46 years is a long time. It’s longer than some people reading this have been alive and longer than their parents have been alive. A lot of us remember 1976, I sure do. The seller of this 1971 Dodge Demon 340 says that it has been off the road since 1976 and has been in their barn since 2000. They have it listed here on Barn Finds and it’s located in Miami, Florida. They’re asking $7,500.
This car has a lot of dusty Duster goodness going on. It looks incredibly straight and solid and the seller has added a few underside photos showing the condition underneath and it does look great other than some light surface rust. They mention some work that needs to be done on the trunk floor and a small spot on the driver’s side quarter but that’s it.
The Demon name didn’t go over well with some religious groups and Dodge took some (ah-hem) heat for the name, believe it or not. I wonder if that would happen in today’s super friendly and forgiving world? (crickets) In 1971, Dodge got its own version of the new Plymouth Duster fastback body and it became the Demon. Another believe-it-or-not fun fact: Dodge thought about naming this new model the Beaver. Soooooo, from a Swinger to a Beaver to a Demon.
This car needs work as you’ve already seen. But, help is available for interior parts, at least for the upholstery and carpet. This car has the optional Tuff Wheel padded steering wheel and the dash looks solid and doesn’t appear to have any cracks which is always nice to see. The trunk looks solid but as I mentioned earlier, they talk about it needing a little welding help. And, it’s filled with engine parts…
And, those engine parts were once under the hood where this big hole is. It’s a numbers-matching 340 cubic-inch V8 which would have had 275 gross hp and obviously it needs to be rebuilt or it wouldn’t be in the trunk. Have any of you owned a Dodge Demon 340?
I had a Demon 340 in high school, 727 with a killer shift kit. A buddy of mine had a ’70 Duster 340, but people liked mine because of the rarity factor. I hadn’t heard of the Demon myself until 1980, when I came across mine at a car lot in Sunnyside, Washington. Only thing I didn’t care for was the Green Go color.
Paid $1,100 for it. In the condition it was in, it’d probably sell for at least $12K today.
I am surprised your parents would let you buy a car like that. Too much performance and a teenager is never a good mix. My folks would only let me buy a six cylinder engine car when I was in HS. I pleaded to at least let me buy a standard V8, esp since I was working and paying for it myself, but they saw through that, they asked what could a V8 do that a six could not. They had me there I am probably here today because of their stern, but loving parenting. More than one of my peers got hurt or dead because their parents gave in.
It depends on the kid. I’m certain mine was the only V8 in the student lot at my school. But I was pretty level headed and didn’t abuse the car, and fact is 25 years later I still have the car. Now my nephew? I wouldn’t trust him with anything beyond a moped! :)
My parents knew I was mature enough to drive such a vehicle, so it wasn’t a problem. Since I was only 17 when I bought it, my mother was the legal owner until I was 18. We told the insurance company the car was a Dodge Dart (which wasn’t a lie, since Demons are Darts), so the insurance was affordable. I owned the car for about four years before selling it to raise money to go to college.
I had to stand up to operate the two brake peddles of my Grandpa’s International Harvester when I was a kid. My legs weren’t long enough to sit down. My Dad said I watched the Dukes of Hazard like it was weekly Drivers Ed films so you know how this story ends. I wanted to buy a neighbors 66 Chevy Caprice Wagon for the 396 and do a motor and front suspension swap into my 66 Bel Air which had a 250 (first car bought from Grandpa). Both had a power glide but not sure of the Caprice Wagon rear end. Want to say/remember it was a 12 bolt posi. Couldn’t sell my folks on the project. Probably because I was wearing out every JC Whitney catalog as soon as they’d hit the mailbox. Much sadness.
I was a gear-head moron, and my Mom knew that lol. She wouldn’t let me get my license until I was an adult. Probably a good idea lol. I’m still alive, after all lol.
I was 17 when I bought my 73 340 ; my 72 slant 6 car had just been totalled by a drunk driver and I went back to the dealer to find another one. This in 1979 , and as they were pushing Volares at the time , the only Duster was in the used car back lot . I knew I was going to own it as soon as I saw it. I was with my parents , but I know they had no idea what the giant 340 on the rear quarters meant ! I paid $1500.00 for it – I still have it to this day
Oh ya, finally a car I can appreciate. 340’s are big block killers… Be nice to know if block and all is in the trunk. Friend of mine has a 340 -6 pack in his shop. Wants a pretty penny for it, then again he has a lot of cool stuff his daddy left him. He don’t care he’s black gold rich.
