Jensen Interceptor Mk1 - some photos

[OzJensen]

Karan - great work - and such an original car.

Your leather needs a really good feed of Neatsfoot Oil (get it off Amazon/eBay/Saddlery shops) and on a hot day with the car in the sun pour it on and smear it around by hand - it will probably soak up a litre really quickly. Keep applying until the absorption of oil slows down - don't forget the door and rear side trims. Your leather will soften up nicely over a few weeks.

[KaranMK2]

Thanks Tony. I will get myself a litre of the oil and see how I get on. Need to decide the order of attention - think it should be clean first, very lightly sand where required, fill deep cracks and then recolour followed by the oil or should it be oil then recolour. Anyway, aiming to keep as original as possible.

The red original carpet is in good condition apart from the driver’s side where their is big hole in it. Difficult to patch so I have my eye out for an original red driver’s side mat as don’t want to replace the interior carpet.The underlay (that stuff was well laid) at the front needs to be replaced as well. For the burr walnut veneer panel where the gearstick is (the walnut leaf was glued directly onto the metal sheet whereas it would have benefitted from a thin backing sheet first) I am looking for the thin black edging strip/tape that runs along the outer edge of the console plate. The edging is not pvc or rubberand seems more like a cloth fabric material edging - yet to see what Woolies have.

Karan

[johnw]

I agree with Tony on Neats Foot Oil. Your interior is gorgeous as it is. Perhaps cleaned slightly, if anything quite a bit less than that one patch you cleaned already. That is slightly over done in my view. You got away with it there, but You still have so much of the original finish, the original leather dye, just as it left Jensen. Leather did look subtly different back in the day. I would not sand or fill in those cracks.

You can buy Neats Foot Oil economically in gallon containers from horse tack shops. It is not a brand name, that is a natural product, an extract like hazel nut oil, etc, but made from cows. Horse tack shops sell it. It is I understand used on saddels and other leather subject to extreme hard wear. When leather dries out it easily tears. I have tested leather samples to destruction and Neats Foot Oil makes them 5 or 10 times stronger. From crumbling at the touch, to being usable after a few coats. It also expands the leather and I think the cracks will look less noticeable. When I get a car, and I have just got a very rusty FF but low mileage with a gorgeous original leather untouched Mk1 interior like yours (which is specifically why I went for it), original like yours, and I am possibly going to do what I did with some of my other Mk1 FFs (including 2 Vignales), which was to use neatsfoot oil in large amounts to start with, float off the dirt (only after several goes with the vacuum to remove all grit and food in seams using paint brish or similar). Leave in sun to soak up. More coats several months apart, but beware of mould in winter if using before layup. Then leave the leather unoiled for 2 years before I decide what to do next. Other treatments usually start by removing excess oils, so that filler and dyes can take. This can weaken the leather in my view. I would want it to be strong and healthy. However, after 2 years of seeing the supple used look, I like it far more than restored non original finish.

[johnw]

I have been reading a bit more about Neats Foot Oil. Many advise using pure neats foot, and not compounds that are based on it, to avoid stitching damage. I have noticed that it darkens some leather items (a pigskin suitcase I had that was starting to crack), and so do other oils (eg silicon oil, which I use on leather straps that potentially get submerged in water). It might darken your seats. It makes stiff/brittle leather much better for sure though. I never had problems with stitching degrading after using Neats foot, although my next project's interior has deteriorated stitching in places, which can be redone more easily than torn leather etc. I have used Neats Foot on one magnolia interior which didn't darken, but that was originally beige 1967 Vignale, reconnolised to lighten it long before I owned the car. Obviously with black there are no concerns! Perhaps try on the rear edges of door panels, where the leather won't be seen, and on the underside of seat bases. I will be doing a bit more testing on this beige 1968 Jensen interior before a mass application. I might also contact http://www.leatherconservation.org/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false; The Northampton university leather centre. A subsequent owner of one of my cars had the original leather restored there, he said the results were amazing. They seem to be a charity so should be able to provide DIY advice, or even training courses. As an aside, I will say I love the look of the engine bay too, not overdone, and the original chrome rocker covers look great now too.

