For my mobile carpentry setup, a van with a sliding side door is ideal. But for now I have a 2013 Chevy Express 2500 with swinging hinged doors. I want to modify or recreate the hinges so both side doors will open up completely, i.e. until they open up flat against the van's sides. (I'll protect van side with rubber bumpers and secure hold-open position via magnets.) Early into this project, it is not clear to me why these doors stop rotating, even after the restraining straps have been disengaged. Has anyone been able to modify the OEM hinges so that they do not restrict full 180° door rotation? Has anyone fabricated replacement hinges to achieve full 180° door opening. I'm sure that hinges with relocated pivot points can be developed. But I'd love to copy an existing design rather than invest the time and effort to solve the same problem myself. Help!

 

I want to do the same thing. 180 degree hinges. Did you find any answers?
Thanks!

 

Not really. I removed the restraint on the side door closest to the passenger door and got a few more degrees of opening angle, which little bit was helpful for my purposes. But I did not pursue the 180 degree door opening project any further. Too busy with client work. Please let us know if you come up with a viable solution.

 

I just bought my van and can not believe those side doors dont open very far. These design did not come from someone that works out of their van. I miss my 1997 van already

 

Seems like a good opportunity for someone handy to design a set and sell them.

One reason I like the slider on my work van. I can also open it without worrying about hitting a customers car if space is tight.