Installing a Swivel Unit on a Van Passenger Seat

  Methuselah in Ohio Camping

My Faithful Readers may remember this photo from July of 2014.  I am modifying  my cargo van for solo camping, with an eye to modular interior units so it can easily be switched back to a basic cargo van at need.   I  want an uncluttered interior that is comfortable inside when the weather is uncomfortable outside.  Last summer I realized that the passenger seat wasn’t really useable as a place to sit when camped.  It is awkward to get in and out of it from the inside of the van.  Commercial van campers have driver & passenger seats that swivel, so I started looking for a swivel unit for my van on the Inter-Webs.   It took me awhile to find any retail vendors and longer yet to find any with good product  reviews.  I got my swivel unit from Shop4Seats.  It was even on sale.
The swivel unit didn’t come with any instructions but it didn’t really need any instructions.  The OEM seats in my van are attached to a steel mounting bracket with 4 bolts.  The seat bolts are permanently mounted to the seat itself.  Warning: the seat mounting hardware is metric. 

Passenger Seat Fittings 

This is the bottom of the passenger seat.  The 4 mounting bolts are easy to reach when the seat is attached.  It takes a 14mm deep wall socket or wrench.  I used a deep wall socket.   I’ve heard that Chevy passenger vans have an electrical connection to the passenger seat that is part of the passenger air bag system.   My cargo van has no such connection to the seat.  A key operated switch in the dashboard turns the passenger airbag function on or off.   (The van half of the wiring does lurk beneath the floor mat.)

 Seat Side of the Swivel Unit

This is the seat side of the swivel unit.  The release lever is under the front of the seat once it’s installed.  The 4 large holes are for the 4 seat bolts.  The unit consists of 2 heavy metal plates with a  coupling permanently holding them together.  The unit is quite heavy, much heavier than the set itself.

 OEM Seat Mounting Bracket

This is the OEM seat mounting bracket.  There are 2 welded in place  bolt studs on the bottom plate of the swivel unit.  They go into the left side OEM bolt holes.  There are also 2 removable bolts.  They go through the bottom plate and into the right side OEM bolt holes.  If things don’t want to quite line up & play nice, loosen the front 2 Seat Mounting Bracket nuts & tweak  the front corners of the mounting bracket in or out as needed.   (The OEM seat mounting bracket uses 18mm nuts.)  Now tighten the seat mounting brackets nuts back down if they were loosened and then tighten the swivel unit nuts. 

                        Swivel Unit Bolted to the OEM Seat Bracket
Here’s the swivel unit attached to the OEM seat bracket.   Pick the seat up, center the seat bolts over the holes in the top plate of the swivel unit, drop the seat into place and bolt it down with the OEM bolts.  Swiveling  the seat some makes access to the seat bolt nuts easier.  I used a wrench rather than a socket for this step.  Voila!  The swivel unit is now installed. 

 Seat Bolted In  & Swiveled to the Rear

Here’s what it looks like with the seat swiveled to the rear.  The swivel unit positions the seat about 1 inch to the left & 1.5 inches higher than the OEM seat position.   To swivel the seat first slide it almost all the way  forward and then pull up on the swivel bar & rotate the seat towards the driver’s seat.  Yes the clearances are very very tight. This is easiest to turn the seat with the passenger door open but it can be done with the door closed.  It can’t be done while sitting in the passenger seat, there simply isn’t enough space.  Its a van folks, not a class A motor home.

 Stock Length Swivel Release Lever

Some of the reviews of this swivel unit didn’t like the length of the swivel release.  Neither did I.  My passenger seat is normally slid all the way back.  This means the swivel lever  sticks out in front of the seat were it awaits the unwary skirt.  (Yes folks, I  sometimes have passengers & they are often 18th century attired women wearing long skirts.)  So I shortened it by about  3.5 inches. 

Shortened Release Lever

Now the lever is only a half  inch past the seat position bar when the seat is all the way to the rear.  No more long skirt trap!  And yes, the short release is as easy to move as the long release was.

21st Annual Ft. Frederick Trade Fair – 4/23-26

I was only able to attend the 1st day of this year’s fair but I had a grand time.  I was able to arrive at the Fair site Wednesday afternoon to help Missy Clark set up her trade tent.  Thursday I visited with some old friends and tried out my new-to-me full frame DSLR.  The weather was rather chilly but at least it wasn’t overly windy or raining.

