- Seller: William O
- Location: Efland, North Carolina
- Mileage: 170,960 Shown
- Chassis #: 1B7FL26Y1NS539233
- Title Status: Clean
- Engine: 5.9-Liter V8
- Transmission: Automatic
UPDATE: The seller has added additional photos to the gallery.
It’s a dull day indeed if you’ve learned nothing new, and I think that I will not be alone in saying that the Dodge Dakota “Li’l Red Express” has heretofore escaped my notice. Yes, a company named LER Industries in Edwardsburg, Michigan, converted a few hundred Dakotas into a rolling homage to its famously brisk namesake from the late 1970s. This 1992 model was apparently the last of the run, and it is being offered as a Barn Finds Auction by the son of the original owner. With an upgraded 360, this one could steal the acceleration crown from its forebear, and it would certainly make for an interesting driver or project.
The most obvious modification is the bed, which is apparently made from galvanized steel teamed with fiberglass rear fenders. Unfortunately, the stacks are non-functional, but they were designed so they could be connected to the truck’s exhaust system, and whoever buys this truck should definitely do that. This truck has seen some upgrades on the exhaust side, including Tri-Y headers and a 3-inch exhaust system.
And it’s hooked to a Mopar Performance 5.9-liter crate engine with some upgrades, although it could use some tuning. The seller replaced the performance camshaft with a stocker and has replaced the engine compartment wiring harness in an effort to tame the new engine. As anyone who’s upgraded an engine in a fuel-injected vehicle knows, it sometimes takes a chassis dyno and a sharp tuner. Still, it runs and drives, although it will occasionally pop from the intake when the throttle’s opened. At the time the engine was replaced, the transmission was rebuilt by a reputable rebuilder.
The Li’l Red Express of the ’90s didn’t get any special interior upgrades; it’s a stock Dakota in here. One thing about this Dakota – it sure makes you miss the compact and just-a-little-bigger-than-compact pickups of yesteryear. The heater core has been replaced and the air conditioning even works. The fuel gauge and stereo do not, but everything else is ready to go.
Perhaps the coolest thing about the Dakota is the wheels. The seller has blasted and powder-coated them, and they complete the ’70s vibe that this truck so readily emits. According to the seller, they have a gloss black base with a clear coat over the whole wheel inside and out. The seller spent approximately 8 hours per wheel to get them prepped. You may notice that the special decals are missing, but don’t worry; the seller has a new set with the sale. The original painted grille and bumper were replaced with chrome pieces, but the originals will come with the truck. How many of these modified Dakotas are left? It can’t be more than a few. This one could be enjoyed as-is, but it would look sharp with a fresh red paint job and replacement decals. If you agree with that assessment, bid now!
Bid On This Auction
Jimmy bid $2,500.00 2024-12-10 11:02:47
ddh2153 bid $1,250.00 2024-12-10 08:52:07
mrzero2u bid $400.00 2024-12-07 10:09:15
Jack bid $105.00 2024-12-06 15:12:02
Fresh paint, interior/under hood detailing, and some TLC would brighten this one up! Personally, I like the chrome bumper & grille; but shouldn’t the wheels have a cap to finish the look? GLWTA!! :-)
Agreed! It definitely needs some love. I still liked the body color grille better but the chrome does look better than I thought it would. It did have center caps originally. There are only two remaining and they are in poor condition so I just left them off. I have seen replacements on ebay in the past for reasonable money. They had the letters ACRA printed on them so I guess that was the manufacturer of the wheels.
LER? From the planet Omicron Persei 8? Not into Futurama? You should be, it’s the epitome of animated shows. The truck? Meh, the regular LRE truck ( and Warlock) weren’t exactly big sellers, not sure a smaller version would be better. I liked my Dakota, and the “twin chimneys” look cool, the V8, the old 318, kind of,(LA) none better, be a nice truck that hopefully has a shred of interest left.
I raise a can of “Slurm” in salute to you! LOL!! :-)
Heresy.
Just in case any one missed it, I did, walmart.com of all places sells restored radios for this vintage of Chrysler Corp vehicles. Who knew?
I think I should mention this here since it was left out of the description. The engine is a Mopar Performance Magnum 380 crate engine with R/T heads and an MP single plane efi Intake with 24lb/hr accel injectors. I had to go back to a stock 5.9 camshaft to get it to play nice with the ECU. It also has Roller tip rockers. I uploaded photos of the invoices for the engine and transmission and I guess they’ll get posted eventually. the paper copies will be available to the buyer.
Photos of receipts for the engine and transmission work have been added to the photo gallery!
Back in December of 1993 I special ordered a V8 5-speed heavy duty everything Dodge Dakota sport with the stripe delete.
The price was $13,800 after taxes.
I took it to the local drag strip did one pass and it ran the quarter mile in 13.8 seconds.
Right after that a mustang 2 with a bigger engine with the rope oil still blew out oil down the track and that was the end of my day because I wasn’t waiting until they cleaned it all up.
And that was shifting into fifth going through the traps and was a couple more passes I could have got it probably down at least to low 13s high 12s.
We never had this on a drag strip, but I remember a magazine article at the time where they bought a short bed 5.2 dakota with an auto and 3.9 rear gears and proceeded to run 13.5 seconds all afternoon, while embarrassing a 5.0 mustang and a 350 firebird. I can vouch for being able to spank the pony cars from stoplight to stoplight or On ramps getting on the highway. nothing a normal person could buy was quicker in regular traffic.
Truck is no longer for sale, It has been requested to take down the ad.
Fun fact! once you list a vehicle on here, It’s enshrined forever! I sure wish I had known that before I listed. what with my name and VIN and location posted for all the world to see. and they’ll just thumb their nose at you for asking for it to be removed.