Adding a 4th door (Driver's-side rear door)

[MWeightman]

Hello,

Background:
Having grown up with a '95 GMC Safari and having gone on tons of travel-trailer camping trips with mom and dad, I set out to buy a van so that I could do the same with my family. I'm extremely disappointed that mid sized vans today don't even mention towing capacities (apparently because vans aren't meant to tow anymore), but managed to talk my wife into buying a 2005 Astro. The problem? We don't have a trailer yet, and now that we have two kids and a third on the way, my wife is fed up with the single rear door and wants a different van. Buying a second van is not practical, and I'd hate to give up my Astro for something dinky; buying a travel trailer is still a goal, but my need for four is threatening that goal.

My questions:
1) Has anyone ever added a driver-side rear door? I've looked far and wide, and my searches have found nothing but instructions on replacing the 3 doors already there. I'm afraid of what this means for my Astro, and so in one last desperate attempt, I'm hoping someone out there can help me. I assume structure of the vehicle is an issue, as well as placement of the gas door, but if I can even install a tiny slither of a door just big enough to throw a kid threw and reach my arms in, I might just save my van.

2) Does anyone have any other suggestion? Custom 3-seat lazy-susan seat swivel? 90 degree swinging bench seats? Basically if my wife has to crawl in the back, it's not going to work for her (especially as child 3 gets bigger and bigger in her belly). If I could find a way to enable her to put three kids in their car seats without getting in the back, I might dodge the need for the fourth door. (In anticipation of "Put the kids in for her," I should say that 3 days out of the week, she has to take our kids to preschool and doctor appointments while I'm at work. And I've already tried telling her preschool and doctors are for schmucks, but she's not buying it.)

3) If it comes to it (wincing as I type this ), what do you think would be a suitable replacement vehicle, considering similar size and towing capacity, and of course, 4 doors?

Thank you in advance!

[chevymaher]

No there is no drivers side door in the back. Unless you want to make one yourself.

They do sell vans with doors on both sides. Get your checkbook ready. You going into a higher Tax bracket.

[AstroWill]

1. I have never seen one either, but I almost bought a full sized van with one.
2. Change out the benches for bucket seats. Part 2: Congrats on your 3rd.
3. I can't bare to think about it right now :)

[redfury]

It's nothing that will come easy. You're going to have to take into account the window that's already there, beefing up the rocker panel....lots of welding and body work. If it's not something you can accomplish yourself, it's going to cost more than you probably paid for the van to have built into it. Not to say that it wouldn't be really, really cool though.

[Meterpig]

Get an awd express with doors on both sides. Do a fly and drive and be ready to pay 15 to 20k. Look on the bright side...it won't depreciate all that much. Tow whatever you want.

[The Drummer]

yep what he sais ,or a promaster

[RECox286]

Suburbans are the tractor of choice for doing a trailer behind job. I know it ain't a van, but they do

have all four doors to start with, plus it is ready to tow from the git-go. (mostly) Will drag a full size

trailer, so there is little need to do the set up dance once you are at the campsite. Also, it is nice to

be able to pull to the side of any road for a potty stop, or a quick bite to eat in comfort. Sleeps enough

wee-bees that you don't have to practice family planning either. Aunt Tillie gets the couch in front,

Bobbie and Johnie can have the table bed, and Mum 'n' Dad get the rear bed...Baby Sweetums ? (the crib

between) Then there is always the upper bunk over the front couch to fill up ! Ha.

Roughing it ? TV, take with shower, water heater, microwave, refrigerator, +++ you name it...Even a

sunshade and beach chairs, maybe even a potted palm tree and flamingo for the front yard.

Pulling your leg about the flamingo, of course !

Uncle Bob

[Roger Ramjet]

What about putting a single barn door on the drivers side .. door from a older chevy van

but then next she'll want this too .. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=huEmwxFwpTg

[smokinjoe]

I think the bottom line is that you will spend way more on fabricating the door and supporting hardware than buying even a brand new van that comes with one.

And that's IF you can convince someone to do it, which would be difficult.

You would have an easier time convincing your wife that one door is better or the Astro is worth owning.

[icebrrg3rd]

There's an '03 Express conversion van with left side doors for sale right now just south of Milwaukee for only $6500, AWD & tow package, so if she wants a van w/ left side doors, they're out there, but it'll be larger than an Astro.

ExpressWithLeftDoors.JPG (59.99 KiB) Viewed 2703 times

-Andrew

[Roger Ramjet]

I think the bottom line is that you will spend way more on fabricating the door and supporting hardware than buying even a brand new van that comes with one.

And that's IF you can convince someone to do it, which would be difficult.

You would have an easier time convincing your wife that one door is better or the Astro is worth owning.

OR you can cut a hole in the left side and install one of those pet doors , the kids will love crawling through it LOL

[AstroWill]

One of those electronic ones that only open with the proper collar.

[Lumpy]

Seems easy enough to fab something up.




Lump

[Abe Froman]

Over the years I have seen a lot of custom doors, just depends how talented you are or how talented the guy you pay is. Here one example of a crazy door conversion

[Meterpig]

Here is one all ready to go. Just 45K.



http://boulderoffroadvans.com/4x4_vans_ ... stom_rides

[coppermtn]

I saw that van b4.

I wound up purchasing this 3 years ago. was a demo that never got titled with 5k on the odometer.
Price was right.

[MWeightman]

Thanks everyone for your input. I got most of my crying out writing the post, so the confirmations I was fearing for didn't hurt so bad; I had already began to realize it wasn't coming back, and this allowed me to pull the chord on of my ideal dream van. I've been looking to replace my car with something more economical for work, but I'm now considering the second van after all; it'll mean terrible millage getting to work, but I'm slowly convincing myself that it'll be worth it.

[AstroWill]

Until gas goes back up to $4 a gallon ;)

[kennyj]

Here's my van with dual sliding doors and Lambo-style front doors!

[SilverBullet1997]

Here's my van with dual sliding doors and Lambo-style front doors!

lambo door dual slider 640.jpg

Naw, that's not photoshopped.....