1972 Dodge Demon 340 Clone: Ready to Roll

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The Dodge Demon available here on ebay can be yours for something north of $22K, which is where the bidding sits with three days to go in the auction. It’ a 1972 living in Groveland, FL at the moment, offering a good excuse for those of you in nasty winter climates the chance to get some warmth as you go on a mini-vacation of car scouting.

What you’re going to find is the orangest orange car you’ve ever seen, accented with black body stripes, partial black-out on the hood, and a massive hood scoop. That is intended to draw air in to feed the 340-CID engine that lives under the hood. Should you be lucky enough to pilot the car, you’ll find a four-speed manual transmission with a pistol-grip shifter doing the gear changing. That engine is said to start right up and run excellent. But it’s not original. The as-born-with 318-CID engine puked a while ago and was replaced with the engine currently on board. That, btw, is said to be “period correct for the car,” and well it could be. Dodge offered a Demon 340 in 1972, a model described well here by Hemmings.

Obviously, whoever did that swap also made up the exterior package to match, given that there are Demon 340 badges on the body and other features as noted. What we don’t know is if this one’s been treated to the suspension upgrades it would have had if it were all original from the factory. The condition of the paint is said to be excellent condition for its age, but what age is that? There’s no history offered to help you answer the questions of the car’s provenance. This is partly mitigated by the seller’s statement that this car is decidedly of daily driver quality, not a show car at all. And aside from the age of the paint, I’d want to know what’s up with the aluminum radiator. On a Mustang, that means that the old three-row wasn’t keeping things cool anymore. The radiator swap is meant to remedy this. But that’s a finger pointing right at the need to diagnose the engine’s cooling issues properly. Mopar experts can offer their mechanical wisdom as to whether this is also true of Dodge and sister models.

The other thing to note is that despite the super-clean overall appearance, there’s said to be rust bubbling up on the passenger rocker panel. Other areas, including the trunk, are spotless, so as long as you take care of the rocker, you’d likely be good. But what’s the price point for a mostly original but still redone (probably not by the world’s greatest Mopar restorer, but rather a local shop—not that there’s anything wrong with that) car? And what’s correct and incorrect here that might affect the value, sharp-eyed Barn Finders? In the end, this seems like a worthwhile car. Now it’s just a matter of deciding how much to part with to park it in your garage based on questions of condition and correctness.

Comments

  1. Moparman MoparmanMember

    Perhaps a link to the seller’s ebay ad would assist with ascertaining more info about the car. :-)

    Like 8
    • Brian KAuthor

      Sorry. It’s there now. Thanks for the eagle eye.

      Like 2
  2. mike

    Nice build owner.Just needs some love.Love the orange paint with the black accents.

    Like 5
  3. jrhmobile

    Gotta like the line “This is a real Demon, not a clone like you see everywhere.”

    The only thing that could “clone” a demon would be a Plymouth Duster, and I can’t imagine anybody would go through the trouble.

    All that after describing how the original 318 was swapped out with a 340.

    God love him for trying …

    Like 7
    • Donnie L Sears

      The last good year for the 340 was 71

      Like 3
      • bone

        Any 340 is good, some are just better than others

        Like 1
  4. Melton Mooney

    I like this build. Nice looking, but not too nice to beat on. And you can pretty much beat on a Mopar all you want without it breaking.

    Like 7
  5. The Other Chris

    Where does it say the car has cooling issues? (Maybe I missed it?) Having an upgraded radiator doesn’t necessarily mean the car had (or has) cooling issues. Maybe it does, maybe it doesn’t. I put an aluminum radiator in my car that was better than stock since I had to replace it (or rebuild it) at the time, so may as well upgrade for not much more.

    Like 8
  6. Mike McCaherty

    Got one just like it , only mine is a true 340 car, love it wouldn’t take what the bid is on rhis one so far

    Like 1
  7. Howie

    Seller has this and two other vehicles listed, all at no reserve.

    Like 4
  8. Mitch

    I just love it when someone say that it’s a true Demon, well they all are true Demon’s from 1971 to 1972 some are just 6cly / 318 cars and some are 340 cars the Demon was it’s own model, and it’s up to $26,100. which in my opinion is just way to high for a 318 car even with a 340 motor, yeah it’s not bad but to much money!!

    Like 3
  9. Howie

    Sold $26,900. The seller now has more cars listed at no reserve, even a Viper at no reserve!!

    Like 0

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