Is there any kind of stamping or marking for the part # on an OEM power steering pump for a '72 U code Supreme?

 

Any idea?

 

The pump, reservoir, and pulley are separate components so there are likely differences in pulley applications, but I do not think there is a part number specific to any engine/model for the pump (as in they were all the same).

 

Kenneth - Interesting you should say this. I thought same thing last night when looking for a number specific to the PS pump itself. I couldn't find a number specific to the pump & like you said I found numbers for the various pulleys & reservoirs dependent on engine w/ &/or w/o AC.

 

Ok...let me elaborate. I need to replace the p/s pump outer casing seal on my '72 Supreme, and if the pump is original, then that's the route I'm gonna take. However, if there's no way to distinguish an original from aftermarket, then I'm just gonna R&R the whole assembly. Savvy?

 

I would just get the seal kit. From what I recall working in parts stores, we sold the pump without the reservoir. The reservoir and pulley had to be swapped from the old pump to the new pump.

 

Highly likely you have a Saginaw PS pump. I don't believe GM sourced a PS pump from any other manufacturer - such as Federal, or Thompson/TRW. Dollars-to-donuts it's a Saginaw.

 

I'd probably go w/ Edelman (Dixon, Illinois) - no telling where AC Delco is being made these days.

RA has it on the cheap but it will get eaten up in shipping. Amazon has same. With a name like Sumsong I'm not sure I'd got with that brand - toss of the coin maybe?

 

Is a rebuild pretty straightforward?

 

It should be really called a "re-seal" as all you're doing with those kits is replacing some various rubber seals. You're not rebuilding or replacing any of the moving and metal parts inside the pump.

 

Patton - That's a really great point.

 

The re seal is a fairly easy operation.

 

As it happens, I’m in the middle of replacing the power steering pump on my ‘73 Delta 88 with a 350.

https://classicoldsmobile.com/forums...pulley-179455/

This will be the third or fourth time I’ve replaced a PS pump in my time, and, in all cases including this one, I’ve ordered a pump WITH a reservoir. I usually can find pumps both with and without reservoirs, but getting one with a reservoir saves time and work, so why not get it from the factory already put together and leak-tested. The cost difference is not great.

In all the pumps I’ve worked with, including the one currently on my ‘73, which I think is original to the car, I’ve never seen one with a part number on it. Some will have a sticker on them with a long number and bar code, which I assume is from the company that remanufactured it if it is a reman unit.

I wouldn’t worry about whether or not the pump is original. If it is, and if you want to keep it and just replace seals, that’s cool. But that’s extra work, too, because it still requires removing the pump from the car and removing the pulley, which is a pain in the behind no matter how you slice it. If you’re going to go through all that trouble, just throw in a new pump and be done with it for another 50 years.

To my mind, power steering pumps are among the most uninteresting things on a car, and any pump from a respectable manufacturer or rebuilder is fine. No one looks at power steering pumps when you’re at a car show, and, even if they do, all they can see is the reservoir filler cap. No one will care if it's not the original pump.

Rockauto shows lots of pumps for your car, both rebuilt and new, from several different manufacturers. Lares is one of them, and they’re a big name is steering components, so I would have no hesitation in buying one of theirs as I have purchased power steering components from them before.

The list at Rockauto more than fills my computer screen, so this image does not show them all.