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Jensen 541s

Silver Wirings

February 17, 2021

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

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Peony Red Paint Prep

February 15, 2021

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.

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Thermo-stuck

February 12, 2021

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

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So Close Yet So Far

January 20, 2021

This lovely 1958 Jensen 541R will soon be up for sale with us however there are a few issues that need attending to first. First

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Grey Jensen’s New Speedo

March 31, 2021

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

March 26, 2021

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.

Another Jensen On Its Way Home

March 17, 2021

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.

  • 1961 Jensen 541S

Peony Red Jensen Assembly Continues

March 12, 2021

Our lovely 1960 Peony Red Jensen 541S is at the stage where we’re putting lots of pieces back together and fitting them in, meaning that day by day, its looking more like a Jensen. Paul has fitted the vacuum pipe for the carburettor manifold as well as working alongside Tom to fit the sills. With the doors now on as well, the body of the car is more or less recognisable.

1959 Jensen 541R Completion

March 11, 2021

Our lovely silver 1959 Jensen 541R has been completed and is leaving the workshop today. Although that’s one less Jensen in our workshop, we have plenty more still to be worked on.

Grey Jensen Snag List

March 10, 2021

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.

Peony Red Jensen Progression: Trim, Engine And Steering

March 10, 2021

Brian has been working on the door cappings for our 1960 Peony Red Jensen 541S. He began by fitting metal brackets to the rear door capping and then glueing in the wadding. Brian then glued the leather cover to the door capping and turned the leather over onto the back to neaten up the corners and pull taught the material.

Paul and Ady have recently fit the engine into the Jensen which is arguably one of the key milestones in a restoration. With this now in place, engine refurbishments and adjustments can be made to ensure its up and running.

The assisted power steering pump has also been prepared and fitted into our Jensen.

Silver Jensen Gets New Straps And Springs

March 10, 2021

We’ve been working on securing the 1959 Jensen 541R’s rear axle frame. New rear axle straps have been manufactured by hand in the workshop and bolted in place to avoid unwarranted pressure being applied to the shock absorbers. This also ensures that the rear axle doesn’t move. Our Jensen didn’t originally have these so we’ve had to remove the exhaust lines to fit the straps.

The new front suspension springs have turned out to be too long so we’ve resorted to fitting the old ones back in be recomissioning them by painting and sandblasting them so theyre back to working order.

We’ve also discovered a hole in the front axle which has been welded and fixed before this classic Jensen swiftly leaves us this week.

Peony Red Project Continues

March 3, 2021

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

March 1, 2021

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 Red Mechanics Underway

February 17, 2021

The Peony Red Jensen, now finished in paint, has been moved into the workshop to begin its mechanical journey.

Our technician Paul is currently fitting new brake lines as the original ones are worn out.

Silver Wirings

February 17, 2021

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

February 15, 2021

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.

Thermo-stuck

February 12, 2021

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

February 11, 2021

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

February 10, 2021

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

February 8, 2021

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:

The Peony Red Grows

February 8, 2021

Chris has been working on some of the exterior panels for our Peony Red Jensen. Although the body can be painted in one go, the exterior panels and doors need to be done separately to ensure the paint can get into all the details.

Here Chris is painting the wings with the Peony Red and a clear coat. The wheels have also been primed and painted.

Our Peony Red Jensen Has Blossomed

February 4, 2021

Yesterday afternoon was the moment we’ve all be waiting for. The first drop of Peony Red paint has been applied to our 1960 541S Jensen. For months we’ve been watching our skilled technicians work on rebuilding and reworking the body of this Jensen and finally its entered the paint shop.

This is a very exciting development in this restoration project as it’s now starting to resemble a classic car! With this fresh layer of paint on, our beautiful Peony Red Jensen is blossoming into the iconic classic it should be.

Chris has been focusing on preparing other exterior elements for paint. Here Chris is working on a front bumper shield.

