1978-'79 Dodge Li'l Red Truck

Once the muscle car era had passed, and the personal-luxury doldrums of the '70s had settled in, the bulk of America neither wanted, nor could afford, performance cars. Oh, there were a few outlier customers who craved some heat under their hoods. 'Twas ever thus. Dodge was keener to hold on to its lingering performance-vehicle reputation than any other car brand in Detroit, save for perhaps Pontiac.

The rudimentary nature of emissions gear in the early days was a massive barrier to performance. Catalytic converters were not conducive to anything resembling high-performance. It was not long after the Dart Sport 360 went away that Chrysler engineers stumbled into a government-approved work-around: Vehicles with a GVWR (gross vehicle weight rating) of more than 6,000 pounds were not required to run catalytic converters. Cars didn't really have GVWRs that topped the three-ton mark. On the other hand, this was a legal loophole big enough to drive a pickup truck through.

Dodge had experienced some success with its Warlock, a special trim package on the D150 Utiline chassis that only lacked some oomph under the hood. Extra power, bright paint, fat tires, sexy wheels and a special exhaust worked for Dodge (and its sister division, Plymouth) in the past... why wouldn't it work again? And so, as a way to reach buyers who demanded flash and grunt in equal measure, and to prove that performance was not in fact dead, Dodge launched the Li'l Red Truck.

Offered in March of 1978 through the end of the 1979 model year, all LRTs were Dodge Utiline stepside pickups on the (shortest available) 115-inch wheelbase, all were two-wheel-drive, and all required the same battery of options: automatic transmission, the Adventurer package, deleted moldings, power steering, an AM/FM/MPX stereo, an oil pressure gauge, the Convenience Package, and the Li'l Red Truck Package (YH6). This consisted of the special 225-horsepower, EH1-code 360-cubic-inch V-8, automatic transmission, red paint with Old West-styled gold 3M pinstriping tape decals on the tailgate and doors, chromed bed steps, oak body trim panels and chrome-headed prop nuts on the bed sides and tailgate, bright front and rear bumpers, the 9-1/4 axle housing with 3.55:1 gears and Sure-Grip, rear anti-roll bar, a specific steering wheel, and 15-inch chromed Western five-slot wheels on raised white-outline-letter Goodyear radial tires. And we can't forget the most outrageous touch: LRT's standard dual exhaust with vertical pipes, chromed exhaust tips and polished heat shields. (For 1979, the package added $1,131 to a $5,168 truck, a price that didn't include the mandatory options!) Brakes and suspension were untouched, save for the addition of the rear stabilizer bar.

The model name is sometimes source for debate. The door decals proclaim "Li'l Red Express Truck" if read through, leading many to refer to these as "Li'l Red Express." However, Dodge's original promotional material refers to it consistently as "Li'l Red Truck."

Another source of confusion has to do with the LRT's weight, with much talk about how it weighs more than 6,000 pounds. Now, it's true that federal rules exempted vehicles with a 6,000-plus-pound GVWR to run without a catalytic converter in 1978. Somehow, this turned into a claim that a Dodge Li'l Red Truck pickup weighs three tons at the curb. Not so. A short-bed, half-ton D150 shipped at 3,617 pounds. Even allowing for 600 pounds of fluids and equipment, you're way under three tons.

A number of details changed for the 1979 model year. The most obvious of these was a new front end, with stacked quad headlamps replacing the single round units from the previous season, and a new grille to boot. The hood was new too. It was flat, replacing the gently scalloped '78 engine lid. A different shade of red graced the LRT's flanks, though the change was sufficiently subtle that you would have had to park a '78 and a '79 together to notice. Tires were no longer staggered sizes--all were HR60-15s--and a spare tire was provided this year. Though the power rating was the same for '79, a catalytic converter now lived under the cab. Changes to the interior were limited to the Tuff Wheel, which was replaced by a tiller out of an Omni by mid-February of '79, and the speedometer, which had grown metric markings late in 1978.

