{"id":451950,"date":"2016-04-07T01:12:13","date_gmt":"2016-04-07T08:12:13","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/bangshift.com\/?p=451950"},"modified":"2016-04-06T12:07:50","modified_gmt":"2016-04-06T19:07:50","slug":"western-star-under-glass-this-truck-has-not-been-waxed-in-10-years-looks-new-and-is-encased-in-glass-seriously","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/bangshift.com\/bangshiftxl\/western-star-under-glass-this-truck-has-not-been-waxed-in-10-years-looks-new-and-is-encased-in-glass-seriously\/","title":{"rendered":"Western Star Under Glass? This Truck Has Not Been Waxed In 10 Years, Looks New, And Is Encased In Glass – Seriously"},"content":{"rendered":"

(Photo Credit: Dick Theberge) –\u00a0<\/strong><\/em>Bill Kolias\u2019 truck is so special that he keeps it under glass. Literally.<\/p>\n

His 2003 Western Star 4900 EX and its matching custom RV trailer are covered in painstakingly applied layers of glass that protect the garnet-red finish and graphics. And it works. Kolias hasn\u2019t waxed the truck since it was glassed in 10 years ago.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s one sexy truck,\u201d the 62-year-old driver said.<\/p>\n

When it rolls through a construction zone, workers stop and stare. When it\u2019s at its winter home at an RV park in Punta Gorda, Fla., passing drivers exit the highway and circle back to take a look. Wherever it\u2019s parked, people delay their errands to walk around it and gawk.<\/p>\n

\u201cI can\u2019t begin to tell you the fan club I have in south Florida,\u201d Kolias said.<\/p>\n

The trophies it\u2019s won at truck shows fill a case. It even gets invited to custom car shows in Florida<\/p>\n

Kolias began driving in New Hampshire in 1977, forming a company with his brother. Since his wife retired in 2006, he and his rig lead a dual existence \u2014 winters in Florida basking in the sun and summers in New Hampshire, hauling building supplies to wholesalers.<\/p>\n

When he bought the truck in 2005, his first Western Star, he had it redone with aircraft paint that costs $800 a gallon and added orange-and-yellow star graphics. To protect his investment, he had the tractor, including the inside door panels, dashboard gauges and all the chrome, aluminum and stainless steel parts, covered in thin layers of glass, a process that took two men 33 hours to complete.<\/p>\n

The glass bonded with the paint and \u201cnothing sticks to it,\u201d Kolias said. All he does to keep it clean is hose it off. The glass also keeps the paint from fading in the Florida sun, he said.<\/p>\n

And the improvements aren\u2019t limited to the paint. Kolias\u2019 additions include chrome wheel covers with gold-leaf touches, chrome running boards, LED lighting and captain\u2019s chairs, hardwood floors in the cab and sleeper, satellite radio and so on. When he and his wife became snowbirds, he added the 38-foot recreational trailer and gave it the same paint-under-glass treatment.<\/p>\n

Kolias says the $50,000-plus he has spent improving the truck and trailer is a worthwhile investment in a job he still loves.<\/p>\n

\u201cI do this more for personal enjoyment than I do for making money,\u201d he said. \u201cI\u2019ve met too many people who go to work every day and they\u2019re not satisfied. They\u2019re always longing for the weekend and vacation. For me, every day is a vacation,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s really the truck of my dreams, the truck I always wanted to have,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

A truck that turns heads is a reflection of Kolias\u2019 passion for trucking. So is the professional image he projects by wearing a uniform with a brass name tag and spit-shined boots. \u201cI now have a reputation to uphold,\u201d he said. \u201cIf I pull into a delivery with dirt on my boots or on my rig, there\u2019s no end to the ribbing I get.\u201d<\/p>\n

And, for all the graphics and add-ons, it is a working truck for half the year, with a Caterpillar C15 engine, 18-speed, double overdrive transmission and 550,000 miles.<\/p>\n

\u201cYou run this truck down the road at 70 mph and it\u2019s as smooth as a luxury car. It\u2019s a fun truck to drive; it doesn\u2019t fight you,\u201d he said. \u201cIt\u2019s big and flashy and it\u2019s comfortable. I go to work and I have nothing but fun.\u201d<\/p>\n

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