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Old 09-04-2021, 05:15 PM   #1
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Swivel base for E-Series power seat

Hey everyone,

I'm trying to find a definitive answer as to whether anyone makes a swivel seat base that is compatible with the E-series power adjustable seats. I've found several threads stating that a particular swivel base is NOT compatible, but I haven't found anything stating that no such thing exists.

If I understand correctly, the power adjustment mechanism takes up quite a bit of volume underneath the seat, so the tall "pedestal" type bases don't work. Does anybody make a low-profile swivel base? If you look at the swivel bases for the Transits, they are all extremely thin and get bolted in between the seat and the OEM seat base (Scopema example).

Thanks everyone! Been loving all the great info people have shared on this forum. Hopefully we will be able to start contributing info as we progress in our build soon!

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Old 09-04-2021, 05:55 PM   #2
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If you have a bit of patience I will likely get you the definitive answer.

We recently acquired a rig that was set up with hand controls for a paralyzed owner. The driver seat is a factory power seat and is mounted to a floor mounted track that provides for power swivel as well as forward / back ranges in addition to the OEM power base. The track is nearly four feet long.

For our usage, the power floor track (and it's added functionality) will be removed but this will give me the opportunity to closely study the OEM power base and how it interfaces with the track without giving the feeling of being way above the floor.
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Old 09-04-2021, 05:58 PM   #3
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Just a comment on "extremely thin" - those Transit, Sprinter, etc. after market bases are about 1.5" to 2" tall and they add that to the seat base height off the floor. That is a very noticeable (and most of the time) uncomfortable difference.

If at all possible, order swivels from the factory when buying a new vehicle, if available
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Old 09-04-2021, 06:06 PM   #4
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Quote:
Originally Posted by 1der View Post
If you have a bit of patience I will likely get you the definitive answer.

We recently acquired a rig that was set up with hand controls for a paralyzed owner. The driver seat is a factory power seat and is mounted to a floor mounted track that provides for power swivel as well as forward / back ranges in addition to the OEM power base. The track is nearly four feet long.

For our usage, the power floor track (and it's added functionality) will be removed but this will give me the opportunity to closely study the OEM power base and how it interfaces with the track without giving the feeling of being way above the floor.
I have all the time in the world Thanks for the help!
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Old 01-18-2022, 10:15 AM   #5
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Quote:
Originally Posted by 1der View Post
If you have a bit of patience I will likely get you the definitive answer.

We recently acquired a rig that was set up with hand controls for a paralyzed owner. The driver seat is a factory power seat and is mounted to a floor mounted track that provides for power swivel as well as forward / back ranges in addition to the OEM power base. The track is nearly four feet long.

For our usage, the power floor track (and it's added functionality) will be removed but this will give me the opportunity to closely study the OEM power base and how it interfaces with the track without giving the feeling of being way above the floor.
1der - did you get a chance to look into this, and is there any word on availability of a swivel seat base for a power adjust seat?
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Old 01-18-2022, 11:25 AM   #6
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1der - did you get a chance to look into this, and is there any word on availability of a swivel seat base for a power adjust seat?
Ahh, yes, I did get to look into this. Here is what I found out and did:
2006 E Series OEM Power Seat

The metal frames of the seats are slightly different between the manual and power seats and, of course, the slide mechanisms and the way they mount are completely different.

The other part that is significantly different are the plastic trim panels around the base and the way they are attached to the metal seat frame.

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While I felt there would be a way to actually mount the OEM power seat to the swivel base, it would have required more fabrication than what I felt was worth it for our use. An adapter plate or bars would have to be created to replicate the mounting points for the Power seat and interface with the swivel seat base. The outboard mount has two studs that are vertical. The inboard mount has a different configuration that has a horizontal mount requiring a tab. My seat is in a mobility enhanced van we purchased so the stock power seat may be a bit different. You can see the inboard mount point in this picture.
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Instead, I resolved to mount the seat to the swivel base as a manual seat.

To do this you will need manual seat slides. These slides will not bolt directly to the OEM power seat frame because, as stated, it is different. Two of the slide mount bolts will align with the nutserts in the seat frame and two will not. You will have to drill two holes in the seat frame and use a nut /bolt /washer to mount the slide rails to the seat frame. This was easy to do.

If you want a true manual seat finished look you will have to procure the plastic trim pieces to surround the base, The power seat trims are much larger, have the switch holes in them, and mount very differently than the manual bases.

In the process of removing the power seat mechanism you will have to remove the seat back pivot bolt. This disassembly was a bit more entailed than first glance but just required thought and normal tools including Torx.

With the manual slides installed it was a normal mounting to the swivel seat bases.

NOTE: The swivel seat bases were NOT TESTED for power seat based seats. There are no plans for a power seat dedicated base.
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Old 01-18-2022, 01:10 PM   #7
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Thanks very much for the detailed writeup! Once I have the van in my hands I will have to see how much work an adapter would be. I would love to be able to swivel my driver's seat... Or maybe I'll just find a manual adjust seat at the junkyard.
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Old 01-18-2022, 02:57 PM   #8
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When I get a chance I will take more detailed pictures and some measurements of the power seat base unit. That should help in the visualization of what will be needed to adapt.
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Old 01-18-2022, 06:11 PM   #9
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When I get a chance I will take more detailed pictures and some measurements of the power seat base unit. That should help in the visualization of what will be needed to adapt.
Thanks 1der. No need to do it on my behalf as I will tear into my van whenever I am able to get to it. But I'm sure others in this community would appreciate it if you wanted to do it anyway.
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