1979 DODGE LIL’ RED EXPRESS– LEGACY BUILD

This restoration began long before the truck ever rolled into the shop. I grew up surrounded by the sound of tools, the smell of sawdust, and the mindset that real workmanship is something you live—not something you learn from a manual. My grandfather, a retired fire prevention officer from the Brampton Fire Department, spent his retirement building, crafting, and working with his hands. He taught me woodworking, carpentry, and the fundamentals of craftsmanship that still guide me today.

For years, he talked about wanting a Lil’ Red Express—a true icon from the era when trucks had personality, presence, and a heartbeat. Back then, before digital classifieds and online marketplaces, finding one meant digging through printed ads. One day he came across a listing in the Simcoe Shopper for a truck out in Renfrew, Ontario. It had been painted black with what looked like a roller and was rough in every possible way. But the bones were there. The dream was there.

After a long haul with a U-Haul trailer and a friend riding shotgun, we brought it home.

What followed was three years and three months of rebuilding, fabricating, refinishing, and restoring that truck piece by piece. Every panel, every detail, every board of wood on the bed—built with purpose. It wasn’t just a restoration. It was time spent with the man who taught me what good work really is.

That build became a benchmark. It taught me discipline, precision, problem-solving, and the level of pride required to take something from its worst condition and bring it back to life. That standard still exists in every job I take on today.