Peony Jensen Update
The exhaust on our Peony Jensen has been fitted by Demand Engineering. We now need to put the seats and pins in, air filter, bleed the gearbox and modify the number plate.
Tag Archive: classic jensen
Peony Red’s Boot Lid Interior
Our 1960 Peony Red Jensen has had a new boot lid carpet. Brian has cut and glued a leather strip around the inside edge of the boot lid and then glued down the carpet to the inside, cutting holes in the boot to support the arm and catch.
We’ve also sent the entire car off to Demand engineering to get the exhaust manufactured and fitted. We’ve found that the profile of the downpipes are not the correct profile so we’re also having them re-profiled so that they allow the exhaust to sit correctly.
Peony Red Paint Perfections
Chris has been neatening up one of the side panels to correct some imperfections that have happened whilst assembling the car. It’s very common for scratches and knocks to occur when building a car back together and luckily Chris is on hand to correct any accidental damage.
Peony Red Is Finding Its Voice
Our 1960 Jensen 541S, fondly nicknamed ‘Peony Red’ after its colour, is currently having its horns fixed by Tom. He’s also checking over a few issues with the wiring and ensuring that the lights work and the earth cable is responding correctly.
Peony Red Jensen’s New Chrome and Dynamometer
Our 1960 Jensen 541S has had new chrome fitted around the door as well as ‘weather strips’. Paul has been working to apply the smaller chrome details.
Paul has also fitted a new dynamometer.
Final Adjustments On Our Grey Jensen
After the client came to see his two Jensen’s, he’s asked for some small modifications which has included changing the yellow Jensen badge to blue, adding mesh grills into the front side vents and we’ve noticed a few places where we wanted to touch up the paint. This Jensen will be leaving us very soon after its long restoration journey with us.
A Visitor From Germany
Our friend and client has had both of his Jensen’s with us for the last 3 years as we’ve been tackling the mighty project of their full restorations. He flew over with his son to finally see his finished beauties; a 1957 Jensen 541 RS and a 1960 Jensen 541R. We’re delighted at how happy he was when he saw them. After a thorough inspection and a test drive of each, we got the verdict and the small list of one or two minor tweaks. Once complete, they can be shipped over to Germany to start a new life overseas.
Both of these Jensen’s have been made with a keen eye for detail and the owner has had a strong involvement over getting both original and bespoke parts for these two classics, which will be added to his ever-growing Jensen collection.
Our client has a large collection of Jensen’s including this Interceptor which is undergoing restoration elsewhere.
Crash Victim In For TLC – 1961 Jensen 541S
Earlier in the week we got delivered this 1961 Jensen 541S that had been the victim of a crash, and is looking a little worse for wear on the front end.
The incident occurred when the bonnet flew up on the motorway and smashed the windscreen, tearing the fibreglass bonnet in the process. This was a result of the bonnet catches not being done up properly.
We are currently working alongside the insurance company to assess the damage to see what exactly needs to be done.
Lilac Jensen Seats And Fibreglass
Lydia has been working on the 1960 Lilac Jensen that our director, Gordon, is having restored.
She has perforated the leather which arrived and then made fluted faces for the front squab and base seats with it. Then, she marked out the lines on the back of the leather and onto scrim foam to use as guides. Next up, Lydia could sew in the flute lines to complete the front squab and base flutes. Lydia had to create a seam in the base of the flutes as well as attaching calico to the seams. The seam and calico then get pulled tight on the foam. Lydia’s next challenge was to sew in sidebands onto the front base seat as it wasn’t in the original design. Once confident with the patterns, Lydia could cut them out. She sewed piping down the sidebands before attaching to the sides of one of the fluted base “faces”. Then she piped around the outside of the whole thing and checked to see if the foam would still fit. Lydia then worked out the front squab seat next. She piped the sides of the fluted “face” again. She then lay it on the frame because she had to mark where to trim the sidebands, these had to be adjusted slightly because of the new design.
Lydia then made cuts in the foam for the piping to sit into and to give a good shape. She then glued the piping down into them. She then stapled around the back and the bottom of the frame to hold the front squab in place.
Next up, she marked out the leather for the back pieces for one of the front base seats that she started on before. She then clipped them around the piping of the “face” to check the fit before sewing on.
