When you see a rig that says "Outlaw" plastered across it, one might think, "This guy must be a wannabe bad guy, or he thinks he is too tough for his own good." But when we spotted Dan Countryman's ultra-clean Toyota FJ40 on the Rubicon last year, we knew we needed to take a closer look. Querying the subject further, we discovered that the owner, as his surname would imply, was much more a countryman than a roughneck, and the "Outlaw" component of the FJ was the cool billet aluminum grille. The other upshot was that the Outlaw Cruiser turned out to be one of the cleanest cruisers out there.
Regular trips to California's Gold Country in the back seat of his grandfather's '47 Willys planted the seed for his future adventures to the backcountry. In 2000, a friend's aunt was ready to part with her bone-stock '72 Cruiser, replete with the original hubcaps. With a decade of desert racing and working on the pit crew for a Top Fuel dragster, Countryman had a clear understanding of what it would take to build a topnotch rig. Enter the OutlawCruiser.
Stripped to the framerails, the focus became sourcing a laundry list of heavy-duty and reliable parts. On a country road near home, he spotted a couple of old farm trucks in a local vineyard. Dollars changed hands, and he drove away with a high-pinion Ford 1-ton and Dana 60 axles. A list of other parts, including a crate Chevy 350 mill complete with a Whipple blower and 700-R4 tranny were located at local wreckers. Then the UPS guy began to arrive each day bearing booty from ARB, Advance Adapters, Downey, Warn, and Interco. The tub and frame were then cleaned, gusseted, boxed, and prepped for the new drivetrain and suspension.
The interior lines of the Outlaw Cruiser are as clean as the exterior. The tub was treated to a few cans of Morton spray-on liner, a home-fabbed center console was added to house the Pioneer Stereo and Rockford Fosgate speakers, and a pair of Beard seats and Simpson harnesses keep occupants secure and comfortable. | 
A custom mount was fabricated to accommodate the Beard seats, Simpson Harnesses, and a custom 32-gallon aluminum fuel cell. Baffles were added to the cell to reduce noise and sudden weight transfers. | 
A high-pinion Dana 60 from a vineyard work truck was narrowed and treated to an ARB locker, Yukon 5:13 gears, and a Rock Equipment diff guard. Rock Ram hydraulics assist a GM power-steering box and Rock Equipment high-steer steering in turning the big Swampers. Managing articulation and dampening are Downey springs and Rancho 9000 shocks. |