Anyone remember these?

[turd]

I had a '71 Demon that was set up exactly like this. Man, that thing would fly.

 

[Dave P.]

They weren't bad for their day, 1/4 mile times low to mid 15 second range. These days a healthy mini-van will pull a stock one.
New four cylinder Mustang or Camaro would just flat eat it.

 

[Jeepnik]

They weren't bad for their day, 1/4 mile times low to mid 15 second range. These days a healthy mini-van will pull a stock one.
New four cylinder Mustang or Camaro would just flat eat it.

Amazing what 50 years of automotive improvemnts will make. But, this one will give that mustang a run for it's money.

Of course mine's not exactly stock.

 

[RSIno1]

Kid across the street from us had a 340 six pack Challenger.
My first new car was almost a 383 GTS Dodge Dart - but I opted for the 1970 Road Runner instead because it had a stick.

 

[hittman]

Mine was a 71 Dart Swinger,

My friend Doug had (and still has) the ultimate prize ….. 71 Cuda, triple black, 383, 4 speed.

 

[Mobuck]

I wanted one of those SOOO bad but Dad's infinite wisdom put my youthful keister in a 1964 Chevelle with a 194 and 3 speed on the column.

 

[Danjet500]

One of my friends back in the late 70s had a black one with white stripes. Rolled it going too fast on wet pavement with me and two other guys. No serious injuries but sure was scary. He was a big Chrysler fan. Replaced the Demon with a 69 Dodge Charger Daytona. That car is sitting in a garage to this day not far from me.

 

[graygun]

I had a 71 Demon 340 4spd 3.55 sure grip. They were 14-ish,not 15-ish. In 71,I read of one running in the high 13.90s. I think it was in Hot Rod mag and was a Duster,auto with 3.91 or 4.10 rear.

72 and 73 had the lower compression version : 8.5:1 and 30 hp less

 

[protoolman]

Nice! Mine was a 72 Scamp with a 318 2bbl. Not very fast. But heaps better than my buddies with the 225 slant six.

 

[Jeepnik]

Mine was a 71 Dart Swinger,

My friend Doug had (and still has) the ultimate prize ….. 71 Cuda, triple black, 383, 4 speed.

My mom had a Swinger. 318 as I recall. It could scoot. They were pretty light in the rear though.

Mind you mom told dad and I we weren’t putting headers on my ‘68 Nova as we were finishing up the install.

Moms aren’t supposed to know what headers are.

 

[Busterswoodshop]

I had a 1970 Challenger with the 440 and a 4 speed.
I would bet that none of the collectors of these cars today , ever drive them like we used to.

 

[Fox Mike]

I never owned one but a buddy of mine had one and we traveled each weekend from Fort Eustis to Edgewood in it. It would, as was said, flat fly.

 

[Cholo]

A friend bought a new '72 4 bbl. 340 Duster and de-smogged it. It was light and quick. He drove that thing like a wild man non stop. I was in a fender bender with him, and then a pretty bad wreck where he was ticked they didn't total it.

I bet him $50 that the car wouldn't get to 100k without engine, trans, or rear end work. He put lots of miles on that thing traveling back to Maine where he was from. He finally moved back.

He was in my wedding in '75 and I asked him how many miles were on the car. I think it was 115k--in about 4 years LOL. Zero problems. I paid him the $50 which was a lot of $ to me back then. He'd forgotten about the bet.

I was never a Mopar man, but I can't imagine any '72 Chevy or Ford holding up to the abuse Russ put that Duster thru. You couldn't kill it, and he tried.

 

[JiminMaine]

My first was a "66" Dodge Dart GT with a 273 4bbl, auto. I put a set of G70 Michelens on it. I could always beat my friends Cudas with 318s and 340s.
Damn I wish I still had it.

 

[GunnyGene]

'69 Dodge Super Bee Hemi. Sorry no pics, and don't have my trophys from the 1/4 mile drags anymore (B-Stock). Low 12's, 120+mph with street tires. The woman I was dating back then (that would turn out to be my wife), loved to get behind the wheel of that car.

