There is something that will forever be captivating about seeing an old muscle car or truck sitting in the dust of an old barn. This 1979 Dodge Lil’ Red Express is a perfect example of how the right vehicle in the right setting can make you want to throw all caution to the wind and figure out a way to restore it on a tight budget. The seller reports that his truck has been parked here for a long enough spell that the local twerps have broken all the windows save for the vent assemblies on the door; bored kids are such a drain on society. The Dodge is listed here on craigslist for $14,500 in Delaware.
No reason is provided as to why this Dodge got parked and forgotten, with its fate left up to the whims of local vandals. When sellers claim a vehicle in this sort of condition will “clean up nice,” we usually roll our eyes. In this case, however, the Dodge looks reasonably complete and the bodywork fairly straight. So, there’s a passing chance this muscle truck will look like a better starting point for a project than it does now with a quick wash and wax. Of course, that doesn’t address the needs of every other mechanical system that has fallen silent in the intervening years, but these are not complicated machines. The lettering on the tailgate is encouraging in terms of how original the Dodge still appears to be.
The Lil’ Red Express was more than just an appearance package; it was a serious performance vehicle and one that in 1978 came from the factory without catalytic converters. Some of the raw power of the first-year model wore off in 1979, as Dodge did install cats on the second-year model. Still, the rest of the package was as appealing as it had ever been, and this truck is equipped with the optional bucket seats. Other photos in the listing show close-ups of the rockers and inside the doors, and both areas look very clean with paint that is in surprisingly nice shape. There were just over 5,000 of these trucks made in 1979, and it’s a safe bet that number is far smaller today.
The engine bay is dirty, obviously, but doesn’t appear to have been messed with for a failed repair job or cheap modifications. The Lil’ Red Express came with a 360 engine featuring a four-barrel carburetor, and of course, the iconic smoke stacks rising up either side of the truck cab. The Dodge is certainly a project but it appears to have been spared from the ravages of rust. Aside from the broken windows and flat tires, there’s not too much you’ll have to do besides getting it running again to get it on the road and begin using it as a rolling restoration.
This is just up the road from me
with all the busted windows I’m wondering if it fell victim to a ex wife or girl friend
Wham-0 💣 💋 💄 💅 💥
Hope no one has put apples down those exhaust stacks, they will shoot out like missiles otherwise.
Solid looking truck!, those 360s deliver plenty of power.
I’m sure my poking fun at people selling practically useless items for unrealistic prices is getting old. Can’t blame them, really, money is the drug. Media is the sure cause there. I realize, and wasn’t mentioned, almost a given with these, the attraction was, it was the fastest vehicle you could buy in ’79, HOWEVER, it must be remembered, the performance car market was squelched in the gonads by insurance companies, and trucks fell through the cracks, for a while. It could muster 0-60 in around 7.5 seconds and mid 14s in the 1/4,, beating the Corvette, the 2nd then fastest car.
This thing? They weren’t exactly rare, one guy I saw had like 6 of these. Looks like parts city for this old gal.
Performance is pretty bad considering my 2008 Ford Escape Limited goes 0-60 in 7.1 seconds. And the Escape exhibits none of the cool factors of this truck.
The Fastest Stock vehicle was the 79 W72 400 4 spd T/A Hot Rod Magazine test ran a 14.6 @ 96 mph – Lil Red Truck ran a 15.7 @ 88 mph Google Dodge connection all there to see – there was the Prototype but not legal with HP Heads and Holley carb :)
The thing with these old vehicles, is that they are worth what someone is willing to pay. And like houses, the more people pay, the value goes up. I don’t see it that way as is is more than I’m willing to pay. I’d be in the market if it was under 10k probably.
So offer under $10K. The ad says “negotiable”. There is no rust on the body. The bottoms of the doors look new. It’s going to need to be gone thru bow to stern, but a straight, no rust body has some real value. Hell, you might even be able to save the paint.
I didn’t like these when they were new and I am sticking to my opinion.
Hey someone liked it and paid owner enough that the ad is gone. Those years appearance was important to sell what was left of performance. Something radical and louder got the attention. Got to leave the cats off the first year. Wasn’t any high flow catalytic converters yet.
With Broken windows at least and sitting for who knows how long. I’m glad some one bought it. They were a cute truck but
not too many need a monster truck to drive, especially at today’s gas prices. I used to manage a gas station in the sixties
gas went for $0.19 a gallon for two weeks. I filled up my VW
for under $3.00.
Now deleted.
As I remember it Hot Rod claimed the 78 LRT the quickest vehicle you could buy out of Detroit. In 79 that was no longer the case. I bought a 79 LRT my senior year of high school. It was no match for my buddies 79 Trans Am. After 3 tickets in my first month of ownership my insurance became unaffordable and my older brother took over the payments. The truck is still in the family, now it belonging to a first cousin.