New fan brackets have been added to the 1957 Grey Jenson 541R
Our engineer Paul has hand crafted a pair of brackets to bolt onto the Jensen’s fan. These have been made from a sheet of metal which Paul has measured, shaped, drilled and painted, ready to be bolted onto the final product.
Craftmanship like this means that all our projects are bespoke and personal and fit the car which enables a perfect match.
Before
After
The brackets and fan were then later fixed together. This will now be inserted into the engine.
Not long after, the fan had been fitted into the Jensen’s engine and was ready to purr.
November 5, 2020 12:03 pmPublished by Craig Ranson
You’d be right in saying that this isn’t a red 1960 Jensen 541S. But with a bit of imagination and a lot of hard work from our specialist technicians, this car soon will be a beautiful Peony Red.
However, that’s a few stages away. It’s currently with our technician Chris who is carefully working on the fiberglass body.
With fixings added, holes filled and a black stone-chip applied on the inside of the body, this Jensen is getting closer to its new colour makeover. These alterations are made to make sure the body of the car is aesthetically uniform and ready for the next stage of works.
The next stages will entail grinding out any imperfections and cracks so it can be prepared for the paint-shop.
November 5, 2020 10:16 amPublished by Craig Ranson
Much like any good festival, our Grey 1957 Jensen 541R also needed a headliner.
In car terms, this just means the fabric fitting that coats the ceiling and gives it that finished look.
Our trim shop experts Kath and Brian have recently applied the headliner. First off they installed metal beams and padding to alleviate any rattling inside the vehicle. After this was fitted, the headlining fabric was installed, pulled tight, heated, and glued in place leaving holes for the interior lights.
The Jensen has also had foam padding added to the parcel shelf, vinyl glued into the front A posts, vinyl added to the dashboard, and holes left for the air vents.
Our  1960 Jensen 541R has had another round of interior fittings measured up, made, and installed by our talented team in the Trim Shop. This time it’s the Jensens boot that’s been fitted.
Each piece of the boot carpet has been measured by hand, stitched, and fitted in a bespoke pattern. No trim is ever the same.
The Jensen 541S has recently returned from Holland where it was visiting some power steering conversion specialists.
Now back in the UK with the correct parts, the Jensen is ready to have its power steering installed by John and Tamas.
Due to the age of the car, it never originally had power steering. This new modification will make the Jensen an even more luxurious drive with easier steering.
The Jensen 541R receives new interior trimmings in its latest restoration step.
The Jensen 541R’s next pitstop in its renovation journey has been in the trim shop where it had the full works done.
The makeover included fitting the side window panel, rear seats, rear quarter and side panels installed, side scuttle panel, ashtray in the rear side panel, chrome panel trim, center panel, leather into the rear pockets, and the parcel tray leather fitted.
Kath and Brian, our interior trim specialists took time to modify each piece of leather interior, measuring it up by hand to fitting each bespoke trimming. Aside from the centre panel, which retained the original design, everything else had to specially designed for this Jensen, making it one of a kind!
With new trimmings now fully installed, the Jensen is starting to resemble the beautiful car it used to be.
The interior of our 1960 Jensen 541R has had a visit to our in-house trim shop this week. The customer is going full-black exterior and interior. Kath and Brian, our trim experts, have been hard at work fitting all the interior trim right through the car.
First up, the sound deadening was glued and fitted to the metal body. This helps reduce the amount of road and engine noise while driving the car. Essential for classics, who’s engines are much loader than standard modern cars.
“I also made a template for the base of the seat” Kath explains “then glued that in and trimmed it up.” Kath also made templates around the foot well and pedals in a similar fashion. “First the sound deadening goes down” she tell sus “then I fitted the carpet in and glued it into position.” The carpet gets fitted all round the sides of the footwell so the edges are tucked away and look clean.
Carpet is also fitted around the handbrake gaiter. Kath’s also fitted the seatbelt eyes into position and cut the carpet to fit snug around them.
“I’ve then cut carpet for the foot wells and door sills.” Kath explains. The door sill carpet was then positioned and glued.
Kath then had to bind round the foot well carpets. Kath marked the position of the carpet fittings and fitted it into the car.
