AC 7281 Fuel Pump

[Jon S]

Can someone tell me the year/application for a 7281 fuel pump. I believe it would be 1957/1958 although I thought those were 713’s.

[Jon S]

Does anyone have any information on this AC part number?

[Cadman-iac]

John,
Yes the 713 pump fits the 58 to 62. I don't see anything on the 7281 in my MPC. Can you get another picture that shows the whole arm? It's hard to tell what that might fit without seeing the whole thing.

I have an AC Delco book on carbs, and one for alternators and starters, but unfortunately nothing for fuel pumps.
I tried to cross it over on their site, but the number comes up no good.

Rick

[Jon S]

Thanks Rick. I know the arm is the 1957 - 1962 but here is a picture

[Cadman-iac]

Jon,
I just looked at the 62 engine I have,  and the pump on it has a number of 6422. The one on my 56 parts car I can't find a number on, but it's completely different from yours. I'll post a picture of each for comparison. The first two are of the 62 pump.  The last one is the 56 pump.
I noticed that yours has an angled end on it. I don't recall seeing that before.
I've also checked my Oldsmobile and Chevrolet MPC's just to see if that number shows up anywhere. But no luck.
  I'm sorry,  I can't identify that one. There's no other numbers on it anywhere? The only other thing I can suggest is to call the local Delco distributor and see if they can cross it over to a current number.  I'm thinking that number may have been superceded,  but I don't have any way to verify that.
The other thing that it might be,  is one for a completely different make of vehicle. The mounting boss is almost identical on a whole lot of fuel pumps.
  If I may ask, where did you find it?

[Jon S]

Rick - I have been searching for 30 years to find an AC slant top fuel pump to replace the one that came with the car new and was replaced by a mechanic in 1960.    Unfortunately the mechanic who replaced the original pump threw it in the garbage before my dad could retrieve it for rebuilding.   It was replaced with an AC 713 flattop fuel pump and my dad had always wanted to find a slant top as it came from the factory.   Fellow club member Frank Puma found this pump I believe in Canada and called me once he had it in his possession.  When I clean the pump up I was expecting to see a 713 stamped on the body but instead found the 7281.  I was just curious what year the 7281 came out.  I know it fits my 1958 and plan to install it this week.

[Cadman-iac]

Oh ok, I didn't know that you already knew what it was.  I looked every place I could think of that might have a listing but came up empty.
You know back then the mechanic probably thought it wasn't worth rebuilding so just tossed it.  If he only knew!
Well at least now you have an original one to put back on it. My question would be can you get a kit for it if it ever became necessary to rebuild it again?

I was just thinking about the pumps I've stored away. I'll have to dig them out and take a look at them again. I've got some old ones but I  can't recall now if there was any with the angled top on it.
So those are kinda rare now huh? If I find one,  I'll let you know.

[Jon S]

Thanks, I appreciate it. I just had this one rebuilt by Cadillac Parts Limited in New Jersey with Ethanol compatable gaskets and diaphragm.  Arthur Gould formerly of Long Island - now in Massachusetts also rebuilds them.

[fishnjim]

That's not the right part number for the '58 slant top.  I think 4491 is the right number for '58.  Frank should know however.   
It maybe one from a different source, since it came from ex-USA.   It could be an original but reman as a lot of remanufacturers, added/replaced their part number to the original, so I'm guessing that's why it doesn't come up, but I'll look.   Otherwise it's a repop or for something else.   I'll have to look in my A/C fuel pump book later, it's in the garage.   I have some reman fuel pump books too.
Does it have an A/C logo on it?

FYI; The 713 is "flat" top and the common one that's the replacement for a large number of cars.   The slant tops one year only and are rare.   So if it doesn't work, it may be hard to obtain parts.
eg, you can still buy a new 713(Airtex), but not slant tops.   The manufacturers don't care, if it fits, it's a replacement.   Only purists care.   

[Cadman-iac]

Jim,
Yes, it's got an AC logo on the top. It's visible in the first picture of the three he's posted so I could see the whole lever on it.

[fishnjim]

Can you please post a pix of the number?   
And it says "made in" but rest obscured.  ie, assume USA?
(I'm wondering if you're looking at a casting piece number, not pump number.)  It's not unusual that parts were swopped in reman, and maybe AC top on something else.   But even to have the top, is a rare bird.

That top diaphragm just doesn't look right to me.  Like some one put a round one on an oval pump?

