The larger GM power steering pumps used on trucks since 1975 go by many names. How many of these have you heard or used yourself?
- The Saginaw
- Canned ham
- P-Series
- Type 1
- Model 125
- The big body
- The truck pump
- 1300 Series or 132 Series
"Canned ham" GM Power Steering Pump
This is a common industry slang term for the P-series pump. It refers to the distinctive, oval-shaped reservoir that resembles a vintage tin of ham. It’s a visual shorthand that instantly separates it from the smaller, Type 2 pumps often found with attached plastic or remote reservoirs.
"The Saginaw" Power Steering Pump
Another common term but also a misleading term. Why? Because the Saginaw division of General Motors also made the smaller TC and CB pumps often called the Type 2 pumps.
If you’re working on a Chevy C10 or OBS project, here’s what you need to know. All the P-Series pumps (that’s the terminology we decided to use) are similar from 1975 on. Check out the photos below. You’ll see that the reservoir shape changed in 1996, but the bolt pattern and the shaft diameter have been the same since 1975. Oh, and the return port changed position after 1987. And, we almost forgot, the pressure port changed from SAE inverted flare to metric o-ring starting in 1980.
Starting in 1988, GM introduced multi-groove serpentine belt systems, but a press-on serpentine pulley will fit any of the pumps from 1975 on.
If you look at the last two photos below, you’ll see the 1963-73 pulley attachment method— a keyway and a nut. These do not have any serpentine pulleys available.
One other version we haven’t shown is the Hydroboost power steering pump. These reservoirs have two return ports, one for the master cylinder booster, and one for the steering gearbox.
Let’s say you’re putting a 1999-2013 LS truck engine in a 1981 C10. You can re-use the power steering pump that came with your engine. Or you can re-use the power steering pump that came with your truck (as long as you swap to a 6-groove serpentine pulley).
Your 1981 truck pump will have an SAE pressure port so you can probably even re-use your power steering hoses.
If you want to use the pump that came on your engine, then you can use a Kwik Performance power steering hose kit (part number K10548) that comes with adapter fittings that turn your pump and your gearbox into dash-6 AN threads.
Guess what else? We make brackets to mount all of these 1975 and later pumps to various Chevy engines. LS, Gen 5 LT, BBC, SBC. Start at our home page and you can navigate to all kinds of cool stuff and a lot of it is especially for you. If you are, like we are, really into Chevy trucks.
