The transformer idea is still part of the master plan.... however, I'm not going to try to do the swing-in/out fenders or some of the other crazy stuff I'd considered earlier.
There are a couple of reasons:
First, designing bodywork that could effectively fold-up or fold-in requires a LOT of moving parts and precise tolerances to work properly, and my fear was that the end result wouldn't really "look" like a classic 1st Gen even in "non-transformed" mode....too many extra body gaps, hinges and weird fasteners everywhere.
Second, it is not realistic to think that the body would NEVER make contact with a rock or tree or other trail obstacle. Think about a wildly complex transformer body getting wedged into a rock and bending all of those complex gizmos that it needs to make it work.
Plus, it seemed inevitable that all that tricky stuff would add a lot of extra weight.
SO..... long story short, the front fenders and hood will end up being a 1-piece unit that will tilt-forward. I will have a couple of quick-release pins to yank it off completely. There will also be a quick-release wiring harness so that I can disconnect the headlights, directionals and side marker lights. I've got a concept that will allow that harness to automatically trigger a relay so that when the front end is removed the power will run to another set of headlights and directionals mounted to the narrowed front engine cagework....so I'll still have a quasi-street legal setup even with the front clip removed.
The doors will probably be modified with a set of pins so that I can pull the regular doors and quickly throw on either tube doors or a cut-down 1/2 door setup. The rear quarterpanels will be removable as well, and will reveal tubework hidden underneath (basically full-length rub rails). This will keep the trees out of the areas on either side of the rear tires....especially important when coming off the rockslider. Without some kind of quarterpanel protection you're almost guaranteed that the tree will crush into the b-pillar area and then mangle the entire side of the truck as you move forward.... no bueno. I want to make sure that the truck still looks as good as possible even when all the fenders are pulled off, so I intend to paint those interior panels and rub rails to match the rest of the body.
The nice part about this setup is that I still get to keep a normal interior and storage space. If I dovetail the rear, I lose a lot of utility and it becomes almost impossible to seal the vehicle from weather. By keeping the upper bedrails intact (the outer bedskin simply hangs over them -> BTW) I can still use a conventional soft top even with the bedsides removed, and the truck will still be watertight.
I fully intend to make sure this truck is driveable to and from trails....and one of the big priorities is that I want to be self-sufficient without a trailer & towrig. I want to have enough room to carry tools, camping gear and food and still sleep in the back instead of the dirt.
So much for making my long story short.....
last update I remember on the subject, you were looking at a swing up front clip and removable side panels, but hadn't decided what you would do with those pieces at the trailhead, leading me to believe you might have had a change of heart.