Below you can see the original foam for the seats. Lydia took this off as the old wadding that was falling apart. She then covered the front and sides of the original foam in new scrim foam. The back has a wooden and calico frame attach to it so she didn’t need to put any on there.
Lydia then moved one to making the second front base seat. She did this in the same way as the other one. She made a fluted face with a seam in the middle, then piped the sides, attached the sidebands and piped around all that. Then she marked out the notches to match the back pieces on.
Matt has been working to repair the fibreglass side panels by applying glass matt repair. Once repaired, the wings, panels and sills can be prepped for primer. They also need to be shaped up after each stage of filler.
Lydia has continued to make the base of the seats on the Jensen. She has marked out the leather and foam with flute lines as a guide for sewing. She has then sewn the flute lines and attached them to the foam. The fluted are now faces finished. Next up, Lydia is set to work out the middle section as this needs to be altered from the original. She began by making a paper pattern on the new middle shape and making it longer and wider. Lydia then sewed the seams across the middle of the fluted faces and made paper patterns for the top sides to attach to the fluted faces. Then she cut leather versions out from the pattern as well as cutting out the middle section using the new middle section pattern she made.
Lydia then piped the sides of the middle section and sewed the fluted faces to this. She followed by piped the other sides of the fluted faces and attached the top side pieces. Next up Lydia marked out and cut out all the pieces for the skirt and sides. She then measured, marked out and cut out strips of calico and sewed all the pieces together for the sides and skirt. She then sewed a strip of calico to the curved piece and sewed calico to the inside seams of the faces. This helps when fitting on the foam. Then Lydia clipped the skirt and sides piece to the main face piece to check the fit.
Lydia has continued to make the rear squab by cutting strips of leather for piping, clipping the pieces together for the sides and bottom and then sewing them together. She used the piping she’d made before and sewed them around the outside of the face. Lydian then sewed the sides and skirt onto it to finish.
Peony Red Jensen Bonnet Catches
Paul has manufactured some new bonnet catches for our 1960 Jensen 541S. These components are crucial to keeping the bonnet closed and secure. Being made by hand, these catches have been designed and made to fit our Jensen perfectly.
Running Smooth
Our 1957 Jensen 541R/S is having some final adjustments to its engine and mechanics. We’ve just fitted heat protection to our plug leads, made a bracket to secure the alternator, made a gear leaver and re-bled the clutch and breaks.
S2000 Welding And Rust Repair
Our Honda S2000 is a modern classic from the turn of the millennia. Following on from our last update, James has been focusing on rebuilding the wheel arch that has been lost to corrosion and rust. James has also rebuilt and painted the boot lip which is hidden beneath trim as well as welding and spot welding areas that have suffered due to rust.
Matt has been repairing the bumper in the paint shop which was showing signs of stress fractures. Its previously been poorly repaired as Matt found excessive filler in it, meaning he had to strip it to bare plastic and apply dolphin glaze to repair it.
This is the wheel arch complete:
Grey Jensen’s New Speedo
Our lovely 1957 Grey Jensen 541R/S now has its new speedo fitted into the dash. It’s also had its steering centralised. John is now going to start it to see how it runs and to see if there are any teething issues which he will correct accordingly.
Peony Red Jensen Fitting And Fixing
Paul and Tom have been working on the Peony Red Jensen 541R today, both fitting more chrome to the body and fixing in place the underside bonnet clips.
Paul has been steadily getting through all the chrome pieces, fitting them to the body and ensuring they all sit perfectly. Tom has been fixing in place the clips which hold in place the bonnet rods and hinges that allow the bonnet to open.
Tom has also assembled the dash, fitted the boot and bonnet as well as fitting the indicators and chrome.
Peony Red Chrome And Carpet
The chrome came back for our 1960 Peony Red Jensen 541S last week and it is now starting to be fit by our classic car technician, Paul. A range of badges, sills, handles and other pieces of chrome is set to be re-fit, giving our classic Jensen that sparkle of life. These have been reconditioned by Tony from Wyatt Polishing.
Paul has begun to fit the window chrome back on, which as already made this magnificent classic look mighty again.
