Bored on the first day of work this year, so I thought I'd write up some of the differences I've learned about between the 71 and 72 cars. Everyone always kind of groups them together, but there are more than a couple of changes - some well known, others not so much. Please add any others I might have missed or let me know if I'm wrong on any:

1) 442 front grilles - colors
2) 442 front grille emblems - colors
3) Front headlamp bezels - painted black on 72's
4) Front Stone sheild emblem
5) Original headlamps - different T-3 logo design on 72's
6) Back to external voltage regulator on 72 442's
7) No red wells on 72 W-30's ( mostly...)
8) 442 not a separate VIN desginator (W-29 package thing)
9) W-29 hood stripes - 72 only
10) Seat belt warning system on 72's (72 only seat belt retractors, dash harness, body wiring harness, speedometer with belt light or U21 dash mount light assy, 4 speed jumper wire harness) maybe more items different such as the seat assy themselves?
11) Rear spoiler not available in 72
12) W-27 clutch not available in 72
13) Rear end change to corporate 8.5 in 72 (I think) Anyway, the axle vent tube is different!
14) Interior wood grain different
15) Some interior material patterns different
16) M-21 (close ratio) not available in 72
17) Rear taillight lenses
18) Convertible top harness (from power source to switch) different in 72
19) No 442 badge on glovebox on 72's
20) Quite a few different exterior color options bewtween the two years
21) No 71 Hurst Olds
22) No 72 SX
23) 6 Cyl. not available in 72

 

Interesting thing to do. I think I can add a couple and perhaps correct one item.
The 8.5 corporate rear end started in 71.

The fender mounted horn relay was moved from the drivers fender to the firewall.
I believe battery cables went from top mount to side mount in 72.
The standard rear end ratio for most automatics went from 2:56 to 2:73.
The standard steering wheel was revised in design.
Halo vinyl roof was dropped from the Supremes.
Wide chrome body side moldings were dropped from Supremes.
As a result of the above, the wheel well moldings went from 3/4 to full.
I believe in the HD cooling option, a radiator overflow tank was included on the passenger side on the 72s.
That's it for now.

 

72 supreme lost brightwork along the side and went to chrome rocker.
72 supreme vinyl roof with no halo area and vinyl runs down A pillar

Pat

 

Ebony Black (code 19) not offered on exterior color palette in 1972. Only model year this appears to have been done.
72 rad support modified slightly to accept new eggcrate and horizontal bar grills.
72 Eggcrate on Horizontal grilles move forward in stone shield.
Grilles in 72 are plastic instead of pot metal in 71
Grille mounting bracket redesigned except for 442 models.
Hoods on 72 AC cars did not have rear vent piercing
72 January JL2 becomes standard brake package on A bodies
72 VIN plate changes format
72 Cutlass Supreme loses SX designation
72 Wheel discs change simulating nuclear reactor towers introduced
W29 appearance package introduced in 1972 for all Cutlass 2 doors except CS HT.
72 Cutlass S moves "S" from sail panel to front fender by Cutlass script
f85 nameplate disappears - becomes the 4 door Cutlass Town Sedan in 72
455 becomes a 'rare' engine in 72 A bodies

72 becomes the year of choice for hobbyists to clone

 

Duh, I cant believe I forgot the first two (horn relay and battery cables) All others new to me, but I think the radiator overflow tank was not an option available from the factory, but a dealer sold and/or installed item - (previously learned this from Allan - the 72 guru.)

Joe

 

Very interesting - so no 72's were available in Black? And the A/C car hood with no piercing means it is the same as for non A/C? Or is there some other difference?

I personally cannot stand those "nuclear reactor" hubcaps. Ugly beyond compare.

 

Actually the battery cables aren't a given either. My 72 was built in April of 72 and has top post terminals.

The coolant overflow did not start in 72 as a factory option. It was a reaction by Olds to the overheating problem a lot of 455's were experiencing. The coolant recovery tank, contrary to popular belief was NOT delivered with the car from the factory. It was an option ANY Olds owner could get dealer installed for free if they went in and asked for it because of overheating. It wasn't until around late 75 early 76 that coolant tanks entered the market as standard equipment on most cars.

