Jonathans various Garage projects... number 1!

[britlude]

It’s not all NSX in the Jonathan Garage space, there are other ‘little’ projects on the go! My dad’s Jensen Interceptor is one!


here’s a quick bit of background… He bought it like this…
.
http://i301.photobucket.com/albums/nn41/thisYup/general%20stuff/Jensen/KIF_1284.jpg (http://s301.photobucket.com/user/thisYup/media/general%20stuff/Jensen/KIF_1284.jpg.html)


Looking very pretty but running a little rough, ok up to about 3500rpm, but a bit wooly over that. Ok as it’s a cruiser anyway!


Getting into it, we found it had been fitted with a new distributer but still had the issues! So we had to go through it to find that illusive problem… turns out a new carb, inlet and ignition system doesn't make up for the lack of an exhaust lobe on number 7 cylinder!

Under 3500rpm the engine could just about manage, but over that when the cylinder did fire, the exhaust gasses couldn't go down out of the exhausts, but came up the inlet…. Being a v8 with a 4 barrel carb, once cylinder affects 4, so the backfire killed 4 cylinders… hence wooly above 3500rpm as the affected cylinders receives a confused fuel/air/exhaust mixture! It would also explain the soot on the inside of the air filter!

Still, getting that sorted did reveal the engine has been changed at some time from the expected 6.2ltr to the 7.2ltr Chrysler 440! Woohoo, plenty of potential, especially with the nice new sportier cam!


It stayed like this for a year or so as my dad did the occasional local car shows, and prior to the annual MOT we gave it a quick look over, noting a small hole in the sill. This was patched for the MOT but we all know mighty oaks from small acorns grow! With the small patch cut out ready for the repair we had a quick look see and the repair made.


After the MOT we took it off the road!!!!

[britlude]

Taking off the good outer sill, here’s what we saw….
http://i301.photobucket.com/albums/nn41/thisYup/general%20stuff/Jensen/07062011727.jpg (http://s301.photobucket.com/user/thisYup/media/general%20stuff/Jensen/07062011727.jpg.html)

The Jensen has a triple layer sill, the frothy edge is the middle one! Bits were cut out, hunting down rust….


http://i301.photobucket.com/albums/nn41/thisYup/general%20stuff/Jensen/090720111148.jpg (http://s301.photobucket.com/user/thisYup/media/general%20stuff/Jensen/090720111148.jpg.html)


http://i301.photobucket.com/albums/nn41/thisYup/general%20stuff/Jensen/090920111468.jpg (http://s301.photobucket.com/user/thisYup/media/general%20stuff/Jensen/090920111468.jpg.html)

[britlude]

By now it was getting quite involved!


New sills both sides, floor repairs, 4 wing/arch full repair panels, rear inner wing repairs, rear inner/outer valance, front valence corners, a-post repairs, inner and outer door bottoms … basically the bottom 6 inches all around the bottom of the car…


http://i301.photobucket.com/albums/nn41/thisYup/general%20stuff/Jensen/060920111442.jpg (http://s301.photobucket.com/user/thisYup/media/general%20stuff/Jensen/060920111442.jpg.html)



http://i301.photobucket.com/albums/nn41/thisYup/general%20stuff/Jensen/KIF_2093.jpg (http://s301.photobucket.com/user/thisYup/media/general%20stuff/Jensen/KIF_2093.jpg.html)

[britlude]

Now it was a case of putting it all back together!!!
http://i301.photobucket.com/albums/nn41/thisYup/general%20stuff/Jensen/260920111534.jpg (http://s301.photobucket.com/user/thisYup/media/general%20stuff/Jensen/260920111534.jpg.html)


http://i301.photobucket.com/albums/nn41/thisYup/general%20stuff/Jensen/251020111782.jpg (http://s301.photobucket.com/user/thisYup/media/general%20stuff/Jensen/251020111782.jpg.html)


http://i301.photobucket.com/albums/nn41/thisYup/general%20stuff/Jensen/011120111789.jpg (http://s301.photobucket.com/user/thisYup/media/general%20stuff/Jensen/011120111789.jpg.html)


http://i301.photobucket.com/albums/nn41/thisYup/general%20stuff/Jensen/051120111811.jpg (http://s301.photobucket.com/user/thisYup/media/general%20stuff/Jensen/051120111811.jpg.html)

[britlude]

Fast forward a lot of flatting/primer/flatting/painting/flatting/polishing we end up with….


http://i301.photobucket.com/albums/nn41/thisYup/general%20stuff/Jensen/2013-05-18-129.jpg (http://s301.photobucket.com/user/thisYup/media/general%20stuff/Jensen/2013-05-18-129.jpg.html)

And that’s where it was until a couple of months ago until my dad, on what seems to be a normal ebay surf came upon something he couldn’t live without!


All was well with the engine bay….
http://i301.photobucket.com/albums/nn41/thisYup/general%20stuff/Jensen/Image1435.jpg (http://s301.photobucket.com/user/thisYup/media/general%20stuff/Jensen/Image1435.jpg.html)


But after parts from America, China, and points in between we end up with….


http://i301.photobucket.com/albums/nn41/thisYup/general%20stuff/Jensen/2013-11-04-4146.jpg (http://s301.photobucket.com/user/thisYup/media/general%20stuff/Jensen/2013-11-04-4146.jpg.html)


Obviously a 600cfm carb on a 7.2ltr V8 was far too fuel efficient for him, so we’ve ended up with 4 x 48IDF Weber carbs!

now it wasn't complete plain sailing, throttle linkages, auto gearbox linkages had to be modified, a vacuum runner/collector system had to be made to get a vacuum feed from 8 seperate inlet tracts to the brake servo, and the air filters had to be cut down 2 inches to fit under the bonnet! still, if it was easy everyone would do it!

add to that 2 panels each side of the engine to tidy up the mess that Jensen fits, and making up a fake distrubuter/oil pump drive so we could remove the distributer completely (we had already removed the ignition system and fitted a fully mapped distributerless ignition system!)

We see it as ‘Toyota prius offsetting’! :rolleyes:

[paulc]

Brilliant, very nice.

[goldtop]

Very cool. But we really need full-throttle drive-by sound clips. :)

(PS: glad my other indulgence car is plastic!)

[scottg]

Do you ever sleep johnathan?

[britlude]

i find plenty of time to sleep! the jensen major bodywork was most of june/july/august 2011, so plenty of rest since then! :) interior carpets were remade after that! the carb conversion was autumn 2013! hopefully it'll get onto a rolling road soon, all set up and we'll have some power figures! :)

[duncan]

“Toyota Prius offsetting” – like it.
You’re there, the planet has been saved:
-not only did Jensen fit the 7.2 in lieu of the 6.3 engine for emission reasons. I mean, with anti-smog who can say that a SP 440 isn’t clean – GM certainly could.
-by virtue of the year, to pass a current MoT the engine will have zero emissions anyway.
-no horrible batteries to send to the third world for recycling.
A repaint with a change of colour from red to green would be the icing on the cake.

[britlude]

“Toyota Prius offsetting” – like it.


I always make a point of blipping the throttle when i see one! ;)

[AR]

Always had a soft spot for those specials cars of a bygone era with US muscle and European deign! Great effort!