I went to a junkyard today, I found out they had this particular van, a 2007 3500 express. Now while most of the front clip was gone, the suspension was surprisingly still intact. I took some reference pictures to help me make my caliper brackets, then I pulled of the caliper and carrier. Dad and I decided that we wouldn't skimp with junkyard parts when it came to brakes, so we bought brand new calipers from the store. The problem was the caliper cost $40, and the core charge was another $40! So we bought these at $30 a set to save some cash on the core charge.
While mocking up the wheel with the new brake parts, I came to an ugly conclusion. The original steelies probably won't fit. It may work out, but i'm not holding my breath. Because of that, I paid $20 for the front wheels off of the van. That way, when it moves under it's own power, I won't have it standing on jack stands till I find a decent set of wheels. For some reason i don't think hub cap works with the wheel.
While trying to remove the calipers, I somehow managed to shear my 3/8 inch
Craftsman ratchet. I couldn't believe it. i'm trying to decide whether I want to use the free exchange tool warranty, or frame and hang it.