Western Star 4900 FA plow truck

[BK9300]

On 10/3/2025 at 8:07 AM, Biggu said:

This stage is always a nervous time. For me anyway. This is just so perfect I don’t foresee any issues ……. This is really getting exciting now.  

Jeff, sorry for being late with this - not been 100%, past few days.  I'll certainly second the nervousness thing - most of what's remaining seems to be getting harder!

Edited October 7 by BK9300

[BK9300]

Bit under the weather, so haven't been doing any actual work.  But, needed to resolve a couple of routing issues, so I placed the cab on the frame to get some idea where I need to get looms, etc., to go.

 

The looms from the connector modules on the right hand side are close to final position, just a bit crossed up at the moment -

 

 

I hope to figure out something to clamp the blue, plow light runs to the frame rail; the loom from the ECM module is also just stuck out in the air at the moment and needs to be tucked between the starter and the block -

 

The red wire to the distribution box is also just temporarily in place, but gives me an idea of what it will look like when finally hooked up.  You can also see where I previously cracked the skirt around the air intake plenum opening -

 

Hope to be back at it in a few more days!

Edited October 7 by BK9300

[Biggu]

Don’t worry. Just get better as feeling off centre is most uncomfortable. 

[Gary Chastain]

First, get to feeling better, hope it is nothing serious. Second, I think you are posting pictures from the real truck buddy, your not fooling us. 😂🤭🤣🫣

[BK9300]

Still not made it to test painting for the chrome items.  Poor excuse, but was waiting for another type of paint to test along with the others and thought I had received it today, according to the 'item delivered' email I received.  Think I might have experienced my first porch pirate theft - I was out when the email came through and when I got home, there was no package waiting.  Wonderful . . .

Instead, I spent the afternoon experimenting with tire chains, before I made the hangers - if I can't make the chains, not going to make the hangers!

 

Visited a local craft store and found some necklaces that I felt were close enough to scale -

 

Cut the brassy necklace apart into enough cross chains for one set of drivers and laid out the starting pieces -

 

I overreached a bit by trying to make the proper cross chain hooks, but that failed quickly.  So, I used a single link of the nickel chain to attach the cross chains.  I had to scotch tape the sections to the paper on my bench to keep everything in place while trying to get those single connecting links into position and closed back up - 

 

This was a test for scale and pretty happy with the chain sizes - (they will be all bunched up on the hangers, but still had to check it out!)

 

Took several hours to get to here, but after struggles attaching these first four cross chains, I have a better process in place.  Hopefully, a set of chains, for one set of drivers, can be put together in a couple, three days, while I'm waiting for more paint!

[Straightliner59]

Chains are off to a roaring start, Brian! They look great!

[purepmd]

Staggering, inspiring, outrageous, intimidating, unbelievable, incomprehensible, magnificent...words are inadequate!  Spectacular, just Spectacular!

[BK9300]

On 10/7/2025 at 2:10 PM, Biggu said:

Don’t worry. Just get better as feeling off centre is most uncomfortable. 

 

On 10/7/2025 at 2:32 PM, Gary Chastain said:

First, get to feeling better, hope it is nothing serious. Second, I think you are posting pictures from the real truck buddy, your not fooling us. 😂🤭🤣🫣

Thanks, guys - just a cold or bit of flu (sorry for not responding earlier!)
 

 

10 hours ago, Straightliner59 said:

Chains are off to a roaring start, Brian! They look great!

Thanks, Daniel - hope they don’t take forever to finish!
 

 

6 hours ago, purepmd said:

Staggering, inspiring, outrageous, intimidating, unbelievable, incomprehensible, magnificent...words are inadequate!  Spectacular, just Spectacular!

Wow, thanks, Mark - way too generous of you!

[Six Pack]

Those chains are gonna look sweet . 

I don't miss slinging those things at all, the last outfit I was on with....I did get paid to use them though.

[BK9300]

Carried on with the first set of tire chains today -

Went much better, after some changes to the way I started out yesterday -

 

Again, for the heck of it, I draped the chains over the tires - while doing it with my tweezers, in a warm room, I thought about what this must be like at full size, having to put a heavy set of chains on in a snow storm, or, up to your knees in mud on a drilling site (especially a site that didn't have a D-7, or a C 500, twin steer, bed truck, to get you unstuck!).  I've never had to do that, and I have great respect for those of you who have had to endure this, and any other number of problems that come with operating a truck!

