A Conversation With Dale, The Original Owner Who Special Ordered My 1971 Dodge Demon 340

On this special episode of Dead Dodge Garage, I sit down with my friend Dale to talk about the car he custom ordered from a Dodge dealer, owned for 51 years, and drag raced almost from new - a 1971 Dodge Demon 340, which I now own and call "Dale's Demon." Of the ~2500 cars built, how many original paint, under 100k mile four speed '71 Demon 340s could be left out there? And out of those, how many original owners are still around to tell their stories? I don't know, but it can't be very many - so to be able to sit down with Dale and hear the history of this car is something very special indeed.

[@SuperSatelliteGarage]

You Can NOT beat the story of a car from its original owner! … Hats off to Dale! Excellent!

[@harryjohnson8605]

The history of the car is pure Mopar GOLD

[@chuckeecheese162]

Awesome story. Incredible car. Cars like that are so rare they hardly exist. 😎🍻

[@joshuagibson2520]

And guys like him.

[@brianbarry6909]

Jamie you did your self a solid whith Dale. Be proud You made a lot of viewers smile😊 today

[@bigwrenchtech]

It was an honor and a privilege to have the opportunity To ride in that car. What an epic experience. Awesome history!!! Thank you again my friends.

[@Cstoreri]

Awesome Jamie……. Thx Dale!

[@Mike-Olds-1]

You won the muscle car lottery with not only the car but all the documentation and first hand knowledge of the car’s entire history straight from the original owner. That kind of lighting rarely strikes twice if ever 👍🇺🇸

[@jefferysmith3930]

I know nothing about muscle cars or racing but I could listen to Dale’s stories for hours. Thanks for sharing his history with the car

[@musclecarmitch908]

Awesome video! Awesome to meet the guy who ordered such a cool car! Great story behind it! And very lucky to be able to obtain such a great car from the original owner!👍

[@DeadDodgeGarage]

Yes I feel very lucky. I kind of still look at it as his car - I’m just the babysitter now. Haha.

[@clevelandmaker386]

​@@DeadDodgeGarageand when he bought it ...the price of it..... WOULD GET YOU THROWN OUT OF A MODERN DEALERSHIP!!!!

[@pcbullets8726]

What an awesome story about an awesome car. Thanks for sharing this with all of us. Hats off to Dale!

[@justralphajerseyguystuckin3671]

This is/was an awesome interview/car history video- thanks so much Jamie, to making it, and don't worry about the video and audio quality...it's fine and may even fit the car story better. Kudos for sharing it all with us 👍

[@Jimmysidecarr]

Awesome episode! Thank you so much for taking the time to do it!

[@rennkafer13]

What a great story! Knowing the entire history of the car is really special. I wish I had that opportunity with my Coronet (also a '71), but having saved it from a wrecking yard, no history available.

[@racer6583]

That was great, really like original cars when you can find them. I like the fact that Dale picked you to be the next owner of his car👍👍👍👍

[@AV_Mopars]

What an amazing story !! To have such complete history on a car is awesome , 1 in a million car

[@TigsFixnFab]

Beautiful specimen and example of a machine with purpose. Thank you both for sharing.

[@michaelnault5905]

I grew up in Detroit. My Dad bought his 68' Charger from a dealer on Woodward Ave. I knew the 340 Dusters were really hot in the day but I didn't know all of why until this video. Great to hear Dale's story!

[@Fleetwoodjohn]

Hodges Dodge ? 9 Woodward just north of 9 mile

[@michaelnault5905]

@@Fleetwoodjohn My Dad never told me the name of the dealer. Said he was driving by, and the car was parked in front of the lot. Dark blue, full size wheel covers. My mom totalled that car with me in it out on Telegraph Rd. We both got thrown to the floor. Saved us I guess. Nobody wore belts back then.

[@MrMadgaza]

Thanks for sharing.. such a nice piece of history and a awsome story to listen too.. im from England and i love these cars.. Dale is a star who took care and treasured that car.

[@PaulSteinberg-il4tw]

This has been the most enjoyable history lesson that I've been able to witness. Thanks to the both of you!!!