[Grant]

I have been reading a bit more about Neats Foot Oil. Many advise using pure neats foot, and not compounds that are based on it, to avoid stitching damage. I have noticed that it darkens some leather items (a pigskin suitcase I had that was starting to crack), and so do other oils (eg silicon oil, which I use on leather straps that potentially get submerged in water). It might darken your seats. It makes stiff/brittle leather much better for sure though. I never had problems with stitching degrading after using Neats foot, although my next project's interior has deteriorated stitching in places, which can be redone more easily than torn leather etc. I have used Neats Foot on one magnolia interior which didn't darken, but that was originally beige 1967 Vignale, reconnolised to lighten it long before I owned the car. Obviously with black there are no concerns! Perhaps try on the rear edges of door panels, where the leather won't be seen, and on the underside of seat bases. I will be doing a bit more testing on this beige 1968 Jensen interior before a mass application. I might also contact http://www.leatherconservation.org/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false; The Northampton university leather centre. A subsequent owner of one of my cars had the original leather restored there, he said the results were amazing. They seem to be a charity so should be able to provide DIY advice, or even training courses. As an aside, I will say I love the look of the engine bay too, not overdone, and the original chrome rocker covers look great now too.

John.. makes Interesting reading.. thank you ... I have an original magnolia interior in my Mk2 and I can see it has been conallised once I believe, I also have a tin of Neats Foot oil on the shelf that's been there for quite sometime.. I have never used it as of yet, but.. what has always puzzled me about these "Leather softers" (and I believe neats foot as you say is prob the best that's why I bought some) but.. in my head its not really possible to get it into the leather when its got "Paint" on it is it.. obviously in lucky Karan's case the leather looks untouched so although originally painted a colour from new still looks porous,.. unlike when the "F...k it-up squad" gets near them and paints the buggers
What say you John W

[johnw]

Hi Grant. Yes it will get through the connolising. Imagine spilling oil on something, it gets through. Try a bit on the bottom of the seat for colour change effects though. As I said my magnolia conollised seats didn't change much, but they softened up a lot. These leather paints, are designed to let the leather breath. It should definitely strengthen the weaker parts and protect against sun drying it out. I found that I can brush it on, agitate it with the brush, and small stains, a dot of paint that might have been on for years, after several coats over a month or so, it might just lift off. It pays to wipe off the excess just before it is finally all absorbed, as a lot of scum in the pores, stitching and creases of the leather gets floated out and can be wiped off. An old drivers seat base, that I expected to split as the foam decayed, has held up really well over the last 20 years, to the point that I will just get a new seat foam from Rejen and fit that. I'm not bothered about bits of colour that have worn off. The leather is not torn and the stitching is still good.

[Grant]

Hi Grant. Yes it will get through the connolising. Imagine spilling oil on something, it gets through. Try a bit on the bottom of the seat for colour change effects though. As I said my magnolia conollised seats didn't change much, but they softened up a lot. These leather paints, are designed to let the leather breath. It should definitely strengthen the weaker parts and protect against sun drying it out. I found that I can brush it on, agitate it with the brush, and small stains, a dot of paint that might have been on for years, after several coats over a month or so, it might just lift off. It pays to wipe off the excess just before it is finally all absorbed, as a lot of scum in the pores, stitching and creases of the leather gets floated out and can be wiped off. An old drivers seat base, that I expected to split as the foam decayed, has held up really well over the last 20 years, to the point that I will just get a new seat foam from Rejen and fit that. I'm not bothered about bits of colour that have worn off. The leather is not torn and the stitching is still good.

Ok brilliant John, many thanks and I'll give it a whirl Mr Man

[ajm541s]

Modified glove box to store 8 Track cartridges?