Stupid question- how to tell '72-'74 Challengers apart?

[Purple73Cuda]

Cool Thread! How much of this info could be applied to '72-'74 'cudas?

[wally426ci]

'74 seat covers have a soft back. No Plastic backing like up to '73.

just about all of this should apply to Barracudas.

Oh and the sunvisors have 1973 on the detail tag.    not sure if 72 and 73 had the same info there.

[Bullitt-]

'74 seat covers have a soft back. No Plastic backing like up to '73.

My '73 came with soft backs

[Super Blue 72]

Cool Thread! How much of this info could be applied to '72-'74 'cudas?

A lot of this info may apply.  Cudas had different stripes depending on the year.

[VTMopar]

Wally .... to follow-up -- Agree that '74's have soft seat backs -- is it your undersanding that '73's had hard seat backs?

VT Mopar

[72rtchallenger]

72 was the last hard seat back that i recall..cudas or challengers,,everything changed when emissions took stage

[rallye73]

'73 had the soft seatbacks. Also the 72 had a blacked out tailpanel on the Rallye, and the 73-4 had argent tailpanels.

[wally426ci]

Oh ok, i thought they were 74 only with soft backs....... I suppose it sounds right. I've never owned a 73.

[Old Moparz]

I know the question asked was about appearance, but I was wondering about another difference regarding the floor pans. Years ago I attempted to swap bucket seats between a 1973 Duster & a 1976 Dart Sport, & found out that the later had different seat tracks & floor pan. This was due to the space that was needed to accomidate the catalytic converter. The floor had a large bumped up area on the driver's side, so a much lower seat track was used to fit in between the floor pan & the seat bottom. I ended up simply swapping the seat itself & retaining the tracks, but wondered if other Mopars from 1974 & up had different floor pan stampings due to having catalytic converters. 

[Bullitt-]

I believe the 1st year for catalytic converters was '75 sooo no e-bodies were effected

[Super Blue 72]

'73 had the soft seatbacks. Also the 72 had a blacked out tailpanel on the Rallye, and the 73-4 had argent tailpanels.

  73-4 Rallye cars had argent tailpanels? 

[Old Moparz]

I believe the 1st year for catalytic converters was '75 sooo no e-bodies were effected

Okay, the floor & seat track issue doesn't matter then. 

For some reason I was thinking that the 1974 Valiant that my parents had, had the "Unleaded Fuel Only" sticker on it & assumed that '74 was the first year for the catalytic converters.

[Bullitt-]

73-4 Rallye cars had argent tailpanels? 

I would not call it argent..more Heavy Metallic Silver & I don't know for sure but I think all '73-4s came this way.
 I see many pics where the filler out by the quarters is left unfinished/gray but my '73 this area was also Metallic Silver..
Couple of pics I saved for reference.

[Bullitt-]

Okay, the floor & seat track issue doesn't matter then. 

For some reason I was thinking that the 1974 Valiant that my parents had, had the "Unleaded Fuel Only" sticker on it & assumed that '74 was the first year for the catalytic converters.

We had a 74 Monaco that did not require unleaded & a 75 Royal Monaco that did, although as I understand it not all passenger cars & trucks were required to have it until, I believe, '77.

[Super Blue 72]

I would not call it argent..more Heavy Metallic Silver & I don't know for sure but I think all '73-4s came this way.
 I see many pics where the filler out by the quarters is left unfinished/gray but my '73 this area was also Metallic Silver..
Couple of pics I saved for reference.

Thanks for the info! 

So the tailpanels on the '73-'74 cars were this Metallic Silver while the grills blacked out? 


So the '72 cars were the only ones to have blacked out grills AND talipanels If I get it correctly? 



BTW- Just found this page from the '73 brochure.  States blacked out grill.

http://www.stockmopar.com/reference/dodge/challenger/brochure/1973/2.jpg


1973 brochure: http://www.stockmopar.com/reference/dodge/challenger/brochure/1973.html