 

 

 

Don't think I'm even going to try to make connectors as the chain sets will be hanging on hangers, so, I'm calling this set of chains finished! 

Edited Monday at 07:03 PM by BK9300
typo

[BK9300]

1 hour ago, Six Pack said:

Those chains are gonna look sweet . 

I don't miss slinging those things at all, the last outfit I was on with....I did get paid to use them though.

Thanks, Matt - like I said above, I've never had to do that, so my hat's off to those who have!

[Biggu]

Brian , don’t worry about the boomers , we just used hooks and bungees. We changed to hooks after a spate of guys driving over the boomers and bending them into unusable bits. Two hooks and a few bungees and we were on the road. Used hooks exclusively on the grader as well. Made life so much easier ….

[Straightliner59]

14 hours ago, BK9300 said:

Thanks, Daniel - hope they don’t take forever to finish!

Oh, they will!😂 You'll be happy you did them, though!

[Kanada Kustoms]

Wow... Amazing detail!  Great build!

[BK9300]

On 10/10/2025 at 11:41 PM, Straightliner59 said:

Oh, they will!😂 You'll be happy you did them, though!

Yes, definitely happy that I made them - plow truck needs to have chains ready to go!  Thanks, Daniel.

[BK9300]

23 hours ago, Kanada Kustoms said:

Wow... Amazing detail!  Great build!

Thanks very much, Jon - glad you had a look!

[BK9300]

Chains all done and ‘secured’ for time being so they don’t get all tangled up before I hang them up -

taped to a piece of cardboard and set away on a shelf! -

Hope to have the hangers built sometime this long weekend.

 

[BK9300]

Submitted twice?

Edited Sunday at 04:53 PM by BK9300

[Gary Chastain]

Wow, those details just keep coming, hope you take this build to some shows, it is very WORTHY. 

[BK9300]

1 minute ago, Gary Chastain said:

Wow, those details just keep coming, hope you take this build to some shows, it is very WORTHY. 

Thanks, Gary - much appreciated.  I’ll definitely think about that - at the moment, I’d be worried about how to transport it!

[ShakyCraftsman]

Hey Brian those are freaking amazing!

Ron G 

[BK9300]

19 minutes ago, ShakyCraftsman said:

Hey Brian those are freaking amazing!

Ron G 

Thanks, Ron - I lucked out in finding the right size chain, so bought extra!

[Rockford]

Wow. The looms on the firewall look fantastic and the snow chains are just something else. 

[BK9300]

On 10/13/2025 at 11:07 AM, Rockford said:

Wow. The looms on the firewall look fantastic and the snow chains are just something else. 

I appreciate the comments, Steve - it is always good to hear from you!

[BK9300]

Finished fabricating the chain hangers this morning, and got them primed, painted and installed this afternoon.  These are not typical hangers for our plow trucks, but the 1:1 truck didn't have hangers on it when I took pics.  So, either hangers were installed later, or given the layout of attachments on the frame of that truck, hangers didn't fit in easily, and the chains just ended up in the step box on the passenger's side!  I guess I'm taking some artistic license using this kind of hanger.

 

Hangers made up and mud flaps ready to go on after painting -

 

I put a small amount of CA glue on the edge of the mud flaps and set them in their brackets.  The CA glue doesn't hold the rubber that securely, but well enough until I could get some Scale Hardware bolts drilled through the brackets -

 

Bolts in place -

 

Both hangers CA glued to the frame -

 

Another test fit - chains set in place for the pics, but will need to be taken off, because I need to be setting the truck on it's side a few times, for some of the remaining assembly -

 

Again, not a typical chain hanger set up for these plow trucks, but I'm pretty satisfied with them! -

 

I've got to finalize my order of assembly for the remaining major items - cab, hood, sander (and maybe not in that order?!).  I have one more little detail item to build, for some electrical/air connectors that sit behind the cab - these fittings are mostly for summer use - trailer air and electrical outlets.  I've been waffling about doing this little extra bit, but I think I going to go ahead with it.  Very close now!