The Jensen Owners' Club

Barrys pictures of cars in sheds prompted me. Last weekend I visited someone in the New Forest area to pick up a couple of very good original Jaguar MkVII seats. The man had them spare as he made the choice of renewing the complete interior. And he did a pretty good job. Elsewhere in his workshop he had been slowly restoring (8 years and counting) a XK150 coupe from a very bad condition (rotten wings etc) up to an excellent car. Did all the work himself. In another shed he had a DB7 and a Bentley Arnage. He only had the Bentley for two weeks, the car being as new 20 years old and only 30K miles.

What surprised me most was not his workmanship, which was very good, but the condition of his sheds and workshop. The AM end Bentley sit in a dark corrugated iron shed. His workshop is a wooden structure on a concrete floor, probably over 60 years old. Dark, cold inside with small outside windows, he worked there every day.

All very charming but I probably would have invest the Bentley money into a more proper workshop.

Dion.. you my heard of a chap called Tom Scallane, he used to build/restore Jensens, in the hay-day he was converting Saloons into convertibles, a very clever man.. especially as he was also bound to a wheelchair!!.. amazing, anyway, he worked from a damp cold workshop, tin roof, concrete floor as you talked about, the working conditions ended up giving him pneumonia and ill health which killed him at a youngish age , a very good friend of mine who used to work with Tom carried on there doing much the same thing.. working on Jensens, when I go there no matter what time of year it is, my feet get freezing and then it's all over, the whole body becomes cold and you cannot get warm, it is high up the place, always damp and cold.. Bloody Horrible, I never want to work there again, my workshop is mainly timber without even doors on, and it is a pleasure to work in there, even in the freezing cold I like it, if your working conditions are not good then you cannot put your heart into it can you

Let‘s start a series with pictures from YOUR workshop.

Where is everyone working on their Jensen (or other cars)?

I am just in the process of moving, no actual pictures of the new place available at the moment.

Here are a few of my old one (the new one is very much smaller):

jens

thats not a shed or even a workshop it is an aircraft hangar

My garage 4 years ago. It is a little tidier & more empty now. The green Jag and the Imp usually sits in another shed, my brothers Rover was a visitor. That said, he is now restoring his TR4 back in the corner where the MkVII sat.

Hi All
I wanted to park my Interceptor in the living room but the missus would not let me, something to do with oil dripping on the carpet, and this after I shelled out for a dark coloured carpet, life's not fair.

Memories of the guy I bought my first Matra from, he was happy that his wife had finally left him so he could get on rebuilding his Norton Commando in peace in the living room.

I bought my house 'cos it has a 38 foot long garage attached. The estate agent was surprised when I said I would take the house without looking inside...

RAP72 wrote:jens

thats not a shed or even a workshop it is an aircraft hangar

„Aircraft“ - that‘s why I had to leave

Unfortunately I can't get my Jensen through the door to my front room, and if I could there's no room!!!
Have been thinking of a darker carpet, but a Honda does not leak oil.

Pete,
A fantastic use of available space.
It truly outclasses the BSA in the conservatory I have previously seen.
Like it.

Do you remember AdeTCV8 posting a year or so ago?



He said: "I have a very understanding wife. "

My last house purchase was hugely influenced by the workshop although it has taken a lot of work to get it into this condition from a semi open hay barn when I arrived. Ive tried to give it a period feel and am just completing my wall of light with a collection of illuminated signs at the other end.

Mine, still some cars not there.

There are some serious workshops here

Martin R wrote:There are some serious workshops here

My single garage clearly just isn't up to the job.