PartyOf Five wrote:
I was surprised to learn that the Ford chassis is often the same between A n C units. I've been very happy with how well ours has been. Of course the cabover is a perpetual concern with C units, as is storage capacity, and so exceeding the weight limit on the rear axle.
Most often, the chassis is somewhat similar but not the same. Most Ford-based class A's use the F53 chassis, while class C's use the E350 or E450 chassis. There are a few smaller class A's based on the E series chassis. (There are no class C's based on the F53 because it's only available as a bare chassis, and so by definition cannot become a class C since you need to start with a cutaway or cab-and-chassis for it to be a class C.)
The F53 has a solid front axle with kingpins, rather than a twin I-beam with ball joints. It uses the three valve version of the V10 engine, rather than the 2 valve version used in the E series chassis. The overall frame and axles and GVWR are heavier on the F53. Still, there are a fair number of similarities.
