1973 Jensen Interceptor MkIII
Discussion
Some progress today......pulled together the spares stash ready for recommissioning works:
En route, certainly attracted some attention from a few passers by, probably thinking its cheaper to have the car moved around on a low loader that keeping it topped up with juice!
Landed and awaiting some fettling to recommission, service and fresh MOT, will keep the thread updated........
List of jobs being worked through and no doubt a few more things will come to light along the way. Done less than 200 miles since last MOT was carried out in July 2016 and there are invoices for a full check and brake overhaul so hopefully not too many skeletons!!
Main objective is getting the car usable and enjoyable.
Considering going down the route of Evans waterless coolant, any thoughts as I've seen there are some who rate the stuff and others not so keen.........
En route, certainly attracted some attention from a few passers by, probably thinking its cheaper to have the car moved around on a low loader that keeping it topped up with juice!
Landed and awaiting some fettling to recommission, service and fresh MOT, will keep the thread updated........
List of jobs being worked through and no doubt a few more things will come to light along the way. Done less than 200 miles since last MOT was carried out in July 2016 and there are invoices for a full check and brake overhaul so hopefully not too many skeletons!!
Main objective is getting the car usable and enjoyable.
Considering going down the route of Evans waterless coolant, any thoughts as I've seen there are some who rate the stuff and others not so keen.........
Edited by bigfella70 on Tuesday 29th August 19:52
Breadvan72 said:
I have a spare four-choke carb for a Chrysler V8 available if you fancy buying it for a modest price. It came off a Barracuda or some such thing, possibly. I can check its numbers to see if it is compatible with your 7.2, as my car was a 6.3 (smaller capacity but more power and less weight).
Hi Breadvan72Does the carb have the autochoke mechanism still attached? If so, I'd be very interested if the sum you mention is modest enough to justify buying the carb for the choke and possibly other spares. I've been trying to extract one from the various specialists in the States, but they seem to specialise in talking rather than selling!
PS Folks said you were mad to buy the Sherpa - well all things are relative when you are trying to restore a Facel Vega!!!
Perhaps you could PM me please?
sassanach0 said:
Considering going down the route of Evans waterless coolant,.......................why?
Several attributes that seem to be claimed are lower pressure within the system, better cooling, avoidance of corrosion, blah blah........ I'm having the radiator , block and matrix flushed and some desscaler type solution run through to clear as much sediment as possible as the car hasn't done many miles over the last few years and I'm assuming the presence of some sediment within the system.I haven't driven the car properly yet other than on private land around some units so can't comment on effectiveness of the cooling system - other than a few of the hoses need changing and a heater hose gave up last week by coincidence when I ran the car up to normal temp.
I'm not usually a fan of gimmicky type additives and despite some of the claims I have also read that the Evans stuff does not flow as well as water/anti-freeze and does not have the same cooling capacity hence interested to hear any thoughts and experiences with this coolant.
My thoughts are to go with standard water/antifreeze mix but I'm open to opinions either way!
Cheers.
Edited by bigfella70 on Tuesday 29th August 22:17
Dr Interceptor said:
Personally I wouldn't touch the waterless coolant, but each to their own.
Nor would I.What's the issue with cooling problems on the Interceptor.........?
Is it an installation issue peculiar to the Jenson, as I know people in the USA running big power RB's in Plymouths and Dodge's in the 100F+ heat of California that don't have cooling problems...?
theadman said:
Breadvan72 said:
I have a spare four-choke carb for a Chrysler V8 available if you fancy buying it for a modest price. It came off a Barracuda or some such thing, possibly. I can check its numbers to see if it is compatible with your 7.2, as my car was a 6.3 (smaller capacity but more power and less weight).
Hi Breadvan72Does the carb have the autochoke mechanism still attached? If so, I'd be very interested if the sum you mention is modest enough to justify buying the carb for the choke and possibly other spares. I've been trying to extract one from the various specialists in the States, but they seem to specialise in talking rather than selling!
PS Folks said you were mad to buy the Sherpa - well all things are relative when you are trying to restore a Facel Vega!!!
Perhaps you could PM me please?
Facel Vega - coooooooooooool!
aeropilot said:
Nor would I.
What's the issue with cooling problems on the Interceptor.........?
Is it an installation issue peculiar to the Jenson, as I know people in the USA running big power RB's in Plymouths and Dodge's in the 100F+ heat of California that don't have cooling problems...?
The engine bay on the Jensen is considerably tighter than the same 440 engine in a Charger or Challenger.What's the issue with cooling problems on the Interceptor.........?
Is it an installation issue peculiar to the Jenson, as I know people in the USA running big power RB's in Plymouths and Dodge's in the 100F+ heat of California that don't have cooling problems...?
