1972/1974 Charger Cannibalization project questions

WheelsOfTerror said:

This is some amazing documentation! Thank you!! To be clear- I can't use a '72 K frame on a '74?

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No you cannot. The front frame rails are totally different. the 73-79 B body and 79-81 K frames interchange.

Nacho-RT74 said:

Yeap, the concave shape above the top line makes it to look sharper body line. That's another thing I like more on 73/74s!

Another interchangeable parts are floor pans ( but considering center 74 trunk diff ), cowl panel with a minor hole diff on 74s for a wiper conector, firewall but the steering column hole on 74s, dutchman panel ( or rear deck filler panel depending how you want to call it ), rear valence but the cut outs for the bumper guards, rear frame rails and parts but some provisions here and there, etc...

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Yes, the 72 and 74 valances are the same shape, but the front has different braces, the rear has large cutouts. 73-74 upper cowl has extra braces added to strengthen the upper body. In fact the cowl was mostly the same from the 71 B body, right up until the 81 St Regis/Newport/Gran Fury/New Yorker.

When Chrysler restyled the 73 Charger, they didn't just sharpen some body lines etc. They were a fully re engineered car. The 73 Charger may resemble the 72, but they really are radically different. Put them both on a hoist and you will see what I mean. Starting in 1973, all the B bodies used rubber isolated K frames and rear axles. This required completely different front frame rails. Underneath, the 73 Charger looks more like a 75 Cordoba or a 81 New Yorker, than a 72 Charger. Many don't realize, but this 81 Chrysler New Yorker shares the same basic underbody as the 73-74 Charger. I took this photo off the net for reference. A long winded way of saying, the 73-74 Charger may resemble a 72 at a glance, but they were essentially a transition car that retained some of the styling cues and parts of the 72, while introducing the underbody engineering that would last through 1981 R body