upper steering column bearing

[cj847]

Does anyone know if there is a significant difference in the quality of this part from various suppliers?
The reason for the question is that LMC and Classic sell the part for <$15. But on ebay the best price for a GM PN 5679205 is $35-$50.
I realize that this PN is obsolete from GM. So, I'm not sure they are not all cheap Chinese copies.

[Toro]

I'm trying to find out the same thing. I have one of re-pops which I believe is the Counterpart brand..., it doesn't look or feel too impressive. The only pictures of NOS I've seen, the bearing is still in the plastic and it's hard to compare. But perhaps the GM original was just as simple as the ones available now?

[Wrenchbender Ret]

I've put in a lot of those from GM years back. There was not much to it. The after market ones should be just as good as original. I would not be surprised if they are NOS.

George

[pjmoreland]

I don't have any experience with the reproduction units, but the originals aren't all that impressive. They seem to hold up well though. Here are some photos of a factory upper bearing out of a non-tilt column.

[MikeB]

To elaborate on what PJ said above, this is not a precision part.

The last few AC Delco/GM parts I bought were made in China. So as someone else mentioned above, the eBay part may be the same as those sold by LMC, Classic Parts, et al.

BTW, when I shortened my 69's column last year, the OE bearing was really nasty looking. I ended up soaking it in parts cleaner and re-packing it with grease. Works smooth as silk now. So if you do have an old one you should consider re-using it.

[Toro]

Originally Posted by pjmoreland

I don't have any experience with the reproduction units, but the originals aren't all that impressive. They seem to hold up well though. Here are some photos of a factory upper bearing out of a non-tilt column.

That looks just like the re-pop I purchased from Classic Parts.