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> Jensen Healey & Jensen GT Tech > Miscellaneous > What's in the trunk of your JH??? before a long trip |
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> Jensen Healey & Jensen GT Tech > Miscellaneous > What's in the trunk of your JH??? before a long trip |
| Moderated by: Greg Fletcher |
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| What's in the trunk of your JH??? before a long trip | Rating: 
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| Posted: 02-25-2006 12:40 am |
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1st Post |
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jcrc1 Member 
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OK..... You are about to take a long trip this year in your JH. The trip will have to be a minimun of 250 miles one way. The Wife ( Or Significant other) has completely endorsed the journey and WANTS you to go and not worry about her. Two questons to answer...... 1) Where will you go? 2) What items will you carry in the trunk of your JH to ensure a safe journey in case the unexpected breakdown happens.? I'll go first. I plan on driving my JH to the Jensen national east gathering in Springfield, IL in June. I plan on driving from Maine- Illinois. ( if my JH restoration is completed) The Items I will carry in my trunk are: 1) Flashlight and First aid Kit 2) Fuses 3) Duck Tape 4) 2 quarts oil 5) rags/extra coolant 6) Small Suitcase 7) snacks 8) Beer 9) Fix a flat Ok Guys... where do you want to go and what's going to be in your trunk for the trip?..... Some of you may give me an idea I have not thought of yet
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| Posted: 02-25-2006 02:29 am |
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2nd Post |
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John Finch Member
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In addition to a car jack, I carry an abc fire extinguisher, oil, tools, hose clamps, elec tape, hylomar hpf and cell phone. I, (we) just got 18309 running in Minnesota, late Oct of 05 after 15 years of sitting in Phoenix. My longest trip was a solo trip of about 350 miles w/o issue before parking fro the winter! Jensen/Lotus gods were smiling so I took the long way home. Good luck and have fun! John
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| Posted: 02-25-2006 03:48 pm |
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3rd Post |
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Mark Rosenbaum Member 
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As John mentioned, a working cell phone is the single most important item to have. Next up is a high-limit major credit card. To these, and to the items on your list, I'd definitely add the following:: * The Shop Manual and the Delta Motorsports catalog, in the event I had to pay someone for major work. * A can of aerosol carburetor cleaner -- useful for cleaning oil from hoses, etc. before patching them with duck tape. * A new unopened can of brake fluid. * A small plastic tarp or ground cover to lie on while doing something to the car. * A 2' or 3' long lenght of 2x6 to put under the jack for cases where the car is on soft ground. Things which I might add depending on circumstances and vehicle history: * Suitable lubricant for your car's transmission and a funnel and long hose to allow adding the lube to the transmission. * A roll of electrical wire, any color, and a cheap wire stripping tool. * A set of spare tail light bulbs, spare points & condenser, spare distributor cap. * A set of thin gloves to protect the hands if working on a hot engine. * A cheap set of combination wrenches in metric and standard sizes. * A good set of screwdrivers including some with PoziDrive tips.
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| Posted: 02-25-2006 07:16 pm |
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4th Post |
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jcrc1 Member
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Mark and John, Good point with the Cell phone and manuals. I've noticed most modern repair shops are scared of the jensen. When I inquired about the reluctance to work on the engine, the head " technician" told me that all the new "technicians" they hire are trained on fuel injection and computer diagnostic equipment which is designed to spit out error codes...... the "technician" then replaces modules and parts until the error codes are clear. I never thought a basic engine would cause so much trouble for the new mechanics. I guess being a real mechanic is a lost art and has long ago been replaced by the newfangled "technicians". I visited 5 other shops in my area before finding a mechanic with gray hair. The guy with gray hair was rather quite interested in the JH and saqid he would love to workon one of these cars. He said he is familiar with the engine and would welcome any job with the jensen. It would give him a break from all the other cars he works on. A toast to all the Gray hair mechanics!!
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| Posted: 02-26-2006 06:04 pm |
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5th Post |
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LambandAndy Member 
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A few items I would add to the list. Either a test light or preferably a small multimeter A good set of jumper cables A tire plug kit and a 12V compressor Gallon of water Andy #15223
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| Posted: 03-02-2006 02:41 pm |
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6th Post |
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Scott Robinson Member
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I carry a spare clutch cable. I've had at least two snap over the years, and it's not something you can buy at the local auto parts store. It can be a long way home from anywhere with no clutch.
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| Posted: 03-03-2006 04:01 pm |
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7th Post |
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Brett Gibson JH5 20497 Member
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Hey John here's my list, 1. small tool box with wrench's / sockets / pliers / allen head set / screw drivers /etc 2. small roll elecritical wire / bailing wire / rtv / couple nuts & bolts / elec. connectors 3. jumper cables / 2 quarts oil / rags / silicone work gloves / tyveck suit 4. All fan belts / 12"gas hose / hose clamps /duct tape 5. Steering wheel lock / CD Changer / bucket of cleaning supplys 6. Suitcase / credit cards / cell phone / GPS / couple bottles of water 7. and most importantly, when going to a Jensen show, try and convoy, that way if you forgot something maybe you might be able to borrow it, Jensen people are nice like that. 8. Hammer, in case you have someone riding shotgun you need to ................ well 9. Bottle of wine w/ opener, so when your waiting for the tow truck you can at least enjoy it. Brett.
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| Posted: 03-03-2006 05:11 pm |
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8th Post |
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Greg Fletcher Administrator 
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You guys are scaring me! Clutch cables? Fuses? Carb Cleaner? Compressors? I wouldn't even drive a car if I needed all that. 99.99% of the time I drove my JH all those years I only needed three things: 1. Flashlight 2. Bailing Wire 3. Duct Tape OK, maybe 4 things, a wine bottle opener is never a bad idea. But seriously, the Jensen Healey is an incredibly reliable car if you do some Routine Maintenance (referred to as RM in the factory manual). The RM does not lie, if you do these things you will greatly reduce unexpected repairs. Any wear item has a finite life and these items should be changed BEFORE they leave you by the side of the road. If I have a 36 month battery, I change it 30 months. Cap & rotor get changed every year (I was using a Pertronix, otherwise I would change the points and condenser as well). I cleaned all the electrical connections at least every two years and coat with diaelectric grease. Maybe I've just been lucky? I have heard other folks having similair experiences by what many would consider over-maintaining. For me anyways, keeping the car up is cheaper than waiting for stuff to fail. Yes, the cheapskate in me does feel some pain in throwing away what might look like a perfectly good, used servicable part (like a cap and rotor), but I tell myself that it's cheap insurance and I've never been stranded with an ignition problem. Being proactive with your JH is saving money in my mind and makes the entire driving experience more pleasant.
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| Posted: 03-03-2006 05:57 pm |
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9th Post |
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Mark Rosenbaum Member
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Really, I have to second Greg's comments. With equivalent levels of maintenance, a JH is as reliable as any American car of the 1950s or 1960s. The fact that it's a 1970s design is far more a condemnation of the British auto industry as a whole, than of the JH itself.
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