who is into "later" cars

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Princess Valiant

A.K.A. Rainy Day Auto
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Since I started into this hobby I have been surrounded by late 60s era cars. I never had a chance to get much into the "later" cars which are typically defined as 73+.

I have heard things over the years against these cars such as "beak cars" as being used as a derogatory term as well as "thick bumper cars" "Smog cars" "plastic interior cars"

Well I finally got my break and scored my lifetime second 74 duster, and I am really starting to get into the "later" cars.

They are not typically thought of as muscle cars but when you step back and look at the demands of times and the engineering that went into these cars.....its amazing. They really got innovative and tried a lot of new things....some worked and some didn't. People tend to focus on the negative and focus on what didn't work such as "lean burn" which proved more problematic than anything. What about the things that did work such as a truly remarkable electronic ignition system. Absolutely outstanding for the times, it would change tunes ups forever.

The plastic in the interior was really innovative for the times. They were trying something new and getting past that tin box feel of the 60s. Which was refreshing for the times and effective in getting the buying public into forward thinking and more comfortable, quiet and reliable cars. All while being forced to contend with government demands.

Who else is into the 73-80 era ?? I know there some really slick dart sports on here :)
 
Not me Most of that was terrible runnin smog era stuff, and what I used to call "picnic table" bumpers.

Just tonight I was searchin' for "magnum" (engine parts maybe, maybe not) on CL and "forgot" how darn ugly they were

00m0m_lmgn4qTfAZg_600x450.jpg
 
I think the 73 Duster 340 was the best lookin Duster made.
 
The coolest thing about the "malaise" era cars is that everyone absolutely hates them so you can get them extremely cheap and the underlying stuff were never changed much from the '73 cars so you can swap in some potent engines. They can be pretty neat sleepers.
 
Not me 73 and up are ugly to me. I saw them new and wasnt impressed then and am not impressed now.Theres a few exceptions though.
 
Nothing wrong with Magnums and Miradas.

Just more stuff to sift through under the hood.

Still 318's, 360's and B/RB motors, though.

I don't think you can arbitrarily draw the line between 73 and 74-76 Dusters, though.

There was a LOT of neat stuff in the post 72 Mopar world-

Slap Sticks were still around (and quite common), as were rallye wheels, tuff wheels, dual sport mirrors, sunroofs and T tops, fold down seats, factory CB radios, etc, etc...
 
I've owned a '74 Duster, and other than the giant bumpers, I thought it was a pretty handsome car. I have always considered myself a fan of the '73+ cars, however most of my old Mopars have been Pre'73.

As far as '73+ cars not being as cool, that's bogus! I know a guy with a wicked '73 Charger SE! Factory 440 auto, sunroof, bucket seat, console, etc! Triple black car too! Wicked cool and a real muscle car IMHO. A good friend if mine recently acquired a '75 Roadrunner. Granted, it's only has a 318 in it, but it's a real RM21 car! Buckets, console, sport mirrors, AC, etc! I think it's a wicked cool car!

And for me, I think a Super Coupe would make me just as happy as any of the 70-'72 Darts, Dusters, Demons and Scamps I've owned.
 
I'm not a fan of the rear suspension of the Magnum and its brother cars.
The front K has the rubber bushings. And the longer T-bars.

To revert, an earlier B body rear bolts in with eaier springs.
Solid discs can replace the rubber K bushings. Donated T-bar parts can be welded into the sub frame. And that last one is a lot of work.

Also not a fan of the wiring. My next nightmare.
 
I love my 73 duster. I used to think the 70-72 front looked the best, but now I think they look plain jane with not enough going on. The bumper guards look goofy on the 73+ cars, that's why mine are off!
 
I have always liked the "convertriple" cars with the cool fold down rear seat & sunroof.
The big bumpers, reduced emissions and attempts to increase fuel economy had a huge effect on the coolness of the cars.
 
It was a time that bean counters, government and insurance companies got involved and production costs had to be slashed to stay in business. Hence everything became 'cheap'.
I have a hard time seeing 'plastic' parts or the knee-jerk removal of engine performance to meet emission demands as innovative or a 'good' thing. They had no choice and did everything they could to meet the new rules.

It wasn't until more modern cars with fine tuned port injection that engine performance came back while still being able to meet demands.

