How to Install a Garage Door

 Fix Garage Door

When i bought my house several years ago it came with this old 1/2 horse power Sears garage door opener.  It worked, sort of.  The remote control was the biggest problem, sometimes it worked, sometimes it didn't.  For some reason whenever it got cold outside the garage door remote wouldn't work.  The other big problem with the opener was that it was made before the days where little kids getting crushed was a concern.  There were no safety sensors and when you pressed the button to shut the door, it shut.  It didn't stop for anything.  After installing my new opener i realized that there might have been an adjuster knob but i'm not sure there was one.  The final thing wrong with the old opener was that it was loud.  I tried spraying WD-40 on the gears and chain but when it was running the whole garage used to shake.  This is what the old garage door opener looked like.

So whether your garage door opener is broken or old, a new opener will make a big difference.  Here's pictures and steps of how i installed my new garage door opener.  First i had to lower the old garage door opener from the ceiling brackets.  The Sears opener was really heavy.  Though i'm not saying that it was a bad thing.  Back then everything was made out of steel, which is why it lasted this long.  I'd be surprised if my new opener lasted as long.  

I had to climb up and remove 2 bolts, then lowered the opener onto a ladder.  After unhooking all the wires i then i went to the other end near the door and removed the cotter pin.  

 Craftsman Garage Door

After reading lots of reviews I decided to buy a Craftsman 1/2 hp, chain drive, garage door opener.  It was a good combination of value and reliability, costing less than $145.  It came with 2 remote openers, an outside keypad, a wired button to open and turn on the lights and infrared safety sensors.

Here's what the Craftsman opener looked like.

Another company i was looking at was Chamberlain, but their garage door openers seemed to be more cheaply made.  More expensive openers used a belt drive and had battery backup.  They usually cost more than $250.   The belt drive is suppose to be quieter, for people who have rooms above their garages.  Typically if you live in an apartment or condo type of house.  I was never that bothered by the noise so i didn't need the belt drive.  I guess the battery backup must be for the rare occasion when you don't have any power but need to get your car in or out of the garage.  You could always just pull the cord and manually open the door though.  So that's another thing i didn't need.

The garage door motors also come in 1/4, 1/2 and 3/4 horse power but for the size of my door i just got the 1/2 hp motor.  I figured it would work since that's what i already had.  The new opener was about half the size and also half the weight as the old Sears opener.

This is what it looked like when it was all assembled.  I have to say that when i opened up the box it looked very daunting.  I was worried that i wouldn't be able to put it together correctly, but it turned out to be much easier then i thought.  Just connect the arm to the opener, then attach and correctly tighten the chain.

How to Install a Garage Door Opener

One big advantage i had was that this was not a brand new garage door install.  All of the brackets and holes were already in the right place.  So all i had to do was remove the old hardware and install the new ones.  Otherwise i would have had to do a lot more measuring and figuring out were everything went.  Also many people have to reinforce their garage door with some metal angle iron.  Mine was a dual wall door so it didn't need reinforcement, i just mounted the bracket arm directly to the garage door.

Here's the point at which i had the old Sears garage door opener down and the new Craftsman garage door opener ready to go in.

This is what i was talking about when i said i had it easy.  These 2x4's were already in place and the bracket was already mounted.  So i just removed the old one and put this bracket in the same spot.  I didn't have to bother with the instructions for height and angle of door adjustments.

After the bracket was attached i just had to lift up the arm and chain and connect it to the wall with the cotter pin.

This is what it looked like before i attached the motor to the ceiling.  I needed the ladder for the front so i had to use a sturdy shelf to hold up the motor.

Garage Door Installers

Getting to use the existing steel brackets was super easy.  Otherwise i would have had to locate the studs in the ceiling then cut, build and attach the frame.  But since it was already there i just yanked on it a bit until the holes lined up with the new Craftsman garage door opener motor mounts.  Then i just plugged it into the outlet that was already in the ceiling.

