View single post by Art DeKneef
 Posted: 05-24-2010 07:43 pm
PM Quote Reply Full Topic
Art DeKneef

 

Joined: 03-12-2005
Location: Mesa, Arizona USA
Posts: 338
Status: 
Offline
 I think the reason is a combination of time, money, experience and money. Most people underestimate the amount of time required to do a complete project in hopes of getting the car finished and on the road.

When I decided to restore one of my JHs I thought it would be cool to do the Rover V-8 option. Sure the car would be fast and maybe handle but let's look at what I thought was needed. Try and find the Buick/Rover aluminum V-8, then figure what was needed to mate it to the current transmission or put in a different trans, does the rear-end need to be beefed up, what's needed to fit to the current front suspension. How many parts do I have to fabricate and test? How much help can I get when I need it?

It sounds good doing the swap and it looks doable on writing it down and estimating the time. I think that practically all the restorations I have read here and on the Jensen list the time and cost have exceeded what was orginally planned. And that was doing the restoration with known parts. Now try to figure out what might happen with all the variables of a different engine. Sure it's been done but I don't think there is a lot of information available on how to do it.

There have been ads of V-8 JHs on eBay showing the V-8 being a Checy or Ford. Sure it can be done. But I think one of the reasons people get a JH is to drive the car and enjoy it. I know I did. The car looks good, handles good, is realtively easy to work on and is different enough from the current crop of cars.

I don't fault anyone who wants to modify their car. I'm modifying mine some because it's what I want to do. Hopefully I'll be finished around the beginning of the year but there's always something happening to mess with the time estimate. At least I'm at the putting it back together stage now.

I'm curioue though. If you have no more time trying to convince the forum of what's possible for the JH, why did you start this thread? I don't mean to sound like a smart a$$ I'm just wondering. When you have brought up the subject previously, I enjoyed the different opinions even when the conversations got a little "testy".