The trim shop have also been helping with our peony classic. Lydia has sewn together these circle inserts for Brian. She began by top stitching the edge of each insert after Brian has assembled them. She then sewed a flap round the edge of each one, which will eventually look like a bonded edge once Brian has finished gluing them onto the wood. Brian made these pieces by marking out the circular air vent measurements on hard wood, cutting them out and then marking and cutting the carpet out to go with the hardwood pieces. Brian then followed this by cutting out the leather for the air vent holes and made a skirt for around the edge of the carpet. He then glued leather around the edge and applied the carpet to the boards.
Another Jensen On Its Way Home
We’re steadily starting to part ways with our beloved Jensen collection as each project is finished and finds its way back to its owner. The most recent departure is our 1961 Jensen 541S that was collected today.
Although we’ve recently said goodbye to a handful of our Jensen’s, we’ve still got plenty to be getting on with as our Peony Red is progressing well, our Grey 1957 541R is almost out the door and its partner car, the black 1960 541R awaits it up at Bentwaters.
Grey Jensen Snag List
Our 1957 Jensen 541 R(S) is currently being worked through its snag list, which is essentially a list compiled of areas that need to be checked and tweaked before its finished.
John is going through all the electrics to check that everything is live and works, and modifying wiring as he goes. He is also readjusting the bonnet lift lever as traditionally it would sit a little too close to the throttle peddle.
Kath is modifying the boot lid trim as the rubber and material is causing some irritation against the metal sills. Kath is currently taking the material off the metal to modify.
Scott is altering the bonnet pin so that the screw fits in tighter as the hole is currently slightly too small as the screw is getting caught mid way.
Due to the V8 Corvette engine that was fitted in Boston in the 1960’s, the owner of this Jensen has decided to have his own personalised model tag fitted to this Jensen that describes it as a 541 R S as it has features of both models.
Corvette Jensen’s Last Tweaks
We’ve entered the finishing stages for our 1957 Jensen 541R. John is currently carrying out a thorough wiring check as we’ve had to modify the wiring to compensate for the V8 Corvette engine. We’re assembling the last bits such as the fuel pump which we’re waiting to arrive before we carry out a last service and test for teething problems.
Peony Red Project Continues
The bonnet, boot and internal components have been painted for our 1960 Jensen 541S. The parts sat in primer and a base coat before having their iconic Peony Red paint applied. The internal parts and engine block have been painted black to keep them uniform with the rest of the internal elements.
Paul has been working on the mechanical elements for our Jensen, which has included fitting the rear section boot floor, new hand brake cables, and re-manufactured the bolts on the rear axle half shaft.
Ady has been working on refurbishing the engine by attaching a new rear seal conversion and replacing the bolts that hold it in and fitting a new cylinder head with new valves spring and valve guides. The engine has also been rebored to take new pistons, the crankshaft has been reground and new bearings fitted. A new timing chain, cam followers and gaskets have also been fitted.
Ady and Paul are have also been working on fitting the re-conditioned gear box to the engine.
We’ve also fitted the rear lights this week, ready to be wired in.
Twenty Twenty: The Year Of The Jensen
Some of you may remember we mentioned our busy Jensen workshop last year, and it hasn’t slowed down in 2021. We’ve become the Jensen Specialists of the UK with a constant set of Jensen 541R and 541S projects passing through our doors on a regular basis. With projects ranging from full nut and bolt restorations to small fixes and services, we’ve been inundated with Jensen’s, and we love it!
2020 saw 8 Jensen’s in at the same time, which led to this amazing shot of them all lined up. Our technicians are now well versed in Jensen mechanics, electrics and bodywork as we’ve still got 6 of them in the workshop plus another stored at Bentwaters waiting to find a new home.
With only 193 Jensen 541R’s ever made and 127 541S’s made, and even fewer still on the road, we’ve had a large quantity of them in the workshop.
Peony Jensen Heat Shield
One of our technicians, Pauls, has made and fit a heat shield for our 1960 Peony Red Jensen 541R. Paul has cut out, measured up and fitted the panels which are made up of Asbestolux.
Silver Jensen Wiring Issues Diagnosed
Pictured below is the Silver 1959 Jensen 541R recent wiring ammends. John had found that when wiring up, the overdrive didn’t engage. After an investigation, John found it was because the solenoid had overheated and melted the terminals, meaning a new solenoid was fitted.
A new stoplight switch has also been fitted because the old stoplight had seized and wouldn’t turn off.