Chrome slotted wheels measured 15 x 7 in the front and 15 x 8 in the rear for 1978; for '79, 8-inch wheels were used on all four corners.

A total of 2,188 LRTs were built for the truncated 1978 model year. The over-three-tons-no-cats loophole was permanently sealed shut for model year 1979, but Dodge built 5,118 LRTs anyway. Many of them languished on dealer lots toward the end of the model year. OPEC II, another Middle-East-based crisis and $1-a-gallon gas meant that any plans for a 1980 version of the Li'l Red Truck were squashed.

Plenty of LRTs survive today, however. Value guides suggest that they're worth the same money on the open market, although one would otherwise assume that the lower production numbers and the uncatalyzed engine in the 1978 model would make the earlier model the more desirable of the two.

So, if you're interested in one of the few performance vehicles from an era where performance was a dirty word, read on.

ENGINE

Mother Mopar blessed the Li'l Red Truck with a special, 360-cubic-inch V-8 as its one and only available engine. The differences over other 360s are multiple: It is said to have used a camshaft from the '68 340 four-barrel V-8 (252 degrees duration, 33 degrees overlap), with "red-stripe" valve springs from the same engine; an 850-cfm version of the Thermo-Quad four-barrel carburetor atop a police-spec intake manifold; a roller timing chain; a chrome-lidded dual-snorkel air cleaner with cold-air ducts and chrome rocker covers. The non-appearance items helped lift the 360's power rating from 160 horsepower to a remarkable (for its day) 225 horsepower at 3,800 RPM, and 295 pound-feet of torque at a low 2,400 RPM. LRT engines did not display a vehicle serial number in its traditional position on the right side of the engine block.

Manifolds unloaded through a crossover pipe and Street Hemi-style mufflers, then up through the big-rig-style twin 2.5-inch stainless pipes that shot up the back of the cab and out into the open air. The 1978 LRTs were famously uncatalyzed, while '79 models came with a catalytic converter, which necessitated a change to unleaded gas: an EGR valve was also added.

TRANSMISSION

The only available transmission was Chrysler's legendary 727 automatic, called LoadFlite in truck applications. They were largely the same as 727 TorqueFlite transmissions, with minor valve body differences, but the LoadFlites in the LRTs used a valve body reserved for 440-powered cars, which allowed higher shift points than a standard-issue 727. A 2,500-RPM stall converter was standard. Like the engine, the transmission will not match the truck's VIN. Therefore, caveat emptor.

BODY & INTERIOR

The fifth digit of any LRT is an "S" (for "Special," referring to the engine). 1978 LRTs will start with "D13BS," and the 1979 models begin with "D13JS." The VIN is also stamped on the right rear of the frame, just aft of the forward rear spring cradle.

For a truck that wasn't offered for very many years, there sure are a remarkable number of differences. The '78 models had single round headlamps and scalloped hoods, while the '79 models featured stacked quad headlamps and a flat hood. All '78 LRTs were painted Bright Canyon Red (PY3442), while the '79 models were Medium Canyon Red (PY3450). There will be some slight variations in the location of the gold 3M decals, as they were applied by hand in different factories. The wood on the bed sides and tailgate was real oak (largely red oak, but occasionally white oak), and the bed floor was painted pine with red-painted metal strips. The oak bed racks frequently seen on LRTs were not original equipment; they were standard on the Warlock package, however. Early LRTs had clear front turn signal lenses, while later models had amber lenses. Wiper arms were argent silver. Sliding rear cab glass was optional.

All LRTs came standard with the Adventurer appearance package and wore an "Adventurer 150" badge on each front fender. Inside, buyers had a choice of black or red bench-seat interiors, or a black bucket-seat interior. For 1979, the Adventurer SE package was also available on the LRT. Additionally, the 1979 models employed a coating on the inner roof, and inside the front fenders and firewall. This added some sound deadening and helped prevent rust, a serious issue at the time, as Chrysler was in the middle of its Aspen/Volare recall woes. Gas caps differed between years--the '78s had a screw-in type, while the '79s required only half a turn to lock. Both gas caps were chrome.

