Chrysler 300C & SRT8 Forums banner

Welded Mad Eyes - on a budget!

30K views 49 replies 19 participants last post by  BrokeWinger 
#1 · (Edited)
Welded mad-eyes on a budget?

How? Forget overpriced body shops and machine shops.
Go to a boat propeller repair shop - they are aluminum experts!
I walked in with a cardboard template of what I wanted, they cut it out for me on the spot, 20 minutes and 20 bucks later I have the eyebrows.

I figure it can't hurt to ask, could they weld them on for me?

Sure, just bring back the hood off the car (won't work on it while on the car for insurance purposes) and they will knock it out in 20-30 minutes.
Total charge? $40.00 (you should see the beautiful welds they do - you can't put crappy welds on a boat prop!)

Yes, it still needs to be painted but this eliminates a LOT of the upfront cost previously associated with this mod.

So here are the eyelids, freshly cut:


Last chance to back out, once you do this you are commited to painting the hood - grinding the edges of the hood


At the Shop



Close Up of Finished Weld. Had them run a heavy bead across the back with just a couple of tacks up front
Others have mentioned flex/cracking problems but not these, the hood flexes before the weld! The small
gaps will be filled with body filler.


Here are the eyelids with the filler work completed:


Mad Eyes - Ready for Paint
 
See less See more
6
#4 ·
Ha! I'm not looking for trouble as a 'unauthorized' vendor on the forum. Seriously, any boat prop repair shop should be able to do it and the price should be the same, its just a scrap of 1/8th sheet aluminum to them. Only suggestion is if you live in a big city drive out into the country side and hit a small mom/pop shop.
 
#12 ·
I didn't keep them. Just do what I did. Get some poster board, a ruler and an exacto knife and play with it until you find a size and shape you like. Once you have a shape you like take it to the shop and have them cut two pieces; one is simply flipped over as a mirror image,
 
#17 ·
Nice Lids welcome to the Club. I too did my own just like you. I used an old cardboard box cut to a shape i liked and then found a welder.
Good call on the Boat shop i didnt even think about that.

They look good.

Welcome

Eric
 
#19 ·
If you don't mind a highjack thats an old pic of Black Cherri. Here is her lates look.



Back on track thou when you have the lids finished don't just bondo the seam get the metal filler then bondo I did fiberglass filler then bondo and i have a few spots but not enought to redo the whole thing.

Eric
 
#21 ·
Thats the same advie I got from the shop, use metal filler. It's curing now - has a 12 hour drying time but will be good and strong. Also, I dont use bondo because of cracking problems I use urethane filler which has maintains some flexibility.

Today 07:33 AMBig D's 300CGlad somebody found a cheaper route. I've been looking for a welder that I can trust for the pass few weeks now and this thread is just what I needed. I'm near the lake, so there are boat shops galore around here. Thanks Tx Bandit. Today 07:33 AMBig D's 300CGlad somebody found a cheaper route. I've been looking for a welder that I can trust for the pass few weeks now and this thread is just what I needed. I'm near the lake, so there are boat shops galore around here. Thanks Tx Bandit. Today 07:33 AMBig D's 300CGlad somebody found a cheaper route. I've been looking for a welder that I can trust for the pass few weeks now and this thread is just what I needed. I'm near the lake, so there are boat shops galore around here. Thanks Tx Bandit. Glad somebody found a cheaper route. I've been looking for a welder that I can trust for the pass few weeks now and this thread is just what I needed. I'm near the lake, so there are boat shops galore around here. Thanks Tx Bandit
Your welcome! Just trying to give a little back to the forum in return for all the great info I've found.
 
#25 · (Edited)
Here is what the finished front end looks like with the mad-eyes:



Picked up a Grip grill to go with my Grip front end but not sure I am going to use it.
Went to Spring Fest 2010 and it seems like EVERY 300 had a Grip grill.
I think I am going to stick with my custom Bentley Continental grill and sell the Grip.
Or maybe keep them both and just alternate at the shows and keep the one that wins the awards. :saroll:
 
#26 ·
Got the hood back from the paint shop:



Picked up a Grip grill to go with my Grip front end but not sure I am going to use it.
Went to Spring Fest 2010 and it seems like EVERY 300 had a Grip grill.
I think I am going to stick with my custom Bentley Continental grill and sell the Grip.
Or maybe keep them both and just alternate at the shows and keep the one that wins the awards. :saroll:


going to look way better once you get that grip fascia back on!


and yeah that is why i still have my mopar chrome mesh grill cause just about every other 300 has the grip now :pat:


but that is a good idea about alternating though! lol
 
#33 ·
How much did what cost? The mad-eyes? The paint? Or the bumper, the bumper mod, the grill, the stainless mesh, the fogs, the halos, the custom badges, the washer nozzles delete? The front of the car, the back of the car, the interior, the engine compartment? LOL! I've saved a lot by doing as much of the work as I can as well as looking for bargains and help from members of DFWLX (can't say enough good things about that club!) As far as cost goes lets just say I added a rider to my insurance to cover the mods.
 
This is an older thread, you may not receive a response, and could be reviving an old thread. Please consider creating a new thread.
Top