The 1970s was an interesting decade when you think about how it began and how it ended. I can’t think of another post-war decade that had so much change as far as vehicles went, from hairy-knuckle road-burning muscle cars to white shoes and white belt vehicles with plaid interiors, big bumpers due to safety regulations, and detuned engines due to emissions regulations. The seller has this rare, first-year barn find 1978 Dodge Li’l Red Express Truck posted here on craigslist in the great city of San Antonio, Texas and they’re asking $13,500.
The Li’l Red Express, sometimes referred to as the Li’l Red Truck or the Li’l Red Express Truck, was made for two short years at the end of the 1970s: 1978 and 1979. With muscle cars being mostly de-muscled, Dodge came up with what would be the hottest speed champ due to those emissions regulations that I mentioned earlier. Vehicles with greater than 6,000 pounds gross vehicle weight – basically, the weight of the vehicle, passengers, fuel, and cargo – were exempt from needing to use catalytic converters which were one thing that robbed engine power.
Whether that was a sly, slicky, and/or underhanded move or a genius move, it worked and the Li’l Red Express became the fastest American vehicle up to 100 mph. You can see that this example looks good but the graphics are missing and, overall, it looks like it was sitting in a barn or something – because it was. The seller says that it’s a barn find in excellent condition with no bondo and all it needs is paint. Well, and new graphics and to have the wood restored, etc.
They say that the interior is excellent and it does look good, although as almost always with craigslist photos, they’re lacking in quality and quantity. I don’t understand the red dice thing in a late-70s truck but someone liked them and the interior does look like it’s in great shape, other than the carpet. Hagerty is at $12.200 for a #4 fair condition truck and $19,300 for a #3 good condition truck, which the next owner will have into it in no time with paint, restoring the wood, and any unknowns from being in storage for who knows how long.
The engine looks cleaner than I thought it would and I applaud the seller for including an engine photo. As you can see, and most of you knew this, Dodge used a 360 cubic-inch V8 in these trucks which would have had 225 horsepower. They say that it runs and drives and has no mechanical issues, so that’s good. Have any of you owned one of these trucks?
Yes I had a 1978 Lil Red wish I still had it it was such a fun truck the motor blew up on it not long after I bought it so stuck a far from stock 340 – just about everyone I know said they liked it still to this day and ask if I still have it? I just say I wish I did!
I like this one the way it is, minus the decals.
Also, the ’78 is the preferred year as they didn’t have the catalytic converter.
Remember these new. I was 22. The fastest vehicle in America for 78. Faster than the slow poke Corvette and Trans Am. This is a bargain. Look at the prices of used garbage worn out trucks on used car lots. Yeah Dodges rot, but not as much as a 78 Chevy
I think the seller forgot, hey you kids get off my lawn. Posted 2 weeks ago.
“Breaker Breaker, what’s your twenty, come back..”
I’m a child of the seventies and remember the mid to late seventies and believe me, there was nothing exciting about any of those cars once moving. Maybe the white knuckles death grip on the steering wheel with the throttle floored to death merging into fast traffic….20..25..27.. hey we’re all gonna die! The new smell of cat converters, yuck. Exciting? In a different way. My dad mentioned these Dodge pickups with dual stacks and some hot police motor, back in ’78. The whole truckin stuff, eighteen wheels and a cb radio, CONVOY, right? The 70’s were all different from early to late. Pontiac couldn’t give away a Trans Am in ’71, couldn’t build enough after that Burt Reynolds movie way later in the decade. Again with the truckin theme. Maybe the Bandit should have drove one of these red trucks. Just messin around.