regis101 wrote:
I was almost going to start a new thread since I'm having trouble with my inquiry.
I'll ask here since the issues just came up.
I am also browsing around for front and rear shocks and brake parts. Pretty much everything seems available. But I'm having trouble telling what chassis I have vs the listed axle weights. Should be simple though I would think?
I have the mfg tag on the door and it states, 3300# front and 5700# rear. GVW as mtg'd is 8300#. The rear has duals and the front is a single 8 lug typical one ton type wheel, with dog dish hub cap, not a dually style wheel.
So far, Bilstein seems to be the only one to address the 4k# or non-4k# regarding shocks. I use AutoZone as my go-to FLAPS just because. Their website description(s) can be sometimes no accurate enough for me.
Am I thinking too hard? The B30, B300, CB300, MB300 is spinning me around
B30 is either a typo or something completely different, so ignore it.
Yours is an MB300, with the M meaning motorhome.
The CB300 is virtually identical to the MB300, with the C meaning commercial (i.e., box van). Both are "cut-away" chassis delivered incomplete to secondary manufacturers for use to build a variety of motorhomes and commercial vehicles.
(Apparently, Mother Mopar came up with the "M" designation because some people had hiccups over their fancy motorhome being built on a "commercial" chassis ... Mother Mopar might have better using a "heavy-duty" designation for both, such as H300.)
B300 is simply the complete 1-ton van.
Outside of the body/coach/box, all three are essentially the same in terms of engine, drivetrain, and chassis, with similar variations across all three "models". That means the same parts fit all three, taking into account variations such as front axle weight rating.
Okay, just saw your edit. Because yours has eight lug wheels on the front, stay with the that axle rating.
I haven't much luck with Autozone, as well as other common parts stores. Their business model is heavily oriented towards cars and more common light trucks (i.e., pickups and vans). Their listings for our vehicles tend to be sparse and I've found lots of errors in the few parts listing they do have.
CSK/Schuck's tends to be middle of the road, between few erroneous listings and full appropriate listings. NAPA and CarQuest tend to be better, especially if the particular store caters to commercial trucks and/or has knowledgeable counter people.
When it comes to shocks for older motorhomes (actually all motorhomes), finding the right shocks tends to be a PITA. Shock manufacturers tend to focus on newer vehicles and, while they may have appropriate shocks for older vehicles, they've ceased listing those applications. Generally, you need a parts person who really knows what their doing and, especially, have hung onto the old PAPER catalogs.
I've had the best luck finding shocks through KYB. If you have the old shocks, see if you can find a part number. Also, see if you can find the Dodge chassis VIN on the outside of the frame behind the right front wheel. Many motorhomes have two VIN tags, with different numbers ... one assigned to the chassis by Dodge and the other assigned to the whole vehicle by the coach manufacturer. (Thank Congress and the bureaucrats for that SNAFU.)
In any case, send me the old shock part number, chassis VIN, and any other info you can find in a PM and I'll try to track down a source for the right shocks.
