I have a little bit to add. The nomenclature of 100 150 200 250, were not available in the same years. 100, 200, 300 were altogether. Likewise 150,250,350. 1972 likely has the 2 piece rotor with pin type caliber. 1973 went to uni-cast. The absolute easiest way to tell whether ld or HD is to look at the lower control arm. If it has a large pocket for the coil, it is a hd. If the spring sits on top (like your current lower) it's a ld. Ld whether 100 or 200, uses the same ball joint. One of the biggest upgrades that you can make is finding a sway bar, especially if you can find one on a 300 or 350. I would stay away from jy coil springs. All the big parts stores can get you a new set at a reasonable price.

Also, the center is off set because the motor sits closer to the passenger side.

The D150 came out in 77. The D100 didn't end until 1989 but there were a few years in between that didn't have a D100.

Are the steering knuckles the same between a d200 and d300? Is the width different between a srw and drw dana? Thanks.

100's = 1/4 ton
150's = 1/2 ton
200/250's =3/4 ton
300/350's = 1 ton
Lots of details missing but that was the general idea of it.

Knuckles Depends on axle weight rating. Rear axle depend on srw, pickup drw or cab and chassis drw.

in my junkyard ownership days, the D100 was a 1/2 ton, and the D150 was considered a "heavy 1/2 ton".
the 1/4 ton pickups were the imported "little" pickups.

That was always the way the trucks were referred to at the local Dodge dealers as well. Even a Dakota short beds were called 1/2 ton pickups

I believe the Imported long bed D 50 was considered a 1/2 ton as well. I think the Mitsubishi pickup (the D 50) was the only long bed imported small truck offered in the USA. Otherwise, all the import small, short bed trucks were considered as 1/4 ton pickups.

One other point to consider is the frame size. Some of the 1/2 ton trucks in the 1980's had thinner gauge frame rails. The 4x4 trucks and some of the heavier duty 2 wheel drive 1/2 tons had frames that were the same size as the light duty 3/4 ton trucks. There was also a difference in the width of the frames. I think the 1/2 ton trucks typically had 6 inch frames. These could be either the thinner or thicker gauge metal. The heavier duty 3/4 and 1 tons had 7 or 8 inch frames. The longer wheelbase frames were often made of the larger size also.

Personal opinion: If you are going to do a frame swap, use one of the heavier duty frames. It will come with the stronger suspension parts, etc. It seems like the heavier duty trucks may have also used the Dana 70 rear axle. I believe it was Gene who suggested considering a newer frame. That is probably a good idea. Make sure it is safe to cut or weld the newer frame. (Assuming it need to be modified to fit under the older truck.) I've heard some of these newer frames (Hydro-formed type??) can not be welded like the old frames. I don't know what year that started though. (I'm not even sure if Dodge made such frames of it it was some other manufacturer.)

If you will be towing close to a 10,000 lb. trailer, you need a real stout truck. I made the mistake once of pulling a load that size with a light duty 3/4 ton truck. It was originally a 360 powered truck, but a 318 had been swapped into it at some point. The truck had 4.10 gears with a 4 speed. I had to pull that heavy trailer up a long steep grade. Near the top of the hill, it was real questionable whether it would have enough power to make it up the hill. You do NOT want to find yourself in that situation!!!! If you are going to tow that much weight, have a truck that is capable of handling the load.

By the way, I LOVE the idea of using an older truck to tow a vintage camper. I've wanted to do that as well. Unfortunately, there are other priorities in my life currently.

Now that 6 years has gone by, Wylie has probably moved on.

But, frame size and strength is worth discussing and is just as confusing. The 3 sizes are 6, 7 or 8 inch height, with various thickness.

Best I've been able to determine, 6 inch was used up to 7700 gvw, 7 inch above 8000. The 8 inch got common with the diesel trucks but there's minimal correlation to engine. Rumor is that lots of club cab gas trucks had 8 inch.

I've worked on an 89 W250 Cummins with a 6 inch frame, had an 89 W350 cab and chassis gas 10k gvw with a 7 inch, a 77 W200 8k 7 inch and a 92 D250 Cummins 8500gvw and an 8 inch frame. Other trucks I've owned were under 8000gvw and 6 inch.

The 92 Cummins is odd, it's got the heaviest frame but a lighter rear axle and no overloads compared with the 89 cc. The 92 window sticker does call out an 8500 gvw package which might be the frame upgrade.

I worked with a lot of Dodge trucks over the years. I have real life experiences.

The 72 new design was updated in 73, and much of the stuff from the 72 and the 73 did not interchange. This always showed up when you started looking for replacement parts. The 72 model year is often listed alone, and then the other siting start at 1973.

Things were pretty decent in the time from 73 up to about mid way through 76. Chrysler was facing hard financial times by mid 76. What ever parts were on hand were used to send the trucks out the doors. That story didn't really change until the 94 new truck design.

Dodge always told you specific trucks had specific parts, That was probably the goal, and I'm sure for the most part was true, but the hard truth was, it was not always true. From about 1980 on, I was buying, selling, scrapping, and building Mopar cars and trucks. I learned very early, you had to look at each specific truck to actually see what Dodge shipped it with, or what someone swapped into it. That was the real life experience.

Now, here we are all these years later and some guys are telling the world that every Dodge 150, 250, or 350 came with specific parts because some book said so. That was not true back then, and it sure doesn't apply now that all these years have passed, and guys have installed what ever they could get their hands on to keep the trucks on the road.

The book guys can keep living in fantasy land, I'll keep living in the real world. The parts under your 1973-1993 Dodge truck may be anything Dodge had on hand at the time it was built, or what ever parts some previous owner installed to keep it functioning.

When you get past the D 350s and into big trucks, things really got twisted, and motor home chassis is a whole new world.

When it comes to Chrysler, the historic events and production timing have a tremendous impact on each other. Chrysler has always been a company with a wide swing of financial position, between very well off to going broke, or somewhere in between. Those financial pictures of times also had a huge impact on production. To discount the financial position Chrysler was in at any given time would be a serious error.

Yep, things were quite random and you have to look to know what you have.

Well the FSM does list frame specs for different trucks by GVW, wheelbase etc. If you have that information you can measure the frame(s) you have to know what it was supposed to be for. Because in addition to the main frame height there is metal gauge and flange width as well. Probably more but I don't have a book in front of me.