[@bruceh92]

Great story and great choice of a car. A 340 4-speed has got to be a thrill to drive.

[@tonysears1720]

This is great love hearing the complete story of Dale's demon..... awesome!!!

[@GarryFullerSr]

What a Cool video. Almost impossible to find and talk to an original owner of a car, especially a Mopar. Very Lucky.

[@wesbuhr548]

Such a awesome history lesson.

[@TsGoodTimesGarage]

The cars are great, but they're much more when you have the story!! I very much enjoy hearing about a car's past. Thanks for sharing.

[@joshuajesch7154]

I completely agree...They're only original once.

[@davestark2015]

So cool to get the car and all the stories that belong with the blue Beast. Thanks for sharing with us Dale. Cheers Sir !!!!

[@andrewbutton5580]

Super video. These stories are what makes these cars what they are! It's awesome he is still around to see it get a next great home ! Car stories always carry so much more meaning than just the cars themselves, but what happened with them, and too them. Priceless Sir !

[@dantupper1784]

What a fantastic history!

[@RapperBC]

What a wonderful video of a wonderful story of a wonderful car and its wonderful owner. Thanks for making it. Dale is awesome, and clearly found the right new buyer.

[@dirtlump]

GREAT Story Dale and Thx for sharing ! I own a similarily great shape unrestored San Diego California Dealer Y14 'ordered' 1969 Charger R/T SE in factory X9 Black, 440 Magnum/Auto, purchased new by a USN Naval Aviator F8 Crusader Fighter Pilot stationed at Miramar AFB for "Top Gun" Training. The history related by original owners about these Cars besides extremely interesting facts about their genre.... is absolutely invaluable to understanding the historical significance of the times and all things Americana. Again.... Kudo's and Thx Dale !

[@MrBrombomb]

I really enjoyed hearing this amazing back story on the car from the original owner. I Agree that this car needs to preserved and not restored, yet driven and enjoyed as well.

[@mikedaugharty5544]

Jamie and Dale thank you very much for the show and the entertainment and don't restore it you're only original once

[@acardiac5983]

This was very important to document this rare car with the original owner.

[@moparedtn]

What a wonderful story - and the stories are really more important to me than the cars themselves, truth be told. Yeah, I've had hot rods for decades (thought I'm 20 years behind Dale) but it's as much about history and car tales for me as it has been about making my own stories in whatever car I've got at the time. Cars back then were created by humans, owned by humans, were a big part of human lives.... Thank you for recognizing that and wanting to become the next *steward* of Dale's Demon, Jamie. Speaks volumes as to where your heart is, so good on ya! - Ed on the Ridge

[@idaholineman5788]

Such a cool story, thanks for sharing

[@KrisGreenhill]

What an amazing video. Hopefully you get the pleasure of having and keeping the car long enough to pass it on to the next generation who can in turn pass it on again.

[@trsexton13]

Thanks for sharing, it brings back so many memories of my 1972 Demon

[@DusterGuy1970]

That's a great video!!! You will be able not look back and memories of this. You have gold here!!!! Its worth so much more than money!!! You have history here!!!!!

[@jeffdeavours1280]

What a great story. Well worth watching. Thank you.

[@r.hill.2369]

Thank you both for this. Simply amazing.

[@bruceandt]

Great to listen on this story. I had a 71 Demon slant six. I bought it without my Dad’s knowledge. It was clean and straight. He … my Dad and his friend took the car as a project. They did the body fixes which were minor and then had I painted the same blue. I had to ask permission to drive my own car. He kept the keys in his shirt pocket. I loved this car. One day my older brother stole the keys out of his pocket. An hour later the phone went off. My brother had totalled it. My Dad was furious and it was a shit show in the house. He had the car repaired and it was expensive. I had my car back. My brother had his license suspended and was 19 years old with a bad attitude and a one year suspension. He picked the keys out of my dresser drawer while I has out.. Later that evening my Dad got the call. He totalled the car again. It was beyond repair. My brother almost went to jail this time. My dear old Dad kept him out with a good lawyer. Two more years of no license. I had no Demon and it still pisses me off when I think about it.

