The annual OVLR Tune-Up

Yes, it is that time of year when many of the older Land Rovers begin to stir and get pulled from musty barns and other storage locations where they have been sleeping through the winter. This event is as good an excuse as any for you to get your Land Ro ver stirring and on the road. It will also give you about six weeks of time to correct all of the major faults that are found with your vehicle so it is fully ready for the Birthday Party in June!

The Event:

Traditionally the Tune Up was an opportunity for mechanically challenged, yet enthusiastic members shake the cobwebs out of their mighty steed's carburettors, drive over to either MiniMan, later the Land Rover dealership, to learn about some of the basic maintenance and tuning of your Land-Rover. In years passed, members learned first hand (read, an expert stood beside them and directed them as the vehicle owner did the work) how to tune the engine, adjust the brakes, and do other routine functions. However, times have changed and there are slightly more modern vehicles in the club which do not take well to some of the maintenance routines that the older Series vehicles can suffer.

This year, given the break in this event for the past year or so, it is possible that there are more than a couple of owners who are enthusiastic to learn more about their vehicles, but really do not know where to start, or what they can actually be doing. Expert members will be on hand to show you:

• Series/Heritage edition Land-Rovers: How to tune up your Land-Rover and provide help in tuning your Land-Rover or at the very least explaining what pro-active measures you should be taking for its long term health and longevity. The level of assistance and guidance will vary greatly between vehicles. While the owner of a "Series" vehicle can learn about timing, setting dwell, how to adjust the tappets and a host of other things, the owner of a much more recent Land Rover will be following a very different course of action.
• Plushie (read RR, Disco, LR3/4, Freelander) edition Land Rovers: Well for the most part many of them don't do their own servicing anyway but the experts would be happy to lend them their ear for advice etc. It is getting to the point where there is less and less you can do yourself anyway. Some things, like keeping the centre-diff lock working, changing the oil, brakes or greasing the drive train (for the more ambitious) are some of the possibilities. Depending upon availability, the Club may be asking to see if it could borrow one of Land-Rover Ottawa's (dealership's) diagnostic computers.
• All LandRovers: If there is sufficient interest, there may be a winch check and wrap session. Is your winch together and is that cable actually wrapped in an efficient manner? Many times, the answer is not! There will also be a sort of pre-Birthday Party pre-scrutineering to look for any obvious failure points that you will have six (6) weeks to rectify if you have any plans of participating in the RTV or some other planned events.
• So, bring along your hand tools and be ready to get your hands dirty!

Time: This is a morning event only starting at approximately nine AM. The session, or opportunity should wrap up by one PM, where exhausted members will repair to the Cheshire Cat on March Road for a beverage and discussion on who put on the best performance, and potentially set themselves up as an early entry into the annual "Gasket Under Glass" competition

Location: The Tune up will be happening at Andrew Finlayson's residence at: 4356 Stonecrest Road. To get there from the south, take the 417 (Queensway) to March Road. Go north on March Road, through Kanata North to Dunrobin Road. Turn right onto Dunrobin Road. Follow the road all the way through Dunrobin past West Carleton High School and just past the Copperdale Golf course (on your right) you will turn left on to Kinburn Side Road at the Ultramar Gas Station. Follow along the Kinburn Side Road through downtown Woodlawn, over the train tracks and along a few more miles/kilometers until you start to climb a bit of a hill. At the top of the hill turn right onto Stonecrest Road (at the public school of the same name). Follow along Stonecrest until you go over those same train tracks again past Kilmaurs Road. Andrew's is the second house past on your right side.

Cost: There is no cost for this event, however you are expected to bring your own tools, and spare parts if necessary.

Food: Still under discussion. The club *may* provide something for a light BBQ, but at the time of printing, this remains to be discussed at the May Executive Meeting. Contact one of them for further information closer to the event or look to the Club on-line forum. Bring your own beverages.

Dogs: Good dogs are always welcome

Other: Parking/vehicles should stay on the gravel only as the ground will still be mushy then (especially this year). Look at the Maple Syrup Rally photos for what happens if you stray off the gravel.

.