My convertible has had a 'recon' radiator fitted, and an up-rated fan kit supplied by Andy at Appleyards. It all looks totally stock, you wouldn't know it wasn't a factory installation looking under the bonnet.
It didn't really have a problem before, but there was a pin prick hole in the rad, so I wanted to swap it out anyway. It does run noticeably cooler now, so traffic jams are no longer any kind of concern.
velocerosso said:
I know I'll probably get slaughtered for this: When I was nipper I always mixed up a Jensen Interceptor with a Reliant Scimitar.
Happens all the time... Even at classic car events where you think people would know better. Example comments we've had..."I didn't know they made a convertible Scimitar"
"These were all fibreglass weren't they?"
"That sounded like a V8... I thought they all had Ford engines"
"Princess Anne loved hers"
Breadvan72 said:
Hiya, I will check the carb when I can find it in the shed at the weekend (I live in London on weekdays and am in the country at weekends, and that is where the shed is) - I will PM.
Facel Vega - coooooooooooool!
That would be great, thanks. Facel Vega - coooooooooooool!
Sorry to disrupt the thread! Bigfella, that Interceptor looks pretty cool too. I remember my first (and only) ride in one - magic carpet on steroids!! It just reeled in the horizon with no drama at all. Good luck with the MOT.
Dr Interceptor said:
Happens all the time... Even at classic car events where you think people would know better. Example comments we've had...
"I didn't know they made a convertible Scimitar"
"These were all fibreglass weren't they?"
"That sounded like a V8... I thought they all had Ford engines"
"Princess Anne loved hers"
How I would love to own a Jensen Scimitar. "I didn't know they made a convertible Scimitar"
"These were all fibreglass weren't they?"
"That sounded like a V8... I thought they all had Ford engines"
"Princess Anne loved hers"
theadman said:
That would be great, thanks.
Sorry to disrupt the thread! Bigfella, that Interceptor looks pretty cool too. I remember my first (and only) ride in one - magic carpet on steroids!! It just reeled in the horizon with no drama at all. Good luck with the MOT.
Theadman no problem at all you are welcome !Sorry to disrupt the thread! Bigfella, that Interceptor looks pretty cool too. I remember my first (and only) ride in one - magic carpet on steroids!! It just reeled in the horizon with no drama at all. Good luck with the MOT.
Looking forward to reeling in the horizon and think I will give the Evans coolant a miss and stick to normal antifreeze mix.....
bigfella70 said:
Theadman no problem at all you are welcome !
Looking forward to reeling in the horizon and think I will give the Evans coolant a miss and stick to normal antifreeze mix.....
Please keep us updated when you are reeling in the horizon! I've always loved the shape of the Interceptor - stunning cars. Looking forward to reeling in the horizon and think I will give the Evans coolant a miss and stick to normal antifreeze mix.....
Awesome car, much jealousy from me.
The interceptor was the first car I sat in and used the electric windows, being aged about 10 when they were current. My dad was a mechanic for GKN and the big boss had one as a company car.
Also used to walk past one on the way to school....... I think it belonged to the guy who drove the local coal lorry as they were always parked next to each other.
The interceptor was the first car I sat in and used the electric windows, being aged about 10 when they were current. My dad was a mechanic for GKN and the big boss had one as a company car.
Also used to walk past one on the way to school....... I think it belonged to the guy who drove the local coal lorry as they were always parked next to each other.
sideways man said:
Awesome car, much jealousy from me.
The interceptor was the first car I sat in and used the electric windows, being aged about 10 when they were current. My dad was a mechanic for GKN and the big boss had one as a company car.
Also used to walk past one on the way to school....... I think it belonged to the guy who drove the local coal lorry as they were always parked next to each other.
Great memories there!The interceptor was the first car I sat in and used the electric windows, being aged about 10 when they were current. My dad was a mechanic for GKN and the big boss had one as a company car.
Also used to walk past one on the way to school....... I think it belonged to the guy who drove the local coal lorry as they were always parked next to each other.
My first recollection of electric windows at a similar age was a series 1 Jag XJ6 which belonged to a mate of my dads. He used to keep it alive by tacking offcuts from a washing machine carcass onto the sills and floorpan which were disintegrating as they tended to do in the late 70's!
Whilst the car is being worked on I decided to give the original steering wheel a clean up:
These steering wheels aren't the most attractive or popular but it's good to have the original wheel in case I wanted to "go original".
The current fitment is a wood rimmed Moto-Lita:
Nice wheel however I think I'd prefer a leather rim item which would look more in keeping with the interior. Will see how I get in with the current item once the car's back with me and on the road.
But then I was converted! 
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