72- 340 power steering.

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Syleng1

Karma is real and Life is short...
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So I’m at the track on Sunday and a guy walks over to my factory 72’ 340 4 speed Demon and asks what power steering pump I have. I show him and he says it’s wrong. It should be the one with the bolt on pulley (federal style) and not the solid pulley. He walks away. Nice guy- who am I to argue.

funny part is I bought this car pretty much un- molested 20 years ago with 56,000 original miles and All paperwork from the dealer and nothing about a power steering upgrade / change. Mine has the saganaw pump and he said it should be a federal.

Am I missing anything? Every 72’ Dart and Demon I’ve owned has had this pump style. My 71 and under has had either style.
 
I was always under the impression Federal's were from the earlier years and Saginaw's were the improved model....but hey...someone more knowledgeable than me will chime in.
 
Pretty strange all the way around I'd say. Out of the clear blue he just so happens to want to know about your p/s? Was it date night? There's some weird mthrfkrs out and about.:realcrazy:
 
Pretty strange all the way around I'd say. Out of the clear blue he just so happens to want to know about your p/s? Was it date night? There's some weird mthrfkrs out and about.:realcrazy:


He said his car was almost done - restoration and he wanted to know if my car was factory to verify his set up.
 
A story was told to me a long time ago from a guy who was in the know. When it came to the assembly line and they went to the bin to grab a part (say power steering pump) and the bin was empty for that model. They would grab another from one from a different model just to keep the line moving.
My power steering pump (federal) calls for flare fitting on the pressure hose, only to find out it uses an O ring type. They used a pump from a different model. So you never know what they did back in the day to keep the line moving!
 
Well this is the PS pump that was on a 72 340 Duster 4 speed I just pulled out and shipped it to Ca. Number on the pan rail confirmed it was a 72.

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He said his car was almost done - restoration and he wanted to know if my car was factory to verify his set up.
Lol, Well that sure makes even less sense right? So by telling you yours was wrong that verified his was correct? Probably doesn't even have a car.
 
In my experience, most mopars used the solid press on pulley. I think the bolt on was early saginaw, probably saved a couple cents each by using a press on pulley.
 
My 72 came with factory Federal. The pressure port on the Federal is on the side of the can, which is necessary to clear the K-member in a V8 car. The pressure hose fitting on the Saginaw (which exits the rear of the can) hits the K-member when you swing it to tension.

I don't know how they'd have made the Saginaw work at the factory with the 72 k-member, but if yours came stock with one, consider yourself lucky. I think in 73 they retooled the k-member and fixed the clearance issue.

During the same period they were using Saginaws on /6 cars, they were demonstrably a better unit.
 
What’s even weirder is my car is early 72’ build date is Sept 1971
 
So I started calling aftermarket parts houses. Like Napa and bobo zone- etc. I looked on Rock Auto, And a few other on line places. My results are most available or more common is the Federal set up. But saganaw pumps ARE listed. No brackets of course for the pumps, but hoses are easier to find for the saganaw units. May be more availability for the hoses since newer models (73-76) use the saganaw. Also, I tried to fire up the old google machine and it seems to be equal amounts doing a un Offical count or videos, pictures and forum searches.

I wonder if #Alaskan_ta can chime in.
Maybe it was plant by plant? Sorry- my first time trying that. I still don’t know how hashtags work. If I did that wrong please help out a person trying to “get it” but age is “fighting it.” Lol!
 
It is what it is. Mopar mixed/matched parts as needed. Nothing is etched in stone. Your pump is probably the original one and the guy at the car show can't prove or disprove that.
 
When the first thing I hear from the so called experts is “Mopar NEVER did this or they NEVER put those on that year car” I quit listening and walk away.
 
Yea! Thanks for the additional info. I do agree with “not etched in stone.” Cause every one is different. Imagine if Chrysler had followed the rules and matched everything. The values on these cars would be much lower- like in the Chevrolet / Ford value range . Lol!
 
Its a well known fact that mopar used whatever was on hand to keep the line moving. I just parted a slant six 71 swinger that had an 8 3/4 in it. There was no indication that anything was ever removed from this car.
Yeah, never say never with mopar. Im sure all the big three did this but it seems mopar did it more often.
 
My 318 Scamp with A/C has a Federal pump has a solid pulley and no bolt. I bought this car off the original owner 20 plus years ago. I know grandma never changed it. I played hell trying to find a high pressure hose when it started leaking because I was told it can't be. So yea, what every the experts say! LOL. A friend at the Zone did some digging and found one for me so I have no idea what the hell it was supposed to fit but it is the right one.
 
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I do know the federal cap is nearly unabtanium....rarer than hens teeth.
 
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