Pagoda Group Badge location?

[Jim Donati]

Where (and how) is everyone installing their Pagoda Group badge?  I purchased a badge last year but have not installed it on my vehicle.   I am reluctant to add it to the car as I have not found a location or mounting apparatus that I am happy with.
If you have yours mounted, I would appreciate seeing a photo of where and how you mounted it.

Thanks
Jim

[Rolf-Dieter ✝︎]

Hi Jim,

Have a look at this link, also use the Search function it will point the way for you.

———> https://www.sl113.org/forums/index.php?topic=26855.msg202746#msg202746

Dieter

[John Betsch - "SADIE"]

Here's mine; Looks perfect on our Pagodas

JB

[neelyrc]

I was separated from my car when the badge was received last summer but I had prepared a mounting plate for my MB Silver Star badge earlier in the year and at that time I left room for our new badge.  Here are the pictures of the badges mounted with my original Zoll plate.

Michael, thanks for the grand effort on the project.  Great job!🙂👏

[wayne R]

Donati, there is  allready a slot in our pagoda bumpers at the edge of
the  mounting plate,so i mounted some old german emblems on to
a 1/8 by 1/inch aluminuim  metal  infront of bumper,  held by 2
stainless bolts  through that slot in bumper.
Nothing is touching chrome or  bumper.
Just an example , may help you,     also like to order  a group badge when available.

[mdsalemi]

Jim Donati,

Of course, I feel a bit miffed here...first, as a GRILLE badge, its first and foremost mounting location should be the grille. If you don't like the grille for a grille badge, well can't help that.

I did go through a bit of effort to create a parts kit to mount these in the grille. When I first got them, I realized that mounting flat on the grill caused two challenges, in my opinion. First, anecdotally, there might be less airflow through the grille when flat on it, then when mounted in front of it. Since so many Pagoda owners suffer cooling issues, let not the grille badge add to anyone's woes.  Second, our black grille screens are actually recessed quite a bit compared to the grille surround and the star and barrel. Thus, mounting "proud" or in front of the grille would solve both of these challenges: not interfere with cooling, and provide greater visibility.

Thus, I disposed of the included mounting kits (which would not work on our grilles regardless) and devised the scheme that is noted in the mounting instructions. This takes but a few moments, no tools, is rustproof, and can be removed equally as easy as installed--without any risk of damage or scratching either. So, there's no huge investment in time or anything to try it.

Others like a different mounting scheme. Ralph has his on the front license plate mount. Others have put them in the back. I believe someone fabricated a bracket and mounted it with a license plate too.

[thelews]

Mine is on my toolbox.

[Jim Donati]

Michael:
Don't get me wrong, I think the badge is beautiful and very well made.   So, are you saying you used the mounting kits that came with our badges and you mounted yours on the grill?

If you (or anyone else) has photos of additional grill installed photos, I would appreciate seeing them.

Thanks,
Jim

[mdsalemi]

Jim,

I THREW OUT the mounting arrangement that the supplier gave us with the badges, as it would not really work on a Pagoda. (to be technical I donated the hardware to a Detroit non-profit called "Arts & Scraps" whose name should be an indication of what they do, but you can look them up...)

I DEVISED A NEW KIT, and the mounting kits that came with the badges that all the members ordered was one that I assembled and tested. And, yes indeed, long before anyone even saw the badge, mine (the prototype) was mounted on my grille using essentially the same hardware kit I included with everyone's badge. That's my car, and my badge in the photos in the mounting instructions, along with photos of my hands...

I mounted mine to the left of the grille star, however you can mount it identically on the right--or use a method of your own choosing if you do not want the grille badge mounted on the grille.

[neelyrc]

Michael went “above and beyond” in developing a grill mounting kit with good instructions.  My motivation to place the badge elsewhere was to address what I see as one of the few warts on our cars, the unsightly license plate mounting slot in the front bumper.  Even in U.S. jurisdictions requiring front license plates the slot is still evident unless some effort is made to cover it.

[wayne R]

My main reason for mounting on bumper,it leaves our beautiful distinctive
pagoda  grill open, and unobstructive look from a distance, the large mercedes star
in the grill is the feature .
Michael your input into the group badge design is wonderful, thank you.

[gimp]

I placed mine on the front grill, however I did not use the mounting kit

[Mike Hughes]

Here is what a rear mounting can look like.

[mazmonza]

Hi, this is my badge, mounted centrally on a piece of Perspex, it is bolted through the numberplate  holder then covered by the numberplate.


Maurice

[ejboyd5]

Although it may be intended as a "grille badge," mounting it as such creates a pronounced unbalanced appearance to the front of a Pagoda.  Those who chose to append the badge to either the front or rear license plate do much less damage to the original Mercedes design.  This observation is quite apart from the installation of a grille badge on the classic chrome grilles so familiar as the Mercedes brand for so many years where the sheer size of the grille calls for something to break up the immensity of the grille. 

[mdsalemi]

To each their own, which is why there are different mounting schemes. Mount it the way you choose, or not at all.

Or, leave it in the envelope and put it on a shelf, or do something else with it. The MB club Canada had a grille badge that made a very dandy central element of an award placque. So, you can give yourself an award if you choose as well. Mount it on a wall, screw it to a tool box...the possibilities are only limited by your imagination.

As a grille badge, I felt it necessary to provide at least one proven, easy mounting arrangement on the grille. That I did. You do not have to use it. However if I did not provide easy mounting, for certain many would stay in their envelope on a shelf.

Personally I mounted mine as shown in a previous photo and have left it there. I don't think my car looks unbalanced, but that's my opinion.

[John Betsch - "SADIE"]

As an addition to my posted picture, I did not show the passenger grill side which has corresponding Region Badges as well as the MBCA Badge.  Balanced and complementary.  Thanks for your effort Mike

JB

[johnnymack]

My take on location

[Mike Hughes]

What is the badge on the driver's side?  I can't quite make it out.

[mdsalemi]

My take on location

That’s s Ralphs concept as well;  he does not like the European mounting slots, So two badges fill those holes quite nicely!

 That might be something that I would’ve actually done however I have a European plate on the front. Thus I don’t have those holes visible.

[Pawel66]

This is how it looks with European plates. Picture is bad quality...

[UJJ]

I also installed mine onto the front bumper

[neelyrc]

Pawel, excuse my ignorance. Can you educate me on the reason for blanking out the license plate number in the picture in your Post #20 above. 

[MikeSimon]

Ralph:

While I do not know Pawel's reason, I do the same when I post a picture of a vehicle on the internet. We sell quite a few cars and motorcycles through different avenues on-line and we always black out the plate, if it is still mounted. I cannot really give you a definite reason why, but it seems to be a good procedure to limit the amount of personal information when you show something for the whole world to see.
You may have seen the front German plate on the pictures of my 280SL here, but that is a defunct plate on no longer registered.

[Pawel66]

Pawel, excuse my ignorance. Can you educate me on the reason for blanking out the license plate number in the picture in your Post #20 above.

This is a general practice. This picture will/may end up in thousands of places you would never want it to end up. E.g. why would I give a thief a legitimate license plate number for the car he stole?

Could be it is overcautious.