Cargo Doors or Barn Doors An Option?

[special-K]

I just watched a vid on YouTube on the "rare' GMT400 Suburban K2500. I thought it was going to be about some rare Suburban. The not well informed guy says they are all rare and said most had barn doors. A reply was saying the barn door were standard and the tailgate was a few hundred dollar option on all GMT400 SUVs. Makes me wonder why most I've ever seen had the tailgate. So what is true. The guy posting it was an expensive option says he got that from a '94 brochure he has. Sounds like bs to me. Since when have prices been listed in brochures?

[Just call me Sean]

I just searched Craigslist and all the ones relatively close to me have doors. Every one.

[special-K]

I'm not sure if I have any Suburban Brochures. I started going into the dealership every year to grab brochures beginning in '92. I'll have to check. I have the promotion package for the Tahoe when it was introduced. Pretty neat. It's a book that is sort of a box. The cover is a birch like material and the clasp is a stick of wood and twine. I'll have to go through my file cabinet and check. But I still say that guy didn't see pricing in a brochure. He must have meant a dealer book. When I ordered my '92 truck, the only prices I saw were what the salesman wrote down on the list we made

[b454rat]

I've had a handful of Tahoe/Yukons over the past 6-7 years. All but one was barn door. The only tailgate was a 92 Blazer, it was fully loaded, Z-71 Sport, so not like it was a plane jane. I think it's whatever the person who wanted it ordered it. I like the barn doors myself, can put stuff in easier. Also if in a parking lot can open the doors, a tailgate might hit a car that is parked too close lol. But tailgate is nice if it's raining, have a roof overhead lol...

[special-K]

I like the cargo doors better as well. But there are pluses and minuses with both, the reason both were always offered. I was disappointed my '95 was tailgate, at first. My '91 had cargo doors and that made it all the more cool to me. Even the look on that body style I like better. I like the cargo doors for reaching in. I like the tailgate for the bed extension for longer cargo. And for a work surface. For passenger use the cargo doors are better for climbing in as well as the passengers can open the doors from inside.

I have always seen more Tahoe/Yukons with cargo doors as well. I'd say I always saw more 2drs with tailgate, though. I had that '92 GMC K3500 and was all about that 6.5TD after already running 6.2s before in '80s trucks. I had a '90 Blazer (350) and really would have liked to replace that with a 2dr Yukon 6.5TD w/barn doors. I was keen on every 2dr I saw and rarely saw one that wasn't tailgate. At least in my area the cargo doors were the rare exception.

My focus is on the Suburbans. It may be true that cargo doors became standard with the GMT400. My knowledge and experience goes back far enough that the GMT400 is still a modern truck to me. Medium modern now I guess, since they certainly were a big step into the future, yet many more steps have been taken since. I know the cargo doors on 67-91s were the option and exception. Goin back to the earliest days they started out with barn doors (Panel truck doors we'd also call them) since the Suburban stemmed off of the Panel. Then came the idea of tailgate as a feature for Suburban. Not sure about 60-66s. In my memory it seems 50/50. But there were a lot of panels in that era, so may be clouding my memory

As far as contesting what that one guys said goes, I only questioned the source of his knowledge he posted... "from a '94 sales brochure" including the "few hundred dollar option" statement. Brochures have never given prices, only features. I'd like to verify the cargo vs gate/standard vs option through an actual GM source

[Tom]

99% of the ones I see have doors. I pay attention, because I like gates and was looking for a OBS suburban for a long time.

[special-K]

I think the rear doors vs tailgate thing flipped in the transition from 67-91s to the 88-98s. That's where my experience had been and both 67-72s and 73-91s were predominantly tailgate. Back earlier I'm not so sure now that it's been so long. I seem to recall more cargo doors on Suburbans from the '50s-back.

[Keith Seymore]

I checked the generic info packet in the GM Heritage Center archive.

Nothing was said about it in the '92 version, but there was mention of it in the '94 model year:

https://www.gmheritagecenter.com/doc...t-Suburban.pdf

It shows RPO ZW9 as base body with cargo doors. RPO E55 is the tailgate option, at no cost.

This is how the square bodies were released as well.

K

[Keith Seymore]

I should share that I've had both (in some cases at the same time) and I kinda prefer the doors. You have easier access to the load floor, without having to set stuff on the gate and then slide it forward.

Also, with the tailgate if the rear window freezes: you're done. You are not getting in the back from outside, which is just the thing you need to be fooling with when it is bitter cold outside.

K

[special-K]

Thanks for the facts, Keith. Just what I was looking for. I'm surprised the 73-91s had the doors as standard. I definitely observed over the years way more tailgate models than doors. I felt my '91 was the exception. And many people commented on them. Some didn't know they were still available with doors.

These Suburbans don't have the "won't open" problems that the Square ones had. I really liked the doors on the '91. But I also had a pickup. Since the Suburban is the only work truck I have, I'm glad I have the tailgate. I don't need to often, but I can carry material too long to fit, same as a pickup. Either over the tailgate or lower gate to extend floor for even longer things. I also find myself using it as a work bench.

I said it before, I really wanted a '92 2dr Jimmy with rear doors to go with my '92 K3500. I'd still like to have one.

[Palf70Step]

Other than pictures, I don't think I have seen a Tahoe/Yukon/Suburban with anything other than a tail gate for these years. I do like the idea of the barn doors, reminds me of the old panel trucks. I may have kept one if they had the barn doors instead of the tailgates.

[Tom]

Originally Posted by Keith Seymore

Also, with the tailgate if the rear window freezes: you're done. You are not getting in the back from outside, which is just the thing you need to be fooling with when it is bitter cold outside.
K

Not that I'd ever have to deal with that in Phoenix, but this is why I like the rear gate on my 02 burb the most overall of all the burb rear opening options over the years.

[special-K]

Now that I read the post again I realize Keith actually meant "freezes" as in frozen like below 32 degrees. The only Squarebody Suburban I had was a cargo door model, but I've had Blazers and Jimmys. The guide tracks get to where they freeze (bind up) when they get worn. That, or poor contacts robbing power. They do fine until the glass needs to make the curve forward. On my '95 with hatch & gate the switch is bad, so I have to use the key. No problems with freezing shut that didn't freeze the other doors up as well. That's pretty bad when you can't even open your vehicle. Kind of makes you want to go back inside and put your slippers on

[Just call me Sean]

I've never had that problem.