Silver Wirings
Tom has been working hard to finish the wiring looms on our silver 1959 541R Jensen. He’s linked the main loom to the dash loom and connected up the front loom.
Peony Red Paint Prep
Our 1960 541S Jensen has been continuing its paint process with the bonnet and wings being masked, prepped and primed and the undersides painted black.
Update on Gordan’s Jensen
As some may know, Gordon has a 1960 541R Jensen that’s being restored with us. Much like the Peony Red Jensen, this full restoration has been nicknamed as the ‘Lilac’ Jensen as Gordon aims for it to be done in a two toned Lilac finish, however that stage is a while off.
Chris has recently put the door frames into the paint bay to have epoxy primer added. With this step completed, it edges ever closer to becoming its namesake colour.
The Oldest Jensen’s Door fix
Our oldest Jensen, the 1957 541R has had some issues with its left side front passenger door. We’ve been working to modify it to allow it to sit more comfortbly in line with the rest of the body. With the alignment sorted, we also needed to address the ill fitting door car before it could be dressed.
One of our engineers has worked on making the inside of the door frame deeper so that the door car could fit inside.
Thermo-stuck
Our 1961 541S Jensen was having issues with over-heating, but luckily, our classic car technician Paul, put his mind to investigating the issue. He found that the wax seal in the thermostat had gotten stuck. To address this he applied a freeing agent that was left overnight so that he could ‘un-stick’ the seal the next day.
The thermostat opens to allow the engine coolant to flow through when it heats up, allowing for the cyclical movement up to the radiator, down through the radiator and round to the thermostat again. With the wax-seal seized closed, hot coolant couldn’t run through the engine, meaning it was overheating.
The thermostat works by regulating the engine temperature. As coolant flows around the engine, it collects excess heat. On leaving the engine, it travels to the radiator, where that excess heat is removed. It then makes a few more stops along its way through the cooling system and finishes back in the engine.
Peony Red Jensen Painted And Ready
We’re delighted to announce that after being smoothed and polished, our beautiful Peony Red Jensen has entered the trim shop.
Chris spent yesterday smoothing and polishing the body so that the paint looks smooth and perfect. We’re loving the richness of the red contrasting with the soft grey roof.
This 1960 541S Jensen is now sat in our trim shop ready to start its interior restoration journey.
Black Jensen 541R Final Touches
We’ve recently re-fitted and lowered the side lights as pictured below. This was a cosmetic change that the customer requested.
The pulley mechanism for the dynamometer wasn’t running at the correct speed and therefore was not charging the battery. We sent the pulley away to be modified at Coltec. We’ve now received it back so they can be fitted. The pulley has been made smaller to allow it to spin faster and charge the dynamometer. We hope this will have solved the charging issue!
We’ve also modified the number plate plate upon the clients request. Originally the metal chrome frame that the number plate sat on was wider than the number plate, which is the original design, however our client decided he’d like the width to be shorter, therefore we modified it to his bespoke request.
Car and Classic Feature Jensen 541’s
As Jensen specialists, we love seeing Jensens of all kinds represented and discussed online, but our particular favourites, the 541 series are rarely talked about. Car and Classic have just featured an interesting in-depth article about the history of Jensen 541’s. You can read it here.
John Byrne, the author of the article delves deep into the inner workings of the iconic British car, its design and its mechanical feats of engineering.
John describes them as “Much underrated in recent times but fast becoming more appreciating classics, these exquisitely hand-made GT cars are a real gem coming from one of the most evocative British names in the realm of big, fast grand-tourers”
He continues to say, “In general, the 541 was well-regarded as an excellent long-range touring car, with ride and road holding comparable to the best contemporaries of the period. These cars are widely considered to be one of the best-looking coupes of the fifties and are unmistakable in profile.“
We’ve worked on an extensive list of Jensens from 541R’s and 541S’s to Inceptors. You can check them out here:
- 1956 Jensen 541R
- 1957 Jensen 541R
- 1958 Jensen 541R
- 1959 Jensens 541R
- 1960 Jensen 541R (Prototype)
- 1960 Jensen 541R
- 1960 Jensen 541S
- 1960 Jensen 541S
- 1961 Jensen 541s
- 1962 Jensen 541S Gold
- 1969 Jensen Interceptor FF
