Class B RV’s are built on a van chassis from the prior year. Our 2020 Pleasure-Way is built on a 2019 Ford Transit chassis. Unfortunately for us, the 2019 chassis lacks many safety and convenience features, such as blind spot detection, a tire pressure monitoring system and swivel seats, that are standard on the 2020 and newer models.

My plan is to add these features as I am able. I decided to begin by adding a swivel base to the passenger seat. Why add a swivel? Any increase in the usable space in a 80 square foot living space is a big deal. A swivel adds a new seating area separate from the rear of the van. This allows one of us to sit comfortably (and stay out of the way) while the other cooks or changes clothing in the rear.

The process involves removing the factory seat, installing a swivel base and then reinstalling the seat. Swivels vary in price and can also be very thick and significantly raise the height of the seat. This can be a comfort issue for the passenger or, when replacing the driver’s seat, make driving the vehicle difficult. Fortunately, I only needed to swivel the passenger’s seat and found a swivel that only raised the seat 7/8 of an inch.

I am not the best mechanic but this install appeared to be easy. I only needed to remove four bolts, remove the seat, bolt the swivel base where the seat had been and then bolt the seat to the swivel base. That’s easy with a ratchet. Unfortunately the seat was secured with a number T 40 screw (Torx), not a nut. The only tool I had available was a 3.5 inch L-hex Torx key which gave me very little leverage.

Two hours latter I had removed the final screw and some of the skin from my hands. The installation of the swivel base and reinstall of the seat was more straight forward because manufacturer of the swivel base provided fasteners that could be installed with wrenches and sockets. I also had to remove the plastic trim at the rear base of the seat and cut the baby seat anchor with a hacksaw because both interfered with the seat rotation. And this is the end result.