned to the workshop.
While it has been with us, it had its fog and spot lights swapped over by classic car technician Ryan as well as receiving some attention from Dave too.
Dave’s focus was on the driver’s side door. The door didn’t quite align right with the body of the car when it was closed. Dave did some alteration work and was able to improve the alignment of the door so the chrome part of the frame now fits much better.
As the time approaches to once again say goodbye to our 1960 Jensen 541S, we are pleased to have been able to make improvements to this beautiful, award-winning classic car.
Our workshop team have been hard at work with the restoration of our 1959 Jensen 541R.
Lydia has been stripping various interior parts ready for them to be re-covered and fully restored to their former glory. Brian has also been working on the interior of our Jensen 541R. He repaired the rear quarter panel top wood section. He did this by first marking out the side window surround panels and rear window top panel. He then cut out the new panels and the new rear quarter panel wood.
These wood sections were screwed together to form the rear quarter top panels. Brian then cut out the rear quarter side panels from mill board before bending the panel to shape. He then glued and stapled the side panels to the top panels.
The kick panels were then marked and cut out as were the glovebox end panels. Brian then went on to cut out the footwell panel and rear boot trim panel.
While Lydia and Brian were working on the interior of this rare classic car, Al was repairing and rebuilding the underneath of the bonnet.
Classic car technician Paul prepared the front upright bearing spindle for crack testing too.
Chirs has also been working on our Jensen 541R. He has been completing fibreglass work, filler work and panel gapping. Chris also removed the panels from the chassis so that it can be sent away for sandblasting.
Some components of our 1959 Jensen 541R have been refurbished and will soon be ready to be re-installed in the car as it continues to make good progress through its restoration journey.
December 5, 2022 12:41 pmPublished by Craig Ranson
As work continues on the external elements of the car, classic car technician Brian has turned his attention to the interior. In particular, Brian has been working on the seats that will eventually help make the inside of our 541R as impressive as the outside.
Brian’s work started by cleaning the old foam and glue from the front seat frames. He could then fit the new foam into the front seat base tubs. Foam was fitted to the front edges and the inner rear edges before the front squab seat side foams were cut and glued in place.
The centre foams were also cut, fitted, and glued into place before the centre pad foams and wadding were added to the side foams. New backboards and new base foams were also cut.
Brian went on to cut and glue the front edge foams and trimmed them to shape. The wood for the seat base frame was also cut to the right size.
Our 1959 Jensen 541R is a very rare car. We have restored many Jensens in our workshop and we definitely enjoy seeing cars like this one get better and better the longer they are with us.
November 29, 2022 10:30 amPublished by Craig Ranson
Another rare car has recently arrived at Bridge Classic Cars in the form of our 1971 Jensen FF MKII. With only 320 of these beautiful classic cars being made, we are very excited to have one in our workshop.
After not being used for a while, the car is experiencing some issues that we will be looking to resolve.
While our 1971 Jensen FF MKII is with us, we will be replacing the original ignition with an electronic kit, replacing all spark plugs, investigating a suspected hole in the fuel tank, overhauling the cooling system, looking at some of the switches on the front console, and other investigative tasks too.
The FF (Ferguson Formula) is a rare four-wheel-drive variant of the Jensen Interceptor. At the time of its release, the FF cost around 30% more than the Interceptor and was owned by those who wanted more luxury from their car. Jensen only made the FF with an automatic gearbox to further increase the feeling of comfort and luxury the car provided its driver.
This is a beautiful example of a very rare classic car and we look forward to seeing it progress through its restoration journey with us.
November 22, 2022 12:46 pmPublished by Craig Ranson
Classic car technician Rob has, once again, been working hard on our 1959 Jensen 541R.
Rob modified the front chassis of this classic car to fit the chassis cross-member. Making sure everything fits together perfectly is extremely important so, sometimes, modifications need to be made in order to get cars like this back on the road again.
Once the modifications to the chassis had been complete, Rob went on to repair the skin fitted on the right-hand door. Once this had been repaired, he was able to fit the door onto the car. He then fitted the right-hand door skin and door too.
Rob needed to make some additional modifications to the bonnet hinges as well. He made some alloy spacers which helped him fit the bonnet to this rare 541R.
The modifications weren’t quite complete just yet though, as Rob had to also modify the boot lid to ensure it fit the car perfectly.
This type of work, where our classic car technicians have to handcraft and modify components in their restoration work, shows how skilled our workshop team is. Technicians like Rob are able to complete this type of work only because they have years of experience to call upon and they are well-equipped to restore a rare car like this from the ground up.
