71-72 Plymouth Satellite

Did these two years share the same body or were there differences?

https://www.allpar.com/threads/71-v-72-satellite.151963/

H.P.

Same basic body.

"Third Generation Satellite (1971-1974):

A new design was introduced for the 1971 model year. The Satellite adopted new “fuselage” styling - in line with the facelifts on the larger Chrysler C-Body models - on the two-door, four-door, and wagon models.

For the 1973 model year, the two-door models received a more conventional front-end design, with squared-up sheet metal and rear side windows. Safety requirements for the 1974 model year included 5 mph (8.0 km/h) bumpers for the sedans and wagons. The Satellite name was dropped after 1974, after which Plymouth’s intermediate offerings on the B-body chassis took the Plymouth Fury name."

1971


1972


Who knew you are a Mopar guy Gino …

Not really, but I do like most late '60s - early '70s muscle cars. I also like doing a bit of research.

This post triggered an instant memory. Probably not the Satellite you are thinking of but this is what I grew up with.
image

Extra seats in the rear for the smaller kids to sit in, resting your feet on the spare tire. Drive shaft running down the middle of the car so the youngest always had to sit over it. Fold the rear hatch down and we could sit on it while my dad drove us around on our paper route.

I hated that car when I was a kid. I would love to build a model of it now for the memories.

1 Like

On a side note, the 1972 one in Gino’s post (last picture) is fitted with a 1971 Satellite grille

https://bringatrailer.com/listing/1972-plymouth-satellite-3/

Here’s the 1972 grille

H.P.

Thanks everyone for replying. As far as the exterior, I will need to check on the marker lights being recessed or not and the grill pattern. :+1:

1 Like

Trying to find a decent priced Pinto wagon kit for about the same reason; my mom’s POS ride.

My dad had a Pinto wagon. He liked the car a lot. He said it had a good front to back balance and drove/ handled well.

My biggest complaint was hers didn’t have AC and we were living in Florida. I remember tooling around with my brother one summer where it was in the 100’s for about a week and I had to keep a rag to soak up the sweat that would pool in my navel.

She contemplated having the original yellow paint redone in black and my brother threatened to crash it into a telephone pole if she did. Seriously, why would you paint a non-AC vehicle on the Gulf Coast black? She traded it for a Fiero.

In those days a particular model’s body style had to last a few years - retooling is an expensive proposition. To get the best out of it, they’d make little changes from one year to the next.
The Mercury Cougars from '71 through '73 (second generation) had no changes at all other than the bumper and grill and other upgrades for the XR7 version. I had two of each. I was always partial to the '71’s.

The '71 grill:

The '73 grill:

The main engine was a 351 Cleveland, available in a few different configurations, but in '71 they offered it with a 429 Cobra Jet V8.

The third generation Cougars became an embarassment, straying far from their Mustang DNA. I won’t even post a photo of one,

1 Like

Embarrassment indeed, but that’s true of nearly every American automobile from '73 onward into the early 80’s. Big boats with emasculated engines and styled by the same generation of people who brought on disco and the hideous clothing of the era.

It’s funny you say that. In Hawaii we had a plain vanilla Maverick. The Navy shipped it to California and we drove it to New York and then to Florida. In the summer. That’s when I learned about Stuckeys’s, and chocolate covered ants, and then you shouldn’t drink milk and eat fried chicken in the desert with no A/C.We made it to the Gulf Coast eventually, and since our fortunes were apparenlty changing (we were dirt poor like most of the Haoles in Hawaii) we upgraded to an orange and white Grabber. Still ugly as sin - the Maverick always looked pregnant to me. And still no A/C. I guess that’s what made us tough back then.

Indeed. The Grabber lasted a few years before we got a - get this - Gran Torino Braugham. Yes, the engine was slightly emasculated due to emissions regulations, which is why Ford in their infinite wisdom threw a truck motor in it - 460 V8. Even though it was “emascualted” it was still a 460. When we moved to Michigan dudes including my next door neighbor, were embarassed at being smoked by a car woth opera windows. That car was a beast.
Then I bought my '71 Cougar. First thing I did was turn my air cleaner cover upside down, cut off a dangerous amount of my exhaust system, and installed a Thrush muffler. I’m not sure what good it did, but you could hear that car coming from blocks away. How I wish the two cars could have gone head to head…

If you want to see ridiculous, there’s a photo of the beast here: