Vehicle door separable for access to door hardware

Abstract

The door inner and outer panels are detachably attached to one another to permit separation to access the space therebetween containing the door hardware. A device mounts the door inner panel and the door outer panel on the vehicle body for independent hinging movement so that the panels move between door open and door closed position in unison with one another when the panels are attached, and the detachment of the panels from one another permits the outer panel to swing away from the inner panel to provide unobstructed access to the door hardware mounted in the space between the panels. The inner and outer panels may be constructed of molded plastic and with one panel having a receptacle receiving the door guard beam and the other panel having an integral molded structure receiving the receptacle upon attachment of the panels together so that the door guard beam becomes effectively coupled with both of the panels. Integrally molded innerlocks are preferably provided on the molded inner and outer panels to mate with one another when the panels are attached together. Attachment of the panels is provided by a plurality of fasteners which extend between the integrally molded innerlock features.