[peter Thomsen]

My swivel bases from Travois arrived Friday (thanks for the quick shipping Travois!). I tackled the installation this afternoon. The overall process is fairly easy and straightforward. The trickiest thing was giving the wiring harness enough slack. Here's an overview of parts, tools and steps I used.

Parts:
CBTO 21 D2 - passenger ($300)
CBTO 21G2 - driver ($300)
Plastic wire sheath (optional)
Zip ties


Tools:
Socket wrench
10mm socket
E-12 (External Torx)
17mm socket
17mm combination wrench
Tiny slotted screwdriver (used to release factory wire harness zip ties and harness socket clips)
10mm allen key
Knife

Steps:
1. Disconnect battery. 10mm socket to remove battery bracket and negative terminal (see your Metris manual for specifics)
2. Disconnect seat wiring harness (Unclip the yellow and white connectors.) Release zip ties securing harness to seat frame.
3. Remove four external Torx E12 seat rail bolts. Remove seat.
4. Extend wiring harness as far as possible. (I removed the wire ties securing the harness to the chassis under the driver's seat)
5. Feed harness through the center hole in the swivel base. (I added plastic coil wire wrap for good measure)
6. Fasten the swivel adapter to the platform with the allen bolts (10mm allen key)
7. Fasten seat to the swivel base with 17mm bolts and locking nuts. (spin top plate ~45º from lower to access holes)
8. Reconnect seat wiring harness (I repositioned the white connectors with zip ties for additional wiring harness slack)
9. Reconnect battery.

Observations
The adapters seem well made. The seats feel stable and secure, especially when locked in the forward position. The additional stack height of the adapters is noticeable but not bad. Be careful with the wiring harness and connectors. There is not enough slack to start with. You need to create additional slack by disconnecting wire ties. Travois shipped quickly. I had them about one week after placing my order. Spinning the seats around to face backward really opens things up in the van. This modification is going to be great for camping!

 

[peter Thomsen]

A few more photos:

 

[Baron]

A few more photos:

thank you Peter T. looking forward to do mine soon, this will help a lot...

 

[peter Thomsen]

You're welcome Baron. Let me know if you have any questions. The individual E12 external Torx socket was a bit tricky for me to find locally. If you need one, here's an Amazon link: http://amzn.to/2H6MEgb

 

[Baron]

thank you Peter for the link to amazon, I will look at home depot first but link is appreciated, buy new car, get new tools

 

[MrLiverman]

Thanks for posting this Peter.

How easy is it to spin the seats around? Do they need to be all the way vertical or all the way forward etc?

 

[peter Thomsen]

The passenger side is easy. I found the easiest method is to adjust the fore/aft position of the seat on the sliding rails while rotating. I simply hold the fore/aft release lever up while spinning to clear the door pillar and center console. I did not need to adjust the tilt angle of the seat back. The driver's side takes slightly more effort to clear the steering wheel.

 

[pounce]

These only lock in the front position, yes? Meaning when they are spin rearward they can move side to side with movement, right? Like you are sitting facing the back you can use your feet to swing side to side.

 

[peter Thomsen]

Pounce—That is correct. These RIB swivel adapters only lock in the forward facing position. Once you release the lock they rotate freely.

 

[qnf]

Peter, nice illustration!

When you get a chance, do you mind measuring the front edge of the seat relative to the floor after the seat is swiveled back? I hope to get an idea on the relative positive of the swiveled seat. Thanks!

 

[Baron]

anybody had a chance to check these swivel plates?
http://www.discountvantruck.com/sprinterswivelbases/sprinterseatadaptersswivels.htm
they are for $199.00 made in USA

 

[Lala]

Peter: Are your seats heated? Anyone know if there is anything special that needs doing with heated seats? Swivels are on my camper conversion list. Thanks!

 

[imacd]

anybody had a chance to check these swivel plates?
http://www.discountvantruck.com/sprinterswivelbases/sprinterseatadaptersswivels.htm
they are for $199.00 made in USA

Don't see any central hole for the wiring.

 

[peter Thomsen]

qnf - With the adapters installed the front edge of seat is 17" off the floor in the lowest position. The adapters add 1 1/8" of stack height to the seats.

 

[peter Thomsen]

Lala - I am using the swivel adapters with heated seats. Your installation should be the same as I outlined.

 

[qnf]

Thank you, Peter! Much appreciated!

How about the distance horizontally - the distance between the perpendicular projection of the front edge of the seat on the floor and the front edge of the metal seat box. I am sure my description is still vague. Hope the picture below would give a better illustration. Thanks!

 

[Baron]

Don't see any central hole for the wiring.

to: imacd I do not know about the central passage for the wiring, I do see wires under my seat but don't know what purpose they serve, maybe seatbelt, so I would presume, that all the seats have some wiring, so since is made in US I would think that they are counting with it (the wires), they are saying, that the swivel is 5x better than the one from germany, that is why I am asking here, $100.00 per swivel is good saving and I have only simple seats..

 

[braddo]

Swivels for Sprinters have been used previously. http://www.metrisforum.com/forum/393-interior-shelving/890-swivel-seats.html#post53217 There was no mention of modification necessary but YMMV.

One drawback was the thickness of the adapter. The one you linked adds ~3/4" more height than the RIB swivels.

Also they quote their adapters as being 5x stronger than a comparable swivel made from stamped sheet metal. (Sportscrafter?)

 

[imacd]

Don't see any central hole for the wiring.

OK, centre bolt is drilled out for wire.

 

[cyclingnut59]

I'm curious how the passenger armrest clears/impacts the door as you swivel?