Lighting That Garage

Lighting in a working garage is one of the most important aspects of keeping a garage useful.  Lighting can take many forms in a garage.  The ceiling needs lighting that works best for its height and there needs to be portable lighting that you can direct to areas that you have to see well in order to remain safe and do accurate work.  There are fluorescent drop lights and halogen work lights that provide that kind of flexibility.

The ceiling lighting needs to be positioned to ensure that you have few shadows to deal with.  One thing that can really improve lighting is paint.  Yes, there is nothing so effective as making sure your ceiling is painted with a highly reflective ceiling paint.  If you have a low ceiling then fluorescent lights are your best bet.  Try to find fixtures that take the T-8 bulbs.  They provide a good white wavelength of light and minimize power consumption.

When mounting fluorescent fixtures to a low ceiling you will have to think about how you physically mount them.  One of the best ways I’ve found is to stand them off of the ceiling a couple of inches by using PVC pipe connectors and 1/4 x 4″ toggle bolts.  That allows air to circulate around the fixture which is important in the hot summer.  If you are no familiar with electrical work then find someone who is.  Many garages are lucky to have a single outlet in the ceiling for the garage door opener.  Others may have bare incandecent bulb fixtures.  These can be converted to outlets giving you the flexibility to run cords to fluorescent lights placed in optimal locations.

Hopefully you have additional wall outlets in your garage.  If not, have an electrician install at least two in each wall, especially by a work bench, if you have one.  If you plan to ever use an air compressor or welder consider having that electrician provide a 220 volt outlet for that purpose.

Having outlets on the walls will provide you a place to plug in drop lights and work lights close to where you need them.  There is no good reason for running cords where people will likely trip over them.

The halogen work lights that are available come in a couple of flavours.  On is on a stand that can be extended in order to adjust the height and generally has two lights.  The other is a floor model that may have a hook to hang it with.  These lights get very hot in addition to providing excellent light.  This may be advantageous in the colder months or an irritant in the hotter ones.  These light can also be useful for drying paint or curing epoxy. 

Keep in mind that how your garage’s wall are finished off will affect the lighting as well.  If you can sheetrock the walls or use a product like Homasote and paint them with white or light colors you will find that your garage will become better lit.  I even used white Formica on my bench top so that it was easier to see parts and keep it clean.

Find appropriate and bright lighting, position the fixtures to minimize shaddows, and paint things white. 

It Was a Little Embarrassing

A couple of years ago my garage door just would not close.  There didn’t seem to be any obstruction and the sensors that detect an object in the way were not malfunctioning.  So I called up the local garage door company.  I have a phone in the garage so as I talked to the service guy I ran the door.  He immediately asked if I had a Craftsman door opener.  They are so distinctively noisy that he could identify it over the phone.  That was embarrassing.

I solved the problem by shaving off some of the trim around the door.  The weather had gotten humid enough to swell the wood to the point of interference.   But I still had that Craftsman door opener that vibrated half the house when ever I used it.

Last summer I helped out a friend of mine with the purchase of a couple of laptop computers.  I had been on him for years to get a PC, high speed Internet, and email so we could communicate more easily.  Finally with his new job he was going to get a laptop for himself and his boss.  I worked out a configuration as well as a discount for them. 

They were absolutely delighted with the ThinkPads.  His boss thanked me with a new garage door opener since they were the local Overhead Door franchise.   I brought it home and disconnected the old opener.   In a couple of hours I had removed the old opener and installed the new one.  The difference was incredible.  The new one was so quiet that I could actually hear the wheels squeak as they rolled along the tracks.

I couldn’t believe that I had put up with the Craftman for so long.  I felt like I had a new garage.  What to do next?

Die Cast Model Cars

The first race car model I received in a hospital bed.  It was prior to starting grade school and for some mysterious reason I had internal bleeding so I was stuck in a hospital for about a week.  One of the girls that worked at my father’s office sent the toy car as a gift to cheer me up.  It did.