This is the new button that is wired to the opener.  The gray part is the open/close button and the bottom is for the lights. 

Since the old garage door opener didn't come with safety sensors i did have to cut and attach 2x4's to act as spacers.  There were options that these could attach directly to the door wheel track but i just figured that this would be easier and be out of the way.  These go on each side and will prevent the door from closing if their beam is interrupted. 

The final thing i did was adjust the force and travel that the door closed with.  They were adjusted on the garage door motor with 2 different twist dials.  I had to watch a few youtube videos and use a bathroom scale to make sure it closed with the correct amount of force.

But that was it.  It was a fairly easy weekend project.  Now we can park in the garage without having to get out of the car and push the button from the inside.  And thanks to the big shelf i built in the garage, there's enough space to fit a car easily.

Cars In Detroit

The 2013 North American International Auto Show 

For the third year in a row i went to the Detroit Auto Show in Cobo Hall to see all the new 2013 vehicles.  Here's links to the last two times i've gone:

• 2011 Detroit Auto Show
• 2012 Detroit Auto Show

It was filled with all of the 2013 cars, trucks and the new concept vehicles for 2014 and beyond.  It seemed like every company that i can think of attended this years show, although as usual companies like Ferrari, Lamborghini and Aston Martin only brought one or two cars.  As it has always been the Big Three (Ford, GM and Chrysler) have the biggest displays and the largest crowds.  I guess it makes sense.  They are Detroit Cars and this is the Detroit International Auto Show.   

Automotive Dealer

Even before we got into Cobo Hall we saw cars in the hallway.  They were some really cool super cars like this Falcon. I've heard of this company before, i think for a while they made the fastest car in the world, which did something like 250mph. 

 Parked next to is was a Bentley and Ferrari.  This is the first time i can remember there being super nice cars out in the hallway.

The first thing we saw when we entered was this Nissan NSX Concept. 

It was a pretty cool looking car but i didn't know anything about it and kind of forgettable.  I'm guessing that since it's a Nissan it has tons of electronics that do the stability control. 

Then we made our way over to Ford, who had the same cool chairs as last year.  Click on the link up at the top from 2012 to see pictures of Karrie sitting in one.  I still really like them.  But you have to be sitting in them to really understand.  If you sit in one direction, the top part acts as a back rest, which is surprisingly comfortable.  If you spin the chair around and sit down the top part acts like a desk to rest your elbows on.

I still really like them.  But you have to be sitting in them to really understand.  If you sit in one direction, the top part acts as a back rest, which is surprisingly comfortable.  If you spin the chair around and sit down the top part acts like a desk to rest your elbows on.

There was also this really cool looking couch over by the Smart cars. 

All the furniture at the Auto Show was this sort of art deco style with bold colors and rounded lines.

2013 Vehicles

I would have to say that the highlight of this years show was the new Corvette Stingray.  I can totally see people lining up at the automotive dealer to buy this at above full price. 

The front end of this car and it's shape from above totally remind me of a Ferrari 458.  I personally think the back end of this new Corvette is a bit bulky, but so have all the Corvette's for the past 10 years.

Everything about the car was cool though.  It had a super high top speed, new gear box, lots of carbon fiber and even got good gas mileage.  All for just a fraction of what a Ferrari cost.

And the really neat thing was that in 2011 i was at the plant where this car was made, GM's Corvette plant in Bowling Green Kentucky.  Back then my favorite car was the ZR1.  I can't wait until they make a "ZR1 version" of this new car.  I bet it's going to be really popular with buyers and especially the Detroit automotive dealers that sell them.

Here's a panorama view of just a small part of the Auto Show floor.

As you can see it wasn't too busy.  We went on a weekday between 6 - 8PM.  As we were leaving it started to fill up.

But there were lots of different people there looking at cars. 

As always, the main reason for going to the Detroit Auto Show is to see the concept cars, like this Tesla.  It wasn't their Tesla Roadster, it was the newer basic sedan.  It didn't look all that amazing from the outside, but i think the interior was the best i've ever seen.  In case you don't know, Tesla is the automotive dealer that makes electric vehicles with something like 4,000 tiny lithium ion batteries.