[@DeadDodgeGarage]

Damn… that’s terrible.

[@bccphotec]

When I was in high school (grad '73), our 2nd car was a '71 Demon slant 6. I earned my driver's license in it. Lots of "crazy teen" memories. I wish I could afford to build a copy.

[@DeadDodgeGarage]

My first crazy teen car was my ‘74 Duster with a slant six. Oh, the stupid fun times…

[@jeffreybrandes881]

What a car! What a story! Thanks for sharing.

[@xlmi7021]

About as good as it gets in the "cool car" universe!

[@moparts52]

great video good story I like the quality of the video and audio makes it way more authentic

[@Beeker138]

You treat fake with so much respect ,,, I love it. I wish all the youth of today wer same way. Peace bro

[@MikeJBlues]

Dale us cool,met him several years ago at the Graham mopar show.

[@davidbisnette7673]

Get story, love the history

[@kevinhemken748]

Great video, love the whole story .

[@jsherman385]

Thank you for sharing!!! great story! And you said Thermaoquad!

[@alcyr5655]

You are the perfect care taker for this car. The Mopar Bible in a binder. When I saw that I'm thinking why is it twice as thick as my manual. LOL. Actually put some thought into this comment. Back in the early 70's I first saw a blue with black stripes Demon. Small town in Saskatchewan. The grille, tail lights, and Demon decal caught my attention. There was also a black Monaco 68 ish, with dark blue velvet button tucked dash and seats. I was a pre teen, not into cars. Those two cars for some reason are stuck in my head.

[@vincentenk4449]

Often wondered why you always refered it as "Dales Demon". He's definitely one of a kind & a wonderful person. Congratulations Jammie on your find. The passion you have for this awesome ride is outstanding, you deserve it! I set up my Duster as close to The Bible as a 19 year olds budget could and it flat out WORKED. My Duster was a '72 Twister that the previous owner swapped a 340 4 Speed in. Tor Red, ladder hood stripe, 15×8 Cragars with L 60s & 14×6s in the front

[@kenjohnson3641]

That was cool i love the history ty 👍

[@majorpayne5289]

Great story. Thx for sharing🇺🇸

[@tomspafford5368]

Pardon my French, but this interview is freaking invaluable. Incredible to get an original owner, who special ordered, this gorgeous car. Outstanding!

[@lynnbarker7651]

Great interview and racing stories. Really enjoyed it.

[@biggamehunter509]

This is awesome. And from my home town!

[@jamesashabranner2426]

Awesome story of that Dodge 😁👍♥️

[@SypherF]

ty for great episode! well done Dale

[@beljames1563]

Really enjoyed this episode. It's a reminder of how these cars are so much more than sheet metal and the air pumps that propel them. Awesome car, awesome owner, awesome story. Thanks for sharing the Demon's soul.

[@joooools01]

What a wonderful story. Loved every minute. You can feel the love for the car.

[@OlderNotNecesarilyWiser]

Really enjoyed the Dale's Demon Story!

[@MrPedix2c]

Jamie Thanks so much for bringing Dale on to your show that was the best! Your car is so very special and the history of this Demon means it's gotta pedigree takes it to another level of very special, and it doesn't get better than that.

[@allanperryman388]

Thanks Jamie

[@rickrice3221]

Super nice story!

[@COUNTINGSLURPULA]

That.... was awesome! 👌

[@DamnItBoyGarage]

Great video... Love the history

[@dondawson8700]

Great story... Now when you talk about Dale's Demon we know the full story

[@barrycuda3769]

Cool story ,and the video and audio quality is more than adequate.

[@deanpaidas8089]

Great story

[@steveash9831]

VERY SPECIAL!!! Congratulations Jamie! All of the wonderful things that I have to say about you, Dale, and the Demon, have surely been said many times over! As a man of many cool old Mopar stories myself, I thoroughly enjoyed it! Thanks! I'm not a numbers guy in the sense of authenticating a car. I like modifying cars, as you will see after I eventually fill your inbox with fantastic photos. Anyhow, I will begin MY afternoon nap after asking one question. Dale saved all of that cool Demon stuff, along with the great memories, but did he save the fender tag too?