Leather is then fitted around the seat frame base.
The colour combination for our 1960 Jensen is black, on black, on black. Perhaps our customer is secretly a vampire, or maybe Batman? Who knows!
Class car technician Scott has been looking after our 1957 Jensen 541R this week. He’s been doing a bit of everything, working through a varied check list of parts to fit.
“I’ve put the rear 1/4 windows in” Scott explains “I figured out placement of the catches too, so they work with the window and then I fitted them.”
Scott then worked out the placement of the door wing mirrors. Once confident with their position, he then drilled holes and fitted them into place.
Scott’s also fitted the new Jensen horn. He’s then made a start on the windscreen system.
“Firstly, I worked out a suitable place to mount the screen wash bottle” he describes. “I fabricated a little mount bracket then fitted the screen wash bottle.”
Scott then marked out where the hole for the washer jet should go. Once happy with it’s position, he drilled the hole and fitted the washer jet component. Scott then connected all the screen wash pipework under the bonnet, securing the pipes in nice and tidily.
Scott’s then sorted some other jobs on the Jensen doors. “I fitted the chrome door trim” he tells us. “I’ve also fabricated a bump stop for the windows.” The bump stop is a small rubber part that acts as a cushion for when the widow is wound right down. This helps protect the glass and the internal mechanism from hitting into one another and causing damage.
All this little job help bring the Jensen to life, making the car user-friendly and comfortable. Great job Scott!
Our 1960 Jensen 541R is having some finishing touches done this week, courtesy of our specialist classic car technician Scott.
Scott’s drilled and fitted the iconic 541 badge to the rear of the car.
“I’ve also been working on things beneath the bonnet” Scott explains “I made up an oil line for the oil pressure gauge and re-routed and tidied up the throttle cable”.
Scott’s also attached the front of the side skirt and repaired and fitted the secondary bonnet catch.
“I’ve also made up this bolt for the choke” Scott shows us “and for the 1957 grey Jensen, I’ve made a rubber gasket for the bonnet badge”. Scott’s had to measure out the positioning of the bonnet badge using tape. He then drilled holes to fit the badge into position.
Scott’s also built up the door window channel on the near side. He’s then fitted the window itself. “I’ve also put the front quarter lights together” he explains “and then fitted them to the car”.
Working alongside Scott, our other specialist technician Paul has fabricated a boot panel for the black 1960 Jensen 541R. A new heater box has also been fitted by Paul.
Now all the bulky jobs are complete on the Jensen’s, we’ll be seeing a lot more of the finishing touches completed in the weeks that follow.
Because we have a few Jensen’s in for restorative work right now, these projects often work hand-in-hand with one another. It also means our technicians have become quite the Jensen experts!
We love classic Jensen’s here at Bridge Classic Cars. So much so, that we have five in for restoration work as we speak!
Along with our projects, we also recently sold our 1962 Jensen 541S. This stunning Jensen was officially verified by Concours d’Elegance and the Jensen Owner’s Club with a incredible score of 386/400. More on this incredible car and it’s mounting accolades can be found here.
We’re always delighted when a beautiful classic finds a new home and leaves our showroom. As much as we love seeing these gorgeous cars every day, we’d much prefer them to be driven and adored by their new owners.
Meanwhile, in the workshop, our Jensen restorations are well underway. First up, our classic car technician Dave has been building a fabricated rear gearbox mount for our 1958 Jensen 541R.
Dave’s also been working on our black 1960 Jensen 541R. “I adjusted the plate mods for the steering column” he explains “the steering wheel was in the wrong position, so now it can be centralised in the dash.”
The fuel pumps have also been repaired by Dave along with the repairing the fuel leaks from the carburettors, achieved by tightening all the bolts.
Lastly, Ady our engine technician has been reconditioning the distributor on our 1961 Jensen 541R. “I’ve also cleaned and balanced the conrods,” Ady explains.
There’s still lots to do across all our Jensen’s. Each car brings it’s own history and therefore, it’s own challenges. And there’s nothing we like more here at Bridge Classic Cars than a challenge!
Our specialist classic car technician Paul has built a bespoke filler neck component for our black 1960 Jensen 541R.
