Chris Liversage - 1973 Jensen Healey Mk1
Posted: Mon Aug 16, 2021 2:10 pm
Please find below a submission by Chris Liversage.
Of the 3356 Jensen Healey Mk 1’s built, only 51 were sold in Australia.
This car was sold by Kurt Keller (Sales) Pty Ltd in Sydney on 26 January 1973 - Australia Day, no less. At least that what it says on the sales receipt, they must have worked on public holidays back then. Its first owner was a Mr Deny Linker of Rushcutters bay.
The sale price was a hefty $A6372, but included in the optional extras was a Lucas radio and tape player, which is still in the car. The dealer also supplied a tonneau cover and detachable hard top in the sale price. Both are still around although I used the hardtop very rarely.
The car spent most of its life in and around Sydney until I hauled it over to Perth, Western Australia in 2006. The heat here stopped me using it as a daily driver; the car coped fine with 40C days, I didn’t. Early morning runs along the coast in summer though are great.
I hadn’t owned a classic car before unless you count a 1974 Chrysler Galant GB as ‘classic’ (actually I think it was a Mazda 808 made under license…).
Other than replacement of part of the floor pan on the driver’s side, and an aftermarket set of airfilters it’s very original. The floor mats are even the original one piece product, most people cut them in half to get them in and out. To get the one piece floor mats out you have to take out the seats (I’m not joking), but to get the seats out you need an Allen key, which you need to shorten first, and for want of a horseshoe nail…
The engine was rebuilt in November 1989 for $5982 (someone must have really loved that car) by Zyfert and Muller in Sydney. Included in the price was a 2 year unlimited kilometre warranty. I also had it rebuilt in 2019 after the rear main seal failed (yes, the rope version; but not as difficult to seat as you might expect according to the Jaguar mechanic who did it) so 30 years between major work is not bad.
It is amazingly rust free. The original rust proofing slapped on the underside in a haphazard way in West Bromich still survives although I added quite a bit over the years.
In 2017 the brake booster needed rebuilding. This in itself was a simple job which started with getting it off the firewall and ended in me repainting the whole engine bay, replacing the front bumper, the oil cooler hoses and a heap of blanking grommets – a series of ‘while I’m at it’ jobs…
Once you get used to some of the idiosyncrasies it’s surprisingly simple to work on and maintain compared to more modern cars even for a mechanic numbnut like me.
It was probably the most impractical car you can get for a person with 4 young kids, running a single person small business and a hungry mortgage, although it is very cheap to run, insure and maintain.
I think it’s at its best early on a Sunday morning. After starting I used to let it run for a few minutes to warm up while I take the top down and allow the burbling exhaust to exact revenge on the neighbours for leaving their psycho dogs alone all Saturday to bark at blades of grass moving on the park over the road.
In June 2021 I sold it to another Jensen fan here. I just wasn’t using it enough. A bit difficult after 16 years but life moves on.
I still have a Jensen GT mind you, and for my sins I am President-for Life of the Jensen Motor Association of Western Australia (see www.jmawa.org.au ). We have 45 or so members.
Of the 3356 Jensen Healey Mk 1’s built, only 51 were sold in Australia.
This car was sold by Kurt Keller (Sales) Pty Ltd in Sydney on 26 January 1973 - Australia Day, no less. At least that what it says on the sales receipt, they must have worked on public holidays back then. Its first owner was a Mr Deny Linker of Rushcutters bay.
The sale price was a hefty $A6372, but included in the optional extras was a Lucas radio and tape player, which is still in the car. The dealer also supplied a tonneau cover and detachable hard top in the sale price. Both are still around although I used the hardtop very rarely.
The car spent most of its life in and around Sydney until I hauled it over to Perth, Western Australia in 2006. The heat here stopped me using it as a daily driver; the car coped fine with 40C days, I didn’t. Early morning runs along the coast in summer though are great.
I hadn’t owned a classic car before unless you count a 1974 Chrysler Galant GB as ‘classic’ (actually I think it was a Mazda 808 made under license…).
Other than replacement of part of the floor pan on the driver’s side, and an aftermarket set of airfilters it’s very original. The floor mats are even the original one piece product, most people cut them in half to get them in and out. To get the one piece floor mats out you have to take out the seats (I’m not joking), but to get the seats out you need an Allen key, which you need to shorten first, and for want of a horseshoe nail…
The engine was rebuilt in November 1989 for $5982 (someone must have really loved that car) by Zyfert and Muller in Sydney. Included in the price was a 2 year unlimited kilometre warranty. I also had it rebuilt in 2019 after the rear main seal failed (yes, the rope version; but not as difficult to seat as you might expect according to the Jaguar mechanic who did it) so 30 years between major work is not bad.
It is amazingly rust free. The original rust proofing slapped on the underside in a haphazard way in West Bromich still survives although I added quite a bit over the years.
In 2017 the brake booster needed rebuilding. This in itself was a simple job which started with getting it off the firewall and ended in me repainting the whole engine bay, replacing the front bumper, the oil cooler hoses and a heap of blanking grommets – a series of ‘while I’m at it’ jobs…
Once you get used to some of the idiosyncrasies it’s surprisingly simple to work on and maintain compared to more modern cars even for a mechanic numbnut like me.
It was probably the most impractical car you can get for a person with 4 young kids, running a single person small business and a hungry mortgage, although it is very cheap to run, insure and maintain.
I think it’s at its best early on a Sunday morning. After starting I used to let it run for a few minutes to warm up while I take the top down and allow the burbling exhaust to exact revenge on the neighbours for leaving their psycho dogs alone all Saturday to bark at blades of grass moving on the park over the road.
In June 2021 I sold it to another Jensen fan here. I just wasn’t using it enough. A bit difficult after 16 years but life moves on.
I still have a Jensen GT mind you, and for my sins I am President-for Life of the Jensen Motor Association of Western Australia (see www.jmawa.org.au ). We have 45 or so members.