Our Excellent Adventures

If you are planning to do any mods, such as adding GPS, or even changing your own air filters, oil, etc. there are at least a couple of tools you need to add to your collection.

The first is the oil filter wrench like the one shown here from europarts.com.

Next you need a set of tork screw driver bits, some tork sockets and some small wrenches in mm size. I seem to use a T-25 screw bit most of the time. Whether of not you need a torque wrench is still being debated. Apparently most of the torque requirements on the Sprinter are beyound what a human can achieve. I just happent to have a torque wrench but have yet to use it on the Sprinter.

Last you need a set of automotive molding tools like these which are invaluable in taking of dash, door side panels, logos and badging (like 2500) etc.

It always amazes me when an 8,000 pound vehicle has a horn that sounds like a baby road-runner. I mean it is down-right embarrassing when someone cuts you off and you can’t even express your displeasure with a polite tap on the horn, afraid they’ll drive off the road laughing.

I installed Hella Supertones a couple of weeks ago and while they were better, they still weren’t what I was looking for. So, I got on the web, went to the SMB (Sportsmobile) forum and checked out what some of them use - good idea!

I decided I did not want to sound like a train, or try to mount shiney chrome trumpets so I settled for a “Bad Boy.” This is a small, 118 decibels air horn that uses the 2 wires on your Sprinter and easily attaches inside the engine compartment where the oem horn is located.

It is available several places on line and here you can hear a resonably good rendition of what this horn and others sound like.

Yes, I was tempted to get a “Dukes of Hazzard” horn and I do have the site bookmarked just in case I get cut-off again with no respect.

Tire pressure is usually a subject that everyone agrees to disagree on but I confused on this one. I have posted this in the SMB forum and in the Sprinter-source forum. Since the #1 cause of tire failure is low air pressure we can’t take this lightly.

This is the manufacturer’s label . . .

and I don’t know whose label (Sportsmobile?) this is but the difference is major.

The tires maximum capacity is 3049 pounds at pressure 80psi.

The GVWR in 8550 pounds with the GAWR Front 3970 and the GAWR Rear 5360. I am not over these but I am within about 200 pounds.

Higher pressure will help my mileage but a stiffer ride on these trashed freeways in California will be bone crunching. (I have hit some holes that the rear axle comes entirely off the road.)

BTW, if the rear seating capacity is 0 as it reads on the second photo, why do I have 4 seatbelts in the rear?

Saturday we had a get-2-gether and a lots of fun. We had 5 or 6 Sprinters there, 2 from SMB. We also had 4 or 5 great 4wd Sportsmobiles and one owner with his Sprinter on the production line at SMB in Fresno. Lots to look at, learn about and talk about!

Tony was there with his Lopes 55 Special from Sportsmobile (the red one). That is quite the deal with the stereo system, satellite dish, etc. More on that here http://www.sportsmobile.com/3_bikes.html.

These are some pics silkwan (from a different forum) took - he apoligized for the contrast - too busy talking. Thank goodness someone was taking pictures!

After Saturday I decided to upgrade the bus’s shocks and sway bar. Also, as soon as I win the lottery, I am getting a CJ5 to pull behind our Sprinter so I can join some of the 4wd Sportsmobile parties. :^)

Had there been a contest, no doubt I would have won but there would have been some close seconds. One 4wd was about the same color as mine and just impeccable.

I am hoping the next get-2-gether we will have some different branded Sprinters and maybe a Class C or two.

I think almost everyone learned one thing or another about Sprinters, SMB 4w drives, how-to’s etc. We had lots of goodies, beer, water, etc. but the group seemed pretty shy about drinking so Tony and I helped make up for it. Hey, the kids wouldn’t even take cookies! Next time it will have to be a bbq. And somewhere shady!

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?