- Parked in an environmental storage area
- The paint finish was bright and original
- This engine had never been touched
Several years ago, a car collector extraordinaire received a phone call about a ’71 Dodge Demon 340. He was always interested in the purchase of high-performance Mopars, but only if they are unique. Demons are cool, however, there are a lot of other noteworthy Chrysler cars out there too, so each vehicle this guy adds to the collection must have something special about it. The Demon was said to be a super-low mileage car, and it had been parked in an environmentally controlled storage area for most of its life—up on blocks—and still in “new” condition.
The budget performance car was popular with street warriors and serious drag racers, and all these years later, most were pretty used up. However, with only 2900 miles on the odometer, this A-Body car was a deviation from the norm, an anomaly to be certain! Duster/Demon 340s were often times driven hard and many were modified back in the day, as they were truly affordable muscle machines, with a base price of just $2721.00.
The original owner purchased this A-Body off the showroom floor, because his Hemi Road Runner had been stolen. He had to order a replacement car and needed something to drive until it arrived. And apparently, when his new vehicle did arrive, this 340-cid A-Body went into storage.
Fast forward to inspecting this Demon, the car really did appear in true “as new” condition! Our collector could not believe it, the paint finish was bright and original, the engine had never been touched, the hoses were original, the belts were original, the upholstery was original, the carpets were original, the Goodyear tires were original, and everything was original, save for the battery. And the car looked like it should be in a new-car showroom.
Demon 340s came with the following as standard equipment:
- Rallye Suspension with heavy-duty torsion bars
- heavy-duty rear springs and sway bar
- heavy-duty shocks
- 10-inch drum brakes -2.25-inch wide front, 1.75-inch wide rear
- 14 x5.5J wheels
- E70 x 14 wide-tread bias-belted tires
- dual exhausts
The Demon models came with four different available powerplants: Two Slant Sixes a 198-cid and 225-cid and two V8s a 318-cid and 340-cid, the larger being only available in the Demon 340 performance model.
The 340-mill was a potent small bock and it had a conservative rating of 275 hp. The engineers at Mopar gave the engine;
- forged steel crankshaft
- double roller timing chain
- oil pan wintage tray
- 10.5:1 pistons
- high-flow cylinder heads
- high-load valve springs and dampers
- dual point distributor
- double level intake manifold
- single four-barrel Carter carburetor
- and viscous drive fan
It was an impressive package.
An interesting feature of these engines was the factory use of dissimilar exhaust manifolds. A high runner exhaust manifold on the driver’s side has more tradition, allows a runner exhaust manifold on the passenger’s side. The driver’s side exhaust extends to the rear of the engine before descending, and is S-shaped to clear the steering gear. The passenger’s side has a low mounting and center outlet. Unusual indeed, but it fits between the inner fenders and cleared the various underhood obstacles.
The 850 cfm Carter Thermo-Quad featured a mineral fill phenolic resin plastic fuel bowl, designed to insulate fuel from engine heat. This four-barrel carburetor featured 1 ½-inch inch diameter primary bores, 2 ¼-inch secondaries, and special design O-ring jets.
The nation’s “do-gooders” weren’t too pleased with the “devil theme” of the car and its advertising, and a flurry of complaints went to Chrysler.
Opening the door on this car seemed like a trip back in time, like being in a dealership showroom during the 1971 model year! The interior was plain Jane to be sure, however, you’re looking at a (S77) Deluxe Steering wheel and (R21) Stereo Tape-Cassette plus (R33) Microphone. Vinyl bench seats were standard equipment.
This was state-of-the-art in 1971! Its design allowed the driver or passenger to record his or her own voice through the mike, promoted as being “especially valuable to business and professional people who wish to dictate en route to the office.” Multi-tasking with the help of your friendly Dodge Dealer!
The Dodge Demon was a two-year car, 1971 and 1972, and the outside visual differences between them are the grilles, parking lamps, and side marker lights. Electronic ignition was made available in ’72 but the bad news for performance lovers that second year was the lowering of compression to 8.5:1 and the use of 360 heads with smaller intake valves on the 340 engine. Power was downgraded to 240 hp. In stock form, the 1971 version of the Demon 340 was the most potent and is sought after today, but so are ’72 versions even with less power output. The fact remains, these Dodge A-Body cars have character!
You’re not going to see this car out cruising the boulevard anytime soon. It’s just too rare a specimen. The condition of the car makes for a great study of how other Mopars of the era should be restored, if the goal is to be “authentic.”
