Miscellaneous

BUYING A JENSEN FF

I asked the list about bying an FF/Interceptor

The replies were:

1. Check for the following. Rust along the top of the doors;rust along the edges of the bonnet and the bonnet itself; look for rainwater leaks around rear window; check water temp. gauge if not working be suspicious; check oil pressure (warm 40-60 psi above 2000 rpm); check for 13 volts on voltmeter; on the FF the side member tubes run down behind the sills and support the “A” and “B” pillars and the front and rear bulkheads-they are often rotten but are hidden by the sills-check by putting hand up behind rear portion of the outer cover sill;jacking points can be checked by putting big screwdriver into the (offer to jack up the vehicle using the jacking points and see if the seller says no;doors corrode along bottom 3 inches; inner wings are supported by MG type supports which can corrode to nothing,you can check these from inside the bonnet around the under bonnet lights; check for corrosion in the triangular inner wing section(press hard on the nearby sound deadening pads for give in the inner wing;tailgates go around the stainless steel finishers; at the rear check the valances under the bumper;check colour of transmission fluid -should be bright pink and sweet smelling (dark brown with a burnt smell means the bands are on the way out;look along the bodiy line for irregularities and poor panel fit( shoddy repairs); if bumper gives under thumb pressure its been rechromed to the point it can’t be done again;look for bubbling at the front corners where wings join nose panel and bonnet lip; lift carpet and feel floorpan for weakness around the pedals;look under boot carpets for rust; listen to engine with bonnet open (listen for blowing from manifold; check manifold for cracks along casting line; look at car from rear to see uneven sagging of rear leaf springs( should be able to get two fingers between wheel arch and tyre; check windscreen wipers and electric windows;check air conditioning operation (where fitted);check for hardening of the electric wiring loom in the engine compartment;

When doing a renovation Cropredy Bridge Garage line the engine bays with a layer of insulating material, which is then topped with this “Firewall Aluminised Glass Cloth”( their part no was CBG. 216). It comes on a role which is one metre wide. In the case of my car although the base insulating material seems OK the outer aluminium layer has flaked away in most areas. I bought four feet of the material (although I understand you may need more?). From the Jensen list there were 2 replies covering the adhesive to be used to fix the foam and also the aluminium cloth in the engine bay:

1.In the USA there is a spray contact adhesive called Sticky Stuff that works very well. It is promoted in all the hot rod magazines for the bonnet blankets. The original adhesive seems to have been similar to a rubber contact cement.
2.I used Permabond High temp contact adhesive with so so results (didn’t get hot enough to cure in some areas.) I have also used 3M super weather-strip adhesive (in the spray can) with excellent results. Coat both the foam and the substrate, allow to dry a few minutes, position it carefully and adhere!

GENERAL

Manuals. The small Handbook of Instructions for the Jensen FF provided with the car ; The Mk.1 & FF 1 Parts Catalogue£25.00 from Martin Roby; The Mk.1 & FF 1 Worksop Manual ( but does not include any of the engine/ancillary info); £20.00 from Martin Robey. The Jensen Workshop Manual ( blue book) which is really the Mopar engine manual for the Chrysler engine.( deals with engine, charging, carburettor, powers steering pump etc.£31.00 from Martin Robey. Finally the “How to rebuild* Big- Block Mopar Engine Manual. ( Which I found invaluable when replacing the timing chain and the pushrods etc.)£10.00 from Matin Robey (all prices as of 2004)

I use allot of Dinitrol cavity wax. It has always won the Practical Classics, magazine tests for use on old and fresh metal. You can buy larger cans for use in sprayers, but these aerosol cans from Halfords are excellent for spraying as you do a job. As my own car is a dark brown it actually matches the body colour. I no longer use Waxoil because it solidifies when spraying and drips in the summer. The gasket cement is just a silicon one . I also use Halfords surface cleaner for de-greasing surfaces because it’s convenient..

The windscreen washer motor works but it wont pump because the rubber rotor that causes the pressure has deteriorated I fitted an in line pump from Halfords to get me through the MOT. (£9.50). It fitted quite nicely under the bonnet spring using two plastic ties.

MOT’s

I asked the List about the FF going for an MOT:

I am nearing MOT time for the Mk 1 FF. What precautions, if any, need to be taken at the MOT station when doing the brake testing on the dyno? Any other MOT and FF peculiar advise?

The responses were:

1. Depends how they test the brakes, rolling road or the brake meter on the floor on a road test. I’ve never had a problem with either. Usually I go to one or other of two garages who have seen Jensens before. I still always warn them a) when they jack the car up on the ramp to check the
play in the steering to use the cross member and b) I also remind them that Jensen handbrakes are not brilliant and require a good heave!. I wouldn’t worry too much, the brakes are better than comparable cars of that era. c)I would tell them about the permanent 4 wheel drive before they start looking for play in the bearings.