Gm Global Technolgoy Operations, Inc.

Bolek J Dolinski

Alverson B Williams

Sam S Pupillo

A sliding vehicle door has a guard beam therein having flanges at its upper and lower edges. An extruded carriage member is associated with each of the flanges and slidably engages the flange to permit longitudinal movement of the guard beam and the door on the carriage member. A hinge arm is associated with each of the extruded carriage members and has one end pivoted to the carriage member and the other end pivoted to a body pillar defining the door opening. An articulating link acts between the body pillar and one of the carriage members to maintain the door in substantial parallel relationship with the vehicle longitudinal axis during pivotal movement of the hinge arms to move the door laterally of the body between a closed position in the plane of the door opening and an open position laterally outboard of the door opening. A first interlock arrangement acts between one of the hinge arms and the guard beam to assure completed lateral movement of the door prior to longitudinal sliding movement of the door. A second interlocking acts between the hinge arm and its associated carriage member to prevent lateral inboard movement prior to completed sliding movement of the door to its normal closed position on the carriage member.

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St. Clair Shores, MI, United States of America

Bolek J Dolinski