Super simple, just 2 flat screen monitors.  One for the driver behind the steering wheel and one for the center console.  The one in the middle was the size of 2 iPads.  The cool thing about having a screen rather then buttons is that it can adapt.  Meaning that it can change and become anything.  When i was sitting in the car the top half of the screen was the radio and the bottom half was the back-up camera.

Tesla Dashboard - Touch Screen

http://youtu.be/Ug9qhiE8cGE

Then there was this concept from Honda. It was an electric car about the size of a golf cart. 

I'm still not sold on electric cars being used for an everyday driver.  (at least in my case)  But i could understand something like this.  A small "sports car" that you use on the weekends to drive around town.  I'm guessing that this "2013 vehicle" will never be built for the public but as an automotive concept i think this could work. 

Another thing i liked from Honda was their mouse button controller.  This was in the Honda Civic.  Instead of a big flat screen like in the Tesla, Honda put something like a joystick/mouse with buttons on the side.

Honda Mouse Button Click Control System

http://youtu.be/T-b4qIkjmU0

This is a car i've always liked and wanted to buy.  The Volvo S60.  It just seems like the perfect car for daily use.  Unlike that tiny electric Honda vehicle, this is practical, safe and would last for years.  It's sporty but still very practical.

And this blue color reminds me of the bright blue that is on the 2012 Mustangs.  It would be easy to find your car in a crowded parking lot i guess.

Detroit Cars

This is another really cool, and surprisingly fast car.  The Cadillac CTS-V.  I've seen these out at Milford on the GM test track and they are fast.  Tons of horse power and really good suspension for hard cornering.  It's not the typical Cadillac for a 60 year old retiree living in Florida.

The ugliest cars at the auto show were these two Ferrari's.  You might be looking at the red car here and think "what are you talking about, that looks great".  From the front, yes it's fine.  But when you move around to the side of the car you can see the silver one in the back.

This is Ferrari's first 4 wheel drive car.  It's also front engine.  It is almost like one group designed the front of the car and another group designed the back.  Then, without speaking to one another just glued their drawings together and said build this.

I did notice a lot of these types of cars.  Small, cheap rear wheel drive sports cars.  Something like the Mazda Miata craze.  

The difference between this and that 2-seater electric Honda is that these are less than $22,000 and they are actually for sale.  Like the new Chevy Corvette, i think vehicle dealers will be selling a lot of these in 2013. 

I really liked this one, the Jeep FJ Cruiser.  From the outside it does look a bit "plasticy".

But from the inside it looked really tough and rugged.  This would be the car i would choose if i had to drive in a jungle somewhere.  The shifter and everything felt very sturdy and mechanical. 

Although as a car in Detroit i'm not sure how much you need an off-road 4-wheel drive Jeep.  Maybe the automotive dealers in a State like Colorado might sell a lot more.

After we were done we left Cobo Hall and decided to take the People Mover over to the Greektown Casino. 

This was the view out of the front of the first car.

Detroit People Mover - Greektown Casino Station

http://youtu.be/h2zvmbmcz44

I liked being up front while we rode through the tunnel.  It felt like some sort of future transportation in a sci-fi movie.

Overall i did have fun at the Detroit Auto Show.  It seemed like this year there were a lot more cars.  Not counting all the weird electric go-cart things that they had back in 2012.

Donating A Car

 

How To Donate A Car

So you've decided to get rid of your old car, but don't want to just sell it to a used car dealer.  One if the best options today is to donate your car to charity.  When you donate your car it is a win-win situation for everyone.  You get the full Blue-Book value for your car and some needy person or family receives a great used car.  You should always donate the car to the specific charity directly.  This will avoid any middle-man hidden fees and you can be sure that the vehicle and money get to the people who need it most.

So lets get into the Who, What, Where, When, Why and How that comes with donating a car.

