C3 Power steering hose finish

[Patrick N.]

Re: C3 Power steering hose finish

Thanks Jim for the research you put into this. I appreciate the help and education as I try to accurately restore my 68. I will leave the connectors as is then.

Best
Pat

[Joe L.]

Re: C3 Power steering hose finish

The drawings show the following:
Return line crimp collar - zinc plate per GM 4252-M
Brazed end bodies and nuts - cadmium or zinc plate per GM 4252-M

Jim

Jim------


Was the crimped collar on the return line of the original, Saginaw-manufactured pieces anything like the style shown in the photo of the 3826278 hose I posted?

[Jim S.]

Re: C3 Power steering hose finish

The Saginaw crimp collar was nothing like your picture. It was just a simple sleeve that was crimped in place by 8 flat crimp segments. The collar was not attached to the tubing.

Jim

[Joe L.]

Re: C3 Power steering hose finish

The Saginaw crimp collar was nothing like your picture. It was just a simple sleeve that was crimped in place by 8 flat crimp segments. The collar was not attached to the tubing.

Jim

Jim------


That's the style crimp I figured it would be, like the crimp on the other hoses. However, GM has not sold a return hose in SERVICE for a LONG time that has this type of crimp. So, presumably, the return hose must have been supplied by an other-than-Saginaw manufacturing entity.

All of the other hoses had the "Saginaw-crimp" right up until the time they were discontinued, which is fairly recently. In fact, one of the hoses (the GM #3826276 retract hose) is still available from GM, although I feel pretty sure it will be gone when GMSPO inventory runs out.

Except for the return hose, the GM power steering hoses for 63-82 Corvettes were always WAY more expensive than aftermarket. In fact, the GM #3826276 which remains available carries a GM list price of about 135 bucks. You can purchase a complete set of 4 aftermarket hoses (Edelmann, etc.) for less than half of that price.

[Paul O.]

Re: C3 Power steering hose finish

Here are some photos of P/S hoses off my 1971 LT-1 Sept build. The return has SWAN P/S RETURN 1-70. Also has the original clamp. Hope this helps.

Paul 18046

[Jim S.]

Re: C3 Power steering hose finish

Paul,
Those are original Saginaw pressure hoses in your first picture. That is an original Saginaw return line hose with a permanent crimp collar in the second picture. Chevrolet supplied the "Oetiker" pinch clamp for the connection at the pump reservoir spout.

Joe,
I agree with you. SPO prices are really outrageous. The flex coupling pinch bolt (7807271) now shows a GM selling price at GMPartsDirect as $16.81. That is obscene!

It always ticked me off that Saginaw's selling price on pumps, gears, hoses, etc was always marked up by SPO 4 to 10 times. We thought that the mark up was sort of a "holding fee" for having to warehouse the parts. However, (when Saginaw had Detroit Gear & Axle for a short time) differential assemblies were direct shipped for Detroit G&A to the dealers without SPO even touching them. They still marked them up 4 to 10 times.

Also it seems that SPO just goes through the parts book and arbitrarily raises service part prices by 10% or more. Do that mark up once or twice a year over several years and see how comptitive you are.
Jim

[Joe L.]

Re: C3 Power steering hose finish

Paul,
Those are original Saginaw pressure hoses in your first picture. That is an original Saginaw return line hose with a permanent crimp collar in the second picture. Chevrolet supplied the "Oetiker" pinch clamp for the connection at the pump reservoir spout.

Joe,
I agree with you. SPO prices are really outrageous. The flex coupling pinch bolt (7807271) now shows a GM selling price at GMPartsDirect as $16.81. That is obscene!

It always ticked me off that Saginaw's selling price on pumps, gears, hoses, etc was always marked up by SPO 4 to 10 times. We thought that the mark up was sort of a "holding fee" for having to warehouse the parts. However, (when Saginaw had Detroit Gear & Axle for a short time) differential assemblies were direct shipped for Detroit G&A to the dealers without SPO even touching them. They still marked them up 4 to 10 times.

Also it seems that SPO just goes through the parts book and arbitrarily raises service part prices by 10% or more. Do that mark up once or twice a year over several years and see how comptitive you are.
Jim

Jim------


In the case of these power steering hoses, though, I do think that the Saginaw-manufactured hoses are superior to any of those sold in the aftermarket. Their superiority is not proportional to the difference in price, but I do think they are superior.

GM also sells Corvette power steering hoses through the AC-Delco parts channel. These are definitely not the Saginaw-manufactured hoses, though; they are simply the typical aftermarket hoses in AC-Delco boxes with a Delco and GM part number (not the same GM part number as the Saginaw-manufactured hoses). Purchased this way, the hoses are quite inexpensive.

[Jim S.]

Re: C3 Power steering hose finish

The current power steering hose manager told me about a year ago that Saginaw was trying to qualify an outside vendor to supply the C2/C3 power steering hose assemblies. (Saginaw wanted to get out of the low volume service business.) They were having a devil of a time getting outside supplier parts to pass a tough pressure cycling test at Saginaw.

From your description, evidently somebody finally passed the test.

Having been a former supervisor of that same group, I always felt that the Saginaw flat crimp was superior to the "double bubble" and other types of crimping configurations.

Jim