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JohnRLB Member
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On December 16, 2014 I had my 74 1/2 JH transported to Delta Motorsports in Phoenix for service and to replace the pilot bearing. I did this because the car has low, original miles, is in very stock, original condition and I could not find a shop here in the Las Vegas area that I felt confident would do a good job on my car. My thinking: Who would know more about JHs and what better place to have any part that might be needed than Delta Motorsports? Although I don’t think he normally works on JHs, my car was so stock and original that Delta Motorsports owner Michel DOLimpio graciously agreed to the job. I was thrilled! Think of it, the owner of Delta Motorsports, where we all have purchased hard-to-find original and replacement JH parts for years, is working specifically and ONLY on my car! I told Mike to “Take your time. No rush.” Ha! These proved to be the longest days of of my life. Being without my car. Waiting, day after day, worse at night. Mind games! To help get me through these rough days was Mike’s reassuring email to me: “I know its hard to be away, but she is in good hands.” On 2-4-2015, I got my car back and was I shocked! I had no need to worry about anything. It looked exactly the way it looked before it left, even after it’s extensive servicing. Everything was perfect ... do I say, even better? Yes! In some cases, better because some components were updated. All new hoses, lines, belts, bushings, etc. More than I could have ever imagined. The car was completely serviced and and inspected. Nothing major needed to be replaced but after 40 years, some things needed attention. Now my JH runs and feels like it must have when it came out of the factory. Mike did a spectacular job! If you can, and he agrees to work on your car, in my opinion, TAKE IT TO HIM! Mike is awesome and to say the least, the best JH guy around! I’m very satisfied. His final email: “I do believe we are all done and again Thank you for letting me perform the repairs on your wonderful Jensen Healey.” Believe me Mike, the pleasure was all mine :) ( Pics: http://s255.photobucket.com/user/VegasJensenMan/media/74%20Jensen%20Healey/IMG_2702.jpg.html) Last edited on 05-29-2016 04:47 am by JohnRLB |
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Screenplay Member
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Last edited on 02-07-2015 07:56 pm by Screenplay |
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Screenplay Member
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John, Great to hear of your experience with Mike at Delta. I had an issue with rear springs purchased there recently (highlighted in a post under suspension) that he was unaware of. I was impressed with his dedication to figuring out a solution. It would be great to see some pics of your JH but I see that the link is not working properly. Best of luck. Clinton Last edited on 02-07-2015 07:55 pm by Screenplay |
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JohnRLB Member
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Try this for a link. If it doesn't work, I'm not copying it right. http://s255.photobucket.com/user/VegasJensenMan/library/74%20Jensen%20Healey See my Foot 2 Big story/question I posted earlier for the correct link. Pictures were taken before Mike's repairs. They show the red covered VCs and orange gaskets. They now look like new and very original. I guess those big old orange gaskets aren't needed because they aren't on my car and no oil leaks yet. Some history of my car there too. |
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Screenplay Member
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Very nice car and so clean - even the trunk carpet which usually shows some kind of wear. It must be one of the lowest documented mileage JH's around. I wonder if that bit of info is known - yours would have to be a contender. Happy Driving, Clinton |
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JohnRLB Member
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Sorry, no more info but thanks for the compliments. Appreciated. It's so tight. I don't remember my first JH (a new 74) being as tight as this one is now. Unbelievable! |
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Jensen Healey Super Moderator 
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Nice! It appears your car is one of the backdated cars made in 1975. One of my cars is also 12/31/1974 JH5 vin# 19753. Richard Calver confirmed that Jensen was using up their stock of 1974 parts in 1975 and backdated several hundred cars. There were federal pollution control changes in 1975. Kurt |
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Screenplay Member
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Kurt, Thanks for clearing that up. My 19451 was built 12-22-74 and it would have meant that Jensen built more than 300 of them in a 9 day period - and over Christmas at that. Clinton Last edited on 02-08-2015 10:24 pm by Screenplay |
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redracer Member
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John: Mike had his own shop in California for many years. He is a super mechanic and "go-getter" for anything J-H. You would have been hard pressed to find a better mechanic for your car. Happy Healeying, bruce madden |
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redracer Member
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John: just looked at your pix; I would STRONGLY recommend you put something over your driver's side floor mat as they are "Unobtainium"(as far as I know) |
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JohnRLB Member
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Not pictured are my OVER PROTECTVE original JH floor mats. Trust me, the original JH driver floor mat looks identical to the passenger side mat. I guess that's what you're talking about. By the way, my car was picked up by United Routes carriers 12-16-2014 by itself on a covered transport trailer. Shared with a Ferrari and Viper on the way back. Just enough room on the longest (covered) transport trailer Ive ever seen! |
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redracer Member
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Nice going! Glad to hear the other two cars were in good company!! |