I’ve divided my Fair photos of note into 6 separate posts.  This allows folks to skip things that don’t catch their fancy and keeps the post’s length down to something manageable. So:

1.The Ladies with a Few Gents

2.The Men at the Fair

3.Fair Camps & Fort Barracks

4.Barkertown – Missy Clark Proprietor

5.Trade Goods of Note

6.Gourds by Ver Sacrum – A New Trader at the FFTF

Last year I drove to the Fair from my Urchin’s house, spent the day at the Fair, and then drove all the way back home all in one day.  This made for a very tired Hebron Valley Lady!  I also scouted out the NPS campsite at McCoy’s Ferry before the Fair gates opened.  This year I drove up to Big Pool Wednesday and stayed overnight at the McCoy’s Ferry campsite.  Thurday I attended the Fair and drove home late that afternoon.  This made for a very pleasant Fair outing.

 Camp Site #2

McCoy’s Ferry is a National Forest style camping area.  There permanent building pit privy and 2 porta-johns on site.  Each of the 12 camp sites have a picnic table, a fire ring, a stand up cooking grill and a paved vehicle parking spot.  There are also 2 group camp areas at one end of the camping area.  All sites are 1st come, 1st served.  A picnic area and boat ramp are also part of the site.  The parking pads are nice and flat.

 The Van Camper on Site

There was a bicyclist camped at the far end of the site from me.  It was fairly chilly so I made dinner in the van.

 The Potomac River

The view from the site is very very peaceful.  This river level is normal for the April.  The campground is closed by NPS if flooding is a real danger.

 Looking Downstream

The cost for all this beauty is $10 1 night, $5 for those with senior or military NPS passes.  You are expected to bring your water with you and take your trash with you when you leave.

The Ladies with a Few Gents

Several folks who follow my blog had commented on the shortage of women in many of my picture posts.  So I decided to remedy that this year.  All of these folks were asked before they were photographed and are aware they might be posted here.  

Two Friends

These ladies could be the wives of tradesmen or prosperous farmers.  And yes, tinted glasses were both available and very popular in the 18th century.

 Two Trader’s Staff

These ladies would be of a somewhat lower social class than the previous 2 ladies.  Their clothing is plainer and may well have been bought 2nd hand.

 3 Ladies at the Chandler’s Stand

The 2 ladies in the center are dressed in fashions that were more common in towns rather than on the frontier.   The lady on the right has a wool pull over hunting shirt on, a more frontier style of attire.

 A German Frau in Her Camp

This lady is working on some mending.  Note her wooden shoes to keep her feet dry.  The British colonies had a great many German speaking residents and the Pennsylvania border is only a day’s travel from Ft. Frederick.

 Missy Clark

Missy is also keeping her feet dry in wooden shoes.  Klompen, sabot – it’s all the same really, with minor shape differences depending on the local tradition.  Missy has also drawn up her petticoat hem to keep it dry and is wearing several layers of clothing to ward off the chill.

 Chantal

Chantal is also wearing wooden shoes, you can see the sheepskin that are used to keep the shoe from rubbing the top of the foot raw.  Wooden shoes are fitted noticeably loose on one’s bare foot.  You then wear thick socks and sheepskin pads to get a good fit.  (Chantal is holding Missy’s new trade sign, which she made.)  Chantal is younger than Missy and wears her petticoats shorter.  Thus she hasn’t drawn them up. 

  2 More Country Ladies

Cloaks were the common serious weather garment for women.  And everyone wore a head covering when out in public.

 A Trader in a Capped Greatcoat

In Europe it would have been very rare indeed for a woman to wear a man’s outer garment.  Here traveling trades women sometimes adopted men’s outer garments for their practicality.  Just try driving a wagon team wearing a cape!  It was also safer on the uncertain frontier to appear as a man at a distance.

 A Native American Wife

This lady’s pucker toe moccasins and French print trade shirt identify her as from the Great Lakes area of New France. 

 Susan

Another warmly attired lady of the middling classes.

 OK So It’s Not a Lady . . .

This is a trader’s display of a woman’s basic attire. 

 2 Couples

The man on the far left and the lady on the near right are Iroquois.  The man on the near left is a frontier trader.  The woman on the far right is his Native American wife.

A Iroquois Couple

(This is a better photo of the Iroquois Couple)

A Man and His Wife from the Frontier

This couple is wearing an open front hunting shirt as their outer garment.  The capes help shed water and add a second layer to the garment over the shoulders and upper chest.  These also break the wind nicely.

A Gentleman & a Working Woman

No, not that kind of working woman.  A street vendor, in this case she vends shoe polishing.  Shoes are expensive and streets are rarely paved.  Frequent polishing extends the like of the leather.  He is dressed as a prosperous townsman and she is dressed as a respectable woman plying her trade.

