Differences between 70/71 and 72 Darts

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anotherAbodyfan

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Hi all. I'm looking for parts for a 72 Dart and am having some issues. I thought 70-72 were the same for the most part, but now I see a lot of things listed for 70/71 and not 72, so this makes me think there's some big changes for 72, but I haven't figured out what they are. What's the differences in parts, especially body stuff, between the 70/71 Darts and the 72? What's interchangeable and what's not?
 
fenders,1/4 panels are different(70-71 marker lights are sucken in 72 they mount on top of the panel) so is the grill....pretty sure the doors are the same
someone will chime in!!
 
Side lights are dfferent from 70/71 and 72. 70/71 are flush mount for a more clean look, where as 72 and up are mounted on the sheetmetal. The front fender extension is different, and maybe the rear quarter extensions are little different. small difference in the grill, but either will fit the other. But the rear bumper on 71/72 are the same where the 70 is different. so this is a start to your list. If you know what you need just ask if that part interchange. Have fun. So which year do you have?
 
70 has the emblems on the 1/4 panel, 71 they are on the fender.
71 grills are blacked out
72 has a different grill all together
70 has 1 tail light each side
71-72 has 2 per side
 
In addition to the differences listed above, wiper motors are different, dashboards and instrument clusters are different, seat belts are different, some wiring is different, bumpers are different to accommodate the new-for-'72 hook-and-slot style bumper jack, the evaporative emission control system is quite different (see here for detail), and of course interior patterns, trim, emblems, and available colors are different.
 
Thanks for all the info! I recently picked up a 72 Swinger with the typical New England rust. That's when I started looking into parts and finding things different between 70/71 and 72.

First off, I'm sorry as I should've given some info on what I know for differences. I know the gauge cluster changed in 72, I know the 70 has the single taillights per side and the 71/72 had the duals per side, different grill with different turn signal lights and I saw that the 70/71s had the different side markers on the rear quarters than the 72. Other than that, though, no clue. I mean, I know some little things would've changed, but what's the differences in the fenders? Just the fender extensions? And are the doors the same for the three years?

I'll post pics when I get it home. Thanks again!
 
Doors are interchangeable, body style by body style, for all '67-'76 A-bodies. '73 and later doors have side impact guard beams, and '73-up 2-door hardtop (Swinger/Scamp) doors have no vent wing windows. Sidemarkers rear and front are different for '72-up vs. '70-'71. Fender extensions are the same. Fenders interchange despite the sidemarker differences. Any '67-'72 Dart, Demon, Duster or Valiant front end assembly will bolt on, and a '73-'76 Dart, Duster, or Valiant front end assembly will also bolt on with some extra work to adapt the bumpers.

If we want to get super picky into the details, the '71 taillight lenses (w/chromed metal inner trim rings) are not the same as the '72-'73 lenses (w/silver painted bare plastic instead of the chromed metal) though the '71-'73 lenses are all interchangeable.
 
Looks like you have a pretty good list of differences. You can add gas tanks, gas caps, filler necks, wiper transmissions, ignition lock cylinders, and the '72 optional electronic ignition to it.
 
That definitely makes sense, as the release hole on the newer column is much larger and lower than the hole on the older column.

I guess I'll be getting one of the newer ones. Thanks!
 
Will 70 dart fender bolt up to 72 dart fender extensions? I don’t care about the side markers because I was planning on shaving them anyway.
 
1972 door panels use clips all around where as 1970-1 had metal strips that the door panel slid up into and had clips on the sides & bottom. If using 70-1 doors on stick 72 panels, holes need to be drilled to mount 72 door panels
 
are 70 swinger 2 door sun visors the same as in a 70 dart custom 4 door,are they the same style
 
SonicBrewed said:
Will 70 dart fender bolt up to 72 dart fender extensions?
Click to expand...
Yes they will

The hoods are generally the same and interchange, but the adjusting system at the hood hinges is different - you can use a 72 hood on a 70-1 car and visa versa, but you have to use the hood hinges for the hood you are using - 70-1 hinges on 70-1 hoods and 72 hinges on 72 hoods.
 
str12-340 said:
Yes they will

The hoods are generally the same and interchange, but the adjusting system at the hood hinges is different - you can use a 72 hood on a 70-1 car and visa versa, but you have to use the hood hinges for the hood you are using - 70-1 hinges on 70-1 hoods and 72 hinges on 72 hoods.
Click to expand...
BTW, the question was asked back in 2020 and the member hasn't been online since 21.
 
Great thread indeed as I recently bought a 72 swinger and the body is mint from the doors back but the fenders are completely gone, there's no saving them. All I can find online are 70-71 fenders for a dart/demon.
 
Fenders would bolt on and you can even use 72 fender extensions and grille - just the markers are different. You can get a patch welded in the recess for 70-1 markers and the 72 markers holes are easy to reproduce. 70-1 markers are better looking IMHO - depends on if you want it as the factory built it - a whole 70-1 front clip goes right on a 72 with no alterations...
 
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