Alex Barron was only 16 years old when he became the proud owner of a 1978 Dodge Little Red Express pickup truck.
Ownership of a Little Red Express was an instant path to coolness for any car guy, let alone when the owner was just a kid at the time.
Jim Sutherland
Alex lived in High River, Alberta Canada when he bought the truck and had to pick it up in Outlook, Saskatchewan Canada, a small community roughly 6 hours from his home. It was well worth the trip for Alex-and was an excellent way for him to get acquainted with his classic muscle truck.
For the record, the 1978 Dodge Little Red Express became an instant legend in 1978 because it had serious power during an era when muscle vehicles were banished by hardline government-imposed legislation known as the 1970 Clean Air Act in the States and copied by Canadian auto manufacturers.
The net result was a series of changes to permissible engine emission levels that neutered performance in vehicles and saved them from the perils of melted rear tires. However, Mother Mopar found a way to get around the horsepower-robbing legislation with their Little Red Express pickup because it was a truck and did not fall under stricter emission laws in 1978.
Consequently, a ’78 Little Red Express did not require power-sucking catalytic convertors and instead had free-breathing Hemi mufflers that channeled exhaust up iconic side pipes that ran up the rear of the cab corners.
The result was a fire-breathing muscle truck sold during an era when raw power was as scarce as reasons to love disco music.
Government regulations shut down Chrysler’s emission rules end-around in time for the 1979 model year, but not before the 1978 Dodge became an instant street legend and the fastest 0-100 mph (161 km/h) built in North America.
None of this information was lost on a 16-year-old Alex Barron when he became the next owner of his ‘78 Little Red Express for the first time. He kept the truck until 2000 when he “sold it in pieces for 3500 bucks and then bought it back in pieces in 2019 for 5000 bucks”, in Alex’s words.
Dismantled vehicles are a minefield for car guys because parts usually get lost in the process, but a dismantled vehicle that has been torn apart even further is a ground zero nuclear explosion event in the car hobby. Alex had a major challenge ahead of him to put his Humpty Dumpty truck back together.
Alex told MyStarCollectorCar he “made one truck out of two” to compensate for missing or damaged parts. The result is a truck that has been completely rebuilt or improved from the ground up, including an upgrade to a 406 stroker engine from its original 360 block.
Alex’s father was an auto body man who gave Alex enough hands-on experience to tackle the bodywork while his 2nd year heavy duty mechanic son Greg was heavily involved in the wrenching on the Little Red Express. The car guy gene runs deep in the family.
Alex chose to upgrade his truck with extra features such as tilt steering and cruise control because he wanted to drive his reborn Little Red Express once he completed its restoration. “I didn’t spare any cash or time”, in Alex’s words, and it shows because his 1978 Little Red Express is a perfect blend of a quality restoration with just the right upgrades in the process.
The net result is a car guy who drives a vastly improved version of his first vehicle right down memory lane.
Jim Sutherland
BY: Jim Sutherland
Jim Sutherland is a veteran automotive writer whose work has been published by many major print and online publications. The list includes Calgary Herald, The Truth About Cars, Red Deer Advocate, RPM Magazine, Edmonton Journal, Montreal Gazette, Windsor Star, Vancouver Province, and Post Media Wheels Section.
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