1978 Dodge Other Pickups

Standard Cab Pickup

Factory modified police package 360 V8

Automatic

Clear

Rust free, correct wheels, correct air cleaner, older resto I apologize in advance for the LONG description. I believe if you are going to buy something for thousands of dollars sight unseen, I should make my best effort to describe my truck as well as I can. Most questions will be answered by reading my ad, but if you have something additional, by all means, email me.EDIT ON 11/11/2014: After I posting this ad, I decided to go through the folder I have on this truck. I found many receipts from the restoration, dated around 1988-1989. So that seems to be when it was done. Also, I did find a receipt for $2500 for the engine rebuild in June 1988. In reviewing these receipts, it appears the truck was restored while on the east coast, in either Pennsylvania or Delaware. It appears the gentleman who did the restoration was in PA for awhile, then to DE, where he later sold the truck back to PA. None of the receipts indicate a Texas connection that I could find, so perhaps it came from Texas, but maybe it didn't. I was just going off what I was told by previous owner. Anyway, all receipts will go with the truck, and the main point is I DO have a receipt for the engine rebuild. Brief background of the Lil Red Express trucks in general - Dodge produced these trucks for just two years, 1978 and 1979. Production in 1978 was only 2,188, while 1979 was 5,118. 1978 was the last year for round headlights, and it also had factory staggered wheels, with 15x7 up front and 15x8 in the rear (1979's were all 15x8). The "Tuff" steering wheel was standard in 1978 (it did make it on some early 1979's as well). Due to a loop hole in federal regulations, Dodge was able to produce all 1978's without catalytic converters (the loop hole was closed by 1979). The 360 engine E58 was a modified version of the "police" engine, and had 225 HP, making the 1978 Lil Red Express trucks the fastest American made vehicle from 0-100 in 1978, beating out the Corvette, Trans Am, and Camaro. These trucks were an effort by Dodge to refuse to succumb to the low performance standards of the day, and are sure to be very desirable in the future. And if you think about collectability, it is all about rarity. So between the two years of production, you want the 1978, with lower production, more performance, and classic styling. Brief history of THIS Lil Red Express - Back in the 1990's, I owned and operated a small used car lot with my father. While we did sell our share of late model cars, my father and I regularly sought out more exciting inventory like muscle cars, antiques and high performance vehicles. We found this truck just about 2 miles from our shop, and offered to buy it from the owner. He instead traded it in to us, along with a Jeep Wrangler, on two vehicles from our inventory. That would have been around 1996. We used the vehicle for a few years as an advertising piece, and then in 2001 when I closed up the dealership, I transferred ownership to myself. So I have owned this truck for approximately 18 years. The owner we received the truck from stated he bought it in Delaware from a friend of his, who had recently moved there from Texas. I believe the truck was restored while in Texas with this owner. I do not know if he was the original owner or not. I do know the truck is extremely solid and completely rust free. It was also a very intense restoration, with every aspect of the truck receiving attention. It was probably show quality when first completed, but over the years and miles, it has deteriorated to very solid driver quality condition. Chassis / frame / body / paint - The chassis is very tight on this truck. It tracks true and straight. The rear is silent in operation, and the brakes stop smoothly and evenly. The frame appears to have been sandblasted or at least sanded and thoroughly cleaned during the restoration. There is no evidence of ANY rust on the frame. VERY solid and clean vehicle underneath. The body likewise appears to be very solid, with NO evidence of rust or previous rust repair anywhere that I have found. The truck was repainted the original color at the time of restoration. It is a very presentable paint job, but lacks the super deep shine of a show vehicle. Perhaps it could be buffed out. There are several chips on the front of the rear stepside fenders, as the front tires toss stones back there while driving. Overall, it is a very solid truck with no rust and a strong drivetrain, showing minimal wear from years of careful driving since the restoration. Drivetrain - The engine and trans both appear to function excellently. The trans does tend to drip some fluid when sitting, but not enough to really be a cause for concern. The engine runs very strong, and has excellent oil pressure (around 35 at warm idle, 50 plus driving). It does not burn any oil. It sounds like there may be a mild cam as the idle has a nice sound while still being very driver friendly. The original air cleaner remains on the engine, as does what I believe to be the original carb. Stock exhaust manifolds are likewise present, attached to what is either the original exhaust system, or more likely a reproduction of that system. The chrome valve covers do not appear to be originals, as they are stamped "direct connection". I believe the engine and transmission to have both been rebuilt during the restoration, but I do not have any proof aside from the excellent operation. Wheels, wood, and bed - The bed has been fully restored, and is straight and smooth. The wood floor has been replaced, but rather than paint it red as the factory did, it has been stained and cleared for a beautiful appearance more suiting of a quality restoration. The custom bed cover is very clean for its age, with just some slight discoloration here and there. Underneath the cover is some foam, and then a piece of plywood, so the cover is completely flat. I was told the Delaware owner used the vehicle in parades, and would sit people in chairs up on the cover. I have never attempted that myself, nor would I. But it does seem to be quite well built. The chains are missing from the tailgate, so there are two marks (one of each side), where the tailgate was lowered down and hit the bumper. I haven't opened the tailgate more than four times in the years I have owned the truck, so I never bothered with the chains. The wood panels on