The scene was bleak for performance cars in 1978. Cars were choked out with smog laws, low compression and catalytic converters. Former heavy hitters, like the Pontiac Trans Am, Chevrolet Camaro Z28 and even the Plymouth Volaré-based Road Runner were shadows of their former selves. Most performance models were really bright tape stickers on a properly loud, but absolutely gutless car. But there was a loophole in the laws that Dodge figured out: the cars had to meet all of the stringent laws, but light trucks did not. This meant that if they could convince the buying public that a truck could be more than a work tool and gave it as much performance as they could without alerting the EPA to their plans, then Mopar muscle would be roaming the streets in full. Suddenly, Dodge had a whole series of hopped up D-series trucks: Power Wagon, Lil’ Red Wagon, and Warlocks were appearing out of nowhere, part of the “Adult Toys by Dodge” ad campaign. Think of that what you will.

That doesn’t mean that you had to buy a flashy, uprated Dodge truck to get the performance benefits. All you had to do was check the right boxes on the option sheet and you could walk out with a truck that was plenty capable in the right hands, and that’s what we have here: a 1978 Dodge D-100, fitted with a 360, a four-speed, and just enough wear and tear from the years to make it cool. We can’t tell easily if this is an E58 engine, which would be the same 255 horsepower engine found in the Li’l Red Express, but we suspect that it’s not. A stroker fit will fix any issues with power that you might have, but if you’re budget-buying using our Rough Start system, you are still getting plenty of pickup for $4,300. Yeah, there’s a bit of rust in the common spots, but you’ll get some new patch panels with the truck. Take the couple hundred bucks you have left over and learn some welding, or hit up Home Depot and refinish the wood bed!

Craigslist Link: 1978 Dodge D-100 stepside