Maybe he should sell while there is still a demand for antique auto parts?
Snotty, you may be right. I’m parting out a original 70′ 340 Dart Swinger, which has a good running motor, with around 45,000 miles on it, because I could not sell as a complete car for $5,000.
$7500 with an “assembly-required” engine? I’m not feeling quite enough love for the car at that price. It seems as though the ultimate cost and time investment necessary to make the car right would exceed the resulting value of the vehicle. BUT, that’s just me. Personally, I liked the Dart Sport/Valiant Duster line and had two of them many years back (’70 Duster and a ’73 Dart Sport).
Someone correct me if I’m wrong here but I don’t think the Demon came with the lower part painted black. Looks like an add-on. Usually, people do that when there’s a rust issue they’re trying to hide. Bondo is hard to hide on a white car. Not saying. Just saying.
I considered one back in ’85, a red Demon 340 but it had a funky looking hood scoop which I didn’t like as it served no real purpose, completely stock engine which was a rare sight floor shift automatic, I liked the car and it got up when I nailed the throttle. Asking price was 1200 bucks which turned into a grand as I began to walk away. Shoulda coulda woulda, seem to have a lot of those.
I was only ten during that bicentennial year of 1976 but I was already hanging with the older “kids”, I enjoyed all the red white and blue and long hair.
I had a military friend who bought one that had a “starting” problem. A minor fix ensued and an oil change & detail, and he had an immaculate 340 Demon for peanuts! :-)
I had a blue 1971 Dodge Demon when I was stationed at Clark Air Base, Phillipines. It had an electrical problem that kept killing alternators and batteries. After getting it “fixed” three times on base I finally sold it for $600 to an electrician on base. I hope he was finally able to fix that electrical problem. It also had a 340 and the dual airscoops on the hood.
Guy in my neighborhood had a 72 Duster 340,black w white interior 4 speed, flat black hood said Wedge on it, anyway he pulled the 340 and put a 440 in it, locked the hood and won a lotta money
Had my Plymouth Barracuda tricked out with Dodge Dart and Demon power add-ons! I purchased a 340 Dart Sport for the drive line and installed the Demon hood with functional cold air dual snorkel scoop,it was finished in Demon blackout hood stripes.It was a great street machine in the ‘80s.
The body looks straight and rust free!! Not a terrible price for such a clean body!!
5 years old when parked. Car looks on terrible shape. Chrysler seat covers started to blow apart within a few years. But this one is a mess. Probably mice. A friend in high school had a blue Demon with a 4 speed. Drove it all the time. These cars never came with black painted bottoms. Solid color only. Probably worth fixing up. These cars are bringing decent money today.
Never had a Demon, but in 1971 I parted with around $3200.00 Cdn. for a lemon twist Duster. Black interior, poverty hub caps, painted rims and that was about it. No power steering, no power brakes, but plenty of power under the hood. My wife and I went used that car for every thing. Grocery shopping, holidays, going to work, and some 1/4 fun. Great car and no matter how much abuse I threw at it, it never let me down. Over the next year, I put a slightly higher stall converter in it, a Transgo 2 shift kit in it and had even more fun. I sold it in 1975 with the arrival of our son. The yahoo I sold it to blew the transmission up, had to rebuild the engine, and eventually piled it into a pole. Never buy your 17 year old kid that kind of car.
If I knew how to post photos here, I have a picture of the car after only owning it for a couple of weeks or so.
Yes – a 340/auto 1971 and a 340/4sp 1972…..should have kept the 72 it was hemi /black inside orange and had the scoop hood – neither cars had a vinyl roof…..oh whale make money and go to the next one…..
looks like a 2500 dollar project with 5000 worth of potential i dont pay for potentail how about you
That is (was) a slick little Demon at one point. Gonna take a lot of $$$ to get it back to where it was though. If it was parked in 76 it sure did have a short, miserable life.
It’s pretty well equipped having buckets, the tuff wheel, the auto trans (too bad for that), the molding package, and a vinyl top. Also a rare color (less than 5% of A bodys were white).
I’d love to have it but the price is way too high for what it is.
Well i bought the demon and glad i did.It virtually had no rust.Under neath was perfect and it was not undercoated.Still covered in all the factory markings.Was an easy and inexpensive restore.
Nice hot-rod dennis! I have a Demon hood scoop that would look great on that.