 

[ronto]

A friend of mine had a new 63 Chevy Impala SS 409 4 speed. When he floored it from a dead stop you were buried in your seat and couldn't even move your head forward.

 

[Mauser9]

Yep I remember seeing quite a few Dusters and Demons in my day. Not bad for cheap bucks. After I saw Vanishing Point in 71 knew I had to get a challenger. Finally scored a 70 in 1972 for $2500 from a local dealer. 383 Magnum with torque-flite auto tranny. Even had a vinyl roof. Wish to hell I would have hung onto that one!!

 

[Jeepnik]

I had a 1970 Challenger with the 440 and a 4 speed.
I would bet that none of the collectors of these cars today , ever drive them like we used to.

And we’re the reason there are so few today.

 

[Mauser9]

Yeah 70-71 last hurrah for big motors in the Challenger. By 72 had the 340 and by 74 think they shoved a 360 in the higher end ones but compression sucked by then. Sharp looking body still.

 

[jimbo1096]

By BIL from back then had one exactly like the photo in OP. It would run quite well, and he used it as his daily driver. I had a '63 Coronet 426 Ramcharger Stage II that I should never have sold, followed by a '70 Duster 340 with console auto, silver with black vinyl top, That went away for a S-10 blazer wanted by first wife who took it with her when she left. And after a series of varied and mundane vehicles, my play toy now is a '68 Dart, one of my desired vehicles from back in the day.

 

[3manfan]

View attachment 4059
I had a '71 Demon that was set up exactly like this. Man, that thing would fly.

'nuff said.....

 

[mexicanjoe]

I had a 1972 El Camino, silver metallic imron paint job, 396 bored .030 at the factory ( Big Block 400), a turbo 400 trans and 2.74 gears. Not too bad on take off, but Mother of Pearl!! That thing could top out at better than 150 mph. I have a witness who will tell you the thing laid a strip of rubber 2 blocks long, after a tune up. It replaced my 1973 El Camino WITH A 350 SBC/ TURBO 350. Wish I had both back in my driveway.
Out here in rural west Texas you can find roads with no traffic and top out a car most anywhere. Buddies ranch had 17 miles of highway running thru it and we frequently took our rides out for a test drive.

 

[KIR]

Once had a '69 Toyota Corona for ten years, until I could afford something better. I have never cared about speed. It just got me everywhere I wanted to go, cheaply and efficiently.

 

[Jeepnik]

1972 Gran Torino. Not the fastest in the 1/4. But get it on the highway, up over 90 and it started to float. Drove it from Florida to California.

 

[Colonialgirl]

Well, I loved my '69 ALfa Romeo Spyder with it's dual cam fuel injected 4 cylinder engine well over 80 mph in 3rd gear and two more to go, think about changing lanes and you HAD, curved down hill on ramp and hit the right hand lane at 65-70 mph, WHEEEEEEE ! Burned Ethyl gas and got 28 mpg; Sigh, HAD to sell it when I moved from SoCal to Maryland and had to use the old pontiac to drag a trailer.

 

[Dave P.]

Not really into old Mopars but this one found me a while back so I decided to keep it 66 Belvedere II. Little 273 V8 automatic with 50,000 miles
pretty much original. I had a few small things to fix and installed new carpet but other than that just been driving it a little.

 

[Busterswoodshop]

And we’re the reason there are so few today.

Yea , but it was worth it.

I worked at an AMC Jeep dealer in the early 70's.
They had a deal with ElCampo Tires.
They could get any size recap for $15.00 a tire.
All there used cars on the lot had recaps.
Since I worked there I got the same deal.
I would go in and buy the big fat 50's and put them on my Challenger.
I was buying tires every week or two. I went through a lot of tires on that car.

 

[the_leper_colony]

I remember an article back in the day, about someone squeezing a big block into a Duster or Dart - they used a 440 that had been bored and/or stroked to 512. Probably great fun to drive, but changing the plugs might have been a bit of a challenge!

 

[Mauser9]

Yep our old muscle machines definitely called for a tune-up more often. All the gas pumps read "contains lead"

 

[Boxhead]

Mine is a 70 Dart Swinger.