The Daily Driver Bus Build

[Thomas1985]

This is my 1991 GMC Carpenter Clipper. They were built from 1985 to 1991. Not many were produced due to the demand of class C and D buses.
In May 1991, Carpenter purchased the tooling, product rights, and intellectual property of Crown Coach and from 1992 to 1998 rebranded the style from the GMC Vandura Chassis to the Chevrolet Express/GMC Savana known as the "Carpenter/Crown by Carpenter Classmate" and the "Crown by Carpenter Commuter (commercial)" before ending production of type A buses altogether.

The demolition has been done. I'm starting this fresh thread specifically for the building of the Daily Driver Bus.
If you're interested in everything leading up to the purchase you can find it here.

[Thomas1985]

Here's a couple pictures of the bus gutted:

[Thomas1985]

Then with the help of our friends at Unique Creations we began raising the roof:

[Johnny Mullet]

That is awesome! Following this build!

[Thomas1985]

The first picture shows 1 X 3 inch square tubing clamped to the ribs. It was tack welded on the portion below the window for temporary reliable stabilization. This was done in four corners.
The next picture shows the top clamps removed and 2 tall screws jacks being turned at the same time lifting the roof.
The third and fourth pictures show our desired height reached at 15 inches and the top clamps reapplied. At this point we put 1 inch square tubing inside the hollow bus ribs and secured it with a few self taping screws up above and below our new gap.
At this point the original 1 X 3 was cut off no longer needed.

Next we removed the back windows and the lower row of rivets above the windows where we will slide the new sheet metal into before replacing the rivets. I guess we didn't end up getting pictures of that.
The 1 inch square tubing will be supported on both sides by two more identical pieces running from floor to ceiling to make it structurally sound. A combination of welds and rivets will hold it together.

[Coamack1]

Awesome job, I can't wait to see how it comes together.
Mack

[toplessartist]

THIS is one I want to follow!

[Thomas1985]

We've been a little busy for the last month and fighting the rain on the days we try to come out but finally got a couple days in at the shop. It's all framed up now and supported with more 1 inch square tubing on either side of each rib and a few in each back corner welded at spots from the floor to the top of the window edge. The second picture is my passenger side window framing which will be at the head of the bed.
One other large window will go on the driver's side but it hasn't arrived yet so we'll have to wait on framing that one.
We should be able to get back over there tomorrow and hopefully make a little more progress. Just purchased a new impact drill from Harbor Freight on sale pretty cheap. We'll need to use that to drill all the rivet holes at the top of our new skin above the window. That's our next step. After that we'll cut the exact window hole in line with our frame, hit it with primer, permanently put it up and finally get the window sealed in place!

[BagelBus]

I'm looking forward to following along with this build! Things are looking really good. What was the approximate ceiling height before the lift and what will you end up with after?

[Thomas1985]

It started at 6ft head clearance but after insulating would have been more like 5 foot 8 inches which wasn't going to work. We raised it 15 inches which now I think may be a little overkill but that will give us a 7 foot ceiling with 3 inches of insulation in the roof above that. Another reason I wanted 7 foot is because after this is built I'm going to be engineering an overhead track system with some sort of custom built sling so that my girlfriend can get me from my wheelchair to the bed and back without breaking her back. This is going to be pivotal the older we get. I'll also be working on a transfer system that attaches to wheelchairs instead of your old outdated hoyer lifts that take up so much floor space. I'm hoping to be able to help a lot of people out developing this. Fingers crossed.

[cadillackid]

neat stuff.. first time ive seen a roof raise on a cutaway.. what made you device to cut it behind the service door vs separate the bus from the van at the front?
-Christopher

[Thomas1985]

Well it looks like from the driver's side we can cut that whole roof cap off neatly and raise the whole thing evenly but once we gutted it it was apparent that the front cap above the windshield would be a problem to cut because of how all the supports are built. Also, it's a lot easier leaving the folding door frame untouched. The transition piece to connect the raised section to the front is going to work out nicely as a large storage spot over all the drivers area. Sort of a large pocket if you think of it like that which will be a huge bonus in such a short vehicle.

[EastCoastCB]

Nice.
need MOAR pics though!

[Thomas1985]

Yea I always end up getting them at the end of the work day when the sun is going down. I'll try in the morning next time when the lighting is better behind the shop.

[EastCoastCB]

Nice on raising the shorty roof!

[BagelBus]

Sounds like a good plan, very cool!

[leadsled01]

Fantastick..

[dan-fox]

Originally Posted by Thomas1985

Another reason I wanted 7 foot is because after this is built I'm going to be engineering an overhead track system with some sort of custom built sling so that my girlfriend can get me from my wheelchair to the bed and back without breaking her back. This is going to be pivotal the older we get. I'll also be working on a transfer system that attaches to wheelchairs instead of your old outdated hoyer lifts that take up so much floor space. I'm hoping to be able to help a lot of people out developing this. Fingers crossed.

I'm VERY interested in following this!

[TimJ]

Love the extra ceiling height and the way you created it. Great thinking! Following along on the build.

[oricha1984]

more pictures plzzzzzzzzzzz