Our specialist paint technician, Chris, has been dedicated to preparing, masking and painting our beloved Peony Red Jensen. He began by applying primer and guide coat to the bonnet, panels and body. He then rubbed the car down with 320 and 500 sandpaper grit ready for paint. Once the car was masked up, it was ready for paint. Car masked up for a ‘Verkehrsgrau’ grey roof and red bottom. Once the two tones had been applied, Chris could paint on the clear preservative coat.

Final Bits Before Paint On The Jensen

January 29, 2021

Our Peony Red Jensen is getting closer to actually be Peony Red. This classic Jensen has been sat in parts for a while as we work through the rust but is now on the final steps before it can be painted.

James has been working on creating a door spring mechanism that allows the window glass to sit safely inside the panel.

Below are some process photos of James preparing the door and fitting the elements. He’s been working on the left-hand door to remove old rust metal and tidy up repairs as well as fabricate new sections to weld in place.

Chris, our painter, has been preparing some of the individual elements for paint as the door wing and sill is now ready for primer. Several parts have been primed in a guide coat well as the wheels having been rubbed down ready for paint

Navy Jensen Renovations

January 26, 2021

Paul has been working on some of the mechanisms in the navy 1961 541S Jensen. He’s stripped down the front suspension ready for new parts.

He’s also sorted through the hand brake components which are now ready for assembly. The new brake pipes have been made and fitted to the rear brakes and run from the master cylinder to the rear.

Peony Red Jensen Bodywork Continues

January 26, 2021

Parts of our 1960 541S Jensen are sat in our paint bay whilst Chris works on them. The door hinges have been sandblasted, the door frames and door skins have been painted, and the boot, front bumper part and wheels are ready for primer. The black part for the boot rubber has also been painted.

Can’t Catch A Jensen Brake!

January 20, 2021

Its Jensen central here in the workshop! Our other Navy Jensen is currently undergoing some more work after the owner gave us the go-ahead to continue their restoration.

Paul has cleaned the brake discs, removing existing grease sat on the elements. Paul has also taken apart the disks and taken out some other debris that had sat in there. We’ve also fitted new brake lines and callipers on the back. The brake pipes have been redone, as well as the kingpins and bushes replaced. The front brakes have be been upgraded and the new brake lines have been fitted.

So Close Yet So Far

January 20, 2021

This lovely 1958 Jensen 541R will soon be up for sale with us however there are a few issues that need attending to first.

First of all, the Dynamo needs to be refurbished as although it technically works fine, there’s a small charging fault with it.

There’s an issue with the water pump which has a severe leak meaning it will need rebuilding.

Black Jensen Paint Touch Ups

January 20, 2021

Our 1960 Jensen 541R is currently in the final, final stages. It is currently sat in the paint shop for some minor corrections as we believe that perfection is the only option when it comes to our restorations.

On its road test, our Jensen performed well and only showed small teething issues but otherwise its ready to go!

Grey Jensen Door Shimmy

January 20, 2021

The Grey Jensen is having some small alterations made to its doors. Currently, as they sit, the doors are slightly too wide to fit into the B-post, so we have managed to make some subtle alterations to the door and the aluminium trim to allow the door itself to fit more comfortably into the body.

Rust Bust On The Peony Red Jensen

January 20, 2021

The restoration to the Peony Red Jensen’s doors continues. James is working on correcting the corrosion damage by welding and fabricating new parts to replace the corroded elements. Both doors are bespoke and custom to the car, so James, one of our classic car specialists, is having to make all his adjustments bespoke and unique to the car.

You can see the process here:

New Doors, New Opportunities

January 18, 2021

Our lovely Grey 1967 541R Jensen has had some alterations done to the doors. We have cut the lip of the nearside and outer-side doors so that the door cards will fit. We’ve then re-welded and re-fitted the outer-side door chrome and made sure the door closes and opens, and the windows slide up and down.

Peony Red Bodywork

January 16, 2021

Our Peony Red Jensen has been masked and primed and is now ready for paint.

Lilac Jensen Perfections

January 15, 2021

Gordon’s (soon to be) Lilac Jensen 541R is currently being prepped for paint. Trevor is smoothing out any bumps and cracks as well as applying spray on primer and filler before the first layers of paint is applied.

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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