Although, yes the electronic leanburn system, with it's ECU mounted to a vibrating aircleaner unit on a extra emission hot engine, was a nice feat to be able to keep that ECU alive over the years.
 
I think after 74...the cars went downhill...a friend told me once..."if it don't have chrome,leave it at home"
 
I had years back a '73 Duster with a 318/3spd manual In between the buckets with the moon roof and fold down rear seat. Sure grip equipped as well.

I don't see the knee jerk reaction in the years that followed the newer regulations. While I think they could have gotten the engines to pass with the older larger cam's and bigger valves, boarder line passing is the problem I think. To early for F.I. To meet the task (and expensive I bet) and weak ignitions to fire it all off completely were missing.
 
Beaks rule.
Shark Tooth grills just have beak envy.
Clip this Demon clips.

Love the beak.
(Even on women. But that's off topic and TMI)
[ame]https://youtu.be/WkzTcUVTP0Q[/ame]
 

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I never had a chance to get much into the "later" cars which are typically defined as 73+.

I have heard things over the years against these cars such as "beak cars" as being used as a derogatory term as well as "thick bumper cars" "Smog cars" "plastic interior cars"

Well I finally got my break and scored my lifetime second 74 duster, and I am really starting to get into the "later" cars.


Who else is into the 73-80 era ?? I know there some really slick dart sports on here :)

The 74 duster is nice and doesn't have the beak, a feature I detest. You can from what I understand change the front end over to the older style.

They do have some features I like better than the older cars.

  • Engine mounts
  • Sway bar style
  • Headliner
  • Big bolt pattern
  • Rounded body style (on some)
  • Full door glass
 
As far as interiors go, the early Dusters had ugly door panels(painted metal at the top of the door.) 73 and 74 are much better. The early cars had a better dash pod. If you take off the bumper guards, the later Dusters look just as good. And don't forget the important stuff on later cars: Electronic ignition, Safer body(new beams in doors to protect in a accident), Revised front suspension with bigger spindles, Bigger bolt pattern wheels w/ disc brakes ect. The later cars are better- Look up the #'s more 74 dusters sold than any other year
 
How bout the Aspen/Volare, I think those cars can be made into something. They had a Road Runner version and wasn't the Aspen offered in an R/T?
 
Not me 73 and up are ugly to me. I saw them new and wasnt impressed then and am not impressed now.Theres a few exceptions though.

Man,you got that right..styling went out the window:violent1::violent1:
 
You can keep anything mopar made after '71 especially the a-bodies..
 
I love my '73 Dart Sport. I think the later cars have a lot going for them and doing an engine swap was a breeze. It was a slant but now it has a 340. I was able to keep just about everything except the slant itself. I already had big bolt pattern disk brakes, a good a230 transmission, and an 8 1/4 rear end that could handle a V8. All it took was some conversion mounts, a bellhousing, and some odds and ends. I like the fact that I still have the original transmission and rear end that the car left the factory with, but the 340 is a lot more fun than the slant. The bumpers had the rubber guards on them which were easily removed. Mine didn't have the ones built into the bumper like some of the later cars, and I don't think they stick out very far either. How about electronic ignition? Later cars already have it and the earlier cars don't.

I think there was still a lot of good stuff going on in '73. BEAKS RULE!
 
Not me Most of that was terrible runnin smog era stuff, and what I used to call "picnic table" bumpers.

Just tonight I was searchin' for "magnum" (engine parts maybe, maybe not) on CL and "forgot" how darn ugly they were

00m0m_lmgn4qTfAZg_600x450.jpg

I think they're cool, and I wanted one very badly in 1979. Kinda still do.
 
I do like the 70-72 dusters best. However, my latest purchase is a '76 Duster, and it's growing on me. Lets just call it what it is, the cars are basically the same cars. I do like the taillights, grills and bumpers better on the 70-72's, but it's not the difference between juicy steak and puke (lol). Some good things about my '76 vs. the early year dusters I've owned: Large bolt pattern wheels; disc brakes, electronic ignition. But basically, same doors, bodies, windows, etc. etc. As far as other "later" cars, I like the 2 door Aspens/Volares, especially with the louvers in the rear side windows and back fins on the trunks. I owned a 77 R/T. Had the louvers, fin, stripes, auto on floor. Most of us would take 73-74 Cudas and Chally's too..
 
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