The Dodge Demon was essentially a Plymouth Duster with different badging. From the cowl forward, the Demon had Dart sheet metal just as the Duster had Valiant parts. The Demon hit the market a year after the Duster and sold nearly 80,000 copies, of which 10,000 had the 340 small block V-8. The seller’s 1971 Demon is a basic model, with a Slant-Six and manual transmission. He’s throwing in a 340 so you can create your own Demon tribute. Spokane, Washington is where the car can be found, as well as here on craigslist for $8,000 for the whole she-bang. Our appreciation to David Raezer for bringing this tip our way!

The Dodge Demon was a decent success, although it was generally outsold by its Plymouth counterpart. The car would be marketed under that name for two years before it was changed to Dart Sport (kind of a letdown, huh?). The story goes that Dodge got a ton of flack from religious sectors over the moniker “Demon”, so Dodge apparently caved in and made the name change. The less thrilling Dart Sport would carry on until 1976 when the Dart series was retired. The Duster named didn’t seem to offend anyone, so no change was made there.

This 1971 Demon was purchased from the original owner who had parked it in 1988 for reasons unknown. We’re guessing it didn’t relax in an enclosed structure that Mother Nature couldn’t penetrate. That being said, the body of the car doesn’t look too bad, with rust noted in the trunk and probably the front floorboards, as well as surface rust on all the sun-facing surfaces. The front bumper is warped, and the headlights are as dull as any I’ve seen, but the glass looks good.

We only get one thumb-blocked photo of the interior and things look no more encouraging there. The front seat cover is torn, the dash pad cracked and the front carpet missing. Back in those days, a lot of the interior surfaces were metal and painted, so those areas will need to be resprayed as well. The blue Demon comes with its original build sheet which should confirm a car with few options. Like the 225 motor with a floor-shifted 3-speed manual.

We’re guessing the seller at one time wanted to convert this to a V-8 because a date-correct 340 comes with the deal. The seller says it’s “ready to build” so we don’t know if he means the engine itself will need some assembly or that it’s simply ready to go into the car. But simply swapping motors isn’t enough. You’d want to consider what else is needed, from upgraded suspension parts to brakes and the rear end.

If this car was restored but retained its original drivetrain set-up, it would probably be worth in the mid-teens. If it was a 340 model, you might be able to double that number. But this is s rough car to begin that journey with either way. Does the asking price leave enough room to make either option happen on an affordable basis? That would have to a pretty righteous 340 for it to make any sense to me.