Spring is finally rearing her lovely head and the temperatures are warming up. What does this mean? It’s time to bring your classic out of winter hibernation and get her ready for some fun! Whether you’ll be hitting the car show circuit or just taking leisurely Sunday drives, you’ll want your car to be its best.
Here’s a quick checklist of things to do to spiff up your classic so you’ll be ready to hit the road!
Inspect the body.
If you’ve had your car under a tarp or in a garage you still want to give the body a good once over. Look for any dings, scratches, or rust. If it has not been kept in a climate controlled or dry building, rust can occur. It never hurts to take a look.
Make sure it’s in good condition.
Systematically check everything in and on the car to ensure it’s in good working order.
- Tires – Make sure they are properly inflated and look for cracking and other signs of age and wear.
- Fluids – Check and change or top off all the fluid levels: radiator, brakes, steering, washer, whatever applies to your car. You should also check under your car to see if any fluids are leaking.
- Belts and hoses – Look for fraying, cracking, swelling, and leaking. Extreme temperatures can be rough on belts and hoses, so can dry air so if something doesn’t look quite right, go ahead and replace it.
- Oil – Over time, moisture can build up in an oil tank, even just over the course of a few winter months. Your best bet is to go ahead and change your oil even if you haven’t yet hit the time or mileage recommendations.
- Battery – If you left the battery in your car while you stored it, there could be some buildup of corrosion. Remove the cables and use a wire brush to clean them thoroughly with a paste of water and baking soda.
- Wires – Winter can be rough on everyone, including animals like mice and squirrels. They love making winter homes out of parked cars where they can nest – and chew on wires. Make sure you check; you don’t want that kind of surprise.
- Brakes – Visually inspect the brakes, then start the car and check them in action.
- Lights – Check your headlights, brights, fog lights, blinkers, brake lights, and reverse lights.