Most 1978 models had a 100-MPH speedometer, marked only in miles per hour; late '78 and all '79 LRTs had 85-MPH speedometers that were double-marked in kilometers--the English measure was white, while the metric measure was blue. Canadian-market trucks had a kilometer-only speedometer. An oil-pressure gauge was standard, in lieu of the red oil light. Other gauges, including a tachometer, electric clock and volt/vacuum gauge, were optional. A monaural radio was unavailable on the LRT: The AM/FM/MPX stereo was standard, with further options of AM/FM/CB, AM/FM/8-track and AM/FM/cassette (all stereo) available. The '78 models could have had either loop or cut pile carpeting, but all '79s had cut pile carpet. The brake-pedal arm was body-color on the '78 LRTs, while it was black on the '79s.

RESTORATION PARTS & PERFORMANCE

Chrysler's 273-318-340-360 family is notorious for happily accepting any number of performance upgrades, both visible and invisible, which could make an LRT something of a sleeper--if it's possible for anything bright red with twin chrome exhaust stacks behind the cab to be considered a sleeper. Particularly in the 1978 versions, where the exhaust is uncatalyzed, a buyer is freer to bump up performance until his or her bank breaks.

As far as restoration parts, LRT-specific pieces turn up here and there, and of course 1972-'80 Dodge pickup driveline pieces are available, but this is an instance where it really pays to buy the best vehicle you can up front, rather than take on a restoration project.

Engine

The LRT-exclusive engine was a modified version of Dodge's police-spec 360, which included "Superflow" heads, an 850-cfm Thermo-Quad four-barrel carburetor, high-lift cam, heavy valve springs and more. The LRT EH1-code, 225-horsepower 360 also wore chrome rocker covers and air cleaner lid.

Brakes

Nothing fancy for stopping power on the Li'l Red Truck: power discs in front with drums out back. All parts interchange with other 1972-'80 light-duty Dodge pickups.

Transmission

The only available transmission was the LoadFlite 727, though the version in the LRTs has a valve body reserved for 440-powered cars, which allows higher shift points than a standard-issue truck 727. A 2,500-stall converter was standard.

Interior

Bench seats were offered in red and black both years; optional buckets were only available in black. The Tuff Wheel steering wheel was standard-issue on '78 models and '79s built before February 19th; a four-spoke Omni wheel was used after that date. Woodgrain trim in the '78 models was glossy, while the '79 models had a flat applique.

Wheels & Tires

Chromed five-slot Western mags were standard. The '78 models wore staggered-width 15-inch wheels and tires: 7 inches front and 8 inches rear; '79 models wore 15 x 8 front and rear. Seven-inch wheels wore GR60 white-outline-letter tires, while 8-inch wheels wore LR60 rubber. Only the '79 model had provision for a spare tire.

Body

The '78 models have single round headlamps and scalloped hoods, while the '79 models featured stacked quad headlamps and a flat hood. All '78 LRTs were painted Bright Canyon Red, while the '79 models were Medium Canyon Red. The wood on the bed sides and tailgate are real oak.

What To Pay

1978-'79 Dodge LRT

Hard Parts

Bed panel (front): $170

Brake line kit (front, original material): $60

Brake line kit (front, stainless steel): $90

Brake pedal assembly (emergency): $49

Bumper: $185

Decal (set): $199

Exhaust system (no cats): $895

Exhaust system (with cats): $1,285

Fuel sending unit (NOS): $175

Seat cover: $345

Tailgate: $355

Wood (bed): $375

Wood (exterior): $350

ENGINE

* Some sources cite a 3,200 RPM torque peak

TRANSMISSION

Differential

Brakes

Wheels and Tires