I tend to be wary when I see a low-cost Craigslist-style ad that features a hole in the hood and something poking through. Usually, it’s a high-rise intake and one of those cheap knockoff three-butterfly scoops wired to the throttle linkage, or a newspaper scoop mounted to the carb. The more interesting and potentially awesome vehicle it is, the more I get suspicious. So when I found a 1978 Dodge Little Red Express pickup up for grabs during my morning ritual of working my way through classifieds, I almost wrote it off. But I noticed one other detail that made me open the listing: the pinstriping on the leading edge of the fender, just behind the grille trim. Hmm…I wonder…
Well, hello there! The 360 in the engine bay is the original unit, but there is no doubt that the 6-71 blower on top of it was an aftermarket unit, is there? The Little Red Express, along with the Warlock, Midnite Express, StreetVan, and even the Super Coupe/Kit Car twins, made up a late play for horsepower from Chrysler. For the trucks, the performance was even good…due to the loophole that exempted pickup trucks from the same emissions rules as cars, Dodge simply stuck stacks onto the stepside D-series truck, threw in the E58 police-spec 360 (225 horsepower, 295 ft/lbs of torque) and proceeded to usurp the Corvette and claim the title of fastest production American vehicle that year. Oh, and did we mention stack exhaust?
I can’t lie…I want this thing badly. I want to spray off the years of muck and grime, polish up the mags, repair the rust, and bring this beast back to what had to be it’s late 1970s show day look. I want that 360 to straight-up thump, want that interior to look brand-freaking-new from every angle. I want the murals on the bottoms of the doors to look like they have just been finished up and the paint is still wet. This needs to be a period-correct restoration, looking like it just made the cover of a 1979 “Best Of Show” photo gallery.
Oh, this one is going to be on my mind for quite some time!
Sure needs to be rescued in a hurry…
Looks like somebody already snapped that one up.
Not surprised. Pretty sweet! Anybody know how much?
It was listed for $5,000 even. That was a score and a half.
And whats the long aluminum tank, in front of the radiator? Water injection of some sort?
Overflow coolant tank. Stock truck would’ve had a white tank above the radiator in the same spot.
By the way, are those stock exhaust manifolds?
Yeah Pop those looked like stock exhaust manifolds to me.
In the past few years I’ve seen those factory bucket seat/fold down armrest seats sell for up to $500 so the truck was worth at least that much.
Those dual snorkel, chrome lid factory air cleaners are worth a lot now. Wonder what happened to that when they stuck the blower on?
there was one just like this in minnesota a long time ago had american 200s daisy wheels on it ( duals on the back ) with a blower on it sitting behind a garage not sure where it went i raced him in my big block nova in the early 80s he lost
Had one in late 90’s sold it in 2001 to buy 65 Imperial, loved driving that truck. Really surprised a few mustang and Camaro drivers