Late build date Duster confusion?

My 1971 340 Duster had a scheduled build date of July 9th. It has the 72 trunk lid, bumpers, blue engine. In comparing my car with my friends 1971 340 Duster I noticed the tube that comes from the gas tank and ends up in the engine compartment are different. In researching pics online it seems in 1971 the tube ended straight and the 3/8 hose went to the three nipple breather on the valve cover. In 1972 the tube turns 90 degrees upwards and goes to a charcoal canister. My Question is, I have the 90 degree tube and the hose still goes to the three nipples breather. Could I have had the charcoal canister in 1971? Maybe the tube like other parts were already being geared up and just placed on my 1971 without a charcoal canister. I don't see any evidence of having the canister but I can only trace the ownership to the early 90s.

Does your fender skirt have the indentation for the charcoal canister?

Good question, I would have to look. Not sure how it looks compared to the non indented fender.

I'd say no on the canister, and I'd also say your engine should have been painted blue. There's one way to know for sure, IF you have your original engine, post a pic of the stamping on the front of your block (under drivers cyl head deck surface on the front). Is that a pic of Bill Sefton's survivor Demon that you posted?

I have the blue engine for sure, it's a numbers matching car. I am shocked owning the car so long and never noticed. It has the indent, 72 inner fender apron, but the holes have not been drilled for where I assume the canister screws too.

Scott, I just found the pics of the Demon and slant 6 cars on the internet.

Looks like a nice car, can you post more pics? Fender tag would be cool too.

Thanks Scott...certainly.

Great looking car!

Not unusual to see the phase in of 72 stuff. I had a 71 cuda 340 with an SPD of 730 and it had 72 bumpers on it

Thank you Morty! I thought I knew all the crossover parts on it, but the fender apron is news to me. 7/30 that is really late!

They did lots of weird stuff in 71. Early E bodies used 70 parts and late cars used 72 parts.

Agreed, but the charcoal canister would not be on that list based on what I've seen so far. I have owned to 71 340 Dusters with July SPD's, both had 72 bumpers, deck lids, and the indented inner fender. Neither had the canister. Do you have your broadcast sheet?

LOVE your car!

Thank you Scott..
No, I wish I had the broadcast sheet! I purchased the car allegedly from the second owner in NY. He told me he was in Florida visiting family, saw the car in a driveway unregistered, knocked on the door and the original owner answered. The Owner said he saved the car for his son but he didn't want it, so he sold it to owner #2 who drove from Fla to NY with dealer plates. Owner #2 owned it for 6 months, never registered it. Kept dealer plates on it, and raced it once at Lebanon Valley Raceway and had a street race with a friend's Nova and won! He decided to move to Florida and put it up for sale when I bought it. It is all original body panels except the hood, original floors, trunk floor and numbers matching. I put a new interior in since it was Florida sun baked! It was ordered as it sits, except I did add the factory hood pins, I just couldn't help myself LOL

This is nothing new. Mopar has been using up left over inventory from the year before, or installing the next model year parts on assembly line cars and trucks since the return of auto production after WWII. Maybe even before that!
The Dodge truck book I have states that whenever Dodge came up with a new, improved component for their truck line, that component was introduced into production as soon as the new parts were available and the inventory of parts they were replacing ran out. There was little concern about waiting for a model year to roll around before making the changes. Gene