Donate A Car To Charity

You're ready to get rid of your old car and do something good in the process.  Most car charity's will accept any vehicle that runs.  So just because you might think that it's not worth donating, they will be able to find someone to give it to.

And this is one big advantage that charity's have over typical used car dealerships.  A used car dealer might only be looking for newer cars that they can turn around and sell.  If the car you are donating has problems with it, the used car dealership might not want the hassle of dealing with warranty's and having to refund money to buyers.  That's why that old 80's and early 90's car with over 180,000 miles is perfect for donating.  It may be old to you, but to someone in need it is the perfect gift.

Where To Donate A Car

Here's a list sorted by State to the different charities where you can donate your vehicle.

Alabama Car Donation Arizona Car Donation Arkansas Car Donation California Charity Auto Colorado Charity Auto Connecticut Charity Auto Delaware Car Donating Florida Car Donating Georgia Car Donating Hawaii Donating A Car Idaho Donating A Car Illinois Donating A Car Indiana Donate Vehicle to Charity Iowa Donate Vehicle to Charity Kansas Donate Vehicle to Charity Kentucky Car Donation Louisiana Car Donation Maine Car Donation Maryland Auto Charity Massachusetts Auto Charity Michigan Auto Charity Minnesota Auto to Charity Mississippi Auto to Charity Missouri Auto to Charity Montana Auto to Charity

Nebraska Donating the Car Nevada Donating the Car New Hampshire Donating the Car New Jersey Donate Auto New Mexico Donate Auto New York Vehicle Donating North Carolina Vehicle Donating North Dakota Vehicle Donating Ohio How to Donate a Car Oklahoma How to Donate a Car Oregon How to Donate a Car Pennsylvania Where to Donate a Car Rhode Island Where to Donate a Car South Carolina Where to Donate a Car South Dakota How to Donate Your Car Tennessee Car How to Donate Your Car Texas How to Donate Your Car Utah Car Vehicle Donation Vermont Vehicle Donation Virginia Vehicle Donation Washington Donating a Car Washington D.C. Donating a Car West Virginia Donating a Vehicle Wisconsin Donating a Vehicle Wyoming Donating a Vehicle

Here is also a link to an alphabetical listing to every Car Donating Charities in the United States.

Delivery can be made in basically two ways.  Either you can drive and drop off the car yourself or have someone from the auto charity come and pick up the vehicle. 

How To Get A Tax Deduction For Donating Your Car

Before you donate your car to charity, there's a few things you want to do to make sure you get the full deduction on your taxes at the end of the year.  First thing is to take pictures of the vehicle, just in case the IRS comes, you want to have physical proof that you did own and then donate the car.  Second, determine the Kelly Blue Book value of the car before you go to drop it off.  It only takes around 30 seconds to input your car's information and you will get different values for your car, based on condition. 

To get the Maximum Tax Deduction you should make sure that you get the Private Party Value and not the Trade In Value.  This is another advantage over taking your car to the dealership, the private party value is always higher then the trade in value of a vehicle.

Now, make sure you GET A RECEIPT and keep it in a safe place until tax time.  This is the most important "proof" that you have to show the IRS in case they ask for it. 

When it does come time to start filling out your taxes, that is when you will receive the money for the car.  You will be filling out a different section based on the value of the car you donated.  If the car was valued LESS than $5,000 then you will fill out Section A - Form 8232.  If your donated car is worth MORE than $5,000 then you will fill out Section B - Form 8232.  It's not complicated at all, just 1 page for each section.  Here is a link to a PDF of the IRS Form 8283 for Noncash Charitable Contributions.  If you do have any questions, here's a link to the IRS Instructions for Form 8283.

Hopefully everything goes well, you donate your car to a family who really needs it and you receive the full value of what the car is worth.  In my opinion, the best part of this whole process is that you don't have to deal with those questionable used car dealers trying to rip you off. 