The customer wanted the iconic chrome Monza fuel cap. Therefore, we needed to get creative and manufacture a new filler neck to accommodate this modification.
Even though not part of the original Jensen, the Monza cap looks right at home. We love making our customers visions come to life. They do indeed have great taste!
Dave, one of our incredible classic car experts has built a custom-made adjustable door lock for the 1960 Jensen 541R.
These parts never look much, and often on cars of this age they’re impossible to obtain. Therefore, our talented team of mechanics and classic car restoration experts often manufacture their own components.
Struggling to find a component for your classic car? Have a chat with the team to see how we can help – 01473 742038
Scott, one of our classic car technicians has been tinkering with several more intricate parts of both the 1957 and 1960 Jensens. “I stripped down and modified the windscreen wiper mechanism,” Scott tells us, “re-greased it, put it back together then fitted it back onto the car.”
Scott also stripped down the motor for the wipers, then cleaned the grease out, prepped and repainted it, repacked the grease then re-fitted it to the car.
Scott has also made and fitted new number plate surrounds for both Jensens. “I had to fabricate a tiny joiner or ‘mount’ as it were, for the top.”
Scott has also modified the boot lid handle as it didn’t fit. Along with sorting out the bonnet guides and rest plates and fitted the glass for the 1/4 windows and fitted them to the car too. Scott also refurbished the courtesy lights too.
“I then made a boot-prop,” Scott described. “I’ve fitted that, along with the boot catch and striker plate, then adjusted the boot so it would close.” He also then fitted the return spring to the throttle pedal.
All these little additions contribute toward what will be two fantastic cars, both looking and working. Super work Scott!
Both our 1957 and 1960 Jensen 541R’s had an upgrade in steering system this week.
John, our classic car workshop manager explained, “It’s a like-for-like exchange really. We take the old steering column out and replace with power steering.”
In some other cars this process can be much more complex, but for the Jensen’s it’s a case of replace and rewire.
“I then make sure it’s all fitted nicely away,” explains John, “so you can’t see it.”
We love the concept of transforming classic cars by upgrading things like power steering, aircon and installing modern technology including sound systems, Bluetooth and GPS.
Now you really can have the look and feel of a classic car, but with the luxury extras you’d find on a newer model. To find out how we can improve your classic car driving experience, give us a call – 01473 724038
Our 1960 Jensen needed a new number plate bracket, the trouble was, none that fitted were in existence.
Therefore, our creative and very talented classic car specialist technician Paul manufactured a custom built bracket to take it’s place.
Using aluminium, he cut and bent the metal into the correct shape and fitted it seamlessly into position. You’d never tell it hadn’t started it’s life there.
The 1957 and 1960 Jensen 541R’s were treated to custom made bonnet supports last week. Along with this, they had their recently restored wings and sills re-fitted.
“Both cars have had their sills and wings completely restored, including a fresh paint job.” Our talented technician Paul explains. “I’ve fitted the restored parts back onto the car and built and fitted their new bonnet supports too, to keep the bonnet steady”.
Both Jensen’s are really starting to return to their former glory now, it’s great progress from the Bridge team.
September 1, 2020 2:00 pmPublished by Craig Ranson
Work continues on the full nut and bolt restoration of the 1960’s Jensen 541R.
Replacement air filters were fitted by expert technician Paul last week. “The original inlet manifold and carburettor didn’t fit” he described. “I’ve replaced them, so she should now have more torque and perform better”.
Paul also replaced the top coolant hose and the bottom hose, both needed cutting to the correct size.
She should sound even sweeter now – good work Paul!
September 1, 2020 1:07 pmPublished by Craig Ranson
The clutch on the 1960 Jensen 541R hasn’t been working properly. So, our expert technician Dave has built his very own easy-bleed component to get it back up and running.
“You can buy these parts online.” Dave explains, “but I’ve made my own so I can do the work sooner and not wait for parts to arrive”. A great example of the proactive attitude our team have here at Bridge – awesome job Dave!
September 1, 2020 10:44 amPublished by Craig Ranson
Both the 1957 Jensen 541R and the 1961 Jensen 541S have been treated to fully repaired bonnet grilles this week, courtesy of our expert technician Dave.