I searched every fuel pump book I have, hundred of pages w/ interchange, and could not find your number.   The closest "AC" was 7241.   Those very few 72XX numbers are also "govt" in commercial listings, so it could be for a military unit, but a guess.   The closest number I found was 7241 and that fit a few early ('40s) commercial engines.   Next closest 7XXX were commercial or marine.   Why I called into question the number.   I'm using AC dealer catalogues from '63 + '74, plus other '80 era suppliers/reman books.   So it would be in there, if a good number.
Since you said Canada, I even looked up Western Auto.   WA shows a 74-7281 but it's a later Ford 390 pump.   

If that's the real pump number, 7281, I'm about 99% sure it's not an original '58 Cadillac auto pump.   The 4491 number I quoted is correct for '58 and what you're looking for.   But what this one is, remains a mystery - for now.   So if it not read wrong, re; need number picture, then it's rarer than the 4491.

[Cadman-iac]

Jon,
I just went through all the fuel pumps I had stashed away,  but none were the angled top ones. I was hoping,  but no luck.
I do have several of the dual pumps, the ones with a vacuum pump on the top and the fuel pump on the bottom. But I don't think those are Cadillac pumps.
I got a deal on a whole bunch of stuff, and alot of these pumps were in it. I've kept them because they were the rebuildable kind, so I figured they were worth hanging on to.
If ever I come across an angled top pump though,  I'll let you know. I hope you get yours on and working. Good luck with it.

Rick

[Cadman-iac]

Jim, I think I was typing the same time as you were.
The number is stamped onto the mounting flange and you can see in the very first picture. I wondered the same thing you did,  thinking that it was for another make  vehicle altogether. I don't know enough about what the lever is supposed to look like to be sure if it's a Cadillac pump or not.
But like you,  nothing matched in any of my books either.
Another automotive mystery to be solved at a later date.

Good luck on your search for the truth.

Rick

[Cadman-iac]

Jon,
  If you could,  a picture of the pump from the side showing the lever in profile and with a ruler beside it would be helpful in trying to identifying it.
Thanks,
Rick

[Jon S]

Rick - As requested. Also found a NOS slant top on EBay- attached picture and description

[Jon S]

fishnjim - to answer your questions, I found a NOS 4491 on eBay that looks identical to my pump except the stamped number. (See post above). The pump has AC on the bottom and says AC Made in USA.

[fishnjim]

Jon, look carefully at the word "MADE" and see if the "D" is backwards to you as it appears to me in the photos?   
I'm sorry, I missed the numbers in the first picture.   Since I came up blank, I reviewed them all, again, more thoroughly, looking for clues and indeed the 4491 is as I said.   
I won't go so far to say what I think, because I know Frank is a good guy, he helped me out, but if it was authentic AC, the number should be in the period literature.   So I'll leave it as a mystery.
I missed the part about it already being rebuilt.   Like I said, I didn't even find a rebuild kit listed for 7281, either.   So they probably did the best they could.

[Jon S]

Jon, look carefully at the word "MADE" and see if the "D" is backwards to you as it appears to me in the photos?   
I'm sorry, I missed the numbers in the first picture.   Since I came up blank, I reviewed them all, again, more thoroughly, looking for clues and indeed the 4491 is as I said.   
I won't go so far to say what I think, because I know Frank is a good guy, he helped me out, but if it was authentic AC, the number should be in the period literature.   So I'll leave it as a mystery.
I missed the part about it already being rebuilt.   Like I said, I didn't even find a rebuild kit listed for 7281, either.   So they probably did the best they could.

I didn’t notice the “D” but I wonder if all slant tops have backward “D’s?”   You may have caught something nobody has noticed and 60 some odd years. I just pulled out a flat top 713 I have and the D looks strange there too. I know this is a real AC pump. Look at the D on my 713 below. It looks like an O:

[fishnjim]

I didn't yet find my pump from the '58 that was on it*.
I only saw that looking for more clues because the orientation in the photo was "upside down" and it read as a D, so I rotated, then didn't look right.   The two D's look different to me, but I defer - bird in the hand...
Leave it unresolved for now.   Something will surface eventually.   Probably a hundred + guys running out the garage to look at their fuel pump stash so they can post...

* - This was dragged thru the mud in the '58 owners club a few years back, so I'm familiar and why interested me.
The part books changed for 1964 when the inventory was sold out.   If you look at a '64 or newer copy, it'll show 713 as correct.   But in some early copies, it'll say superceded.   You have to go back to '59 -'63 to see the 4491 listing.   
Ces't la Vie.   All this because some mech tossed a bad one???   How we humans exist is beyond me.

[Jon S]

Totally agree. I just sent a text message to the seller on eBay who has an NOS 4491 for sale and asked him to take a picture of the top where it says made in USA.  When and if I receive a picture I will post it on this forum.   It’s quite possible the two maker composed the D backwards but who knows?