68383GTS
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Oh and 73-74 have that ugly side window too....
'71-'72 vs. '73-'74
- Thread starter pabster
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bigredbird
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pabster, your rear side windows are... custom, right? Did you do a custom tuck of the headliner inside to match?
pabster
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Away for a while... back after much travel. Um, are my rear side windows custom? Not that I know of. I bought my Charger bone stock in every way... as far as I know the original owners took great care of it and puttered around Sonoma County in it. I don't think anyone monkeyed with the windows since it was purchased in '74.
Has anyone seen a '74 with rear side windows like mine?
Those quarter windows were I think a spring special in 74. Yours must be a late build, and they are factory but rare.
On the original topic. As a 3rd gen fan since the 80's I love them all but in 73 Chrysler leaned to comfort over performance. The first thing I did to my 73 Rallye Charger back in the early 90's was toss the rubber sub frame isolators so it would handle better.
I loved that car and would buy another but after my 71 Bee and My current 72 Rallye I lean more to performance and handling to comfort.
On the original topic. As a 3rd gen fan since the 80's I love them all but in 73 Chrysler leaned to comfort over performance. The first thing I did to my 73 Rallye Charger back in the early 90's was toss the rubber sub frame isolators so it would handle better.
I loved that car and would buy another but after my 71 Bee and My current 72 Rallye I lean more to performance and handling to comfort.
YY1
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I read about those factory side windows and can't seem to remember what the name was...
I think there is the stigma that all performace died after 1971 PERIOD.
If you put a 72 next to a 71 and understand the small differences, you will see that is simply not the case. Yes, compression ratios are lower, but lots of folks don't fully understand the gross vs net HP ratings, and in reality it's only a small percentage difference between 72 and 71 figures and performance, perhaps the same as the difference between 70 and 71, yet there's nowhere near as large a group claiming all performance died after 1970.
I don't see how one can say "I love the 71, but I hate the 72" for two cars that are very nearly the same car.
If you can grasp and get over that hurdle, then that opens the window for the acceptance of the 73/74 models.
Put another way, is a 71 340 car WAY better than a 72 440 car? if so, why?
The 440 should almost certianly be faster than the 340.
That kinda kills one argument.
IMO, each of the groups has positive attributes for me.
Thick bumper guards can for the most part, simply be unbolted...if that's a better look for you.
Lots of folks seem to be hung up on that, and it's an awfully easy fix.
I'm a fan of the cleverly named little accessory options, like tuff wheels, pistol grips, and slap sticks, etc (rallye wheels, machine gun tips, you get the point). Most of those started in 70, and there were even more and more commonly ordered in 71-74.
I was talking with a guy the other day that called 66 Chargers "the ugly ones", and said he'd never own anything later than 1970. While I certainly aprreciate the "heyday" Mopars, I also know and appreciate the roots, and I like the evolution.
Whatever.
I think there is the stigma that all performace died after 1971 PERIOD.
If you put a 72 next to a 71 and understand the small differences, you will see that is simply not the case. Yes, compression ratios are lower, but lots of folks don't fully understand the gross vs net HP ratings, and in reality it's only a small percentage difference between 72 and 71 figures and performance, perhaps the same as the difference between 70 and 71, yet there's nowhere near as large a group claiming all performance died after 1970.
I don't see how one can say "I love the 71, but I hate the 72" for two cars that are very nearly the same car.
If you can grasp and get over that hurdle, then that opens the window for the acceptance of the 73/74 models.
Put another way, is a 71 340 car WAY better than a 72 440 car? if so, why?
The 440 should almost certianly be faster than the 340.
That kinda kills one argument.
IMO, each of the groups has positive attributes for me.
Thick bumper guards can for the most part, simply be unbolted...if that's a better look for you.
Lots of folks seem to be hung up on that, and it's an awfully easy fix.
I'm a fan of the cleverly named little accessory options, like tuff wheels, pistol grips, and slap sticks, etc (rallye wheels, machine gun tips, you get the point). Most of those started in 70, and there were even more and more commonly ordered in 71-74.
I was talking with a guy the other day that called 66 Chargers "the ugly ones", and said he'd never own anything later than 1970. While I certainly aprreciate the "heyday" Mopars, I also know and appreciate the roots, and I like the evolution.
Whatever.
bigredbird
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:headbang: Total agreement here. But for the record, the 1972 Road Runner grille is much cooler than the '71 (although the bird head was a nice touch that year), and definitely better than the 73/74. :icon_mrgreen:
flypaper
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imo
71 is the first and best
and all the rest have 71 envy!
how come you always see options that only came on
71's from the factory on
alot of the other year cars??
