jensen specialist

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.

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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

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Happy Customers

Joerg Huesken, the owner of our lovely 1957 Jensen 541R and the 1960 Jensen 541R has recently shared some photo updates on Facebook and we’re

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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.

1959 Jensen Re-Wiring Continues

Tom has been concentrating on re-wiring all the wiring looms in our 1959 Jensen 541R. Currently he is working on the rear and middle looms, laying down fresh wires to link the two underneath.

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:

The Peony Red Grows

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.

Silver Jensen’s New Wiring

Tom has been working on re-wiring the wiring looms in the 1959 Jensen 541R. He’s recently completed the lights and has now started on the dashboard.

There are 5 wiring looms in total. Two have been completed, two are partially completed (which are the two looms within the dashboard) and the last connects the front looms to the rear. Jensens are known for complex and sophisticated electrics, making the re-wiring a time consuming process.

The Jensen’s New Handbrake

A new handbrake cable has been fitted to the 1961 Jensen 541S by our classic car technician Paul who has handled the re-build and re-fitting of the handbrake.

The photos below show the hand brake cable after being removed by Paul and ready for repair.

Our Peony Red Jensen Has Blossomed

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.

The Peony Red Jensen Is Almost Peony Red

Step by step, our Peony red 1960 541S Jensen gets closer to actually being Peony Red. We’ve been referring to it with its colour but its been nothing more than various shades of white or metal for quite a while. Soon, we’ll be able to honestly call it Peony Red.

Chris has been applying the guide coat onto the body and smoothing down all the surfaces, ready for it to be masked and painted.

The Jensen is now sat in primer and once dried, will be painted the infamous Peony Red.

Black Jensen’s Snag List

We’ve created a simple video walk around for our client to see his almost finished Jensen. As he lives in Germany it means that it isn’t very easy for him to pop over and see his car. We thought it would be easiest to send this in-depth video so that he can see what’s been done, what’s left to do and if there are any adjustments he wants to be made.

Building Suspension…

The front suspension has been finished and fitted back in. The brakes have also been bled.

Tom has been working on rewiring the rear lights, indicators and front lights too.

Final Bits Before Paint On The Jensen

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

Silver Jensen’s modified brakes

Our lovely silver 1959 541R Jensen brake pipes have been refurbished, as well as the kingpins and bushes rebuilt by our technician Paul.

To Chrome Or Not To Chrome

The process of restoring a car is rarely linear, but that’s all part of the car’s journey. The plan for the 1957 Jensen 541R was to have original chrome pieces installed onto the side of the doors however our client decided that he didn’t want these pieces and to leave them off for now. We’ve welded the holes closed and will begin to paint over them. It’s crucial for us that our clients have the ability and freedom to pitch in ideas and change their minds, after all, these restorations are all bespoke for a reason!

Almost across the finishing lines

The black Jensen has had a series of road tests, edging it closer and closer to being completed. We’re working our way through what John likes to call the ‘snag list’ which is ultimately a list of any teething issues that are highlighted in being driven. On the list is aligning the steering wheel, modifying the rear heater fan and heater motor.

Navy Jensen Renovations

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

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!

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Lilac Jensen Perfections

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.

Happy Customers

Joerg Huesken, the owner of our lovely 1957 Jensen 541R and the 1960 Jensen 541R has recently shared some photo updates on Facebook and we’re delighted to have the shout out!

Click here to see his post!