z89101 wrote:
Thank very prompt request for my reply. your eager need for my reply is so encouraging.
Brake drums, hardware front disc/calipers, driveshaft hardware etal - the 163 is unique - thanks for helping me source oem equivalent hardware as NAPA and Rock Auto are sourcing close guesses- I have the parts manual - useless with the conversion PN codes. the close but inaccurate is the rule. Look, you know all of this - the Special Dana, the special front, you are my new to me great ness.
You are a godsend. The hydro and brake-lines are conforming, of course.. but you also know the special PWS lines PN numbers alternatives?
Oh, I searched this and other sites - YOU are the one!!!
Mike
It's a good thing I don't wear hats, although I may need to adjust my dust mask tomorrow. (I could find several hundred people who would testify in court, under oath, as to the size of my ego.)
So, I'll just respond with my sister's response when she receives compliments -- "I know."
History: In the old days, Mother Mopar and her five sons (Chrysler, Dodge, Plymouth, Imperial, and Fargo) arguably invented the concept of "have it your way." They built a bewildering array of variations and would crank out a custom configuration as long as it didn't require special engineering. (This is why working on them is so interesting ... and frustrating.)
Case on point: I have been repeatedly told the two-barrel 383 was strictly a truck engine and was never put in an automobile. They kept insisting this even when I opened the hood on my '66 Dodge Polara and showed them the original build sheet. (Their bewilderment was always similar that experienced by natural science folks when they first encountered a platypus.)
This is one of the reasons I keep insisting on finding the
chassis VIN. It's the best way to determine what you're dealing with. Even then, you sometimes have to take into account variations ordered by individual customers, such as the "truck" engine in my '66 sedan.
Motorhomes get more interesting because you have more parties (including the government) involved in their manufacture. On anything after the early 70's, the registration VIN assigned by the coach manufacturer is almost always different from the chassis VIN assigned by Dodge. There's also the issue of split year motorhomes, where the model year on the registration is newer than the chassis year. (You can thank government regulations for these situations.)
Two examples: My M300 was registered as a 1970 Dodge Explorer but was built on a 1969 chassis. The registration VIN matched the chassis VIN but was useless is you tried to look it up as a 1970 model. (There was a format change for VIN's from 1969 to 1970.)
On the other hand, the registration and chassis year on my 1973 Dodge Explorer (RM350) are the same but there's two different VIN's.
So, your motorhome may have a unique coach but likely has a standard Dodge configuration. To the best of my knowledge, all coach manufacturers used standard chassis configuration ... at least, I'm not aware of any ordering custom configurations. (The extra engineering expense makes it unlikely.)
So, look for the chassis VIN.
The possibility exist that someone made aftermarket modifications. If so, your "adventure" is going to get more "interesting" ... and my ability to help will be more limited. (But not impossible.)
Regarding PWS: Gesundheit, I'm not familiar with that acronym. (For Alaskans, PWS means Prince William Sound.)
All standard Dana axles have numbers stamped into the tubes, in addition to casting numbers on the housing. The numbers on the tubes, usually on the right/passenger side tube, are important. The most important is the build number as it identifies the exact original configuration of that particular axle. (I go to a friend in town to look up and decipher Dana build numbers ... it helps him know exactly which parts I need.)
The other numbers can also be helpful. For example: A Dana 70 axle sitting in my yard (out of the 1969/1970 M300 Explorer) is stamped M70, which helped me find out it is a special narrowed axle built specifically for motorhomes. (Hence the M.)
