mrmike Posted June 3, 2018 Posted June 3, 2018 (edited) I built this LRE about 10-12 years ago. It needed and good cleaning and a rebuild. I spent some time working on the grille of this truck and I'm not 100% happy with it. I found these air tubes in my parts box. I'll see if I can make them work... More to come... Edited June 13, 2018 by mrmike
Modelbuilder Mark Posted June 3, 2018 Posted June 3, 2018 Always liked this truck. My dad owned a body shop attached to a Chrysler dealership in the 70s, they had some cool vehicles then.
mrmike Posted June 3, 2018 Author Posted June 3, 2018 So far the morning, I have remounted the side steps and added the stacks. The side view mirrors have been reworked. I made a couple of mounting plates and mounted the mirrors sideways to better replicate a stock mirror. I removed the battery so I can try to fit new air tubes from the core support up to the air cleaner. I reattached the tailgate and repainted the taillights including adding blue dots to the taillight centers. More to come...
iamsuperdan Posted June 4, 2018 Posted June 4, 2018 I just found this kit recently, after a long search for a reasonably priced one. Looking forward to starting it!
mrmike Posted June 4, 2018 Author Posted June 4, 2018 Take your time with it! Just remember that this kit is not 100% a Lil Red Express Truck if that is what you want to build. I would like to see what you can make of this kit.
1972coronet Posted June 5, 2018 Posted June 5, 2018 9 hours ago, iamsuperdan said: I just found this kit recently, after a long search for a reasonably priced one. Looking forward to starting it! You could source the engine from the AMT 1971 Duster ( 340 and 360 look similar , especially in-scale ) , a resin LoadFlite ( the truck line name for the TorqueFlite ) or the one from the AMT 1971 Charger R/T . The engine / trans in the Little Red Express kit is completely incorrect , as it represents a "generic" Chrysler big block backed by a manual trans .
iamsuperdan Posted June 5, 2018 Posted June 5, 2018 20 hours ago, mrmike said: Take your time with it! Just remember that this kit is not 100% a Lil Red Express Truck if that is what you want to build. I would like to see what you can make of this kit. It's on the list of kits i want to start...as soon as I clear some kits off the bench. And everytime I see a build like yours, it makes me want to get moving! 11 hours ago, 1972coronet said: You could source the engine from the AMT 1971 Duster ( 340 and 360 look similar , especially in-scale ) , a resin LoadFlite ( the truck line name for the TorqueFlite ) or the one from the AMT 1971 Charger R/T . The engine / trans in the Little Red Express kit is completely incorrect , as it represents a "generic" Chrysler big block backed by a manual trans . I could...but I won't. I don't build for 100% accuracy. In most cases, I'll build something so that it looks as good on my shelf as I can possibly make it. I always finish underhood and underneath, and as long as it looks "right" then I'm happy. It's just how I do it. Anyway, mrmike, you said "more to come." Where's those pics? lolz
mrmike Posted June 9, 2018 Author Posted June 9, 2018 I spent a few minutes on the LRE this morning. The mirrors have been remounted. The mirror on the passenger side gave me the most trouble. I ended up drilling a hole through the base plate and into the door for the mirror. Now it's not going anywhere! Still need to do some work on the engine compartment. More to come...
maxwell48098 Posted June 9, 2018 Posted June 9, 2018 When I was a Chrysler Corp service rep back in the 1970's, I had one of the very first Lil Red Express trucks produced as my company vehicle. It received some minor body damage in transit and got diverted to company car service are the roof dent was repaired. The engine in the one I drove actually had black valve covers as it was a police package A-68 engine. Talk about a quick truck! I drove it 1,000 miles then sold it to a dealer for resale as a "used" vehicle. The dealer principal loved the LRE so much, he used it as his demo for almost a year. Here's my build that was done way back in 1979.
iamsuperdan Posted June 9, 2018 Posted June 9, 2018 They're so 70s and so cheesy, but man what I would give to find an affordable one today!
mrmike Posted June 9, 2018 Author Posted June 9, 2018 AJ, nice LRE! I tried to convert the 440 CID engine into a 360 by mounting the distributor on the back of the intake. Who would ever notice the size of the engine block? If I knew then what I know now, the engine might look a little different. Even with the Hi-Po 360, these were quick!
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