300C SRT8: Lust at First Sight

My name is Stephen Rosing and this is my Modern Mopar Story.

I was a Volvo driving father of two with an SUV driving soccer-mom spouse when I first saw an advertisement for the Chrysler 300C. It was a car that absolutely demanded an emotional response. Mine was lust. To this day I’m not sure what it was I did, said, or promised the wife but soon after a brilliant black 300C SRT-8 was parked in my driveway.

That was five years ago and a lot of things have changed, for example my son now drives the Volvo. But one thing that hasn’t changed is the sheer amount of emotion this car still generates. Love it or hate it, nobody is neutral about this car. It is two tons of attitude who’s ability to draw comments and crowds hasn’t declined one bit.

It’s also been a busy five years for me because other than welding and exterior paint I’ve done all the mods to the car myself; more out of necessity than anything else. I would love to drop off the car, a list of mods and a check at the local custom hot rod shop but with a wife, kids, pets and a mortgage the only way I was going to get anywhere was to teach myself some automotive skills.

Thanks to a very active Mopar community on the internet and cheap tools at Harbor Freight, I’ve learned fiberglass, bodywork, upholstery, automotive electronics, acrylic work, media blasting, powder coating, vinyl wrapping and several other miscellaneous skills. The projects didn’t always turn out right the first time and some would have been cheaper if I had bought rather than built. But it’s been fun over all and the ability to say “I built that” is so very satisfying. Almost as satisfying as the feeling of piloting a boat sized road-rocket past cars sporting German badges and the faces of embarrassed owners.

Club Affiliation: DFWLX CLUB, Dallas TX

Modifications:

Exterior: Custom Grip front bumper, custom vented front fenders, custom Sarona Roof wing with integrated LED brake light, Paramount Continental Grill and mesh, Veilside rear bumper, smoothed hood with welded eyelids, smoothed trunk with VIP Executive trunk spoiler, custom painted headlight housings with LED halos, custom projector fog lights with LED halos, Mercedes style turn signal mirror covers, carbon fiber door pillars, IPCS LED tail lights

Audio: RideRunner Car PC based entertainment system with Habey BIS-6620-I Intel Embedded Z510 Based Ultra Low Power “Tiny” PC, Lilliput 10.1 Inch USB Touch Screen UM-1010, CarNetix Dual Output Intelligent DC-DC Regulator, Pioneer DEQ-7600 eq/preamp, DUAL twin 12 subs with Lanzar MAXP1200 mono subwoofer amp, Rockford Fosgate component speaker system powered by Lanzar MAXP4260 4 channel stereo amp and Boss Audio CAP30 30 Farad Capacitor

Suspension: Eibach Sport shocks, springs and sways for a 2” drop, 22 inch Staggered Chrome Viper Wheels with Toyo Proxes 265/30/22 front tires and 305/25/22 rear tires

Engine Compartment: Smoothed and powder coated Intake, Billet Technology engine dress-up kit, braided lines, custom half covers, silver carbon fiber firewall, LED lighting, custom 4 inch cold air induction, 3G CustomZ Engine Metal

Engine: Let’s just say it’s not stock.