Annual 'uncovering it for spring' checklist?

I just got off the phone with Mel.
Our conversation reminded me that there used to be a checklist for the not-so-mechanically-inclined here. It listed the most thorough item-by-item 'just took off the blanket' roadworthyness inspection I think I've ever seen for ACVW stuff, but I can't find it on the 'search.'
Anybody feel like hitting the high points again for 2007?

Well, I'll start.
Starting up front...
Put front up on stands.
Grease hell out of 4 fittings on beam.
Change front fuel filter.
Inspect very carefully the COLLAPSIBLE CAGE and coupler section of VW steering shaft. If this fails...well, you know. Look closely for any signs of cracking or rust etc.
Check for front wheel bearing play. Grab wheels top and bottom, left and right and wiggle to check for any free play.
Check for tie rod slop at same time.
Nut and bolt tightness check.
Look at front disc pads.

At the rear:
Put rear up on stands.
CHECK GROMMET WHERE FUEL LINE PASSES THRU FRONT TIN!
CHECK GROMMET WHERE FUEL LINE PASSES THRU FRONT TIN!
I CANNOT STRESS THIS ENOUGH!! A FUEL LINE FAILURE HERE WILL RUIN YOUR DAY!! IF IT'S GONE, GET ONE IN ASAP.
Change rear fuel filter.
Give the fuel lines a look see for tightness and cracking.
Check rear disc linings.
Adjust valves.
Grab tires & check for any slop in rear wheels.
Check and top up tranny oil.
I don't do the oil change until later...after I've run the car.
Nut and bolt check
Check fan belt tension
I usually check wiring and straps for loose grounds.

Just off the top of my head..but a start.
This usually takes me a Sat. AM to do.
Everybody have a SAFE and FUN year!
BD

Shouldn't you start with "Shovel a path to your garage through the two feet of snow on the ground..."???

And......You've got grease fittings on your front beam??

>"And......You've got grease fittings on your front beam??"
Sure, doesn't everybody?
I just wanna forget about the shoveling part.:(

Hey Cory! Great chatting with ya....I haven't checked in cause all that dam snow shovellin did me in. I'm still out of action. The wife's been loadin me up with dayquil and theraflu...boy is my fasttttttt. Whooooooho It can flyyyyyyy

I think I'll get mine ready for the road for this Friday. Drive it onto the ice with my kite skiing stuff. I'm just worried that some idiot on a snowmobile won't see it behind a drift and come jumping over the drift and land on my car. Have to figure out how to prevent that. I'll have to post pictures if I take it on the ice.

I plan on checking the oil, charging the battery, plugging in the oil pan and battery heaters, checking the air in the tires....that's about it for now. Its not far...nothing's far in this town.

Put the kites in the back and on the passenger seat, strap the skis on the rack and good to go. Couple of cold ones is always good too. Can build up a powerful thirst...

But a buddy usually brings his gas powered blender (I kid you not!) to make margaritas out on the ice. I think I'm going to have to get one of those..

More fancy but...

http://cgi.ebay.com/4-stroke-23cc-gas-Party-Blender-Adjustable-Speed-48oz_W0QQitemZ300092789194QQcategoryZ10035QQssPageNameZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem

Brian-

That kite skating on a frozen pond sounds pretty cool (do you wear body armor like the motocross guys?)- we don't have ice but we have kite/sail skateboarding in the beach parking lots here. Have fun and be safe (keep the sharp side down!).

As for the margarita blender, we have a different take on that. I mentioned before that my beater Range Rover has a custom rear bumper and one of the features I built in was a pressurized compartment that I fill with CO2 (with a quick connect air fitting) to re-inflate my tires after rock-crawling. Well one of my buddies modified a household blender to be driven by compressed air (CO2). VOILA! Nice refreshing margarita in the middle of the desert. Another method we used is mounting an extra A/C compressor (plumbed to storage tank) modified for same purpose.

Peace - Out!

When the snow is gone and its just ice and the wind is up (not just crusing around) I wear hockey padding...mostly to protect my shoulders. I tore the rotator cuff pretty bad on one a few years back and never got it repaired ;-( ... too old I was told. Repair probably would not take well.

I've thought of trying on parking lots or something like that but I'd be scared of running out of space. We're not on ponds but on a large lake. Not uncommon to go for miles and miles when the weather is good. But, for example, last night I was out on my Flysurfer 17 M Speed kite in light winds then a small gust hit and I was 100 yards downwind in the blink of an eye before the edge of the skis caught again. How do you handle that on a parking lot or any small area? I wouldn't want to end up like a guy I knew who was picked up and slammed into a church of all things. He didn't make it.

I've always admired those snow skiers and the motorcross guys who do a full somersault in the air. Practice aside, how do you do that THE FIRST TIME?

The first time? In error!!! (ouch)

The flips and stuff I believe they practice first on a trampoline. To get the big air with the kite is stupidly easy...to have the body that can twist like that would require a time machine for me. I'm happy with a little air off a small jump.

Actually I like the spring kite skiing here in May. The ice is starting to get some cracks and there's standing water here and there. No snow cover so the speed is right up there. Then you hit the standing water or a lead in the ice and water ski across. Great fun!

I also like using my Kitewing then when the wind is howling. The speed just builds and builds. Some vids of the Kitewing in action on the link below. We don't have the mountains there have so no record 300 meter jumps for me. As if!

http://www.svk1.com/gallery_view.asp?lang=2&id=117

My kitewing antics are more like the Europe 2003 ones in the following link...on ice plus I have a Dirtsurfer from Australia I use sometimes (the two wheeled thingy you see them on).

http://www.kitewing.com/./video/

Brian - you are a WILD MAN!!! Looks fun.

First time I have seen this. When I was a kid I lived in northern Michigan and we used to go skating with a skating sail shaped like a kite and hit some really high speeds. We never left the ice though.

I've got heat!!

I forgot to include in my list above that I was going to instal the deisel Eber heater which I did last night and early this AM. Its not too slick...I just want heat if I use the car this weekend. Took about 3 hours to do it in total.

Angela, you won't regret that route should you decide to do it. Even the little 1800 compact I got puts out tons of heat. I ended up getting a used 2 litre welded aluminum cart gas tank to hold the deisel....put a nipple in the cap and a hose out the trunk for venting. I didn't bother to run an intake hose into the heater from the cab to circulate the heat...just scavanges from the trunk area for now.

The only thing of any complexity was to get rid of the built in 1 hour timer that was on the used Eber unit (came out of a service vehicle in the UK off Ebay.UK) Got a one page simple direction from a guy in the UK oh how to do that...very simple. So its now got the rotary on/off and 3 or 4 heat settings. Good enough.

All in all so simple even I could do it. Not as slick as some other installs but it works.

Brian

Brian - A warm Speedtser interior on those chilly days - NICE! Just ANOTHER reason to enjoy driving your car more often!

Peace - Out!

The kite skiing stuff is VERY impressive. I'm putting that on the must-try list for next winter.
Glad your car has heat, too. Can you stick a picture or two up? I'm interested. I'm going to have to do something, or start buying electric clothes.