Axle swap into 1956 Ford F500

[axleswap]

I have found a 77-79 (owner sez 1977 but chassis # indicates its a '79) M500 motorhome chassis that I am considering as a donor for axle upgrades on my '56 F500.  I had previously read on a Ford forum that the Dodge was a good donor but that parts were becoming scarce and difficult to locate.  I have read about 25 pages of posts here but have not found anything specific to my application.

I want to rebuild the brakes, bearings, seals, steering, etc.  I have visited Dave's Place site and many of the links do not connect.  Do any of you learned Dodge enthusiasts have referals for parts availability and part numbers?  I have acquired'73, 74-75, and '78-79 Dodge motorhome repair manuals to help me along.

[DaveVA78Chieftain]

You have said your looking at installing a 1979 M500 rear axle into a 1956 Ford F500 chassis and would like to rebuild parts of the Dodge M500 axle. Based on that description I checked the information on my web site and determined most of the information used on 1979 Dodge M500 chassis is still valid.  Some links like Raybestos do not work properly because Raybestos changed the layout of their website however the listed PN still applies.

The way you do this research is:
1. Look up the original Dodge P/N in the Dodge MH Parts book (eg: 1 3/8 Rear Wheel Cylinder: Dodge P/N 3641892)
2. Go to NAPA or Raybestos interchange page and enter the Dodge P/N (eg 3641892 results in Raybestos WC37279)
3. NAPA will bring up the part on screen (eg UP 37279).  For Raybestos google Raybestos WC37279 for availability

Please note the Dodge MH Service manual says that 75 & later M500 used Bendix Dual Servo brakes however, all parts data I have seen, including the Dodge MH Parts book, says Bendix Twinplex brakes..  Twinplex used 2 Wheel cylinders per wheel and Dodge used 2 different sizes so you have to measure the original bores to determine what size you need.

Determining bearing and seal numbers is done the same way as above.
About the only thing I have not been able to locate is brake shoes (15"x4") and brake drums.  With that said, RVs typically have low mileage so those the drum sees little wear. Many times brake shoes are ok to.  Only option for shoes is to find a truck brake shop that can reline shoes.

[axleswap]

Thanks, Dave, as soon as I have the axles in hand I will again refer to your page following your instruction.

I will also utilize the MH front axle assembly and rebuild it as necessary and will save all brake related parts to incorporate into my build as/if needed.  I expect that I will be able to use my existing vacuum booster/master cylinder which will need to be rebuilt.  Do you have connections for that rebuilding service?  The body has been removed from this chassis so I am unable to determine the mileage but the rear shoes may shed some light.

Also I may be able to utilize the power steering assembly from the MH.  Do you have info for rebuilding services?

[DaveVA78Chieftain]

During the period I was doing a lot of this stuff new parts were still easily available so I really did not need to go down the rebuilder path. Only place I really know about is Cardone however here lately I have not been hearing good reviews on their recent products.  Google is your best research friend in this regard.   It is my understanding that brake pad resurfacing is a common service in the trucking industry so that is the best are to look for that.  Also, given that parts are getting scarce, many people now are doing conversions instead of rebuilds.  It's a new world.

[Mlw]

I Don't know if this helps, but on my 1979 Class C MB 500 I do have a single wheel cylinder, but as far as i've seen the Class A have indeed double wheel cylinders. It would make sense as the Class A are bigger momma's as the class C. 

[axleswap]

I do not have access to the dodge parts book for numbers and my google searches lead me around in circles.  So far I have found some 1975 brake parts but do not know if there is a change between 1975 and 1979.  Can someone give me the part numbers for 1979? front calipers, front pads, rear shoes, rear wheel cylinders, front and rear wheel bearings

[DaveVA78Chieftain]

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