At what point does a car go from being a barn find to simply being a restored driver? That’s the question on my mind when looking at this super clean 1972 Dodge Demon. It’s called a “barn find” in the listing description, but it’s pretty clear this car hasn’t been languishing under bales of hay and fowl droppings. Find the Demon here on eBay where it’s listed with a Buy-It-Now of $28,500.
I think this is a case of the seller hoping that the term “barn find” drives stronger interest in his vehicle, as it’s far more accurate to call it a survivor. There’s one repaint in its past, taking place a fairly long time ago in the early 80s. The panels are said to be all original and despite living in Massachusetts, there’s no major floor rot to be found. The seller also confirms this is a numbers matching car, and due to its options, it is one of 71 in this configuration.
The interior looks quite nice, with no visible flaws to report. However, much like the restored grill out front, the dash was also repaired and cleaned up and a new upholstery kit from Legendary was installed. This Demon is looking less and less like anything I’ve ever seen in a barn, and seems more like a survivor that’s had some upgrades performed where needed. While it’s nice to see the refreshed interior, this is about as far away from a barn find as you can get.
Mechanically, this Demon saw its fair share of updates: “The suspension was redone front to back and new. 089 big block torsion bars were installed with KYB shocks. The car drives and handles great. The original thermoquad was sent off and professionally rebuilt and runs great. The exhaust was redone and now is 2 ½ in mandrel bent TTI exhaust.” A barn find? Maybe years ago. Still, it’s a nicely preserved Demon with a heady asking price – think the seller will get it?
If I were in the market for a Demon (or another car, period), this is exactly what I’d be looking for! My favorite wheels, the stripe package! Not that much a fan of the vinyl top or spoiler, but I’d live with them!! :-)
I agree. This is a beauty. While I might not buy a car new with one, I think the vinyl top is awesome…very retro and fits this car well. The spoiler? Can’t have a car like this without one!
Can you even buy a car with a vinyl top any more? One of the few design elements from the past that I am fine to live without!
Agreed. I love this car just the way it is. This would replace my Vette as my new daily driver
It what universe is a car that has been repainted, had a new interior installed, had the dash replaced, the grill restored, and the suspension and brakes upgraded, a survivor??? The seller may be calling his car a “survivor” and “barn find”, but it is neither.
For some reason there were a bunch of Demons (and Dusters, Dart Swingers, Cudas and Challengers too) at my high school 50 years ago. My school had far more Mopar’s, than Chevy’s, Pontiac’s or Ford’s. By far the most popular engine in those Mopars was the 340, and they were fast.
Anyone with a stock or nearly stock small block Chevy (other than a Corvette or Z/28), knew not to mess with a Chrysler 340. A 70 340 Duster would smoke a similarly sized 350 Nova SS, in spite of the Nova having 25 more horses (275 for the 340 verse 300 for the 350). Of course no one believed that 275 number, with most of us thinking it was more like 325-340 hp. In 72, Chrysler dropped the 340’s compression from 10.5 to 8.5, which brought it’s performance more in line with the Chevy 350.
I was never a Mopar fan, but I always respected the 340’s.
“A 70 340 Duster would smoke a similarly sized 350 Nova SS, in spite of the Nova having 25 more horses (275 for the 340 verse 300 for the 350)”
Part of the reason was because the Nova was a heavier car than the Duster/Demon. If you had a Duster without factory undercoating, they were as light as a feather compared to the Nova.
It makes me sad to look at cars like this, because it reminds me of the two ’71 Demons I had. I’ll never be able to afford one this nice.
gbvette62, good observation on the 340, especially the 10.5:1 version. I know a guy who had a 4 dr 64 valiant with a bench seat, 273 4 speed, was an AHRA record holder. Mopar know how to juice em up. Man these were great years for muscle cars!! Good luck with this Demon.
Cheers
GPC
Chrysler Corporation had the most aggressive looking bad-ass fast cars ever,the awesome dual snorkel sport scoops and hood scoops on other Mopars was a reminder of what you should expect when going up against one of these powerful beasts known as the “Rapid Transit System”!
“Rapid Transit System” referred to Plymouths only, beginning in 1970. Dodge created the “Scat Pack” in 1968.
True enough, but I remember the owners manual for the 71 Fury listed a 440-6 and 3 speed manual as optional. I wonder if anyone did THAT!
Converted to manual disc brakes. Buyer will need a strong leg to slow this puppy down.
I have a 63 Belvedere wagon and a 66 Satellite both with the Right Stuff Detailing manual disc brake conversions and they both have great pedal feel and no big muscles needed. I like this Demon a lot, but way over my budget.