Classic car technician Rob will continue his work on our 1959 Jensen 541R and we are very excited to see it continue to make progress through its restoration journey. Seeing classic cars like this evolve from an empty chassis to the final product that drives out of the workshop is an exciting process to see.
We are looking forward to seeing the rest of the Jensen restoration journey take place and we hope to see this beautiful classic car back with its owner and on the road in the future.
November 22, 2022 11:25 amPublished by Craig Ranson
Classic car technicians Monty and Christian have continued their work on our 1975 Jensen Interceptor MK3.
After new front panels were fitted their attention turned to the rear of the car. Monty and Christian removed the rear quarter before fitting new panels in its place. Some of the new panel pieces needed to be made by the two technicians to ensure they fit perfectly onto the car.
To make sure everything was installed correctly, Monty referred to photographs taken of the car during the old panel removal process. He was then able to double-check everything he was doing as the new panels were installed.
Our 1975 Jensen Interceptor MK3 continues to make progress towards how it will eventually look when it is fully restored. It has already come a long way since it first arrived with us here at Bridge Classic Cars and, as work continues, it will become an even more eye-catching classic car.
November 22, 2022 10:52 amPublished by Craig Ranson
Our 1975 Jensen Interceptor MK3 continues to make good progress and is beginning to look much more like a car now than it has in recent times.
Classic car technicians Monty and Christian have been hard at work fitting new panels to this impressive classic car. After removing a fairly large portion of the old panels, they got to work fabricating parts and making sure everything was measuring up exactly as it should.
It wasn’t too long ago that some new body panels arrived for our MK3 Interceptor. Once these were paired with the parts made by Monty and Christian, the new panels were fitted to the car.
With the new panels fitted, our 1975 Jensen Interceptor MK3 is looking much more car-like and you can really start to see how cool it will look when work is complete.
There may still be quite a way to go before it drives out of the workshop and back onto the road, but our Interceptor has already come a long way and our team of classic car technicians will continue their work on it until it is ready to impress everyone who sees it driving in the future.
November 15, 2022 2:01 pmPublished by Craig Ranson
Classic car technician Rob has continued his work on our 1959 Jensen 541R. Following the return of the doors from the sandblasters, Rob has been able to make some good progress with the restoration of this rare classic car.
His attention was first placed on the rear wheel arch filler panels. These were made and welded in place. Rob went on to weld the A and B posts too before adjusting and fitting the left-hand sill and panels.
The welding continued with the battery cradle being welded in along with the left-hand inner C panel being welded in as well.
Rob’s attention then turned to the doors of our 541R. Unfortunately, there were areas of corrosion which needed to be cut out and removed. Fortunately, though, Rob has the experience and the skillset required to make new panels and weld these in.
With less than 200 of these beautiful cars being made, the restoration work that is done here at Bridge Classic Cars by our highly skilled technicians, like Rob, is extremely important. As so few of these classic cars were made in the first place, having one less in the world is never a good thing.
Work will continue on our 1959 Jensen 541R and it will continue to make progress back to its former glory before eventually driving out of our workshop and back onto the road.
November 15, 2022 1:02 pmPublished by Craig Ranson
Our 1975 Jensen Interceptor MK3 has had several parts fabricated recently.
Classic car technicians Monty and Christian have been hard at work making sure the parts being made fit perfectly where they are needed, and can also do the job they are meant to do once the car is back up and running and on the road again.
They have also been assembling parts of the car such as the A-pillar.
While Monty and Christian have been fabricating the parts for our Interceptor, classic car technician Al has been applying epoxy primer to them before welding them to the car. He applied the epoxy primer at this stage as he would not have been able to prime them properly once they were welded together.
There is obviously still a long way to go before our 1975 Jensen Interceptor MK3 is ready to leave us and get back on the road. However, things are progressing nicely and it’s looking more and more car-like each day.
The time recently arrived for us to say goodbye to our 1958 Jensen 541R.
This beautiful classic car came to us from Holland and spent a few months with us while our team of classic car technicians bought it back to life. It leaves us looking very different to how it looked when it first arrived at our workshop and we are very happy to see it move on to its next chapter.
Since the chassis of our 1959 Jensen 541R has been back in the workshop, classic car technician Rob has been busy rebuilding the car.
He has already bolted the front wheel arches and the mounting frames into place and he has also started work on fitting the body and the roof back together again.
The car already looks very different than it did when it first arrived at the Bridge Classic Cars workshop and it will continue to change as it moves along its restoration journey.
