Patent ID: 7849561

Claim:
A hinge system that is adapted to releasably retain a rear vehicle door in a desired orientation on a vehicle body, comprising: a rear pillar hinge bracket adapted to be secured to the vehicle body, wherein the rear pillar hinge bracket defines: first and second checking device mounting holes, a pillar flange including a planar and generally square base wall, and first and second bracket mounting holes, vertically oriented, for affixing the rear pillar hinge bracket to the rear vehicle pillar; a rear door hinge bracket adapted to be secured to the vehicle door, said door hinge bracket being movable between a first orientation relative to said pillar hinge bracket and a second orientation relative to said pillar hinge bracket; a hinge pin extending through the pillar hinge bracket and the door hinge bracket; and, a checking device removably secured to the pillar hinge bracket and the door hinge bracket, said checking device including: a spring portion connected between the pillar hinge bracket and the door hinge bracket, and wherein the spring portion biases the door hinge bracket and the door to only the first orientation or the second orientation, a pin portion having an upper segment and a lower segment, said upper segment having a first diameter and being received in said first mounting hole and said lower segment having a second diameter, larger than the first diameter, and being received in said second mounting hole, and an intermediate segment that is disposed between said upper and lower segments wherein the length of the intermediate segment exceeds the length of each of the upper segment and lower segment.