Jensen Healey Suppliers

Local suppliers added, updated: 2012-04-12
Updated: 2012-01-12
Updated:  2011-08-08
Updated:  2011-01-27

Original Information: 2010-03-09

Last week, a Studebaker guy I  know was asking around for Jensen-Healey suppliers.  He’s on the Studebaker Driver’s Club forum and someone on there was looking for J-H suppliers for a friend who is restoring a ’74 (basically the old friend of a friend of a friend sort of thing).  Welcome to the wonderful world of crazy people who restore old cars:  chances are, someone you know knows somebody who can get you information on your esoteric old car.

I figured I should add a list of supplers for the J-H (both specific parts, and other things I’ve used that work).  I’ll try to keep this updated as I go along.

• Delta Motorsports – Arizona – www.deltamotorsports.com – they carry pretty much everything, including sheet metal from the original tooling from Martin Robey in England.  I have ordered from these guys.  They have been good to work with.  They’ll inform you if what they’re providing is an exact replica, service part that looks different from the original but does the same job (example:  the rubber drain gaskets under the battery and pedal assembly), or a part that’ll work but needs modified (example:  the transmission mount).
• MacGregor – Ontario, Candada – www.macgregorukcarparts.com – Seals & soft top.
• Jensen Healey Parts & Spares – California – www.jhps.com – engine, suspension, brakes, upgrades, etc.
• Classic Tube – New York – www.classictube.com – brake & fuel lines.  I just ordered a stainless set from them, including flex lines.  If you need one, the J-H isn’t a custom bent order, but it’s not like calling up for a ’67 Mustang.  Mike on their end found it in a few minutes in their “other” database – I’m guessing that’s where the really esoteric stuff they don’t make too often ends up.  $125 for 5-piece hard line kit in stainless, $100 in mild steel.  The front stainless braided flex lines were $30 each, and the rear flex was $30 as well.  Should be a couple weeks until it shows up (they had to make it – not an ‘in-stock’ item).  I’ll let you know how it goes when it shows up.  Everything fit well, but it turned out to be a partial (front) set.  I sent the original rear lines to them to get reproduced in stainless along with a few diagrams.  Everything came back looking good, and what I have installed so far fits well.
• Autopower – California – www.autopowerindustries.com – aftermarket roll bar.  I called up these guys for a few questions about race vs. street bars, etc.  They said they do make a few bars for the J-H, not that many anymore, mostly they get purchased by a distributor in Arizona (Delta).  The bar showed up with the hardware and backing plates for the underside of the car.  A beefy piece, welds look good.  I’m not sure on the grade of the hardware, so I’ll be getting grade 8 stuff.  Hopefully, I’ll never need to test this out.
• Martin Robey – England – www.martinrobey.com – they bought the spare parts and tooling after Jensen went bankrupt.  I believe all the metal body panels come from these guys.  The rocker panels I got from Delta were tagged with ‘Made in England’ stickers, so I’m assuming it’s from them.  The panels matched the car with minimal adjustments.

The J-H has a Lotus 907 (2-liter) engine, so anything for an early Lotus Elite II, Eclat, or Esprit will fit.  Some people fit parts from later Lotus 912 (2.2 liter) engines for more power and less oil leakage from the cam covers.

Various parts:

• McMaster-Carr – www.mcmaster.com – everything hardware related.  This is where I picked up the long Grade 8 bolts that fasten the upper control arm of the front suspension to the K-member as well as various stainless fasteners that my local hardware store or big-box home improvement store didn’t have.
• Factory 5 Racing – www.factoryfive.com – their stainless steel “Roadster” bumper over-riders were repurposed into bumperettes for the rear of the J-H.  #12012 is the set of (4), front & rear.  The shape is the same, but the fronts have a more angled mounting plate.  I used the rears (they’ll sell you a set of 2).
• Rovers Down South – www.roversdownsouth.com – they have New Old Stock parts & pieces for the Lucas L841 side marker lights (look for Series lamp parts).  I’m also using their reproduction Land Rover round lights to replace the Jensen’s big rectangle rear lamp cluster and add a marker/turn signal light to the new air dam.
• Graham Walker Ltd. – www.grahamwalker.co.uk – the Reliant Scimitar (at least the SE5a and SE6) uses the same taillights as the J-H.  They have these parts (hat tip to Scott in Ontario for this information).
• Jegs and Summit Racing - http://www.jegs.com, http://www.summitracing.com - The 800 pound gorillas of the race/performance/make my car go faster car world, there are a few things one carries that the other doesn’t (typically a brand here or a brand there).  Being in Ohio, they both ship to Indiana really quickly (I usually get parts the following day, even when things have to be ground-shipped).
• Tractor Supply - http://www.tractorsupply.com/ - Hardware (including grade 8) by the pound.  Since it’s a farm supply store, you won’t get the selection of esoteric fasteners, but if you need a ton of hardware cheap, this is where to go.

Lotus (engine parts) suppliers:

• Dave Bean Engineering – California – www.davebean.com - I purchased gaskets, cam belts, and cam belt tensioner bearings from them.  Notes:  Some parts can be expensive (a full set of main bearings (10) was $500).  The gasket sets are the original Lotus pieces, so they include some of the “paper” gaskets that were notorious for leakage and should be replaced with either the preformed rubber (cam cover gaskets), Loctite 518 (cam housings, etc), or Right Stuff (oil pan).
• JAE – California – www.jaeparts.com - I’ve only purchased main bearings from JAE ($250 for a full set), but they were knowledgeable and easy to work with.
• RD Enterprises – Pennsylvania – www.rdent.com
• LotusBits – England – www.lotusbits.com – a few people have put in an overdrive transmission rather than the original non-overdrive 4 or 5 speeds.  The easiest way to do this is to get a bellhousing and Toyota ‘W58’ 5 speed from a European Lotus Excel (when Toyota had a share in Lotus) and it bolts directly up to the J-H engine.

British specialty salvage yards:

• British Masters – California – www.britishmasters.net
• Mostly British – New York – www.mostlybritish.com

Local Indianapolis Links:

• Indianapolis Radiator Works – 108 S. Rural St., Indianapolis – Al knows his stuff regarding radiators, and works on everything from industrial equipment to classic cars.  He re-cored and upgraded the Jensen radiator (including proper holes for mounting the electric fan) and checked out the heater core for about $300.
• Steve Schmidt Racing – Indianapolis - http://www.steveschmidtracing.com/ - They’re mainly a race engine shop, but will do individual machine shop work.  They pressed on the new rear axle bearing.
• Vail’s Classic Cars – Greenfield - http://www.vailsclassics.com/ - Primarily dealing with 1960′s muscle and pony cars, but they’ve done work on everything.  Lots of ‘nut and bolt’ complete restorations going on as well as partial restorations or upgrades.  They did the final prep and paint on the Jensen.  When I was there, they were finishing up a Jensen Interceptor, had a Bristol in line for a restoration, and had completed some work on another Interceptor the year before.

Other good links:

• www.jensenhealey.com – Jensen Healey Preservation Society
• www.british-steel.org – another J-H enthusiast site
• www.richardcalver.com – the grand poobah of random Jensen knowledge.  He has a running list of Jensens, how many have survived, what changed over time, etc.
• www.theymightberacing.com – Jody is an old-car enthusiast who has a 1974 J-H.  Lots of good step-by-step info on working on the J-H on his site.