Tailgate or barn doors for camping rig

[Reverend.floyd.lloyd]

I have a 1980 big block Suburban I want to build into a camping rig,it has a tailgate now,my old 87 Suburban had barn doors,I was gonna build a folding table that slides out, I want to do the same thing with the 1980 Suburban but I'm not sure how id pull it off with a tailgate, should I try and switch to barn doors or does anyone have any ideas for the tailgate table?

 

[mudmobeeler]

Since you already have the the burb with a tailgate I would just use it as is and figure out everything. I wouldn't spend the time/money to swap from the tailgate to barn doors. I drove a lifted K5 with 35s on two occasions and had a love hate relationship with the tailgate. Loved it except for when trying to access stuff in the back. I always felt like I just had to crawl up in the back everytime. With the burb I drive now on 35s, the barn doors make that a little easier. However, I carry more stuff and dont have a third row so what I usually need is almost always up against the middle row. So Im climbing up in the back a lot anyways. LOL. Im talking to a buddy to build a tool box/storage box/speaker box combo deal and that should have pull out drawers so I hope to not be climbing up in the back all the time anymore. Or a lot less anyways.

 

[HankScorpio]

You can't just switch to barn doors. While it is possible, it requires a bunch of fabrication. A tailgate body is not reinforced for barn door hinges or latches.

 

[83ChevyK5Blazer]

An 80 suburban may still have the provisions for the barn doors. The early suburbans were set to accept both tailgates and barn doors.

 

[Stephen]

We have a local guy that swapped barn doors on to a tailgate burb, both late 80's versions. It was pretty involved but not as bad as I thought it would be. For a craftman type person with access to the parts it's fully do-able. If you have enough invested in the truck to want to keep it that bad.
Personally, I'm a barn door guy all the way any day. My K5 gate gave me enough grief with the window and previously mentioned access "problems" over the years that when I got barn doors on a 'burb I thought it was amazing. Being able to open one door like a real door to have access to the end of the vehicle is amazing.
One could argue that the tailgate makes a good table but I found the back end of the floor could do that job and if it was that big a deal I would put a flip down table on the doors and/or add some sort of slide out table to the bed floor.

 

[Stephen]

To actually answer the OP question, I'd look at putting some sort of awning the would cover the tailgate area and use the gate as a table. From that point, a roll-a-table or similar thing would be my next item to use and set it up to the side. If you're sleeping in the 'burb, cooking on the tailgate may block some access but they're not that hard to get into from the front.