Any Jensen Healey fans?

Jensen Interceptor, Hell yeah..... Healey, meh. A unique car when compared to the Triumph or MGB. Lotus engine huge plus. More power and acceleration. Did not make a lot. Join a Healey forum and learn what you can. Could be cheap fun. Hard to source parts for, but out there. I like high miles, as it was enjoyed and loved to get that high. Good luck, but not my cup of tea anymore. British cars just too problematic. Happy New Year.


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I've considered them before, but never pulled the trigger. Quite a bit faster than the TR-6 of the same vintage and the extra HP probably makes for a a friendlier driver.

 

I didn't own one, but two close friends each bought them new back in 1975 or 1976, so I got to watch their ownership experiences, I was shotgun for many trips, and I also got the use of one of the cars for a few weeks while one friend was on vacation and he threw me the keys when he left. They were a fun car for the day, but they were also a British car of the day, with all that entails. Most serious was one had a transmission failure that required replacement in the first 5-10K miles. With 150K miles, your example probably is past any weakness on that. Some electrical problems, but like I said they were British cars. The Lotus engine was pretty solid, don't recall any problems with it. I would expect parts to be pretty rare as not a lot made it over. I expect these issues can be overcome, if you have the willingness.

If you pass on it, I would consider it out of nostalgia, but it would have to be a pretty nice example.

 

Buy it! You will never have that opportunity again.

 

The Jensen Healey always caught my attention whenever one was near. And I'd stop for a closer look as well. But having a TR8 (owned 1982 - 2006) kept me from ever buying one.

 

http://www.jensenmuseum.org/jensen-healey-story/

 

Price?

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I owned one for over 25 years. It recently sold on BaT:

https://bringatrailer.com/listing/1974-jensen-healey-jh5-3/

I loved the car, it was my daily driver in college. Easy to work on. Parts are available but some are getting scarce. Like Ferrari’s, you have to change the cam belts, the lower cam cover is tough to seal, and and they feel a bit crude by modern standards. But it’s a very fun car to tool around in. Very British. Back when they were new, one of the advertising slogans was you could be speeding by the time you crossed an intersection. They were expensive too, almost as much as an E-type Jag.

Send me a PM if you want to discuss them in detail, happy to share my history with the car.

 

One of my girlfriends had one. Lucas electrical if I remember correctly.

 

Nothing like a little four cylinder, open-top sports car to remind you why you love motoring. If I had the space, I would consider one just for weekend cruising. If you have the space, time and budget, then enjoy the car for a bit. If you buy it right, you can get out of it for the cost of registration and insurance for a few years ownership.

 

That's about what I would offer, too. To me, being a one-owner car adds about $800 at most. That's what I would tell the owner if making an offer. If he consigns or auctions the car, his net will not be a whole lot more than a sub-$8K offer and he will have to wait for the money. You can do the deal ASAP.

 

Man, you are buying the story and the relationship at this point. $4500 car with 150k and just the 2 pics I have seen. I have a feeling it is more worn out then nice.


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Hopefully rust won't be a problem. Steels used in the 1970s led a hard life unless kept in a museum.

 

You’ll be upside down the moment you purchase it.

But honestly, that’s not why you buy or don’t buy a car like this.
You invest in it the same way you invest in a steak dinner.

You’d buy it because it’s fun to tool around in, it’s easy to tinker with, and won’t cost much to maintain.
It’s unusual so you won’t see another out on the road or at a C&C.
You’ll keep it for a couple years until the thrill starts to wane.
You’ll sell it for half of what you paid.

For your investment, you’ll have fond memories of it, maybe some photos to make you smile, but you won’t miss it either.
Final tally, you’ll have spent about as much as a major on a 355.

Take it for a test spin. If it makes you want to drive it more, buy it.
Else, look for something more enjoyable.

 

Looks very original, right down to the shift knob and twisted choke cable.
Only Lucas gremlins I ever experienced were the plastic rocker switches.
Make sure the fuel line between the carbs has been changed from the original plastic T.
With 150k miles, I assume they had to replace or rebuild the journal in the middle of the drive shaft? I went with a solid, one-piece replacement. Never had to worry about it again.
Pulling the engine/trans is an easy one man job (just need a hoist)

 

The original driveshaft is a two piece affair. In the middle is a combination bearing and u-joint type coupling.
It’s in a housing that bolted to the floor pan.
Not sure what they call it here, in UK they called them journals.
Never seen anything like it before or after!

The bearing will eventually wear out.
There was no replacement part for it, and this was 20 years ago.
I had a local speed shop fabricate a single straight driveshaft for me.
They used the two ends of my original and just welded them to a new shaft.
Cheap, effective, and permanent. Perfect for a college kid on a budget....

 

I rescued one with a friend around 1980.

We were young and dumb so when we saw the car behind our local "European" auto shop Joe & Saul's in Cleveland. The car had been sitting there for almost three years after the timing crashed in the motor. The car was for sale for storage fees because the owner was incarcerated. It was a total basket case with water damage to the interior and the floor pans had been rusting away for some time. Cut to the chase my buddy did an over the top build to the car, the engine went to Texas for a rebuild and the car has been a lot of fun for the last 35 years it has been back together. Neat car, but I highly recommend you find a much better example because they are around and pretty cheap. The only picture I have of the car that I can access right now is under the hood. I will hit him up for a picture of the car.

http://www.jensenhealey.com/market/marketplace.html


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