Our Excellent Adventures

Too hot to drive right now with Spare the Air and all that so, I’ll opt for a place where I have been and recommended by others. Sufficient parking, trails to hike if you bring family, easy on and off the freeway, and hopefully fairy centrally located (except for the North Bay :^(.

The Baylands, 2775 Embarcadero Road, in Palo Alto, http://www.cityofpaloalto.org/depts/csd/parks_and_open_space/preserves_and_open_spaces/the_baylands.asp  will be the spot. Here is a map of the area http://www.cityofpaloalto.org/civica/filebank/blobdload.asp?BlobID=6117 and we’ll plan on parking in the area outlined in red on the photo.

Questions? You can email me: keithmessinger@comcast.net or call me 925-997-9289 (cell) but don’t call during cocktail time!

This is a totally non-official, off-the-cuff, ill-planned chance to put some names with faces. If you want something to drink bring it. Same with food.

I’ll be there about 11:00 with a metallic silver Sprinter. It is a SMB but pretty stealth.

I have invited all bay area Sprinters, don’t have to be a SMB and all area SMB, don’t have to be a Sprinter. If you know someone who would be interested please invite them. Families are ok, what ever you want is ok.

If you are coming, please post here and tell us what you will be driving.

The June 7 Bay Area Sprinter Gathering is still on. As soon as the weather cools a bit I will check out the 2 bird refuges and let you know the place.

Hope you marked it on the calendar! This won’t be an all day deal. Probably 2 or 3 hours at the most . . . of course some of us can make a party out of anything! So go for a hike, listen to a ball game, tell a few lies, show off your rig . . .

The invite is open to any SMB vehicle, Sprinter or no; any Sprinter, SMB or no.

See you there!

Here is a picture of the work I did yesterday. I used the storage space beneath the radio to mount the Parrot 3100 and the connector for my Zune. The Zune fits nicely in here and with one of those silicone covers does not slide out.

Today I did the first part of rebadging the Dodge Sprinter to a Mercedes Sprinter. Why? Ego? Because others have done it? Something to waste money on? I don’t know. I never really wanted a Mercedes. I also never had a Dodge before so who knows. I guess cause its one more thing to do to make the Sprinter unique.

For the badge or star or logo. the Mercedes-Benz part number is A 906 758 00 58. For the surround (Mercedes takes a round one and Dodges is more like a shield) the part numbers are A 906 742 01 30 and A 906 742 00 30. You need both, the left and the right.

The left surround is the difficult one to get off. It is held in place by a small screw that you can’t get to until you partially remove the inside door panel. Of course, I didn’t have the correct size screw driver (mine was too long) and had to improvise. I undid part of the cover on the left side before looking at the replacement part and discovering it just slid into place and was held by the badge screws.

Given the proper tools, this small mod should not take you over a half-hour.

I also have some lettering in decal form to go over the rear license plate that says Mercedes Benz. I don’t think I will use that. All the MB’s I have seen are pretty low key in the rear - a logo and model number.

Next, what to do with the front-end?