The Men at the Fair

In the past I have mostly photographed fair trade goods and camps.  This year I focused more on the fair goers.

THE SOLDIERS:

 British Junior Officer Interpreting Life in a Military Fort

 Soldier in a British Regiment from Scotland

This fellow’s regiment was camped just outside the fort, thus he is fully accoutered.

 French & Indian War Foote Soldier on a Pass

Notice that a soldier on a pass to go to town, or in this case a fair, would not have been allowed to wear his accouterments.  Only soldiers on duty would be so attired.  (FYI: This is Frank from my Civil War unit.  He got me started in the 18th century world & encouraged me to come to my first Trade Fair.)

A Foot Soldier from the French Garrison

N.B. These aren’t his usual shoes, they were back at camping drying out from previous days heavy rain.

 A Retired Soldier

This retired British soldier of foot now turns his hand to making shooting bags and powder horns.

THE NATIVE AMERICANS:

 A Seneca Man

A thoughtful Seneca husband buying candles for his wife.  Those English flies are such useful critters!  Their wax made into candles makes a lodge bright of an evening.

The Seneca’s Trade Tent

Native American bought Euro-American goods & Euro-Americans bought Native American goods.  It was a two way street in many many places.

 Another Native American out Shopping

N.B. I was only at the trade fair on Thursday.  The best day for attire is Saturday when everyone puts their best foot forward.

THE EURO-AMERICANS:

A Gentleman Arranging to Purchase a Chest

  Hunters from the Forks of the Ohio

  A Gentleman Meeting with a Master and His Journeyman

 Note the hat & Apron on the Tea Seller

 Another Tradesman Plying His Wares

A Hunter, A Farmer, The Master Craftsman and Another Craftsman Chatting

Mark Thomas in a Wool Hunting Frock & Workman’s Cap Trying to Stay Warm

  Another Master Craftsman in a Rifleman’s Frock and Tricorn Hat

This poor man is trying to copy a pattern and the wind isn’t letting him get the job done.

  Two Townsman Admiring a Sword

An Original 18th Century Sword – Note the Engraved Design

Fair Camps & Fort Barracks

I’ve posted various Fair Camp setups from the Ft. Fred Fair in previous year’s posts.  Most folks setup with a wedge or wall tent and a dining fly.  This year I thought I would focus on the minimalists of the fair – the folks camped under diamond flies and such like affairs..

 Two Diamond Flies Pitched Plow Point Style

Diamond flies are square pieces of canvas measuring anywhere from 7x7 to 14x14 feet in size.  They typically have reinforced corners with a tent peg style loop and a centered canvas reinforcement with a tent peg style loop or web ties.  The plow point pitch is the most popular around here.  Two adjacent sides of the diamond are staked down with the corner in the back set into the wind.  The free corner is then tied off to an upright pole which is itself held firm with guy lines.  A third rope is tied to the diamonds center and a second upright.  This gives one a bit more headroom under the diamond. 

 Another Double Diamond Setup

These two diamonds share a front upright and use a two pole rear set for each diamond.  The headroom created is easy to see in this photo.  Diamonds are easy to setup but don’t provide secure and dry sleeping in a wind driven rain. 

Double  Lean-to Camp

This lean-to setup uses 2 rectangles of canvas and 4 tied on triangular end pieces.  As you can see by the man inside, the headroom is fairly low.  There are also canvas pieces to tie into the openings between the lean-tos.  This gives good rain protection while also allowing ample ventilation in hot & clear weather.

  Another Double Lean-to

These folks hadn’t finished setting up yet.  It shows the basic lean-tos without any tie in sections.

 Lean-to with Square Dining Fly

This is a true Lean-to with sewn on sides.  The front section of the roof has been dropped down to act as a door for privacy.

Just for comparison, here’s a statelier dining area:

The Comforts of Home

Ft. Frederick State Park has been setting up the inside of one barracks with “rooms” from the fort’s garrisoned era.  This year they also has an officer to give a more personal side to life in a frontier fort.

 Junior Officers’ Mess with Interpreter

He was just finishing a presentation on enlisted soldier’s wives as I came in. 

 Military Stores

They’re expanded the military equipment in the quartermaster’s storeroom and made the contents of the various kegs and boxes easier to see. 

 Cannon Loading & Cleaning Tools

These are some of the equipment added since last year.

 The Laundry Room

The Laundry Room now has laundry as well as a baskets, washboards and small wash basins for spot scrubbing.

Wash Tubs Old & New

There does seem to be a deliberate effort to show things in an in-use state, including broken bits and things needing repair or replacement.