1972 Dodge Demon 340 Project
By 1972, the Dodge Demon was in its second year of production. It was essentially a Plymouth Duster with a Dart front clip and different taillights. The Demon name would only have a two-year run as Dodge rebranded it as the Dart Sport in 1973 after receiving some heat on its choice of names (political correctness isn’t just as 21st Century thing). This ’72 Demon 340, the muscle version of the sporty compact, will need a complete restoration and we’re told all the parts are there, but it’s hard to tell with the photos provided. Resting now in Derby, Connecticut, this Dodge is offered here on eBay as the bidding has reached $2,550 but the reserve has yet to be triggered.
Muscle car popularity was fading by 1972, and the new Demon 340 only saw 8,773 copies built that year, about half of what the Duster saw over at Plymouth. After 1973, the hot 340 cubic inch V8 that produced 275 hp would give way to a 360 engine that wasn’t in the same league with enthusiasts. The 340 was the “H Code” motor at Chrysler and is what the seller says resides in this automobile, which looks to have fallen on hard times. The odometer reading is only 45,000, but it could have stopped working at some point or have an invisible “1” in front of the numbers.
We don’t get a lot of details about this car, so we’ll have to largely go by the few photos provided. In one instance, it seems to be largely complete sitting outdoors and — in another – we see it inside a garage with the front clip off. So, when the buyer goes to pick it up, he might be carrying much of it away in boxes. The seller says the engine runs well, although we suspect it can’t be moved under its own power from where it rests. We’re told the Dodge comes with a lot of new parts, but we don’t know what those are. While the hood, which is of a different color, looks like a regular Dart hood, the seller says he has the original hood with two sets of hood scoops as well as two sets of front fenders.
What we see of the interior shows that some of it has been removed, such as the front seats, dashboard and steering wheel. The back seat looks to be in good condition and the floorboards up front look like they may have been replaced, explaining the lack of seating. This Demon 340 comes with a TorqueFlite automatic transmission which we assume is still present. There is rust present in parts of the body including a particularly bad spot that I can’t quite make out in the photo provided.
In the end, this car comes across as a bit of a mystery given the photos showing it in different states of assembly and the limited description the seller provides. A 1972 Demon 340 can command north of $25,000 in stellar condition, but it’s hard to tell with this one how big your bank account will need to be to make this a runner again, much less something you’d want to show.
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Comments
Last time it was listed for auction, the high bid of $4,549.99 didn’t meet the reserve. That seems like a pretty aggressive ask for a car when the status of the original engine is unknown and the sellers claim of low mileage is laughable on face value and doesn’t offer a shred of evidence to back up the claim. It would be nice to know what parts are included in the sale, such as bucket seats and the console. Good luck to whoever purchases this car.
Steve R
44 thousand very hard miles to say the least, car looks to have been decommissioned years ago. Too bad.
Yet this is a “barnfind” more than the million dollar rare low mile Hemi cars we’ve seen lately. It’s good to have a variety however. Keep up the good work.
Isn’t that a ‘71 grill?
In looking at the third photo from the top of the article, it seems to depict this car with the roof removed from the windshield back to the rear dec? This maybe just lighting but when I look at this picture, I don’t see roof line along the passenger side and the rear deck is clearly visible. My overall take on this car is there is a lot of metal work needed way beyond patching!
The picture is taken from the front. If you look there is a blanket or something lying on the roof.
I did see that and at first, then looked again, maybe the blanket was somehow balanced over the top of the windshield but still not sure. What caused me to finally make that comment was the photo was taken at a slight angle off the pass front of the toward the rear midline of the vehicle. What is not visible in this photo is the gutter line above the pass side driver and quarter windows. In fact there is no back window and clean cut metal is visible on the rear deck. Now I did have a root canal yesterday but it still looks the same today?? Photo 2 shows the pass side roof line in place above the door and quarter as well as the rear sail panel. Picture 3 has no visibly roof line. Maybe I’m seeing things!
Looks like a solid project. I don’t think the floors have been replaced and if that wheel well rust is the only spot I’d say it is worth $5000.00 if all the parts are present. I’ve seen the hood scoops go for north of $500.00 for a pair. I see no pictures with any roof issues and the blanket on the roof looks like the front floor carpeting to me. I sold a 340 Duster 15 years ago that was solid but incomplete for $1500.00. These were $2500.00 or so new and got the snot beat out of them so I can believe the 45,000 miles. The brake pedal rubber pad would tell a lot if it is or is not worn out from shoes as would the clutch pedal pad on stick shift cars. The torsion bar crossmember is the first place to inspect for rust issues.
Probably showing my age (or ignorance) but isn’t the front sheet metal, hood, fenders grille, etc. called a “cap” and a “clip” the complete front cap as well as frame, suspension etc.? Did bodywork and paint in the early, mid-70s and always referred to these terms when rebuilding “totals”!
Looks like a solid project. I don’t think the floors have been replaced and if that wheel well rust is the only spot I’d say it is worth $5000.00 if all the parts are present. I’ve seen the hood scoops go for north of $500.00 for a pair. I see no pictures with any roof issues and the blanket on the roof looks like the front floor carpeting to me. I sold a 340 Duster 15 years ago that was solid but incomplete for $1500.00. These were $2500.00 or so new and got the snot beat out of them so I can believe the 45,000 miles. The brake pedal rubber pad would tell a lot if it is or is not worn out from shoes as would the clutch pedal pad on stick shift cars. The torsion bar crossmember is the first place to inspect for rust issues.