Difference between 70-71-72 dusters...

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ValerianMagnum

ValerianMagnum

the little car that could
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I have my 70 duster that needs a total restoration and im planning to buy a lots of parts from 71 and 72 dusters from somebody that i know beside the tailight panel of the 72 and the sidemarkers , what changes ? Doors ? Mechanicly ? Eletrical diagrams ?? Will need youre help please.
 
Most parts are interchangeable without much notice, but there are a lot of differences

I have a 72 duster with a ton of 70 parts and it was deliberaty made to look like a 70.
 
What are the ton....of 70 parts ? Or vice versa , i want my 70 to look like a 70 too, please explain yourself
 
Almost everything, it's in the details & if a full list exists, I have not seen it yet.

For any 1970 model year car, there are many 'one year only' parts.

Different steering columns & the lockout parts which also affects the transmission linkage.

Different door lock parts.

Different electrical system components.

Those are a few examples. I am sure others can add more.

This is one of the reasons I stay within the 1970 model year for cars I buy now. It just makes it easier for me.
 
Usually, something on the main wiring changes every year. The door shell should be the same, but like Alaskan TA said, door lock parts ( linkage, shape and length of the rods connecting latch to handles), etc.
 
If I am not mistaken for 70, radio is thumbwheel, Sun visors differ, bucket seats one year common to A,B,E with dual track lock, door panels pattern, seat skin paterns/medallions, grill/emblem on standard grill, no sharktooth in 70, no ridge on trunk, different simpler exterior decals and no 340 engine decal, valiant fender badges, no jack slot in bumpers.
 
ok, lets start from the beginning:

front bumper: some have jack slots and some do not (not sure which ones do)
Grille: 70 used a medallion which was not on the other years. somewhere mid 71 they changed the grille to the 72 type which looks visibly the same but lacks two removable trim pieces. the sharktooth grille was a 71 and 72 option only.
Front fenders: 70 and 71 have the same fenders because the markers are the same. Emblems differed, 70 used a reflective "Duster" decal and some of the very early ones were printed in black and white only. 70 Only also used a "valiant" emblem on the fenders.

In 1970 only: Rally wheels were standard on 340 cars ....71 and up they became an extra cost option.

Body side stripes differed every year.

Dash: 70 and 71 rally dash are different because the radios are different 70 had a thumbwheel and 71 had the knob type
Standard dashes had a different cluster bezel in each year. Some early build 70 had square gauges that resembled a 69 valiant instead of the more familiar round gauges which would become a familiar sight through the 70s

Each year had different seat patterns.
Bucket seats were different each year and 70 only had a unique seat track setup. They resembled the 69 and back type but had all four bolts from the bottom as would become common through the 70s
Bench seats were the same in 70 and 71 with only the patterns different but the frame and track were the same in 70 and 1 .....72 had a completely different bench seat and it would fold flat to make for easier back seat loading. The tracks were unique to the 72 style seat.

seat belts were different for each year.

headliners: headliners in 70 and 1 had the bow type, 72 had a one piece cardboard which would become common through the 70s

71 only had a vapor separator in the trunk. when you open the trunk its on the left hand side in all 71 cars.

Deck lid: 70 and 71 had the same deck lid which had provisions for a Go wing. 72, the deck lid changed because there was now a body line that went down the middle of the lid. The body line added strength and made less susceptible to getting dented in the middle by someone slamming the lid too hard.

tail lights: same between 70 and 71..72 had a one year only tail light.

rear bumper (see front bumper)

There is a LOT more to cover but this is a general overview from what I know of ....I am sure there is still a lot more that I don't know
 
Alaskan_TA said:
Almost everything, it's in the details & if a full list exists, I have not seen it yet.

For any 1970 model year car, there are many 'one year only' parts.

Different steering columns & the lockout parts which also affects the transmission linkage.

Different door lock parts.

Different electrical system components.

Those are a few examples. I am sure others can add more.

This is one of the reasons I stay within the 1970 model year for cars I buy now. It just makes it easier for me.
Click to expand...

I didn't mention columns because it was already mentioned by Alaskan TA

on floor shift cars only: the 70 only column lock out was a bulky system that had many fail points as it wore. 71 and up made it simple by making the steering wheel lockout in the key only and was much simplified.

on column shifted cars, the basic principle for gear and steering wheel lock out was the same each year with the key locking the steering wheel and locking it in park on all years.
 
