Patent ID: 8186742

Claim:
A method of assembling a vehicle sliding door structure, comprising: providing an inner door panel with an outer peripheral edge, an outboard facing surface and a vertically oriented reinforced section extending along an area of the outboard facing surface adjacent to a rearward side of the outer peripheral edge, and further providing the reinforced section with a latch mechanism supporting part that defines a latch opening located proximate a mid-region of the rearward side of the outer peripheral edge; providing at least one bulkhead with a central flat part and an attachment flange that extends around a peripheral edge of the central flat part; fixedly attaching the attachment flange of the at least one bulkhead to the outboard facing surface of the reinforced section of the inner door panel such that the central flat part extends laterally from the reinforced section toward a forward side of the outer peripheral edge; and attaching an outer door panel to the outer peripheral edge of the inner door panel such that the central flat part of the at least one bulkhead extends from the reinforced section of the inner door panel toward an inboard surface of the outer door panel.