I would think with some of the full skids that I have seen, drilling some holes for access, and cooling is your best bet anyway. You reduce some weight as a bonus, while still retaining most of the structural integrity. A blown tranny due to heat buildup costs just as much as a tranny crushed by a rock. Most of my experience with driving is mountain driving a stick. But I do know cooling that AT is critical especially under load. I regularly would climb 7500 feet at high speeds on interstate and highway just to get to work. If I had ay a skid, which I am somewhat looking for now (I plan on buying one in spring). I'd definitely drill some strategically placed holes. What good are overheated components caused by a skid that was there to protect it?
I think the super flexy IFS will prove to be a valuable off-road tool at a bargain price. Even bargain pricing until sometime in May (hopefully) for me is beyond my budget. I'll have to pay a bit more, but I'll see what everyone thinks as it seems like a lot of members are wisely going for this mod. For what I wheel, the balanced aggressive stance with better grip, will be much more stable and much less tippy when the going gets tough. On fast sections that have just mild obstacles, the truck should be able to suck up some obstacles while maintaining direction. Often I cross in and out of on- and off-road terrain. It would be nice to not have to crawl under the truck whenever the terrain changes. I like the e-brake type idea you came up with as well. I'm guessing you'll be busy creating all the standard kits before you decide to offer a cabin-operated version, or that part might just be DIY?
I've got to say, this is a really exciting mod. When I come back from Moab, I just usually mellow out and listen to the stereo after a week of playing. And instead you design an incredible bargain suspension component. I'm really impressed.
'01 Kaiser SC'ed VX #0867