[@DeadDodgeGarage]

Oh, he saved it… now if only we could figure out *where* he saved it.

[@steveash9831]

Bummer. I heard that a new one can be made if you provide a copy of the broadcast sheet to a company. I think they are ECS Automotive Concepts@@DeadDodgeGarage

[@jeffgibson184]

🇺🇸👍 Awesome car story,I’m going to search the internet to see if any posted all or parts of that Direct Connection book it might be dated but still good information.👍

[@DeadDodgeGarage]

It’s absolutely great information if you want to build these cars the way they were built in that period, using mostly stock parts. There is so much to learn in that book, it’s absolutely ridiculous. These days, we copy recipes we’ve seen others put together on the internet, and dump money on stroker kits, aluminum heads, super aggressive cams, etc parts that didn’t exist then. I just don’t want that. I want a car like this to be a time machine. So to me, the Direct Connection book is an amazing resource.

[@willattwood8303]

A very very cool car I'll bet it's a blast to drive

[@DeadDodgeGarage]

It really is.

[@samuelgoodman2825]

That handshake at the end got me emotional lol.

[@DeadDodgeGarage]

Me too…

[@reallivehumandrummer4438]

Excellent video thx

[@willsee1822]

Good stuff! Such a great store and car.

[@jamiegauthier7248]

Hi, Im Jamie. I like this channel. Keep up the good content

[@DeadDodgeGarage]

Thank you!

[@tonyb3864]

Cool story bro 👍

[@staceyrenner5418]

I would listen to that man read a phone book. Great video man, and great to hear some stories about it.

[@DeadDodgeGarage]

He has quite the voice. He reminds me of my grandpa a lot, now that I’m thinking about it.

[@noberet]

Jamie, that quality isn't "bad," it's art!

[@DeadDodgeGarage]

That’s right!

[@carebear2272]

My first car was a 73 or 74 duster, not sure, it was metallic brown with cream interior, 3 on the tree, 318 and I was surprised how well it did grab while taking off, but at about 90mp it got scary the front end floated up high and started shaking…… front end probably needed rebuilding….

[@adamhoffman3687]

Cool video

[@rennkafer13]

Jamie, I'm going to ask my brother-in-law if he knows Dale as he was the manager at SIR for many years. Dale may have been a bit before that though.

[@tfnr2056]

Enjoyed the video if you pay attention you can learn something from them all. Have you ever done a video on like pre- magnum engines like 1988 models. I not sure on those early rollers the head type they and top end oiling they use. Thanks TFNR

[@DeadDodgeGarage]

I haven’t done a video on them specifically. The heads are conventional LA heads with slightly different pushrod openings, ports, and chambers. They are oiled through the rocker shafts. The Magnum is where things changed substantially.

[@knoxmotorsports]

Congratulations I had a 70 Duster 340 3spd one sweet hot rod wrapped it around a 302 Mavrick while being g stupid

[@DeadDodgeGarage]

Ouch…

[@mypronouniswtf5559]

That's a great story..But I could think of a better guy to own that Demon,cough..cough..Yeah it's ME lol... My Uncle is the original owner of a 330,000 mile 1970 'Cuda 440 6 barrel..Car was never fully restored,never needed to be. In 1982 at 260,000 miles he rebuilt the engine ,seat recovered and new paint (my cousin repainted it again in/around 2005)looks and drives like new! My uncle is is 87 years young and bought it brand new in the summer of 1970. He ran high 11's two weeks after he bought it new..walking it out he ran low-mid 12's not flooring it until 25-30 mph..Last time it was on the track was 20 years ago and still ran low 12's in street trim walking it out,(still a easy 11 second car if it hooked or tried to race it but it was never a race car,just a very quick daily driver)that guy still can drive real good today even at 87 he rolls around in a 2020 Power Wagon as his daily driver zero scratches or dents,guy drives better than I do!!

[@randyl6512]

How totally cool another Mopar legend lives on

[@Ripsaw17]

Best curb I've had on a 340 was the 780 holly little engine love fuel

[@DeadDodgeGarage]

Dale never ran a Holley, ever. He ran the Thermoquad because the class ruled only allowed the original carburetor. It ran low 12s and even 11s with the Thermoquad. In the 2000s, he switched to an AVS2. Carters work.