72's didn't come with spoilers or louvers
thier sidemarkers and taillights are ugly
the engines had less hp
the rear swaybar and grille doesn't make up for all of that..lol
71 is the first and best
and all the rest have 71 envy!
how come you always see options that only came on
71's from the factory on
alot of the other year cars??
72's didn't come with spoilers or louvers
thier sidemarkers and taillights are ugly
the engines had less hp
the rear swaybar and grille doesn't make up for all of that..lol
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Just give them some time. The Cuda and Challengers went thru the same thing with what yrs were more desirable. Now the latter yrs are doing better.
dangina
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I like the 71-72 roadrunners, and the 73-74 chargers - the body lines made more sense than the 71-72 chargers, although i don't really car for the "opera" rear quarter windows
dsd1967
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I like the doors on the 71-72 better for a couple of reasons. They separate the front end from the back end because of the two separate upper body lines which is a carryover of the coke bottle body style of the 68-70 chargers. The 73-74 upper body line connects from front to back and seems less "edgier" than the earlier years. Also you could get the RT or Ralley doors with the stamped impressions on the earlier years.
I also prefer the rear window and thick C pillar of the 71-72 over the 73-74, the RT tail lights of the 71 and of course the lack of impact bumpers, and bumperettes of the earlier years.
Perception wise it seems the cars seemed to get "plushier" after 72 which was trying to appease the older crowd. However, at that time in history the musclecar was a bad name in the eyes of the insurance institutes, so the car companies had to look at selling to a broader spectrum of buyers and moving up in options meant more profit.
I also prefer the rear window and thick C pillar of the 71-72 over the 73-74, the RT tail lights of the 71 and of course the lack of impact bumpers, and bumperettes of the earlier years.
Perception wise it seems the cars seemed to get "plushier" after 72 which was trying to appease the older crowd. However, at that time in history the musclecar was a bad name in the eyes of the insurance institutes, so the car companies had to look at selling to a broader spectrum of buyers and moving up in options meant more profit.
pabster
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The RT tail lights of 71 are a wonder to behold. I like my 74 tail lights, but there's no comparison to the 71 RT.
Ron 73
Deceased, But not forgotton
YY1
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I actually like the 73/74 tail light much better than the standard 71/72 lights.
the first time I saw them, I thought it'd be great if they were individually lit and sequential.
I agree about the 73/74 quarters looking less akward than 71/72.
The "right" stance and a rear tire that's both tall enough and wide enough goes a long way towards reducing the awkwardness on all 4 years.
I also like the 73/74 opera window top. It's one of the very few vinyl tops I actually do like, despite the potential damage it can do to the metal.
the first time I saw them, I thought it'd be great if they were individually lit and sequential.
I agree about the 73/74 quarters looking less akward than 71/72.
The "right" stance and a rear tire that's both tall enough and wide enough goes a long way towards reducing the awkwardness on all 4 years.
I also like the 73/74 opera window top. It's one of the very few vinyl tops I actually do like, despite the potential damage it can do to the metal.
Wookie316
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71 is my favorite. I think the grill is way better than a 72. Also the side marker is better. R/T and Superbee options that year. The stripe looks great on the car. R/T tail lights cannot be beat IMO. Just too much going for the 71.
Randy73
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First off, you need to lose that avatar, it is downright scary.
73/74 are about 5 inches longer, due to new federal bumper laws. Hence the reason for those ugly rubber trim between the bumper and the body.
rgp266
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I always liked the '73-4 Plymouth's much better than the '71-2's and the Charger styling has never appealed to me with the exception of the '68-9 cars. Can I put my finger on why? Nope.
Bob
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Since the mid 70's I've owned over 60 of the 71-4 B's. Parts cars to some really nice ones. The 71/2 Plymouth are of my favorits. Love the 72 RR grill. Hate the 73/4 Satellite grill. Too greezer looking.
The 73/4 Charger SE opera quarter glass can be removed. Non-SE charger had the 71/2 Plymouth style quarter glass.
Always been a big 69 and 71 fan but really like the wider track of the 3rd gens.
The 73/4 Charger SE opera quarter glass can be removed. Non-SE charger had the 71/2 Plymouth style quarter glass.
Always been a big 69 and 71 fan but really like the wider track of the 3rd gens.
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YY1
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IMO the 73/74 Sattelite grille is one of the most aggressive looking ever, especially with the associated RR bulge hood.
It's downright mean. Second olnly to the 69 Dodge N96 hood for mean-ness.
It's downright mean. Second olnly to the 69 Dodge N96 hood for mean-ness.
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