I have owned my rig since October 2004, been working on it ever since, whether it be cosmetic things or major things
I have replaced the roof, toilet, water heater, fridge, awning and generator. new vintage front seats The motor I have rebuilt the carb, new fuel sending unit, valve cover gaskets, brake lines, eaxternal tranny cooler along with radiator tranny cooler. changed over the tranny dipstick tube so I can check the fluid from under the hood instead of pulling the motor cover(guys that have my vintage know what a pain this can be) I went from dodge 16.5 to dodge 16 inch. Replaced the u joints, tranny mount and carrier bearing. My latest project I just finished was replacing the original rear springs with new and new bilstein shocks all the way around, man what a difference. Spring Replacement PIC It has been a real labor of love.
I pull a custom built s10 trailer behind the camper to store some of the camping gear while we camp.
We use the rv about 5 times a year. pics from memorial day 2012
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Ok so I guess I need to get to my question..lol
I know my chassis pretty well which is an MB400. I'm looking to see if I can locate replacement parts for my front suspension
Ball joints tie rod ends drag links. I want to completely rebuild the front suspension with new stuff. I was hoping to find a Chrysler book with the part numbers for the mb400 chassis(this seems to be impossible task) and do the leg work myself of tracking down NOS stuff or new moog stuff by numbered search
Has anyone else rebuilt their front suspension of these old dodge mb400 units? I know some stuff for these crosses with b300 1 ton vans but when it comes to that stuff I just don't want to guess.
thanks
How many of us are there? Owners of Dodge based RV's?
You might have better luck posting your question there.
http://rockauto.com/
1998 Thor California Tahoe 25RL TT
boharris thanks
according to the chrysler VIN break down there are b100, b200, b300 cb300 mb300 and mb400
the cb = commercial body
the mb = motorhome body
Some parts are the same for the b300 as the mb400 for example motor parts, belts, houses.
but I'm just not sure where suspension parts lie in that catagory
all the b300 are single 8 lug front axle vans. the mb300 and mb400 are all dually front 8 lug axles. i would assume that would make a difference on the suspension and front chaissis parts
Steve & Linda
Son married (1 DIL, 3 granddaughters 1 grandson)
Daughter Married.
Miami Co. Kansas
2004 F350 CC dually 8ft bed 6.0 PSD
2009 Bighorn 3670RL
B&W under bed hitch with 18k companion hitch
My belief is the stuff in the cab area will match the B300. The nose sheet metal on yours looks like our 1971 B300. Suspension wasn't all that hard to work on, but the later version, around 1978 maybe but not sure, seemed a little more robust. Ours had two idler arms in the steering linkage, does yours? I think they changed that later.
EDIT: We bought the B300 new and owned it 25-years. During that time we replaced everything but the steering box and rear axle. So in front, over time, ball joints and all the bushings, plus steering linkage. Replacing rubber suspension bushings makes a big difference in ride and alignment. Don't torque the fasteners till the vehicle is settled at road height, never when suspension is dropped.
Also, the REAR motor mount (at transmission tailshaft) failed often on this unit. When it does, the mount goes metal-to-metal with the crossmember and vibration oozes through that whole body.
* This post was edited 07/12/12 11:32am by j-d *
If God's Your Co-Pilot Move Over, jd
2003 Jayco Escapade 31A on 2002 Ford E450 V10 4R100 218" WB
some stuff is one ton van stuff but some stuff is not, i'm just wandering what the real difference is between the b300 cb300 mb300 and the mb400
i guess i need to seek out a chrylser parts book
Make sure you have a couple spare starter resistors. They go bad fairly frequently.
Symptoms:
Engine ran well before shutting down but, although it cranks well, won't start subsequently. It's, in all liklihood, the resistor (the approx. 3" X 1" white porcelain unit mounted on the firewall, generally has 2 leads).
They're relatively cheap but have stranded more motorists than anything else on Chrysler/Dodge/Plymouth cars & trucks.
Bob (Squidly Down Under) & Peg
"In God we trust"
2013 Ford Focus pushing a 2011 Phoenix Cruiser 2552S
Carry on, regardless...............
The porcelain "ballast resistor" for Points/Condenser ignition had two wires and was held down with a screw through a little bracket that went around it.
When MoPar went to Solid State ignition, the resistor went to four wires and held by a large screw through a hole in the porcelain. That large screw should be left loose. Less likely to trap the porcelain into cracking as it heats up.
That Ignition Module's pretty cheap too. The one with one transistor showing and a 5-pin connector. I think it was genius that they arranged those pins in the shape of a PentaStar, but my point here is that the module has to be tightly grounded.
Another glitch with MoPar of that era was the magnets in the distributor pickup sometimes weakened and they might not start unless cranking speed was really good.
True story:
I was Project Manager at the old Lynch Road Assembly plant in Detroit and coordinated the $73m 1979 "R" car changeover (the last full-size Chrysler/Dodge/Plymouth cars). Being the 1st plant to incorporate robots, it was then big news. Consequently, the newspaper sent Ven Marshall to cover the launch and Governor Bill Milliken was scheduled to drive the 1st car off the Final Line while being filmed. The Final Line Foreman, rightfully so, made sure the car (a Chrysler New Yorker Fifth Avenue "Champagne Edition") would start before the filming begun.
I was standing at the side of the line and Milliken was in the Driver's seat. Filming started, the line advanced, Milliken was smiling.....and the car wouldn't start.
As the line advanced the car past me, Milliken said (out the side of his mouth) Oh, ain't this a B!tch".
Seems the ballast resistor failed.
That episode ran on national syndicated TV for 3 days.
I won't even mention the "Lean-Burn" system.
Then Iacocca took over, which leads to a few other stories (he hated that car and killed it after 3 years).
We added dash air conditioning (Clardy kit), upgraded igniton to electronic, an alternator from 30A to 60A. BTW, we got much better service out of the original-syle alternators with individual diodes pressed into the rear case. We had several brige rectifier bank failures with the later model "square back" alternators.
Oh, the Water Pump in one of the pictures on RV.net (or linked) has the nose that looks like a distributor cap or pencil holder. It's not as heavy-duty as the one with the smaller nose.
* This post was edited 03/05/13 07:47am by j-d *
Source: https://www.rv.net/forum/index.cfm/fuseaction/thread/tid/26189249/print/true.cfm
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