[@barryrussell4106]

Wow that is really cool. Dale has tons of tricks his experiences lead to the small bolt Cragars sitting on my duster in Arkansas that is crazy that that car was the template. What is the exact name of that direct connection book? I want one if one exists

[@DeadDodgeGarage]

Oh yes. I’ve taken many notes from our conversations over the years. It’s the Direct Connection Performance Book, or the individual sections are labeled “Racing Manual.” There were various editions and updates over the years, with this one being from ‘73.

[@darrenbrisson4336]

My buddy Chris had a b-5 blue 71 340 x 4 speed demon I watched him beat a datson 240 Z with a chevy small block in it my buddy Silvio has the nicest 71 340 demon you'll ever see its hemi orange beautiful fast lots of demons here in ottawa canada

[@DeadDodgeGarage]

Nice! Yes I’m actually in a Canadian Demon group on Facebook. There do seem to be a lot up there. Really cool. Actually got a really neat metal Demon sign from a member there.

[@marcbrown6391]

Does Dale ever ask to drive Dales Demon? Enjoyed the background on the car.

[@DeadDodgeGarage]

Not yet. I wanted to have him take it to a show last summer but he wasn’t able to do it. With his knees the way they are, I don’t think it would be a very pleasurable experience. Definitely easier now with the lighter clutch.

[@davidtweedy8036]

I like that he never put a hood scoop on it. Any way to show more pics?

[@DeadDodgeGarage]

Not long after I bought the car, I did a deep dive on some of the history and memorabilia stuff that came with it. I believe I showed some of the historic pictures and stuff in that video. There’s a whole playlist on my channel called Dale’s Demon where you can see a lot more of it.

[@kennethflusche7900]

Yes nothing like talking to the original owner of a car. I bowled with a lady who owned a 55 chevy. Her husband bought it for her one year wedding anniversary. Almost traded when the kids came (needed 2 more doors) almost sold when it started burning oil. Thank goodness they kept the original when they engine swapped it. When husband retired rebuilt the engine and restored the car. Worse mistake ever according to her. 2nd restoration ten years later. Last saw her and that pretty car in 2010 best in show

[@davidtweedy8036]

Also if you are going to run 11s you want to install frame connectors.. it may already have them

[@DeadDodgeGarage]

It sure does!

[@rev.randall2292]

How Cool is That?!

[@rev.randall2292]

My relation had a mopar museum in Hays Ks off I-70. The land was sold , cars went everywhere , even over sea. I have met online one who now has a couple in Indy , Possibly Ca at his current dwelling. My cousin married him , it was so cool back then , ALL mopar convertables were used for the wedding party. It was Wheels & Spokes . Not sure if anythings online anywhere about it. He did have a bout of trouble once when a few parts cars I think came up as hot.

[@Ripsaw17]

I have some parts of the direct connection stuff but not a whole book like that

[@Trex1268]

My 69 Charger (383) has the original Borg & Beck clutch. Let me tell you, it's ridiculously heavy!

[@DeadDodgeGarage]

They’re horrible! As much as I like stock stuff… I think the diaphragm is the only way to go. Better holding power and a pedal that actually moves when pressed by a normal human leg. Yep, that’s my choice.

[@paatintap568]

Piece of paper in the driveline! What does that mean? Ps. I've never owned an American automobile but I still find your content interesting. (blame Uncle Tony) Pps. Greetings from Finland and nice to see a part of the world where weather is as terrible as here. (based on many of your vids)

[@DeadDodgeGarage]

For whatever reason, a cardboard tube placed inside the driveline before the yoke is welded on adds a bunch of strength to it. I am not going to pretend to understand how that works.

[@Jaybird66sweptline]

Pretty rare his first wife was into it as much as he was. Pretty neat story.

[@DeadDodgeGarage]

Seriously - very cool. This didn’t make the video but he and his wife both worked at their local drag strip.

[@bullbutter9699]

Smoke um if ya got um Awesome