OUTLAWS INVADE COLORADO
BY TEEN CORRESPONDENT TROY MILLER
In the world of custom trucks, the “Outlaw” look has been the predominant style for the past several years. The style was, by many people’s standards, first begun with Vladimir Bilik’s less-is-more styled Peterod. Though not purely outlaw style by current standards, it certainly put many admirers on their heads. After Peterod, most would agree that it was Bryan Martin and his “Boyz” in Joplin, Missouri at the Chrome Shop Mafia who perfected the outlaw style with the mind-blowing Peterbilt, simply, and aptly named “The Outlaw Truck.” Besides Vlad and his buddies on the west coast and Bryan and the “Boyz” down south, Elizabeth Truck Center has also been putting together some of the wildest rides back east for some time now. Well, Colorado has now entered the arena of custom truck building with Outlaw Customs of Henderson, Colorado, and their cool Peterbilt, “The Dead Man’s Hand.”
Outlaw Customs is one of the first shops west of Joplin where you’ll find full custom-build capabilities without having to travel all the way to the west coast. Not only do they have the ability to build wild custom trucks, but they can also give their customer’s the opportunity to see what their truck (or part) will look like before they actually make it. Using cutting edge “3-D” modeling software, the guys at Outlaw Customs can design one-of-a-kind trucks and/or accessories right on their computer and then view it from any angle. And beyond just designing and drawing the part on their computer, one-off machined pieces can be produced from the artwork. These capabilities allow Outlaw Customs to produce a truck (or part) without straying from the customer’s intended design.
The two major madmen behind Outlaw Customs are Alex and Andy Gobel. Sons to J. Allen Gobel, the owner of Western Truck Parts, a major vendor and rebuilder of trucks and truck parts in Colorado, the two brothers have been involved with trucks since a very young age – in fact, they still are pretty young.
At only 21 years old, Alex Gobel has been working around trucks since he was about four years old. Back then, he mostly performed all the basic shop duties, but by the time he was in high school he was doing totally custom fabrication and welding at Western. Beyond just fabrication and welding work, Alex also attained some recognition as a snowboarder. Unfortunately, this endeavor was cut short when Alex ruptured his spleen. When it comes to design, Alex’s major influences rest in low-riders, hot rods, and lead-sled customs.
Alex’s older brother Andy Gobel (by three years) has been working on trucks at Western since he was 10. Later, Andy worked at the shop while attending college, first attending the University of Denver (DU), and later Metro State College in Denver. Much of Andy’s influences are the same as Alex’s when it comes to the design process of a truck.
In addition to the Gobel brothers, two other guys help run the shop. Nic Gillan has been in the trucking industry for over fourteen years, and, at this point, is still only 24 years old. He too, obviously, got started in the business quite young. Nic handles the majority of the day-to-day maintenance of the shop, making sure that while Alex and Andy are building trucks that the shop doesn’t come down on them. The final person in the Outlaw Customs shop is Jon Gill. Having only worked there for seven months, he is the greenhorn of the four. However, Jon had worked in the truck industry for approximately six years before coming to Outlaw Customs, so he does have a lot of experience working on trucks. Much like the others in the shop, Jon’s influences are hot rods, motorcycles and low-riders.
Andy, Nic, Alex, and Jon’s interest in the custom vehicle scene, and more specifically in the “Outlaw” style, has manifested itself in their first show truck, “The Dead Man’s Hand.” The 2001 Peterbilt 379 began as a wrecked truck sitting on a twisted frame with damaged body panels. Its life after that would be a long road to rehabilitation and customization, with countless hours devoted just to repairing the truck to the point where it could be built into a true show truck. After being repaired, the customization work began, featuring suicide doors, shaved suspension brackets, lowering and alligator skin interior pieces. The interior, which also features hand-tooled leather door panels, took approximately eleven alligators to make. A deep metallic red was sprayed on the truck’s exterior and then subtle murals featuring skulls and playing cards were airbrushed in black. The metallic red paint really explodes when in the sunlight, which helps to show off the dark murals. The truck also features a custom 14” drop visor, a 20” bumper, and ASI fenders in both the front and rear.
But the really standout custom-built accessories on “The Dead Man’s Hand” are the twisted pieces of metal that make up their mirror brackets, clutch bracket and gear shifter. Originally, they checked to see if a blacksmith could produce the brackets and shifter for them, but even an experienced metal worker couldn’t handle the job. Not letting this setback stop them, the boys at Outlaw Customs went to work at it themselves. The tedious task was a learning process, to say the least, going through several rods of aluminum until they found the perfect temperature to achieve their desired results. The aluminum rods had to be heated just enough to be bent without breaking, but not enough to melt. And with the heat being well into the 1,300-degrees Fahrenheit range, and their window of error being less than plus or minus 20 degrees, this was no job to be taken lightly.
Once the aluminum rod for the mirror bracket was heated to the perfect temperature, they clamped down on it with forged wrenches and then used pure human force to bend and twist it. The twelve-foot-long rods were heated in six foot sections from opposite directions to avoid overheating the core. The shifter and clutch bracket are made of steel, but the process to bend and twist them was essentially the same.
In the end, however, their work was well rewarded with astonishing and mind-boggling custom accents that really gave the truck a big advantage at its first show – the Great American Trucking Show (GATS) held in Dallas, Texas last August. “The Dead Man’s Hand” made its debut at GATS and earned four 1st Place trophies, including Best of Show (Limited Mileage) and Best Peterbilt in Show.
At Outlaw Customs a truck, in the end, is still a truck, so they made sure that this “Outlaw” would still have the muscle to bring home a paycheck (if necessary). Backed by an 820 horsepower C16 CAT with a Pittsburgh Power Performance Computer, routed through an 18-speed Eaton transmission, this truck can still haul the loads no problem. The best part is that the CAT isn’t muffled, so it sounds like a big truck should. Sitting on a long 290” wheelbase supported by 40,000 lb. rears and an 18,000 lb. front axle, this truck would have no problems being used as a daily working truck.
With plans to expand their facility to 10,000 square feet, Outlaw Customs won’t have any difficulty keeping up with the demand that they’ll receive after people see the truck (and accessories) they built. The “Twisted Sticks” (shifters) were a huge hit at the show in Dallas and the truck, well, it just speaks for itself. Furthermore, the brothers are currently working on an OEM deal with Western Star Trucks and kicking around the idea of building trucks akin to the recent manufacturer-direct customs available from Mack and Peterbilt.
I’d like to thank Alex and Andy Gobel, Nic Gillan, and Jon Gill, as well as J. Allen Gobel for finding time to let me interview them and take the truck out for pictures. If you are interested in having Outlaw Customs build you a truck or make a custom accessory for you, they are located at 9150 Hwy 85, Henderson, Colorado, 80640. They can also be contacted at (303) 952-8109. If you want to see more of their products and projects, visit their website at www.outlawcustomshd.com or check out their ad in the magazine. The boys can also be e-mailed through their website under the “Contact Us” tab by filling out the form at the bottom of the window.
And one final thought. If you are interested in owning “The Dead Man’s Hand” Peterbilt, give the guys at Outlaw Customs a call – the truck is going on the market soon, and you wouldn’t want to miss this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.