1971 Dodge Demon

Bill Creech grew up in Southern California, lucky enough to have a hot rod and drag racing dad. He was immersed in the golden era of nitro funny cars—the early 1970s—and lived close to OCIR (Orange County International Raceway), the premier track of its time. OCIR hosted some of the most legendary funny car events ever, including the Manufacturers Meet, where 200 nitro funny cars battled for just 64 qualifying spots to represent their factory teams.

This was the era of epic rivalries: Mongoose vs. Snake, Jungle Jim vs. The Snowman, Lil’ Demon vs. The Blue Max, The Revellution Demon vs. The Chitown Hustler. It was a spectacle, an event, an experience that felt larger than life. Walking into the pits meant stepping into a world of insane paint jobs, wild characters, and roaring engines. The brand wars—Dodge vs. Chevy, Ford vs. Plymouth—added even more fuel to the fire. Everyone was in, and everyone went.

To Bill, these are the missing ingredients in modern drag racing. Nobody gets excited about a Matco Tools funny car racing a Peak Antifreeze funny car—one bubble car against another bubble car. It’s corporate, bland, and unmemorable. Fans have checked out, and attendance shows it. In his mind, racers have lost the plot, focused only on winning instead of the show. Without fans, there is no racing.

With that in mind, Bill set out to build a car that would time-warp people straight back to 1972. It had to be loud, shake like a Southern California earthquake, have a name and personality that made people take notice, a paint scheme that commanded attention, and burnouts that looked like an environmental violation.

Bill always loved the lines of the Dodge Demon. Most people collect them, but few race them, and since Demons were only produced for two years, they had a rare appeal. Combining that with one of his favorite funny cars—Pete Everett’s Lil’ Demon—made it the perfect target. Bill bought the Demon in Ohio and brought it to California, dialing it in to fit his vision. Once satisfied, he reached out to Bill Everett (Pete’s son), who enthusiastically gave him permission to use the Lil’ Demon namesake.

Next, he took it to Riverside, California, to Richard McPeak, one of the most renowned hot rod and race car painters of the 1970s. McPeak had also painted Bill’s dad’s 1970 Dodge Charger R/T race car, “Magnum Force.” Bill handed him a sketch of his vision, but McPeak took one look, told him to toss it, and said he’d handle it. A week later, in November 2007, Lil’ Demon rolled out of the paint booth. Three days later, it was turning heads at Infineon Raceway in Sonoma, California, and it’s been a fan favorite ever since.

The only thing Bill would change? Swapping the modern contingency decals for period-correct 1971 decals—whether the parts are on the car or not.

The facts

Vehicle: 1971 Dodge Demon H Code car. Originally a 340 4-speed in Plum Crazy Purple. The H code makes it the rarest of the Dodge Demons. Owned for 16 years.

Namesake: Pete Everett’s Lil’ Demon, an early 1970s Dodge Demon nitro funny car (AA/FC) that competed in NHRA Division 7, AHRA, and match racing across the western US. The Lil’ Demon name is used with the blessing of Pete Everett’s son, Bill Everett.

Racing Heritage: NHRA Division 7 Summit Series (Bracket), Heritage Series (C/Gas), West Coast Pro Gas (C/Gas), and special events.

Special events: Funny Car Fever, Fox Hunt, Pinks All Out (selected a different class for airing, so the car did not appear on the show), Team Sacramento Raceway. Always a fan and announcer favorite. Won Best of Show in 2011 at a car show.

Performance: Runs consistent low 9.4X ETs in the ¼ mile. Best time of 9.31 @ 149 MPH. Capable of low 9.20s or high 9.10s with further tuning. With a bigger cam and weight reduction (factory glass, door panels, etc.), it could be an 8.80 car.

Media: Lil’ Demon is always a fan, announcer, and media favorite. The paint scheme and roaring, crackling engine with huge burnouts instantly transport fans to the golden age of drag racing. It has appeared in National Dragster and numerous online hot rod and racing publications. Frequently mentioned in posts and blogs as one of the best-looking Demons ever.

Paint scheme: A mix of the most iconic funny car designs from early 1970s OCIR events. Designed and painted by Richard McPeak in Riverside, California, in the same booth where he painted Bill’s dad’s car in the early 70s. Uses nearly every 70s paint technique: flames, pinstripes, lettering, feathering, pearl, stripes, and panels.

Design breakdown:

• Flames over the top (not down the sides) inspired by the Mongoose II and Snake II funny cars driven by Tom McEwen and Don Prudhomme.
• Yellow and horizontal stripes from the Stardust funny car driven by Don Schumacher.
• Lil’ Demon name from Pete Everett’s funny car, with permission from Bill Everett.
• The unique spelling of Lil’ (rather than Li’l) is specific to the original Lil’ Demon funny car.
• Blue color in flames and panel outlines from multiple funny cars: Jungle Jim Vega, The Blue Max, Mongoose II, Damn Yankee, and The Snowman.
• Lettering style and colors from the Dunn & Reath funny car.
• Gold leaf with outlined window lettering and numbering inspired by The Blue Max, Damn Yankee, and Jungle Jim Vega funny cars.

Engine:

• 400 ci Low Deck Mopar (stronger block than a 440) – filled and hardened
• 511 cubic inches professionally built by Muscle Motors
• Indy Cylinder Head 440-1 heads CNC ported and polished
• Indy Tunnel Ram
• Twin Holley 1050 Dominator carburetors tuned and flowed by Jessie Biggs
• Competition Cams .727 lift cam (baby cam for the combo)
• Competition Cams triple spring valve springs
• TD 1.5 rocker arms
• Overhead oiling
• TTi ceramic coated headers
• Moroso electric water pump and vacuum pump
• MSD Pro Billet digital distributor
• MSD Digital 6 ignition with two-step and rev limiter
• Eagle crank, Ross pistons, RNR aluminum rods
• Charlie’s 10-quart dragster pan
• HP: 860+/-, Compression: 15.8:1

Transmission: Chrysler 727 Torqueflight 3-speed with Pro Trans internals, Steve Griner valve body and trans brake, low band apply, ATi torque converter with 5600 stall.

Rear differential: Dana 60 shortened, Moser axles, Richmond 4.56:1 gears with spool, 1350 U-joints.

Brakes: 4-wheel disc (Aerospace Engineering front, Wilwood rear).

Wheels: Weld Magnum Frontrunner (SFI) front, Weld Magnum Pro (SFI) rear.

Tires: Goodyear Racing Eagle.

Chassis: NHRA certified to 8.50 (currently out of date but should recertify easily). ¾ car square tube race frame (mild steel), Alston Chassis Works four-link, 16-point mild steel cage tied to the chassis. Chassis built by Winning Way Chassis.

Interior: Kirkey seat, RJS 5-point belt, RJS safety net, Safecraft Halon system, Grant GT steering wheel, Precision Performance Products (PPP) shifter, Autometer Pro Comp and Sport Comp gauges, Painless Wiring switch panel, lights and blinkers functional, helmet and steering wheel hooks, parachute lever.

Body: All factory steel except for fiberglass front bumper, hood, rear deck lid, and rear bumper. Original door panels and working windows. All chrome trim, lights, and blinkers functional. Ed Quay custom full-width adjustable rear aluminum wing.

Weight: 2960 lbs without driver.

Fluids:

• Radiator: Water
• Fuel: VP C16 or 115-117 octane equivalent
• Oil: Racing oil (Brad Penn preferred)
• Differential: 75/90 Brad Penn hypoid preferred

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