May 2005
About Dwayne and his 'D' Dear DOC, I’m Dwayne Messerschmidt and want to thank the BOD for voting me May 2005 DOTM. It was two and a half years ago when I first checked out the DOC website. I looked around and saw the archive section and there was a DOTM section. I looked at it and decided one day I wanted my new D to be in that section. I really didn’t know what it would take, but knew I wanted it to get there someday. Well that day has come and I'm happy to add my name to the list of nice people who came before me and will come after me. This is a great club with many wonderful people. I never could have gotten my D where it is without the many helpful people answering the many silly questions I asked. I also never could have got it to where it is without the many partsI bought from the many members… LOL. I have parts from D’s in Texas, Louisiana, California, New Jersy and probably a few other states. A big Thank You goes to all of you as well those who helped give me technical and emotional support along the way. A little bit about me… I'm married for the second time with 2 girls from my first marriage, Anne (13) and Emily (10). My wife Lydia and I both work for United Technologies in East Hartford, CT. We work for different divisions but on the same campus. After getting married in 2001, we built a house in Columbia, CT — a quiet area in the country that gives me many opportunities to enjoy my hobbies. I like to Mountain Bike, work with wood, build stone walls & landscape and clean my D after running through the mud in my back yard. Both of my girls and my wife compete in Archery tournaments in the area. We acquired a Border Collie puppy, Keagan, just as we started building our house and she'll chase just about anything you throw. My wife’s grandmother found herself in need of care 2 years ago so we took her into our home. Just last week, we moved her to a nearby full time Alzheimer’s care facility as her needs were getting to be more than we could handle. It's been a challenge, but a rewarding one. So, between Nana, the girls, the dog, my wife and my stuff, we're mostly on the go. As for my D. Ever since seeing the first one in 1998, I was in love. I couldn't believe anything so cool could be for sale. However, back then, I was struggling with a house, 2 small kids and being divorced and couldn't afford one so I just lusted in private over that beast. Fast forward to December 2002… My minivan was giving me troubles, my worn out Isuzu 4x4 had just died and my wife and I were in the market for something to replace them. After test driving different vehicles over the past few years, I'd decided on a Dodge. I'd never owned one before but they were what I was looking for so we drove a new (at the time) Dakota 4 Dr and Ram 4 Dr (both 4x4.) They sure were nice but the back seats just weren't what we wanted since it'd be our main vacation vehicle and needed to be comfortable for the kids. There was a 1999 Platinum SLT+ Durango sitting there with 27,000 miles on it so we jumped in for grins and took it for a spin. The grin was still there when we got back so we borrowed it for the weekend and, come Monday, it was ours! They cleaned it up, gave us the keys and my dream finally came true. It was my daily driver and I loved the ride, power and feel of the road. We put 20,000 miles on it the first year and took a trip to Kansas the following Summer with me, my wife, 2 kids and our dog. Everything we needed to bring fit with room to spare and, with the 3rd row seat, the kids could spread out. It was a great trip and a great vehicle. The day I bought it, a guy from work sent me a link to the DOC website and I started reading the Forum. I was amazed at the knowledge those people had and knew I had to join right away. I got my membership and proudly added the 5hp sticker to my back window. Everywhere I looked, I saw a D and kept my eyes peeled for more of those stickers in my area. In the beginning, I mostly just sat back and read about all the mods people had been putting on their D’s and drooled. It'd been many years since I picked up a wrench to add performance parts to one of my cars and now it was time to dust them off. After getting the dreaded Death Flash in February, 2003, I started asking questions and after some discussions, added an air intake and a Fastman TB at the ‘03 NEDOC June Meet in NJ. After that, I knew my checkbook would never be the same! To date, my list of modifications include:
Future mods will include:
Since hooking up with the DOC, I've met many people and attended just about every meet up here in the Northeast and 2 Plant Tours in Delaware. I've hosted 2 events at my house and look forward to hosting more in the future. I enjoy reading the many posts and I chime in more as my experience and knowledge grow. This is a great club and I look forward to many more years with my D as well as this club. This website is in no way affiliated with Dodge or Chrysler LLC.
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