I think my first introduction to die cast cars was the Matchbox variety.  They were small, but were fascinating any way.  This was well before I even dreamed of driving a car but in my mind they represented a world I was sure that I was going to grow into.  Later came plastic models. 

I enjoyed them because they allowed me to exercise my innate creativity and imagination.  It was fun to take a couple of kits and create my own vision of what a car could be.  Most of them were front engine rear drive layouts, but once in a while I would experiment with rear or mid engine designs.  AWD was only thought of in Jeeps and FWD was in a strange car called the Saab.

One afternoon I was home with a new idea for a car design.  To do what I had envsioned I had to take some parts off another model.  My razor knife slipped and I sliced my palm under the thumb to the bone.  Fortunately I was able to stem the bleeding and phoned my father who left work and took me to the hospital to get my hand repaired.  The surgeon happened to be the same doctor who had delivered me and he wasn’t very sympathetic.  Several stitches later and I was out of there with only an aspirin for any pain.

Plastic models would come and go, but the die cast cars were much more permanent.  Even though they didn’t allow for the creativity I had exercised with the plastic models, they allowed me to collect examples of cars I had owned or admired. 

The detail that is now available in die cast is truely remarkable.  Working steering is nothing new, nor is working doors.  The engine and suspesion detail is something that can really impress you especially if you have working knowledge of a particular car.  Some of the highly detailed cars run well into the hundreds of dollars, but there are a surprising number of quality die cast cars that are less than forty dollars.

You can try your hand at collecting them like baseball cards in the hope of cashing in later, but like baseball cards, you could find that you paid more for them than anyone esle is willing to.  Rather you should enjoy them for what they represent in terms of memories, and examples of engineering that can fit in a display case.  Save your garage space for the real thing.

Car Movies – Who Killed the Electric Car?

No one enjoys the sound of a powerful internal combustion engine as much as I do, but his movie really struck a chord with me.  I thought the beginning was hokey and almost passed on watching the rest of it because of that, but a good friend had recommended it so I continued.

What stunned me was the level of performance that had been achieved in this GM all-electric vehicle.  This was not a hybrid but a full electric car that accelerated like a sports car.  It didn’t look like a sophomore college project either.  It looked like a sports sedan.  The key was work that had been done to manage the power as it was called for by a driver and produce speed and acceleration when demanded, but also manage power while cruising.  It was brilliant.

So what happened to this miracle?  Basically it was crushed.  GM never allowed anyone to purchase the vehicle so that when it chose to it could repossess them and do as it wanted.  California had instituted legislation requiring zero emissions but over the years the (warning conspiracy theory ahead) big oil companies and the automobile companies pushed back until the legislation was nullified.

The sincerity of the film makers is clear and the evidence the present is circumstantial, but compelling.  I wish it had been done by a director like Errol Morris. 

One section of the film that hit home though was when a mechanic showed all the parts and fluids that went in to the maintenance of the typical internal combustion engine car that never was a part of the service of the electric car.  You could not ignore the table full of stuff.

Electric cars have been around since the beginning of the automobile, and as the film states, in the earliest days of motorcars electrics out numbered the ones powered by gasoline engines.  There were some pretty important reasons for this.  Early gasoline engines were noisy, dirty, and dangerous.  It could be argued that not much has changed.

It is hard to find a car design that has the range and performance of the gasoline or diesel engine.  It can be argued that electric cars simply trade tail pipe emissions for smoke stack emissions. 

Watch this movie.  I don’t think it will be a waste of your time.  Whether we think there is a conspiracy or not, oil won’t last forever. 

Beijing Motor Show 2006

Sales of cars in China are growing at a 30% rate with 6.8 million of them in that country.  Just six or seven years ago you couldn’t find people who knew how to drive, let alone own a car in China.  It is on the verge of overtaking Japan as the second largest car market in the world.  The prediction is that by 2010 yearly car sales will top 10 million.  On top of all that the average price has dropped 40% over the past few years!  Talk about movement to a commodity. 

