Discussion
Hi Guys,
Always had a soft spot for a Jensen Healey since my teenage years and lo and behold I've seen one in need of a rebuild close to home for little money. It is a 1974 Mk 1. It is on a Jersey plate.
Any advice would be appreciated, as I haven't had any real time to do any homework yet.
Cheers,
Simon
Always had a soft spot for a Jensen Healey since my teenage years and lo and behold I've seen one in need of a rebuild close to home for little money. It is a 1974 Mk 1. It is on a Jersey plate.
Any advice would be appreciated, as I haven't had any real time to do any homework yet.
Cheers,
Simon
UK parts specialist for the J-H are Appleyards: http://jensen.co.uk/
The JOC "expert" is Martin Shirley. All will be revealed when you join the JOC forum: http://www.joc.org.uk/phpBB2/index.php
You don't need to be a JOC member to join the forum. But you need to register to access the tech areas.
The JOC "expert" is Martin Shirley. All will be revealed when you join the JOC forum: http://www.joc.org.uk/phpBB2/index.php
You don't need to be a JOC member to join the forum. But you need to register to access the tech areas.
If it's a 1974 car, then it's more likely to be a Mark II, the Mark II being introduced in August 1973. There were only around 20000 JH's produced in total and most went across to the US. They were not as popular back here as the build quality wasn't brilliant and the Lotus engine was seen viewed as overly complicated and unrefined.
Despite being far better as a drivers car, they've never really been generally appreciated and values have been way below MGBs of similar vintage and condition. It's only in the last couple of years that their prices have started to rally, but they are never going to be worth a fortune.
The Lotus 907 engine is the same one as used in other 70's Lotus cars such as the Elat and Elite. In healthy standard form it should be good for 140bhp and it's quite a fast car by 70's standards with 0-60 time of around 7.5seconds. If you're prepared to throw enough money into expensive Lotus engine parts 200bhp isn't that difficult to achieve.
Although seldom used in recent years, I've had my 1973 Mark II since 1998. The Vauxhall underpinnings are pretty straightforward and easy to work on and most mechanical parts are still readily available. As in any restoration, the cost and availability of body panels may be the limiting factor.
Despite being far better as a drivers car, they've never really been generally appreciated and values have been way below MGBs of similar vintage and condition. It's only in the last couple of years that their prices have started to rally, but they are never going to be worth a fortune.
The Lotus 907 engine is the same one as used in other 70's Lotus cars such as the Elat and Elite. In healthy standard form it should be good for 140bhp and it's quite a fast car by 70's standards with 0-60 time of around 7.5seconds. If you're prepared to throw enough money into expensive Lotus engine parts 200bhp isn't that difficult to achieve.
Although seldom used in recent years, I've had my 1973 Mark II since 1998. The Vauxhall underpinnings are pretty straightforward and easy to work on and most mechanical parts are still readily available. As in any restoration, the cost and availability of body panels may be the limiting factor.
Edited by sparkythecat on Tuesday 4th November 12:31
Saw one of these being restored in a North Wales bodyshop today.
The car was very very sound - with only the floors needing attention - the rest of the body (in a bare state) was 100% rust free...the car was an ex-LHD - dry state car.
Was red will be painted Lotus yellow when complete - very nice!
The car was very very sound - with only the floors needing attention - the rest of the body (in a bare state) was 100% rust free...the car was an ex-LHD - dry state car.
Was red will be painted Lotus yellow when complete - very nice!
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