This will obviously take some time and it will require a huge amount of patience and skill. Fortunately, our classic car technicians have both of these so good progress is being made.
As you can see from the photos below, Rob has fitted the sills back onto the car and he has refitted and welded the bulkhead onto it too.
Classic car technicians Monty and Christian have taken the front wings off of our 1975 Jensen Interceptor MK3 to make way for the new ones to be fitted at a later date.
They made sure everything was done accurately and safely so, when the new wings are ready, they will fit perfectly into place.
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.
October 20, 2022 12:00 pmPublished by Craig Ranson
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.
October 18, 2022 10:12 amPublished by Craig Ranson
Classic car technician Brian has continued his work on the interior floor of our 1958 Jensen 541R. After attaching the transmission tunnel cover, he then refitted the tunnel into the car before fitting the carpet.
He then went on to fit the side panels, and refit the rear seat, before giving the new carpet a good clean.
While Brian was working on the carpet, Lydia was re-covering one of the panels that had to be adapted following an adjustment made to the fibreglass frame underneath it. She covered this with carpet before binding the edges with vinyl.
For the last few weeks, the interior of our 1958 Jensen 541R has been getting lots of attention from Lydia and Brian. Recently, Lydia turned her attention to the boot of the car – specifically, the boot carpet.
After lots of measuring, cutting, making patterns, and double-checking everything, Lydia was able to get the boot carpet fitted and looking good.
Restoring a classic car isn’t just about getting it running and making the bodywork look good. At Bridge Classic Cars, every part of the car gets the same levels of attention, including areas that most people won’t see – like the boot.
While Lydia was busy working in the boot, Brian was busy completing more work on the interior of the car. He fitted carpet to the front and rear footwells, the bulkhead, and trial fitted the handbrake carpet.
Brian also fitted the sliding covers to the kick panels and cut the sound deadening for the transmission tunnel before glueing it to the tunnel and cutting out the required access holes.
Brian continues to work on the interior of our 1958 Jensen 541R. He finished cutting the centre section foam to fit around the centre pad before glueing the cover and calico backing down and fitting the brackets.
Brian then installed the rear seat into the car and it looks great!
The interior continues to look better and better with each task being completed. The rear seat looks comfortable and we’re sure any passengers who eventually sit on it will agree too.
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.
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.
Classic car technician Paul has been making several different parts that will eventually be used on one of our Jensen restoration projects.
These include parts such as seat runners, bonnet supports, gutter trim, and door frames. All of these will go on to be further prepped before being installed in one of the cars.
Paul also tested Jensen heater box fans as well as cleaning them, painting them, and reassembling them.
Brian and Lydia continue to work on the interior of our 1958 Jensen 541R.
Lydia has been busy covering the remaining door card as well as covering the back of the rear squab with black vinyl to give it a neater and more appealing look. She also covered the metal frame that Clinton made, which is the frame that will go in the middle of the rear seats.
Lydia then cut out the carpets for the footwell of the car before moving on to covering the metal for the air vent sliders.
The task Lydia is currently working on is spray painting the metal rails that the air vent sliders will go on.
Meanwhile, Brian has been making new rear cappings, and glueing foam to the cappings before covering them in vinyl.
He also cut the strip of wood that went on to be screwed to the body of the car so the cappings could be attached. Brian then installed the door panels as well as making the patterns for the footwell sound deadening and carpets.
Brian also fitted the door panels before fitting the carpet and sound deadening he made the patterns for earlier.
One extra job that Brian did was to add wood ends to the ceiling pad to make it fit perfectly.
Considering they were first fitted to the car all the way back in 1959, the newly refurbished brake calipers for our Jensen 541R are looking like they could have left the factory only yesterday.
After removing them from the car, we sent the calipers off to Norfolk Brake and Clutch as they were in need of a lot of attention. What was returned to us were the shiny, perfectly cleaned and reconditioned calipers that you can see in the photos below.
These will be refitted to the car as part of the ongoing restoration work taking place.
September 30, 2022 8:41 amPublished by Craig Ranson
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.
September 30, 2022 7:53 amPublished by Craig Ranson
A little while ago, we shared some images of some of the previous classic Jensens we had restored that went on to be featured in The Jensen Journaal – a magazine published in Holland for people who love all things Jensen.
We have recently found even more photos of one of our previous cars from our feature in the Jensen Journaal and, we think you’ll agree, our 1960 Jensen 541S (The Prototype) has never looked better!
September 29, 2022 1:01 pmPublished by Craig Ranson
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