Rocketbrian: Although the 71 Cutlass Supreme had the 3/4 moldings and side trim, the Cutlass S still had the full openings and rocker trim like the 72 (no rocker on either 71/72 fastback 442s though) I believe the 71 and 72 442 W30 had full opening moldings regardless if it was fastback or CS vert because of the W30 striping.


Hmmm, one more thing just popped into mind
In 72, CS could only get 442 exterior badging as the convertible model.

Joe: Yup. Check the factory color palette. 72 was the only year that A body Oldsmobiles weren't included with Ebony Black. Don't know why.
re: Hoods? No. The hoods with rear piercings were for non AC cars. Only the AC cars didn't get the piercings. This is somewhat confusing considering that 71 A bodies (excludes W25 hoods obviously) all got hoods with rear piercings.

 

1972- 442 base engine is a 350 2-bbl, single exhaust
yes, a factory auto trans 442 that is really a 321... oh the shame.

1971 had special heads for the W30 engines [big valve H castings]; 1972 you're hard pressed to even find a big valve Ga head- pretty much only W30's got the 2.07" intakes. Not a std issue BB 442 even.

Since we are shooting for a cononical list, let's include the Body Tag "ST" line having "72" for 1972 models, and "71" for 1971 models- just in case the clueless info seeker finds this list in the future.

 

Rocketbrian: Although the 71 Cutlass Supreme had the 3/4 moldings and side trim, the Cutlass S still had the full openings and rocker trim like the 72 (no rocker on either 71/72 fastback 442s though) I believe the 71 and 72 442 W30 had full opening moldings regardless if it was fastback or CS vert because of the W30 striping

My comment was pertaining to the Supreme only, that is why I said "as a result of the above".
Overall, they made the Supreme much more generic in 72, vs 70 and 71, basically trimming it as an "S" on the outside, saving money no doubt by using the more common parts.

 

I will add that late 1971 built model year 1972 cars may not have all the 72 items, like the seat belt warning system

 

I don't understand your comment. ST on the body tags was common for all these cars. Ohhhhh, now I get it. Note to self: Learn to read 71 = 71 and 72 = 72.....BTW did you mean canonical as in lists or references?

My apologies.

You're right. The seatbelt warning system wasn't actually required by legislation until Jan of 1972, so there could be a whole whack of 72 cars out there without that feature.

 

Joe, you're killing me . That’s my favorite thread so far this year. Let me add one more:
Grill/Hood moldings: The cross section is different. 71 has the ridge in the center, 72 has the ridge toward the outside of the molding.

I think you mean W-37 clutch.

 

Wow, I guess that means there were at least 5 different 72 hoods - W25, plain hood with and without A/C, and hood with grilles with and without A/C. Is this correct?

 

Found another obsure but important difference. The thermal limiter or superheat switch was introduced for all 72 models to shut off the A/C compressor when the freon dropped to two pounds, in order to prevent damage to the compressor. I believe it was offered in the big Oldses in prior years and was introduced to the A bodies for 72.

 

Whoops on the W27/W37 thing. Do you have any pics you could post of the grille molding differences? And are the repos patterned after the 71's or72's?

Joe

 

Very cool - the more obscure the better!!

 

Yup!

See, that's why you guys who have AC cars need to jump in with those details. A safety switch - cool (no pun intended )

 

The 72 that we know of today,was never meant to be.What we know today as the 73,was supposed to be the 72,but there was a strike.They simply changed some subtle items from the 71 cars.

 

Yup, that's what this thread is all about Brian. I think we all (to a T) know what you're saying. Just identifying all those 'subtle changes' which seem to be a fair amount of BTW.

 

72 used a different power steering pump/reservoir than 71.
I believe the cruise control brackets are different as well.

 

Ok, I gotta know. What about the washer fluid bottle. Which side was 72 and which was 71. I can't find a consistent answer to this one anywhere. My car isn't AC and the washer bottle is on the DS. But I see lots of them on the PS with long hoses running to the squirters. I have this theory that they're supposed to be (or were originally intended for) the DS. That's why they have that little cut out where the battery cables route by. Anyone?

 

Most good repro places have 2 different part#s for the 71 & 72. Its too late to take pic of the real moldings so I wipped this just now:

 

What about the vacuum thermal switch on the manifold, 72 was an electronic one wasn't it? Very expensive to find one of those.