“These aluminium hooks can be flimsy and snap off”, Dave explains, snapping one of them off with ease. “So, I’ve custom built stronger ones to replace them”. Dave then welded the new hooks onto each grille to keep them snug and secure in the centre of the bonnet.
One of many finishing touches that will contribute to the final look of the Jensen’s iconic bonnet.
John has fitted a dynamator into our 1960 Jensen 541R. A dynamator is an alternator fitted within the original dynamo housing. Our Jensen 541R project required a dynamator to cope with the additional electrical draw required to run the power steering.
Whilst installing and wiring in the dynameter, John also installed the wiper motor and connected this up to the wiring loom. Great work, John.
Paul, who is also working on our Jensen restoration has recently fitted the front inner arches and side panels. Paul has also now installed the side panels and all of the sill covers have now been fitted. Dave has almost completed both doors on our 1960 Jensen and is currently working on the rear windows of our 1957 541R.
Paul has completed fabricating the bonnet locators which are now ready for welding. He has also fabricated new sill brackets which are ready to be installed onto the car. Great work, team.
Dave has been working on our 1960 Jensen 541R restoration. He has taped up the side rear windows to test fit into the car for a trial fit.
The rear windows are fitted in place after some polishing and filing. Dave is now bolting these fixed windows in position.
Dave has had to modify the doors on our Jensen to allow the glass to move freely up and down through the door. He has had to cut out a strip of metal at the top of the door, move it back a few millimetres and then weld the metal back into the correct position.
Paul and Scott are both working on our 1957 Jensen 541R restoration. Today Scott is fitting in the headlights while Paul is installing the handbrake lever. Paul has had to shorten the realise button rod to perfectly fit. It’s now being fitted back into the car.
The next major steps will be to complete wiring up the car and prepare the interior for Kath and Brian in the Trim Shop to install interior trim.
Brian has been making some superb progress on lots of smaller jobs on our Jensen interior restoration. He firstly stripped down the scuttle air vent covers ready to retrim.
Brian has also stripped down and recovered the main Jensen dash panel. He has re-trimmed this in black vinyl. This black vinyl is extremely tactile, providing a luxurious, understated finish that will offset the chrome work superbly.
Brian has restored the original glovebox, re-trimming the glovebox with new carpet.
Brian has also made one pair of rear door capping from 9mm ply wood. He chiselled the correct cutouts and shaped the wood to perfectly match the original. Great work, Brian!
John has been working on our Jensen 541R Gearbox. This Tremec gearbox is mated to the Corvette engine given to this unique Jensen. To get the gear lever position perfect John has repositioned the whole gearbox forward for the ideal driving position.
Brian has been hard at work on the interior of our Jensen 541R. He’s been working on the front cubby box/ armrest. He firstly stripped off the old covers of the cubby box and sanded the wood down to a smooth finish. He then made new covers from black vinyl, using the old ones as a template.
He then fitted the cut vinyl onto the freshly prepared cubby box. The base plate was also fitted with black vinyl and fitted into cubby box.
Brian then has made up a soft armrest and fitted it to the cubby box. He’s cleaned up the ashtray and fitted it into the box. Great work, Brian!
Brian and Kath have been flat out the past few weeks since returning to our workshop. They’ve been tackling the interior on our two Jensen 541R’s.
Brian has been mainly working on creating the bespoke wooden panelling and Kath has been working with our leather and fabric.
The old interior has been used by Kath as a template to cut our fresh leather to. She has then fitted the new leather to Brian’s bespoke built wooden panelling.
We’ve now finished work on the front two seats and the rear seat base and back swab of our black 1960 Jensen. The next stages will be to fit the headlining which will be a gorgeous cream colour. This should offset the black leather and black exterior paint wonderfully!
Chris has been working hard in the paint shop recently. He’s been working on our Jensen 541 R restoration. The car has now been painted in filler primer and masked up. The doors have been painted with an extra step of filler primer as they are aluminium. Now the body is in final primer and has been fully sanded and smoothed. As soon as our workshops reopen we will be ready for the very exciting colour coat phases of painting.
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