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jensen 541 restoration

Application of Skill – Remaking the Rear Quarter Trims for the 1956 Jensen 541

November 25, 2021

Brian is a true master of his trade. What started as a series of rotten wooden pieces became brand new pieces for the 1956 Jensen 541 that is in at Bridge Classic Cars.

Using what was left of the original pieces, Brian began to strip back and assess each piece to see if it could be salvaged and reused in the car to preserve any form of originality. Inch by inch Brian has recreated the pieces for the rear quarter trims from almost thin air. Using ply for the wooden pieces underneath, Brian began to wrap and prepare the pieces for the leather trimming.

Front to Back – Making the Seat Backs for the 1956 Jensen 541

November 17, 2021

Kath, one of our amazing in-house trim experts, has been working on the seats for the 1956 Jensen 541 that is currently in with Bridge Classic Cars for a full restoration.

Last we saw Kath working her skill on the front of the seats, creating new padding and covers for the fibreglass buckets. Now, Kath is applying the same level of attention and detail to the back of the seats. Methodically, Kath has used traditional techniques to carefully remake the seatbacks in matching red leather.

The base of the seat has also been lined in preparation for the base padding which is currently being worked on by the Bridge Classic Cars in-house trim team.

New Beginnings – Brightwork Off for Refinishing on the 1969 Jensen 541

November 10, 2021

A crucial part of classic sportscars is it’s brightwork. An instantly recognisable symbol for elegance and style, chromework is the cornerstone of a finished classic.

So it’s time to send off all the pieces from our 1956 Jensen 541 that is currently undergoing restoration here at Bridge Classic Cars. These pieces will be sent off to a local specialist to be refinished, polished and cured before being bought back to our workshop and stored ready for when the car is in final assembly.

There will be more on this fantastic project here on the Bridge Classic Cars blog soon.

Ready for Take-Off – Pre-Delivery Inspection on the 1960 Jensen 541S ‘Peony Red’

October 26, 2021

It’s nearly time for Peony Red, the 1960 Jensen 541S to go off to her new home away from us here at Bridge Classic Cars. Every square inch of Peony Red has been worked on in-house at Bridge Classic Cars by our expert in-house restoration teams.

We will be sad to see her go but before she leaves, our workshop manager and senior technician John has been giving her a pre-delivery inspection ahead of our travels. John has been going through each individual system on the car to ensure everything is all present and correct before the end of the week.

Alongside John is Tamas, one of our junior technicians to work on getting Peony Red ready.

Safe travels.

Finishing Touches – Making the Tunnel Carpets for the 1960 Jensen 541S ‘Peony Red’

October 25, 2021

As part of Peony Red’s pre-delivery inspection, our in-house trim team have been busy finishing off parts of the interior. Mainly the tunnel carpet.

This Jensen 541 has been a long-loved restoration by us here at Bridge Classic Cars. Every department of our in-house restoration team has worked on this car in one way or another. Now, our trim shop is finishing off the last bits. Mainly it needed to have its transmission tunnel carpets finished.

The sound-deadening and insulation were fitted to the tunnel and then the templates could be made for the piece. After they had been cut, edged and fitted a small inspection flap needed to be carefully cut into the finished carpets for future use if ever needed. Kath carefully made a small ear from the matching carpet and trimmed it just like the other carpet to match and bring the whole piece together.

Next was the all-important tool tray. A unique piece of the Jensen 541, it lives underneath the glove box. The tray itself has been in our body and paint shop to make sure it looks absolutely perfect before it’s cover was made by Kath and fitted to the glovebox.

The interior of Peony Red looks absolutely sensational if we do say so ourselves.

Starting Over – Dismantling and Rebuilding the Interior of the 1956 Jensen 541

September 24, 2021

This is a perfect example of the level our in-house trim experts at Bridge Classic Cars work to.

The first photo shows what was left of the rear seat of the 1956 Jensen 541. There wasn’t a lot left after years of uncovered storage. But, thankfully our in-house teams could disassemble the old seat to then reverse engineer the piece.

Kath and Brian managed to completely recreate the wooden base piece by piece using the same techniques as the original trimmers. Once the wooden base had been built up and fixed together, it was time to start hand shaping the foam.

The foams of the seats have to be hand faired to make sure it flows perfectly once the covers are made for this particular car. Being able to reference the previous 541 series interiors, our in-house trimmers got the shape of the foams spot on.

Next up for the interior of the 1956 Jensen 541 will be its interior colour choice and the trim team will begin to make its covers.

From a Solid Base – Creating the Foam Pieces for the Seats on a 1956 Jensen 541

September 23, 2021

Time for an update on the interior of the 1956 Jensen 541 we have here at Bridge Classic Cars.

In the last update on the interior of this particular 541, our in-house trim shop had stripped the original seats back down their bases to assess their condition. Also, the colour selection pallet had been proposed to this very lucky customer.

Now, with the seats back to the simplest form, our in-house trim specialist Kath could begin to form the bespoke foam-work that makes up the backrest and base cushion on these unique handbuilt sportscars.

Each component of the interior is entirely hand built by our in-house trim experts.

For more updates, keep a look out on our news page.

Decisions, Decisions… – Choosing the right colour for the interior of the 1956 Jensen 541

September 22, 2021

The choice of colour on a classic car interior is a big part of any restoration.

Do you try and match as closely to the original as possible or do you personalise and make it unique to your own taste? Tough call. But, our in-house trim shop team will do either request to a world-class level.

This is the stage that we are at with the restoration of the interior of the 1956 Jensen 541 at Bridge Classic Cars. With the volumes of swatches that we carry for our clients to choose from, you can have almost any combination imaginable and always to the highest level of fit and finish.

This Jensen is starting from the ground up with its interior. So, while the choices are being made, Kath will be making the custom-fit handmade padding that will sit under whatever colour combination this very lucky client chooses.

Check-in on the News Page for more updates on this very exciting project.

Jensen 541R Interior Restoration

February 7, 2020

Kath has been hard at work on our Jensen interiors. For the convertible roof she has tackled the following stages

  • Dismantled the headlining
  • Marked out new material patterns onto the new fabric
  • Cut out and numbered the fabric pieces
  • Measured out a strips of calico for the convertible loops
  • Cleaned metal bars
  • Sewn headlining back together
  • Inserted metal bars

Kath has also begun stripping down the Jensen seats. They actually sit on a fibreglass base that attaches to the car. The seats are currently still being prepared to be reupholstered.

Bridge Classic Cars are award winning Classic Car Restoration and Maintenance specialists. Your pride and joy is in safe hands with our expert Classic Car Technicians. Take a look at our awards here.

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