70 only on the standard non rally dash, had a knob type radio and the knobs were unique to 70.

71 to 76 had the same knobs
 
70-71 no jack slots in bumpers, 72 only has jack slots. Of course side marker lights changed in 72.
 
HemiSSDart said:
70-71 no jack slots in bumpers, 72 only has jack slots. Of course side marker lights changed in 72.
Click to expand...
From my experience and by looking at a few hundred '71 Dusters over the years, i have drawn the conclusion that late build '71s had the jack slots and the peaked rear deck lid.
It seems to be that this applies to cars built within the last 2 months of production and it includes Valiant 4 doors as well, minus of course the peaked trunk lid............
 
Yep, some late '71 cars had slots, this is also true for E-bodies.
 
Dartnut said:
From my experience and by looking at a few hundred '71 Dusters over the years, i have drawn the conclusion that late build '71s had the jack slots and the peaked rear deck lid.
It seems to be that this applies to cars built within the last 2 months of production and it includes Valiant 4 doors as well, minus of course the peaked trunk lid............
Click to expand...
I have a 72 with the 71 style vapor separator in the trunk ...... only one I have seen and been scratching my head but it is a very early 72
 
The '71 & '72 model years have a twist.

Until the end of the 1970 model year, the typical model year ran from August 1st to July 31.

For the 1972 model year they started earlier, approximately the 2nd week of July & went over & beyond a typical model year rage at least a week into the 'second' August.

So 14 months involved instead of the former 12.
 
Another 1970 only feature is the emergency brake system.
 
Mother Mopar liked to use up extra parts, small a few bucks... at end and beginning of production years, therefore we see a lot of these freeky things.

You an find funny things with 70 B bodies also.

I much prefer to by a project that has NEVER had parts robbed off and replaced by someone over all those years....
 
Alaskan_TA said:
The '71 & '72 model years have a twist.

Until the end of the 1970 model year, the typical model year ran from August 1st to July 31.

For the 1972 model year they started earlier, approximately the 2nd week of July & went over & beyond a typical model year rage at least a week into the 'second' August.

So 14 months involved instead of the former 12.
Click to expand...
So why are 72 Duster’s so hard to find?
 
Another thing to be aware of is the evaporation/ emissions controls which were on some (CA) cars and changed "something" nearly every year. From 70-76 there are "a few" different fuel caps. Seemed to me that one year 71? is all by itself
 
Rainy Day Auto said:
70 is the hard year to find

I have found a ton of 72's and few 71s but never a good 70 that I didn't have to bring back from the dead.
Click to expand...
Very true. 70 and 76 are probably the 2 years I’ve seen the least. 72s are hard to find around here, but Duster’s in general are hard to find around here
 
When scrape metal got high a few years ago I hate to think how many old cars went to the crusher. And lets face it, there were more less desirable old mopars lying out in fence rows, A bodies, even Dusters, than Chargers and Roadrunners..... But I agree 70 and 76 dusters are more scarce than the other years, and so with the two year Demon.
Look thru 6-8 states of CL ads and punch in 70-76 Duster. Main thing I see is the car is either a poor example of not even being a decent project or pretty much restored, either way the price is generally not anywhere in the scope of "reality". Not trying to change the subject...
And why did mother mopar change so much, like just said, the fuel cap changed darn near every year for the Duster. I understand her going to that cardboard headliner in '72, CHEAPER faster way to do it. Better??? Not to me...
By the end of this thread, if someone made a list by year of all the changes, that would be worth having for info.. for us Dustrer, Demon, Dart Sport lovers????
 
Dartnut said:
From my experience and by looking at a few hundred '71 Dusters over the years, i have drawn the conclusion that late build '71s had the jack slots and the peaked rear deck lid.
It seems to be that this applies to cars built within the last 2 months of production and it includes Valiant 4 doors as well, minus of course the peaked trunk lid............
Click to expand...

My 71 does indeed have the slotted bumpers
 
My 71 has no slotted bumpers, looks awful original. Somewhere in later part of year, they probably have used up and went to next years bumpers.
Didn't 72 have the hard headliner?
My 71 has the fuel evaporator stuff in trunk.
 
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