The top ten car makers in China by brand are Volkswagen with 17.5%, GM with 10.8%, Hyundai with 9.9%, Honda with 7.4%, Toyota with 6.3%, Chery with 5.7%, Geely with 4.8%, PSA with 4.8%,  Nissan with 4.7%, and Ford with 3.1%.  The Chinese government’s goal is to have Chinese makes take 60% of their domestic market share by 2010.

Geely Automotive wants to be in the US market by 2008.  Even if 2009 is more likely that is fast.  Just a couple of years ago this car show was dominated with Chinese cars that were virtual knockoffs of European and US designs.  Today those are in the minority and this year’s show displayed some exciting designs that showcase the artistic and inventive talents that exist in this country.  Keep your eyes on China.

Chery was a small car company selling 5,000 cars a month and now that is more like 35,000 with talks with Daimler Chrysler, Fiat and Alfa.  Car company Red Flag is partnering with Toyota. Dong Feng displayed their EQ7240BP with a bellows rear hatch that expands the storage while keeping it covered.

The next thing to keep your eye on is aftermarket equipment and the industry that will build up around it.  In the US it is under SEMA, the Specialty Equipment Manufacturers Association, where growth in aftermarket has been phenomenal.

The growth of this industry in the US has surpassed 450% over the last five years and this trend has continued of almost two decades.  That amounts to over $29 billion in sales for the last year.  The time will come when this hits China and the growth you will see there will far surpass that experienced in the United States.  Keep your eyes on China.

Christmas is Coming

It might be a good time to figure out what that car nut would like.  It also might be a good time to help out that person that isn’t such a car nut.

Have you thought about that son or daughter, spouse or friend, that doesn’t have the same passion you exhibit for cars?  How about giving them a gift certificate where you will change their oil and check their tires for them?

You can pick up an emergency car kit or put one together for a loved one.  If you put together one for them you can make sure that the quality of its contents is consistent.  A useful first aid kit, gloves for working in, a flashlight, a fire extinguisher.  All of those can be useful.  Jumper cables are a standard, but you can put some thought into the recipient and choose something that fits their level of mechanical aptitude.  Some folks won’t have a problem with the big wires and clamps while others would be better off with something that connects through the cigarette lighters.  There are charger packs now that are heavy, but effective battery packs that can be trans ported and hooked up without needing another car around.  Or maybe for some folks the best thing is to buy them a membership in AAA and make sure they have a cell phone.

Have you ever had to change out a flat tire?  If someone you care about has never had the experience now might be the time to go through it in the driveway.  Flats are never considerate enough to happen on flat hard ground and in clear warm weather, but that doesn’t mean that you cannot help someone through the process in the best of conditions.  That way they learn where all the tools are, how the jack works, how and when to loosen the lug nuts, etc. without the distractions and complications of weather, darkness, and soft ground.  That way when you talk about adding some flares, reflectors, and a flat board for under the jack they won’t roll their eyes in bewilderment.

How about a hands free kit for the cell phone?  People are social beings and while we may try to legislate non-use of cell phones while driving, the  reality is that people will want to be in communication with others.  Help your family’s cell phone addict with a hands free kit for the car.  If you have multiple users some of the blue tooth kits are great because they don’t need a holder for a particular phone and will recognize the phone as soon as it “sees” it.  In addition – many of these kits connect through the car’s radio so that when a call comes in it mutes the radio and the conversation is played through the car’s own speakers.  They can be daunting to wire up but there are companies that offer some excellent kits – http://www.siocommunications.co.uk/  has some great products to help make this a plug-and-play solution.

For the true car nut there are things that will be appreciated like a nice aluminum floor jack, or stainless steel tool chest, or carbon fiber hood.  What often means the most are some small things that show you understand.  That could be a die-cast car model or a high quality air pressure gauge.

As always – its the thought that counts.