Kicking around some ideas for my Demon

Which engine would yield the best return on investment?

  • The FREE 318/904 Combo

    Votes: 61 35.7%

  • The 340 for which I will need to get a transmission as well

    Votes: 52 30.4%

  • A 440 that will also require a transmission etc

    Votes: 19 11.1%

  • Go with a 340 6 pack to keep the Trans Am car tribute honest

    Votes: 39 22.8%
  • Total voters
    171
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Being dealing with a young gun I would do the 318 and you could always upgrade to a more peppy small block later if wanted with ease
 
dodge71demon said:
Being dealing with a young gun I would do the 318 and you could always upgrade to a more peppy small block later if wanted with ease
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My son does not want the car, that is why I will be selling it and asking the questions. If it were going to be his car, you can bet you butt he'd be getting the 318 :D
 
Drop 318/904 in, get it running, dump it. Unless it's some kind of rust-free survivor car, you'll probably end up losing money on the car if you try to make it nice and fast.

Plus the fact that painting it a High impact color may backfire. Some people hate Sublime, and Plum Crazy, and Lemon Twist, etc etc. Best to give prospective buyers the most options to build it how they want with the lowest initial investment. The more you customize and spend, the more people you alienate and turn off.
 
challengergary said:
My son does not want the car, that is why I will be selling it and asking the questions. If it were going to be his car, you can bet you butt he'd be getting the 318 :D
Click to expand...

Sorry I just skimmed over your listing and didn't see that Just read the first good luck
 
This is what i would do.
Use the free 318/904 combo, just clean it up and regasket it, tune up......whatever to make it run good and reliable.
Give the suspension what it needs to be safe and in spec., same with the brakes.
Buy some wheels and tires that fit and look good off of Craigslist etc.
Paint the car Resale Red.
Install the factory Demon stripes and decals on it.
Who knows? Maybe your son would like it and want it after he sees it and drives it when it's done! (Probably not).
Most people want to personalize their vehicles after they buy them, but are worried about the initial price and if it looks good.
This is just my 2 cents.
Good luck Gary, and let us know how it goes.
 
Well, looks like the consensus is to go with a 340 - pretty evenly split on the 6 pack or not. I think I will start to head in that direction (if I can get the 340 I have my eye on for a little less than what I posted).

I'll probably change my mind 5 times before I get to shooting any paint, so I will let you guys know how I end up doing it. I'll probably start a thread in the Member Restorations section next week

Thanks for all of your input - keep it coming :)
 
If you're building it to sell make it safe, and make it run good. Don't dump a ton of money into it because you'll end up losing.
 
I would sell the damm thing and get what the son wants. He'll be more interested in it than what your trying to do. Who cares what brand it is as long as you get time with the boy and you can teach him what you want. Isn't that what your trying to do anyway spending time with the boy?
 
If you want a T/A-AAR clone buy a Ebody.You said you are going to build the car and sell it because your son has no interest in the car.So there is no way I would do all the modification you are thinking about if you are going to sell the car.If you change your mind the do all your modifications.I would put the 340 4bbl in it also.

Jim
 
Tried the same thing with my 2 boys,it didn't work. Neither one of them had any desire
to work or drive any of the old dinosaurs.
And as far as the Demon. It's a 2 year only car,why not build it to be a Demon ?
Go with a nice impact color,pop in a nice little 340,put on a nice set of Rallyes/BFG's,and your golden. Whether you want to sell it or keep it.
 
Unless you gonna have less than 5000-6000 grand in this car I wouldn't call it an investment, even then you'll probably make less minimum wage for your work. 340/440 will be an easier and get more $$ but with the extra cost it would probably be a wash. I'd go with free 318 with swap meet 4bbl intake and carb and put as little into as possible make it a decent certified car or do it the way you want drive for a summer then sale it and hope to break even.
 
Do it how you would want it. You'll probably end up keeping it. You know your son was only the reason for the wife. You've been bit by a mopar dream. We've all been there. That's why we're on this site. Don't ya just love it?
 
I would go with the 318. Build it as a 340 duster tribute car. Its not a real 340 duster,so why put a real 340 in it. lol
 
Original poll Q wasn't quite accurate. Highest ROI % will always be something you get for free. Aside from that, I LOVE Demons, and a 340 makes a real nice package. A 360 would probably cost less to build while making similar power if you're going to sell it. IMHO you won't recoup the add'l $$ for the 340. Is your idea to build this car with some (any) help from your son, or because you want to? If your son isn't going to help, you might want to think about what you can get for it when you're done, before you drop the $$. I can see getting his input if he's helping, but if he's not... Dollar bills are scarce and you said you wanted to sell it after it's finished. I HOPE he'll end up helping. I've got a grandson who's three, and I want to start on something this summer so hopefully the same bug that bit me will also bite him. Good luck.
 
