1972 Duster , lower control arm sway bar brackets

i think the 73 and later are shorter so they have much less vertical travel making
them less effective.

no.

there’s a combination of things going on.
1) length of the middle section (the shorter the stiffer)
2)arm length (shorter the stiffer)
3)location of attachment to LCA (closest to ball joint the stiffer)

1 and 2 make the 73-76 stiffer. But 3 makes the 73-76 less stiff. I think the combination makes them about equal.

It’s just a calculation.

There’s nothing dramatic about the handling between a 72 Duster 340 vs. 73 Duster 340.