After spending the weekend looking at this swivel base, I still can’t determine the source of the rattle or movement. No idea why it’s only just started happening.
Clearcut Campers have offered to collect the base and run some tests – which I’ll probably take them up on – but it does mean being without the swivel for about a week.
That said, I’ve come up with an idea, and early testing looks promising. The thinking is: if I can support all four corners of the seat, whatever’s causing the rattle should either stop or be reduced.
So, I’ve 3D printed caps for the seat base bolts. When the seat is closed, these caps take up the slack (without putting pressure on or wedging against the bolts). It took a bit of trial and error to make sure nothing fouls the mechanism as it spins. They’re just bolt caps – no glue or modification needed.
Testing so far has just been wobbling the seat (no road test yet), but it already feels tighter than the driver’s seat – which I previously thought was fine! I’ll probably make a version for the driver’s side too.
The prototypes were printed in PETG (done quite quickly, so not the best quality), which is tough enough for testing. I’ve ordered some nylon, which is much stronger and self-lubricating, and I’ll finish the final ones with some wet/dry paper to get them as smooth as possible.
Any thoughts, suggestions, or concerns? I might’ve missed something!
(You never really notice how dirty parts of your van are, until you have taken macro photos of it!

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