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Carone Member
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https://losangeles.craigslist.org/sfv/cto/d/agoura-hills-78-jensen-gt/7495429364.html Does anyone know this GT? I am interested in the car but not the engine/trans swap. I wanted to see if anyone here knew what was done to swap the engine and if it would be worth swapping a lotus engine and trans back into the car. Also for those who know these cars better than me can you tell me what else has been changed? I see it has and early style front bumper but it looks like much of the interior is aftermarket as well |
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noomg Member
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Carone, Lots of red flags here, where do I begin. Lets start with the year, in 1978 Jensen Motors had been out of business for two years so there were no Jensens, GT or otherwise built in 1978. Since the car hasn't been registered for a while (probably since the engine swap) I'd suspect it's a '76 since the '75 is smog exempt. Also no pictures under the hood? I'd check with the Nevada DMV you may be able to register it as is, but if it's a '76 it's illegal in CA. Doing a swap back would be a challenge, first you've got to find an original engine/trans in good enough condition or rebuild it first. Second you have no idea what else is missing, modified or replaced. It's a very nice looking GT and the early steel bumps (never installed on the GT)are a nice look. The interior while non-stock looks nice. There are no floorboard or underneath pictures so no idea what condition it's in rust wise. If you're looking for a mostly original GT I'd keep looking. They pop up on BaT from time to time. |
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Carone Member
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Thank you for the reply. I was seeing a lot of the red flags you mentioned. I was hoping that the owner of the cars may have been a member here and could shine some light on the build. Registration in Nevada is a bit more lenient and anything over 25 years old has the ability to be smog exempt. The body itself appears to be in great shape which is a huge plus but I really question the drivetrain choice. I reached out to the seller asking for more pictures and build details of the car. I will be sure to post anything I learn here |
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redracer Member
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CARONE: This could be the car the late Jim Albeck owned? If so, this price is an absolute steal. (I believe Jim worked for the "SKUNK" works in California. He was super smart and we all miss him). btw, 1975 was when the smog tests started |
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redracer Member
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wow--just found out from a friend this IS Jim Albeck's car. My friend said his son, Jeff Albeck, is selling his dad's car. If I didn't already have the late Joe Mazurk's GT, I would grab this in a flash(assuming it hasnt been in an accident and runs) |
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noomg Member
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Bruce, Smog testing in CA started in 1984. Before that smog equipment was required on CA cars but nobody inspected it or tested it. In '84 when testing started pre-1968 cars were exempt. Later it was changed to 30 years or older exempt then changed again to '75 or old exempt. If Carone buys and takes it to Nevada the year of the car is probably not a big deal. If another CA buyer gets it the year is a very big deal. A '75 is smog exempt and can be registered no problem. A '76 big problem, as it sits it's illegal in CA. The only way to make it legal is to replace an original motor and all the attendant smog goodies. Just in case you were wondering why CA has become the no fun capital of America. |
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redracer Member
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thanks for the update; I should have said smog equipment for our cars (Air pump, etc) didn't start until 1975, even though there were minor pollution items before, such as the breather tube back into the air box. |
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noomg Member
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Bruce, While we're on the subject of extra equipment, on BaT there's a '75 VIN #19971 with some things I've never seen before. There's a cylinder mounted on the battery bracket that looks like a factory install. It's got a label with the word "Cooper" on it. It could be the charcoal canister judging by the vacuum lines running to it but there's also a black plastic cylinder where this unit is normally located. Also in line vacuum heater switch looks like a different unit. This J/H is a fairly late model and I wonder if these were changes before production shut down. |
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redracer Member
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Just looked at the pix, and the COOPERS cylinder would be an aftermarket charcoal cannister, and the other cylinder could be an electric pump for air horns? Not really sure as I could only see the regular horns up front. This car would be labeled as a '74 3/4, as it has the 5 spd but no pollution junk on it as the '75s do. See it has that atrocious accordion hose from the manifold to the water pump--sure hope he removed the troublesome steel wire from inside so he doesn't sand blast the pump interface and ruin it, as so many have. |
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Carone Member
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Is the build for this car posted anywhere on the internet? |
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noomg Member
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Carone, Sounds like you got a big thumbs up from Bruce, that's a good thing. Contacting the seller will be the best way to get more pics and info. Assuming you're near Vegas or Reno you're only a quick flight away. This car is very nicely done, if you're set on a stock drivetrain and you don't like the mods I'd keep looking. Bruce, According to the seller on BaT YOU rebuilt the steering column! Small world huh. |
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redracer Member
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Likely, as I knew the late Jim Albeck when he was president of the west coast Healey club in 1974. That year both the west coast Healey club and the National Jensen meet were at the same time and same hotel in Venturi, CA. I and a couple of others were hopping back & forth between the 2 events we had signed up for. It was a real pleasure talking to Jim and later(2002-3??) he brought his GT to an event in Franklin , Tennessee. Doug & Keri Meyer of Jensen Interceptor "fame" remarked that even they liked Jim's rendition of the GT, so that would be 2 more thumbs up for this car. As for the steering shafts, I won't be able to rebuild more until likely mid summer, as I am still trying to finish a car from South Carolina, with more problems than just the engine rebuild I was initially told about(isn't that the case with all these cars!) |
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Carone Member
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I’d like a car with lotus engine and manual transmission the reason I was asking about this car was that the body and interior look to be in great shape. If the swap was all easily reversible would this be a decent candidate to put the drivetrain back to stock? |
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Carone Member
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Oh and I have tried reaching out but received no reply back |
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noomg Member
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Carone, Keep in mind that LBC and easily are rarely used in the same sentence. Can it be done easily, in a word "No". First you'll need to find an engine/tranny in good enough condition to either go straight into the car or rebuild them so you know they'll function properly when installed. Then there are the bits; motor mounts, cables, hoses, etc. And the drive shaft; modified, changed, or still original. As you can see it could get quite involved. Options, keep looking, I've seen three GTs on BaT alone in the past year, one really nice, one not bad, one rough. I think the nice one went for about the same price as this one. Or you can go for a Jensen-Healey which has the drive train you're looking for. |
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