I like the tailgate too, but with that box being so short, it really limits what could be carried. Can't use the extra length that a regular tailgate would provide.
There's a custom GMT400 around here that the owner has converted the tailgate to swing open from the from the driver side. You should see the work that he had to do to brace up that inner passenger side corner of the box for it to be able to support the weight of the tailgate. I'll get some pix next time I see it.
That's O.K. I guess, but that means it needs a fair amount of room behind the truck to be able to open it.
I'd like to do the converted Suburban barn doors like that, on my '98. It's work days are over, so I don't need the extra length of the drop tailgate to carry stuff. And, with the truck being black, that separation of the doors would not be so obvious.