the tailgate appear to be original, but refinished. These pieces do show some cracks, as can be seen in the pictures. All of the rest of the wood pieces are excellent. The wheels on the truck are original. While not perfect, they are in good condition, with only a few spots where there is very minor rust or thin chrome. Bear in mind this is the ONLY year for the staggered wheels. The last set of these I saw for sale were in need of a full restoration, and the asking price was $1800. And that was 5 years ago. These wheels are nearly always missing, even from some very high end restored trucks. As far as I know, no one makes an exact reproduction of these wheels, so if you don't have them, they are very hard to find. The tires in the rear are 275/60/15, and have maybe 2000 miles of use on them. The fronts are 235/60/15, and have maybe 25% tread left. The fronts should be 245's, but I had some 235's from another car, so I used them. My intention was to put 245's on when I replaced them. Interior - Dash pad is very good, with the only crack being in the glove box door. This is apparently very common for these trucks. The dash bezel has been replaced and is excellent. The fuel gauge is not working, and has not since I have owned truck. I never attempted to repair, but suspect either a bad ground, or bad sender unit. The oil pressure gauge is currently unhooked, as it was reading low. I replaced it with a mechanical gauge mounted under the dash. The amps and water temp appear to work as intended. The speedometer works, but reads fast by about 20%. Story goes that while in Texas being restored, the owner changed the rear gears to make the vehicle more friendly to drive on the open roads out there. He also changed the speedo gear when he did that. When the truck came east, the original gears (3.55) were put back in the truck, but the speedo gear was not changed, resulting in the incorrect speedometer reading. I have never attempted to repair, but it is a very simple job. It should also be noted that the original speedometer stopped functioning during my ownership (back in April 2006), showing 80,064. I replaced it with a good used one that was showing 70,996. So the "new" one is showing roughly 9,000 miles less than it should. I do still have the original speedometer, and it will be included with the truck. The carpet has been replaced, and while in good condition, appears to be a generic piece that was trimmed to fit (not a model specific molded version). The drivers seat does show some vinyl cracking (visible in picture) along the side bolster. I believe the seats to still be wearing their original vinyl. It is NOT ripped to the foam, just appears the vinyl has pulled away a little from its backing. The Tuff steering wheel is in good shape, with just minor spots on the metal spokes. This is likewise a very rare piece, as they were normally ripped apart from weather and use, and are normally replaced with the standard Grant wheel. And although it did appear on some very early 1979's, this wheel is essentially 1978 only. The door panels both are solid, but have some strange discoloration on them. It appears someone tried to clean them with something that ended up bleaching some of the color out. They could definitely be resprayed with vinyl dye and kept. I always meant to do that, but something always came up that distracted me, so it never happened. The original am/fm stereo is in the truck, and I believe it works. To be honest, I don't think I ever turned it on. I prefer to listen to the music coming out of the twin stacks. The driver side door glass has pitting in it, and while it functions as intended, it should be replaced to improve the appearance of the truck. I always drive the truck with the windows down, so I was only reminded of the window when I closed it to wash the truck before preparing this ad. The driver side outside mirror appears to be the original. It is in great physical shape, but will not stay in position. Not a big deal, but just want to disclose it. If you know these trucks, you know finding a rust free example is extremely difficult. You know that finding one with the original wheels still on it, in good shape, is very hard. You know that 1978 is the year you want, due to lower production, better performance, staggered wheels, no converters, classic styling and TUFF steering wheel. You know that in 1978, THIS was the fastest American made vehicle from 0-100mph. If you know these trucks, then you will know this is a good one. Terms: The Lil Red Express is being sold as is, with no warranty expressed or implied. Please understand this is a 1978 vehicle. While very solid and presentable, it is not without flaws, and shows wear from having been driven regularly. The paint has chips here and there, the interior has marks and defects, the grille has some blemishes. I am not trying to make the truck sound bad because it absolutely is not, but be realistic. It is not new, nor is it a fresh $50,000 restoration. If it was, it would be way more money. I strongly encourage you to look at the truck before committing to buy it, and just so it is clear, a bid in an auction sale is a commitment to buy according to Ebays terms of use. I have clear PA title to this vehicle that is ready to transfer to your name. Please feel free to email me with any questions you might have. I can provide my phone number to serious buyers who prefer to communicate in person instead of email. Just let me know. Payment must be in the form of bank to bank wire transfer, cashier's check or personal check (which will have to clear before I will release the title or the truck). I will require a $250 deposit via PayPal within 24 hours of the auction ending. That deposit is not refundable, UNLESS there is a significant difference between the description written here and the vehicle. You shouldn't pay for my mistakes. The remainder of the monies due must be paid within 10 days in the form of cashier's check, wire transfer or personal check. In all cases except bank to bank wire transfer, the funds must CLEAR MY BANK before I will release the truck or the title. Too many people are faking bank checks anymore. You are responsible for picking the truck up once payment has cleared. I will do all I can to be available on your schedule, if possible. I can store it for a little while after payment is made, but part of the reason I am selling it is because I desperately need the garage space.