TRIED WITH MY SON..NOPE. he told me now if something happens to me...he will sell the car...ill show him...Ill sell it first :)
 
Gary,

Just my opinion here, and I mean no offense if it differs from yours. Personally, I would really recommend a Mr Norms clone GSS Demon. 72 is the only year he offered a Paxton blow through supercharger and it is actually available as a reproduction from Paxton today. This could be easily bolted up to your smallblock, whether it be a 318 or 340, and could pretty easily get you into 350-450 hp range. Plus it looks super awesome. This would make your car into a very special niche, so you would have to scrap the TA stripe idea and go with correct for the year stripes. A little research on the Mr. Norms GSS Demon and I think you will be hooked, a 72 Demon is a very rare year and is the only year you could clone it. Personally, I hate the mixed genre striping, like Demon stripes on a Duster or vice versa, billboard stripes on cars that didnt have them, etc etc, but this is because I guess I am becoming a purist. Keep in mind if you build a unique car with a striping package you like, Its very likely you will not get the same reaction from the market, whereas a car built or cloned to the best available correct option for that year will always command the highest price. There is a guy in my town that makes a killing at car shows by restoring his Mopars to the hottest factory option offered that year, even if its not numbers correct for that car. An example of this would be a '71 Duster, made with a high impact color, shark tooth grill, 340, blacked out hood treatment with callout and hood pins, 4 speed, go-wing. These would all represent the most desirable options (generally speaking) for that year and when combined on the car, even when not numbers correct, is quite powerful.
 
Go with your gut... Best way to sleep at night.

I voted for free.. Liked the mock up with the TA stripes, nice work.
 
mopardug said:
Original poll Q wasn't quite accurate. Highest ROI % will always be something you get for free. Aside from that, I LOVE Demons, and a 340 makes a real nice package. A 360 would probably cost less to build while making similar power if you're going to sell it. IMHO you won't recoup the add'l $$ for the 340. Is your idea to build this car with some (any) help from your son, or because you want to? If your son isn't going to help, you might want to think about what you can get for it when you're done, before you drop the $$. I can see getting his input if he's helping, but if he's not... Dollar bills are scarce and you said you wanted to sell it after it's finished. I HOPE he'll end up helping. I've got a grandson who's three, and I want to start on something this summer so hopefully the same bug that bit me will also bite him. Good luck.
Click to expand...

Thanks for your thoughts. My son is basically not interested in doing anything on the car with me. Ironically, my 12 year old REALLY want to help me build it. Unless I can get a 360 for free, I don't think I will go that way. The 340 is still most appealing to me. I am going to talk to the guy that I know with one for sale and see how serious he is about getting rid of it. Hopefully I can pick it up cheap enough.
 
www.Oleballnchain.com said:
Gary,

Just my opinion here, and I mean no offense if it differs from yours. Personally, I would really recommend a Mr Norms clone GSS Demon. 72 is the only year he offered a Paxton blow through supercharger and it is actually available as a reproduction from Paxton today. This could be easily bolted up to your smallblock, whether it be a 318 or 340, and could pretty easily get you into 350-450 hp range. Plus it looks super awesome. This would make your car into a very special niche, so you would have to scrap the TA stripe idea and go with correct for the year stripes. A little research on the Mr. Norms GSS Demon and I think you will be hooked, a 72 Demon is a very rare year and is the only year you could clone it. Personally, I hate the mixed genre striping, like Demon stripes on a Duster or vice versa, billboard stripes on cars that didnt have them, etc etc, but this is because I guess I am becoming a purist. Keep in mind if you build a unique car with a striping package you like, Its very likely you will not get the same reaction from the market, whereas a car built or cloned to the best available correct option for that year will always command the highest price. There is a guy in my town that makes a killing at car shows by restoring his Mopars to the hottest factory option offered that year, even if its not numbers correct for that car. An example of this would be a '71 Duster, made with a high impact color, shark tooth grill, 340, blacked out hood treatment with callout and hood pins, 4 speed, go-wing. These would all represent the most desirable options (generally speaking) for that year and when combined on the car, even when not numbers correct, is quite powerful.
Click to expand...
That would be too cool but I think that the supercharger would really kill my budget.
 
challengergary said:
That would be too cool but I think that the supercharger would really kill my budget.
Click to expand...

His idea does make sense. Depending on the supercharger cost, it's possible that the return would be better than any other approach. It would have to be a high quality build.
 
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