2013 Printable Bracket - NCAA College Basketball

I created brackets for this year's 2013 Final Four College Basketball tournament held in Atlanta.

So that everyone is happy i converted the bracket into every format i could think of:

• PDF
• Word Docx
• Word Doc
• Excel
• JPG
• GIF
• PNG
• BMP
• TIFF

I also changed the background color so that you can decide what will look the best and easiest to read when it is printed out.  There's nothing worse then when you download a bracket and print it out, only to realize that all the text is blurry.

If you are wondering where you can watch the games live, then click on this link to be able to watch every basketball game live online:   Watch Free TV Online

When March Madness begins you'll can be ready with the first bracket available.  To download and save the images, just right click and select "Save Image As..."  For the word documents bracket and the pdf brackets, just click where it says "Download".

Also in case you are worried you can do a secure download since it is hosted by Google and it's Https, rather than just Http.

So here they are, the 2013 Final Four Brackets for the NCAA College Basketball Tournament.

PDF  (.pdf)
https://docs.google.com/file/d/0ByskuxOP_kk7Mmx4NF9yV2ZEYW8/edit?usp=sharing

PDF (.pdf)

https://docs.google.com/file/d/0ByskuxOP_kk7OG43aFd1SEZ3VjA/edit?usp=sharing

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Word docx  (.docx)
https://docs.google.com/file/d/0ByskuxOP_kk7T0ZsQW9OdXJCUW8/edit?usp=sharing

Word docx  (.docx)
https://docs.google.com/file/d/0ByskuxOP_kk7ZzNrLUJoR1ZaTWc/edit?usp=sharing

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Word doc  (.doc)
https://docs.google.com/file/d/0ByskuxOP_kk7RHhTeW81dGJGa2s/edit?usp=sharing

Word doc  (.doc)
https://docs.google.com/file/d/0ByskuxOP_kk7TEJzS3Voc2ZqLVE/edit?usp=sharing

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Excel  (.xls)
https://docs.google.com/file/d/0ByskuxOP_kk7TzJXemlfeDBmRHc/edit?usp=sharing

Excel  (.xls)
https://docs.google.com/file/d/0ByskuxOP_kk7Y00zSzg5bDZocE0/edit?usp=sharing

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JPG  (.jpg)
https://docs.google.com/file/d/0ByskuxOP_kk7ZUxCMTRBTnp2WTg/edit?usp=sharing

JPG  (.jpg)  -  gray
https://docs.google.com/file/d/0ByskuxOP_kk7c3JldE5CeFhHTVE/edit?usp=sharing

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GIF  (.gif)
https://docs.google.com/file/d/0ByskuxOP_kk7YmFtSU4zelR2aU0/edit?usp=sharing

GIF  (.gif)  -  gray
https://docs.google.com/file/d/0ByskuxOP_kk7M0ZtQWF0aWk5eG8/edit?usp=sharing

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PNG  (.png)
https://docs.google.com/file/d/0ByskuxOP_kk7WWU3Rm02aS1vUEE/edit?usp=sharing

PNG  (.png)  -  gray
https://docs.google.com/file/d/0ByskuxOP_kk7SG5qLXlXXzBaWm8/edit?usp=sharing

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BMP  (.bmp)
https://docs.google.com/file/d/0ByskuxOP_kk7YnlLelJuZ2hvUVU/edit?usp=sharing

BMP  (.bmp)  -  gray

https://docs.google.com/file/d/0ByskuxOP_kk7ZDdQX015QnVQWUU/edit?usp=sharing

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TIFF  (.tiff)
https://docs.google.com/file/d/0ByskuxOP_kk7UUtaMGRHWVdqWG8/edit?usp=sharing

TIFF  (.tiff)  - gray
https://docs.google.com/file/d/0ByskuxOP_kk7Q3NaZFp3OU1fOEk/edit?usp=sharing



I hope that Michigan State and the Big 10 do well in the tournament this year.  Tom Izzo is usually ready to play and my theory is that MSU should be a number 2 seed until proven otherwise.