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BOXoROCKS

Jedi Knight
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I happened to make a comment on another site that the Jensen Healey COULD be an alternative to a TR6. A annon poster said NO WAY Jensen Healeys are junk. Sooo I am asking the TR owners here for thier opinion. I know this is a Triumph forum,and you know that I own TR's. BUT, I also know that you guys are pretty sharp and are not totaly one marque types.So I have come to the source for your opinions. Hopefully you will agree with me this guy is full of .....something. As you can guess I think JH are good cars.

Another question,..is it bad form to whack him with a TR3 crank handle.
 
Hi BoxoRocks, The JH is not junk it is a desirable car. However, the early cars had engines that were not fully sorted out which gave the marque a black eye. Like all LBC you have to know them to make them sing.--Fwiw--Keoke


--P.S. If you hit him with a TR3 Crank it's still Assault! Course now if it just flew off the car and hit him thats a different story.--- /bcforum/images/%%GRAEMLIN_URL%%/laugh.gif
 
From the JH's I've seen In my travels, they seem to be a well built car with many idiocinracies as all LBC's tend to have. Personally I would love to own one or two or three...
 
The only thing I know about JH's are what two guys who bought new ones said in the 70's. "Problem cars".

That feeling has stayed with me all these years.

Sad how opinion and prejudice can be imparted based on so little fact or knowledge.
 
If it were the right color combination, why not? Mechanical problems are probably repairable, so I'd give one a go.

But only if it looked good!
 
JH are not bad cars.In fact either Road and Track (or Car and Driver) gave them a pretty good review at that time. I remember because I wanted a Healy and by that time the AH's were done, so I looked into the JH. Didn't buy one, but did get into Triumphs (and a life of rust, bleeding fingers, and depleted bank accounts). As far as the Anon Responder I would be careful about using your starting crank in a non-prescribed manner. They are expensive to replace.
 
They aren't attractive cars to my eyes, but that's just my opinion.
 
Some models of the Jensen Healey had the TR6 engine. Those are sometimes seen at VTR events. I can think of Red Wing Minnisota in the autocross in 2002.
 
Back in the day, I dated a young woman who drove
a white JH. A pretty girl in a pretty car at a pretty
beach-- what could be much better?

d
 
Depends.... On the condition of the preservation. On the year of the car.

I worked at a dealer in 73. I would not have recommended one of those for my ex; that's how bad they were. Now a Jensen on the other hand.

Perhaps a late model, low mileage... But ya gotta remember the rear suspension is rather limiting. Why go back to 60's technology when our kidneys are getting older?
 
Negative things I've heard throughout the years...The JH was rebuffed by Healey himself before his demise. That, by itself, would hurt it with the AH crowd. That it looked like an oversized spitfire. That it did not sound right. That the engine had reliability issues.
On the other hand I heard it was a much easier car to live with day to day then the TRs. It handles better.
I saw a black JHGT back in the 70s I thought was cool...but maybe my mind just flashed on the TR Dove.
 
RonMacPherson said:
...Why go back to 60's technology when our kidneys are getting older?
Click to expand...

Hah! 60's technology would be a major advance for drivers of TR3s which (with the exception of disc brakes) feature all the best of pre-war technology.

Someone who says all JHs are junk is no more informed than a person who thinks SUs are troublesome, Lucas electrics are unreliable or that you can't drive a TR as your only car.
 
Colin Chapman sold his untried engine to be used in the JH. If you have ever read anything on Chapman, he was a "shrewd" businessman. What better way to test an engine than put it in a different mftrs. car.
I read an interesting article on D.M.Healey a while back. It said that many years after the JH, he was watching an interesting car travelling along at a distance. He was interested in the lines, but couldn't quite recognize it. He waited and watched until it came into view and was surprised to see it was a JH.
The car has been very successful in SCCA racing. US DOT did nothing to assist in cleaning up the lines on the later cars with those heavy duty bumpers.
 
I think they are great cars by LBC standards. The only problem may be finding one, as they were not built in great numbers. You also have to watch out for corrosion. They had a bit of a reputation for rusting and because they are unitory construction they can be difficult to repair.
I may be wrong, but I thought that they all had the Lotus 2 litre engine. Much like the Stag, I guess that any that are still running will have had the teething problems of the engine sorted by now.
 
I had a small bumper, I think it was a 71 or 72 JH. I loved that car. I got in 81 or 82. Even though it was only ten years old, it was quite the rust bucket. I had to put new floors in and it was very difficult being a unibody.

Rebuilt the engine and adjusting the valves was a nightmare. One has to use shims to get the correct lash. I don't know how many times I waited a week for a shim. But after it was sorted out, WOW! That engine was something else.

At the time, the only place I could get parts was DeltaMotorsport in AZ. There was no internet, so I was at the mercy of one supplier. I believe it may be easier now.

I thought there was more interior room than the 6 and I enjoyed the ride.

I think I'd still have that car had it not been for us having twins. The money just seemed to disappear! So did the car. I'd buy another one, just in better shape.

Gordo
 
Those shims were common to the Ford Kent-based Lotus engine, Delta wasn't the only source. RD Enterprises near you, Tingle, Jim Lissner and Dave Bean all had 'em. Most Lotus "dealerships" also.

The early teething problems with the 907 series engines was an albatross for a while. Chapman overcame it though, IMO. The Esprit is still a car I'd be happy to have an example of.

I did a cam swap on the Alfa Friday: was going to just do a valve adjustment but figured if it was going to be all that work, I'd install a set of Euro carb profile cams I had on the shelf in there too. Same drill as the T/C 907... shims and maths. Well worth the effort!
 
A friend had a JH of about the same vintage and at the same time as Gordo. I thought it was a wonderful driver. It did have some rust issues however (his had come from chicago). After about 2 yr. of ownership the doors became increasingly hard to use. We checked thinking it was the hinges, but in fact it was sagging in the middle. I moved again and don't know if it got repaired or went to the used car lot in the sky.
 
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