The Jensen Owners' Club

not bad torque and power low down, but a 440 needs to stretch its legs its just getting started at those rpm,s they will rev through to 6,600 without stress and make awesome upper power, or are you teasing us and the best is yet to come,

I know exactly where you are coming from. I have owned the car for 33 years, and in my yoof I had fantasies about a supercharger poking out of the bonnet. Dave kept my feet on the ground, and optimised the build for the application, that being an Interceptor. Copious torque is high up on the agenda.

some pictures of the completed rebuild

https://www.dropbox.com/sh/0l48cdfol3s0 ... Yzbga?dl=0" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Rob.. hats off to Dave for making a lovely Job, I did notice something very minor in your dropbox pics though, the valve covers need swapping over with eachother as they appear to be on the wrong sides ... I bet you cant wait to have a drive again though .. Wishing you all the best with your new power plant

Hi Grant,

Thank you for your kind words, and a good spot regarding the rocker covers. That will have happened at the dyno testing, as Dave removed the covers to ensure the valve gear is getting a good oil feed. On the plus side it gives me another opportunity to feast my eyes on that lovely new precision valve gear.

When I first got the car in '85, I was lead astray by one of my customers and got involved in hill climbs and sprints. Many of the sprints were at Goodwood, where the long high speed corners will have caused oil surge and a probably a degree of oil starvation. The oil pressure was never good, but deteriorated to the point that the oil pressure warning light would flicker at hot idle. I have wanted to have the engine rebuilt for years, but couldn't afford to hand over the car for all the work that was required for both the engine, and the engine bay. That is why Dave's engine building service was perfect for my needs, as he concentrates on what he does best, which is the engine, but he does not get involved with the rest of the car. I removed the ancillaries and got a local classic car garage to pull the engine for a couple of hundred quid, and shipped it to Dave.

Meanwhile I busied myself with the engine bay in my garage at home. I had the radiator re-cored, the steering rack refurbished, gearbox overhauled, I rewired the engine bay and replaced the bulkhead insulation, powder coated brackets and other parts, along with a myriad of other jobs that are difficult or impossible with the engine in situ.

From what Dave found inside the engine he was surprised that it even ran, so I think it is fair to say that it was down on the 280 bhp the smog 8.2:1 CR 440s are generally reckoned to produce. Even if it was rebuilt to bog standard spec I think it would have felt far more eager and lively to me. What I like so much about the data from the dyno is that power is significantly improved, but torque does not drop below 450 ft-lbs across the entire measured rev range. Yet lifting the bonnet only reveals one tell tale sign that the engine is anything other than standard, and that is the aluminum dual plane inlet manifold.

The engine is now back with Silchester Garage who removed it, and I am just waiting for the call from them to say they are ready to refit. I will then re install the ancillaries, wire and plumb.

You are right that I can't wait to drive it again, absence make the heart grow fonder and all that, but I will be taking it very carefully indeed with the new wiring, and so many safety critical components to reinstall.

Nice one Rob
I wonder if you would maybe PM Daves details Rob? or.. if you want to call me if you prefer on 07831655722, I wanted a couple of things done to a 383 I have sitting here and I can't seem to find the time to get to it.. most frustrating!! .. Many thanks Rob and with my kind regards.. Grant

Looks really good. Bet the new motor will sound gorgeous in the car!

Wotcher John, as you know this has been a long time coming, and really looking forward to seeing what the rebuilt engine is like back in the car. The sad truth is that I was not able to put my foot down for years out of fear of blowing up the engine, being convinced (correctly as it transpires) that there was something seriously awry with the bottom end of the engine. So in a way the con rod failure was a coupe de grace that gave me no choice other than doing what I have wanted to do for about 20 years; rebuild the engine to a high standard, and in keeping with the character of the car.

I have been getting to the local Thames Valley meet more regularly if you are ever anywhere Maidenhead/Marlow on the first Thursday of the month, though sadly I think I will miss the April meet as away on business.
It will be great to catch up with you soon, as it has been a fair old while.

All the best, Rob

Wotcher Rob, yes I remember the discussion we had about your oil pressure. John Stead had taken a look at the bottom end, his garage was round the corner from me. I may well be able to make the Thames Valley meeting. Perhaps May or June? I managed to make the Essex meeting last month, first time for 15 years! Would definitely be great to catch up!

Cheers for now, John.