Why? How? the designs of the early 70's mopars...

[440 PHIXX]

Subjective styling preferences aside, the fact of the matter is, the 71-74 B-body cars are superior to their predecessors.

Just me but… I’ll take the solid mounted K frame of the ‘62-‘72 over a GM inspired Rubber Biscuit cushioned floater that came in ‘73. Herb Adams of VSE who was a GM guy turned street racer/road racer said replacing the rubber with sintered iron biscuits improved the handling immensely on the GM F bodies. Chrysler did the same on the F and M body police package cars. I guess you could do the same to the B bodies.

 

[chargervert]

It could be a shared part with the ‘71-‘72 Sebring? That has a similar quarter window as the ‘73 Charger got.

That is possible,but I'm sure the 73/74 cars were already in mockup by the time the 71 cars were being built. The 68 Charger design started in 1965 with this clay mockup. In this picture you can see the inverted wheel well edges that later appeared on the 71 to 74 Chargers.

 

[chargervert]

This was the original 71 Charger clay mockup,based on a 70 Charger R/T.





Disclaimer.........Just Kidding! Lol

 

[RemCharger]

All car manufacturers had to phase in the overly stiff and cocooned roofs and quarter glass by 75 from people flipping them on their lids and crushing them. Gone were the beautiful long hardtops. (Nader related)
Thanks old dudes for testing how hard it is to keep the shiny side up

 

[gdrill]

View attachment 1567861

Thank goodness they never produced that ugly duckling or the beloved Charger would not be what it is today!

 

[chargervert]

They had to start somewhere! You can see the car taking shape,front fender,door and C pillars all made it to the production model.

 

[padam]

I have seen some 72 Chargers with the quarter windows slightly enlarged.
Was that a mid-year change?

 

[chargervert]

I have seen some 72 Chargers with the quarter windows slightly enlarged.
Was that a mid-year change?

There were two different quarter window designs for the 72 Charger,the first was the same as the 71 Charger design,the second was a smaller window for the Special Edition models.

 

[Ron H]

Not sure what they are like to drive but at higher speeds they should be a lot more aerodynamic.

And earlier. Look at a 1st gen Challenger and a modern one. A lot more going on to direct air away from under the car and hold it down on the highway. Was there that much difference though in the early 70 models yet? My’ 63 gets a lighter-boat feel to it after 75 mph and gets worse at higher speed. The body on the old cars sloped significantly inward around the wheels unlike later on. How the old stock car drivers kept those old rides the track at 150-160 mph was a thrill. Though it wasn’t that uncommon to see one take flight off the track.

 

[The Capitan]

73 up with the iso rust k frame.

 

[RemCharger]

There were two different quarter window designs for the 72 Charger,the first was the same as the 71 Charger design,the second was a smaller window for the Special Edition models.

 

[440 PHIXX]

View attachment 1567990

Is it a smaller window? Or is it just covered?

 

[gdrill]

I was gonna ask the same. I believe all the glass 72 up is interchangeable. Glass. Not mechanics. 71 is different for sure on the Plymouth from the 72 up.

 

[RemCharger]

Is it a smaller window? Or is it just covered?

I was gonna ask the same. I believe all the glass 72 up is interchangeable. Glass. Not mechanics. 71 is different for sure on the Plymouth from the 72 up.

As far as I know it was some kind of plug to shrink the opening down. Did they make a 72 SE without vinyl? I don't know.
This is a buddy's car with numbers 440, runs low 13s and cruises beautifully.

 

[The Capitan]

72 440 Charger SE. I like the 440Magnum emblem on the front fender.

 

[WileE]

And then back full circle in '79

View attachment 1567417

Don't forget, by this time "performance" was not a consideration. From 75-on, these were "personal luxury" cars as marketed. Mopar resurrected the 300 badge to appeal to those still looking for a bit more. And the 79 300 I owned years ago was one of the best cars I've ever had. I tweaked the engine for more giddy-up, and it drove flawlessly. And my current Cordoba, which is similar except for the 360-4v, is a great ride that gets thumbs up just as much as my other performance Mopars.

 

[Kern Dog]

Hey, if YOU like the 71-74 B body styling more than any other model, good for YOU. I won't try to convince you that you're wrong, I just don't agree.
When I look at cars and the different models/styles/designs, I do try to understand why some models sold so many more units than others.
The '70 Chevelle, 69 Camaro, 64-66 Mustangs used to dominate the street machine shows in the 80s around here but those body styles never appealed to me like a 68-70 Charger.
I stand with bewilderment that people bought more Chevelles than Chargers. I simply see that as a man choosing an average looking, short overweight woman over a taller, prettier, curvy one.
I absolutely understand that the 64 Mustang far outsold the 64 Barracuda because the Barracuda was hideous in comparison.
When people refer to the "Coke bottle styling" that means the accentuated curves immediately visible in the 68-70 Charger. If there is any "Coke Bottle" styling to the 71-74 B bodies, it a 2 liter bottle of Coke.
If you like that, good for you. 1973 was the best year for sales so you may have a better chance to find one at a better price than we have finding a restorable 68-70.

 

[moparedtn]

I'm not quite understanding the premise of this thread....
- The OP first states he wishes to learn more about the development of the 3rd gen Chargers;
well, that's a simple Google search there (or FBBO search, for that matter), since there's literally
tons of information out there in both web and book form (not to mention video presentations)
if one would only put some effort into it...

But then - the OP immediately changes gear into some sort of inferiority complex-driven statement
about how he hates the 2nd gen and all the attention it gets vs. his more favored 3rd gen?

I must be missing something here - how about, many (dare I say, most) of us are quite enamored
with many cars of various styles, makes, years - but especially Ma Mopar's stuff?
I don't feel the need to begrudge one model over another simply because it's more popular with
the collector crowd, or that the market has determined is more desirable than another - I can (and do)
appreciate a lot of older rides regardless of costs/values.
There's a reason for that - I'm a hobbyist, an enthusiast ..... not an investor.... and style is a matter
of subjective taste of the individual.

I suppose ultimately the OP can simply do a poll on FBBO and ask the membership what their favorite
generation of Charger is, if he really wants to know.

 

[70 sublime]

Over the years and having a toy car to drive I have driven first second and third gen B bodies on the road
I did not feel much difference in first and second gen stuff on the road
I did think my 73 RR that had a 360 in it at the time was a nicer smoother ride that the 70 Charger with a 440 that I had been driving before it
When I was driving the 73 it was when I had kids with me in car seats or seat belts so was not much screwing around when driving
Also think because of that it was some of my best memories also like out Trick or Treating on Halloween with one kid in the back seat and two more buckeled into the one front bucket seat on the passenger side back in the mid 90's

 

[440 PHIXX]

As far as I know it was some kind of plug to shrink the opening down. Did they make a 72 SE without vinyl? I don't know.
This is a buddy's car with numbers 440, runs low 13s and cruises beautifully.

I’ve never seen a ‘72 SE without a vinyl top. It was probably covering the plug, like the Superbird, and ‘70 Challenger SE did on the backlight.