This late Jensen-Healey has all of the right stuff; the factory hardtop with heated rear window, the Getrag 5-speed that replaced the Rootes-sourced unit for the JH5 models, and a good-running Lotus 907 engine. Bad points include rusty floor pans and rear brakes that need complete replacement. The floor pans show as being available from a well-known supplier if you don’t want to fabricate your own. The black paint helps minimize the large JH5 rubber bumpers that replaced the earlier, smaller bumpers that can be retrofitted. Unfortunately for my angst level, this Roebuck, South Carolina find is close enough to me to make me wish we weren’t trying to reduce the family fleet. You can find it here on craigslist for $1,500 and I want a “thank you” from whichever one of you picks this car up. Just give me a ride if you’re near Raleigh!
I’m just outside of Atlanta. This is a tempting find. Very tempting
You’re even closer than I am…go for it! :-)
Wow… In budget and not too far away… I might be going for a drive tomorrow. Gonna call him tonight.
Good luck! If either you or Rich (or any other BF reader) picks this up and needs some seats for it, I have a pair in black for free. Just stop by Raleigh…
This is another British car in my
“why do I have a shop manual for it even though I’ve never owned one…yet” club.
Jamie,
I too have a shop manual for one and actually owned one in college. The gearbox in these later ones is much better than the earlier ones. If timing belt change history is unknown, change it pronto. Nice roadster to zip around in. This one is way too close to me but garage is slam full, time home too little and project list over flowing…so must sit on thumbs.
As a car hoarder I need to stop reading Barn Finds and Craigslist, I just got a 72 2WD Blazer CST, one that every 67-72 Chevy truck fans drool over, well not mine but restored ones, this Jensen Healey looks like a buy, must resist. Jamie, you don’t have a MG wire wheel in your garage do you?
Not yet, Chuck, we’ve been missing each other. Hope to pick it up for you this weekend :-)
Seems like a decent vehicle for the money.
But those bumpers would have to go somehow. Yep, I know that some of the Fed bumpers were really bad looking and ridiculously oversized, but the front one here seems particularly ugly and obtrusive. The rear one I could probably live with, but that thing which forms the leading edge of the car could not look much more out of place if it were a 4X4 piece of timber.
I haven’t seen one of these in ages but have always liked the basic shape before it had to be “fedded”. I’m thinking performance like a Miata but a slightly larger car. It looks good in black and with the 5 speed and hardtop, it could be a nice road car. Is it already sold? How was the build quality?
Chris, build quality on the later cars was pretty decent *for a British car at the time*. The unibody makes them much more rigid-feeling than a typical Triumph, for example.
I’m still waiting for one of you to tell me you have it bought so that I quit trying to figure out a way to get it…. :-)