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JohnRLB Member
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Oh, I almost forgot. The car would have been back a few days earlier but when it was ready for a final test drive, it rained in Phoenix and continued for 3 days. Even though the top was up, Mike thought I probably wouldn’t want it driven in the rain so he waited till it stopped. So thoughtful and considerate. Unheard of! He really cared for my car. |
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JohnRLB Member
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A transport tip: Want to have your JH transported? Forget calling Reliable Carriers (the orange 18 wheelers seen on TV car shows) because they don’t ship JHs. What? That’s what they told me. I guess not "high-end" enough. United Routes did a good job for me. So there! |
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JohnRLB Member
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Had Madera Concepts replace most of the wood on my dash with burled walnut. Awesome job! Now just waiting for Collision Wheel Center to finish restoring a set of JH wheels. I’ve asked to be put of the list of guys waiting. I’ve decided to enter my car in a few local car shows and have been working on a info presentation poster with factory literature, pictures, etc. Believe it or not, I’m stumped on how to briefly and correctly describe this stock Lotus engine. Anyone got some ideas? Everyone that has seen my car says that because it’s so stock and clean, it might win some awards. We’ll see. |
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Brett Gibson JH5 20497 Member
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A very sophisticated engine for it's day. |
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JohnRLB Member
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Thanks but I need tech stuff like engine size, liters, etc |
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Tom Bradley Member
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4-cylinder, 2 liter, aluminum alloy block, dual overhead cams, 4 valves per cylinder, wet sleeve. All standard stuff nowadays, but I read that it was the first that put all this together in one engine. |
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JohnRLB Member
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Thanks so much Tom. Now I can complete my presentation info poster for folks that might say “What’s that?” at local car shows. Ha! |
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Tom Bradley Member
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Oops. Forgot to mention that the engine was a slant-4, tilted over at about 45 degrees rather than straight up or flat like VW/Poshe engines. This lowered the total height, making for a lower center of gravity and hoodline. Another standard thing today. Bottom line was it produced over 140HP stock from a light-weight 2L engine while meeting federal emission standards, which was unprecedented at the time. Other comparable roadsters (MG, Triumph, Porsche) were producing about 100HP from similar-sized (or even larger) engines. |
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JohnRLB Member
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Thanks for the additional info. I paid a premium price for some hard-to-find JH literature and pictures on EBAY but my car show poster will be most impressive and very informative. Thanks again |
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dbeliveau74 Member 
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John, You have a very nice car! So original I wish you the best in your car show endeavors, by the looks of the pictures you have the car for it. Cheers, Dan |
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sscheffel Member
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Let me toss in a couple of comments. In early 2015 I decided to see if I could find a nice Jensen. Most of the ones advertised are projects and I was looking for the nicest one possible. I found one on E bay in the Phoenix area and called Delta to see if they could recommend a place for a pre purchase inspection (PPI). Mike answered the phone and said he'd be happy to look at it. I flew down to Phoenix and met the seller and Mike at Delta. He spent about 2 hours on the car, pointing out all sorts in interesting details. He gave me a list of things the car needed and a candid/private assessment. I passed on the car. A few months later, same routine, he did a wonderful job of assessing the cars pros and cons. the seller sold it out from underneath me. So I kept looking. Found a third one that appeared to be in California, but really was burned out from the process... But wait, it is in Phoenix. So I called up Mike a third time and he again exceeded all expectations. I purchased the car and had Mike so some maintenance items before it was shipped to me. Mike is a stand up guy and I highly recommend his work and Delta Motorsports |
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JohnRLB Member
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I agree. Mike is awesome! Glad you finally found a good JH. I was recently thrilled. A small part of the steering column that prevents the turn signals/wiper arm from turning at the same time, broke. Although my friend was able to make something that worked, he had to remove the original steering wheel, the one with that metal JH badge and hard, old rubber. Didn’t go well so I took a shot at calling Delta. They had one that was original and almost new with the late model pop-out (H) steering wheel center. What a find! I was so lucky. Now other than a set off polished & painted JH wheels, it’s done and it’s all original. Looks so good. Love it! Best of luck you. I sure would like to see some pics of your new beauty. Take care. |
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JohnRLB Member
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Updated picture (5/27/2016) http://s255.photobucket.com/user/VegasJensenMan/media/74%20Jensen%20Healey/IMG_2702.jpg.html Last edited on 05-28-2016 01:10 am by JohnRLB |
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redracer Member
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John: just saw the phoobucket pix--very, very, nice! |
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