"Oddly the platform for the seats was only on the drivers side, so it must have been planned to be a small bus from the beginning."
How far across does the seat platform go?
On a normal Suburban, the driver and middle-passenger seat platform goes about 70% across towards the right side. The right-most passenger-seat (that pivots forward) in the 47-55 Suburban is attached to the floor, not a platform.
Good find. Let us know if your friend takes it on as a project.
