When it comes to project trucks and parts vehicles, you don’t expect to see a collector car in the mix. Then again, my 1986 Mercedes-Benz 190E 2.3-16 Cosworth is a collector car that was found in a junkyard, so anything is possible. This limited production 1979 Dodge Lil’ Red Express has clearly seen better days and the seller acknowledges it was ridden hard and put away wet, but given the following for these early muscle trucks, it seems worthy of saving. Plus, the listing claims the floors are decent and it has a big block, so there’s definitely a good foundation to build on. Find it here on eBay with a firm price of $3,995.
There’s no mistaking this for a Lil’ Red Express, what with its bulging rear fenders, stacked exhaust pipes, and wood slats on the bed sides and in the bed. A previous owner has added aftermarket wheels that are clearly staggered and with a good bit of dish, and while it’s not OEM, it looks period-correct. The bed is the worst area of the truck, as the wood slats are all pretty rotten, but the rest of it looks savable. The seller claims the cabin floors are in better shape than most Dodge trucks of this era he’s encountered, and the frame is sound, too. Throw in the clean title paperwork and this Lil’ Red Express truck is better than many projects we feature.
The interior isn’t great, and the listing notes the windshield is cracked. But, despite needing complete restoration, this is simply an old interior that hasn’t been looked after rather than a total dumpster fire of a cockpit. The Lil’ Red Express retains its OEM three spoke steering wheel, but the door panels are missing. The photos of the floors show surface rust but nothing worse than that. The most obvious deviation from bone-stock condition aside from the wheels is the hood, which has been converted to a flip-forward design, like a clamshell. Was this a show truck at one time? It’s hard to tell, but whatever it was, the previous owner(s) weren’t putting it inside at night and wiping it clean with a diaper cloth.
The engine is no longer original, having been swapped out for a big block. The seller makes no promises that it will do much for you when you bring it home, confirming that he hasn’t evaluated whether it’s locked up. Odds seem good it won’t be, but if it was driven to hell and back, it could have blown a headgasket or snapped a belt. Still, if you’re been hunting for a genuine Lil’ Red Express truck, you likely know there aren’t many projects left and beggars can’t be choosers. If you want a fully restored example, sure – go spend $20K. But for a low cost of entry and the chance to restore it just enough that you see your money back, this Lil’ Red Express Truck seems like a winner.
Just needs new cab, new bed, new drivetrain, new suspension new interior and it’ll be good as new…just say it, for sale: 1 vin plate plus clean title…bet wheels looked cool once tho…
This one was built in the US. In the late Seventies, my older brother lived in Windsor on a side street parallel to Howard Avenue. Sitting in his backyard you could see on Howard, every couple of minutes, Lil Red Express Trucks being driven from final assembly to a parking lot. Instead of buying my 79 Mustang Cobra, I kinda wished I had bought one of these. What a blast in a straight line with the HO 360 (225 BHP) instead of my anemic 302 (140 BHP). The Cobra would have handled better, but the Truck would have been more fun.
They were the fastest trucks of their time, beating the Chevy SS and the Lightning. They are still number right out of the top 11 fastest trucks of all time. The fastest? RAM SRT10 of course
I may be wrong, but I don’t remember a Chevy SS truck or a Lightning truck being around in 1979.
As I recall, this were the fastest production vehicles you could buy from a American auto maker in 1978,79. I remember reading in one of the auto-mags of the day that these would eat corvettes for lunch.
But remember trucks didn’t have the same rules as cars in the 70’s
I drove my Unimog into town yesterday and saw one of these driving around it looked completely stock and unrestored, faded paint rust and all.
Lets just jack up the radiator cap and start there! Too bad one, the vehicle that actually started hot rod Hi-Po trucks in the USA.
These looked great when they came out. Seller has 113 items for sale, lots of parts.
I know of one that’s been sitting here in NY for over 30 years. Asked several time, “not for sale”
Looks like the “Express” got derailed…
Looks like a decent project for the asking. Get a new front clip, rebuild the big block or source a 360. Plenty to work with here.
Call Garage Squad. They did one of these a few years ago. Of course, it wasn’t a cancer queen like this one.
salvage it… aint worth fixin…
1979 Dodge Lil’ Dead Express
I bought a pair of these on the cheap about 15 years ago. Seems the guy I purchased them from was fixing one up and bought another one (an actual ‘Lil Red too) The one ran but it was rough. The parts truck was solid you know the story he lost interest. It is amazing how rough and rusty it was. Looked a lot like this one. I ended up parting them out and almost lost money. Yeah they were a fast truck new. Not saying much because in 78/79 nothing was fast from the factory. The Dodge boys got the checkered flags really by default. Restored back to stock would get still get smoked by a new Camry
This one is pretty screwed up. Someone totally hacked all the front sheet metal for a poorly constructed tilt front end. I don’t believe the stacks are correct either. The interior is roached. Missing the orig 360. Instead some questionable big block. Maybe the cab is decent but the winshield gaskets on these commonly leak and rust the front floor plans. Parts for these are not overly common. There are a few LRE specific parts available reproduction. But not much else. Nothing interior related except the Tuff style wheel is available repo.
I would take this truck on in a heartbeat compared to the rottted to death ’68 to ’70 Chargers that ask $20,000. The cab looks pretty solid. The bed needs new floor wood, available after market. The bed steps looks ok, and the stacks are there, only missing the tips. Still has the Tuff Wheel and the bucket seats. The worst thing is the tilt front. There are plenty of parts out there for these, and most this needs are common truck parts. Decent project for the asking.
The chrome steps that the exhaust stacks run through look to be worth saving.
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