 

Thanks for the pics on the grille moldings - this oddity, along with the hood/cowl venting changes are my favorites so far.

Hate to ask, but what are the differences in the power steering pumps? I worked in parts stores for years and can't remember any changes in any of the 68 and up A bodies.

 

Inquiring minds want to know. I never got a definitive answer to my thread on this.

 

I have two 2 owner '72's that are both A/C cars...both were completely original when our family got them. They BOTH have the washer fluid bottle on the D/S and the battery cable routes in the nook and goes over the fender well down to the heat shield tube and to the starter.

Also, with regard to the seat belt minder...I do not believe it was a mandatory item beginning in Jan. '72. Neither of my cars have them and they were built in Feb and April '72...FYI

 

Ah yes, the power steering pumps. I knew that , but had forgotten. The 71 had a slim neck, while the 72 had a fuller tapered neck for lack of a better description. The 72 would then obviously hold more fluid.

Regarding the washer tanks, and I'm only going from memory, which as we know gets fuzzyer as the years pass; in 71, the 350s with std cooling had it located on the driver side and with 455s and std. cooling, it was on the passenger side. However, if you had HD cooling, they were on the DS for both. Go figure. No idea why. I think it's spelled out in the assembly manual. I don't know about the 72s. My SX is on the PS and it has air, and on my 442 it is on the PS as well, but it does not have air. 455s for both.
My guess is that with HD cooling, they were leaving room for the potential overflow coolant tank. Only a guess.

 

Here are two pictures of 71 PS pumps. You can compare them to those who have 72s.

 

That looks exactly like the original pump on my '72 convertible...idk about it being different.

Also, I forgot to add that both my cars are factory 350 A/C cars in reference to the washer fluid bottles being on the D/S.

 

There are differences in the wiring harnesses,and placements of the wires/terminals.You can't plug a 71 harness into a 72 without some repinning.
The grain on the seats is different.Same appearance as 71,but different grain.
The seat belts themselves are different,compared to 71.

 

Good to know. I have a set. Now I won't sell them unknowingly.

I'd like to see these piercing differences. I thought there were only 3 hoods...

 

One more: Front Bumper Guards - Early 71s were spread wide apart. Later they were moved closer to the center of the bumper so they would be more effective.

 

Didn't the seat belt bolts change,as well as the door strikes? Maybe I am thinking of something else.

 

According to the 72 brochure, they put heavier finned drums on the front of all A bodies in 72. I don't know if anyone ever noticed this, as both of mine came with discs. In 71, no wire wheel covers were offered. They had the big black centre ones in 70, and came out with a new design in 72.

As far as running changes, during May of 71, which would affect 72s, they shortened up the sunvisors, eliminating the attachment to the rearview mirror support, saving a few more bucks.


I do have one query about the dash woodgrain used in 71 vs 72. I have seen in the aftermarket they distinguish between the two years, one is rosewood and one is walnut. I have looked in the parts books and there is no distinction. For example, in the 72 dated parts book, the applique for 71 and 72 for the 8track face plate is part number 407816. For the guage surround plastic piece, the part number is 404654 for 70, as it has burled woodgrain, and the part number for 71-72 is 407814. The applique for the glovebox is also the same for 71 and 72. I have looked at numerous 71 and 72s and can't tell the difference in the woodgrains, other than slight shade differences for both years that would be attributable to different runs. Comments?

 

Here's that thread I had a while back on this. I believe the ASM states the bottle for A body w/ 455 all go on the P/S except with Y72 (H/D cooling) It seems counterintuitive - especially if your car doesnt have A/C since there's plenty of room on the RH side.

https://classicoldsmobile.com/forums...ual-combo.html

 

How about 'post' coupes not available in '71 but returned in '72.

 

Post coupes were still available in 1971,but not as a 442.

 

This was posted under the '442' section so I thought that's what we were referring to.

 

Can someone post a front grille shot of a 71 442 and 72 442 for reference?

 

Here's my '71. Basically the grilles are the same just 'finished' differently. The '71 has Silver outer surrounds with Black grilles and Black 442 numbers while the '72 has Silver grilles with Black and Silver outer surrounds and Red 442 numbers.