CHEAP, NO-HOLES, Front Plate Mount

[dickdavid]

As some of you may know, I was pulled over for speeding a few weeks back and was also cited for NO FRONT PLATE. My choices were to present my vehicle to the court 'repaired' or pay a steep fine. Not wanting to give the City of Plano any more than I had to, I opted to make the 'repair'.

My first thought was to get one of those 'No-Holes' license plate brackets that plugs into the tow hook hole (thanks again for all the offers for loaners). This is still an option that I am considering, but with the pending fines and court fees, I felt I should wait until those were paid first.

So I decided to mount my OEM bracket. The only problem is that in order to mount it, you must drill into your front bumper. Not an option.

Well, after messing around with some basic hardware parts, I was able to make a low-cost solution that keeps my bumper in tact. Here were my steps:

First, I noticed that the OEM bracket came with little hooks on the back. After playing around with the fitting, I noticed that they actually hooked onto the lower part of the upper grill:


That solved the top part of the bracket. In order to mount the bottom part (which was supposed to be screwed into the bumper), I needed a few parts from the hardware store. No more than $4-5.


Step 1: Soft Fitting. With some masking tape, I did a soft fitting of the parts to see how everything worked together:


Step 2: Marking The Bracket. While it was still on the bumper, I marked the position of the 'L-Shaped' brackets to help with mounting.


Step 3: Fine Tuning. During my soft fit, I notice that the 'L-Shaped' brackets were at the wrong angle. With some pliers and a little bit of elbow grease, I was able to adjust them to the right angle (Pictured below is one at the original angle and one at the new angle).


Step 4: Mount the Brackets. With some small screws, I fastened the 'L-Shaped' brackets to the OEM license plate bracket.


Step 5: Black Out. Not wanting the shinny chrome of the parts to show, I decided to spray some flat black paint onto the exposed parts. I did this to all the mounting hardware as well. Be patient and let everything dry, or you'll be touching everything up after mounting.


Step 6: Protect the Bumper (Optional). I'm not sure if this will be a temp solution or not. Either way, I didn't want the bumper scratched by the backside of the OEM license plate mount. I had some old weather stripping in the garage, so I used it:


Step 7: Final Mount. Using the painted toggle bolts, I was able to mount the bottom of the OEM license plate bracket to the bumper by running them through the lower grill. Here I've positioned the toggles vertically behind the 'L-Shaped' brackets:


From the front, most folks won't be able to see the mounting brackets.


There you go. I'm not sure if it'll stay like this, but it got me through the inspection.

I'm sure there are better, faster, cheaper ways to do this, but given my lack of mechanical skills, I thought this was a pretty good solution.

Thanks for reading.

[maxmini]

Nicely done. I have had 61,000 lucky miles so far and have only been pulled over for no front plate twice . I fabbed up a quick mount for mine .
Parts list

2 1/8 bolts one inch long
4 flat washers
2 lock washers
2 nuts

I threaded the two bolts thru the grill and bolted them in place . Whe n needed i can hang the plate and secure it with the remaining two nuts and lock washers.

Thats all folks

Randy
M7 Tuning

Before


After

[battle cattle]

2 zipties....

4 zipties for the expensive version...

[Samtrak]

what front plate?

[maxmini]

Originally Posted by battle cattle

2 zipties....

4 zipties for the expensive version...

LAPD, CHP and the Sherrif's Dept do not the the humor in Zip Ties

Sam you are right , What front plate ? Two pull overs in almost 5 years now . It must be the Nordic Blonde in my hair LOL .

Randy
M7 Tuning

[dickdavid]

Originally Posted by battle cattle

2 zipties....

4 zipties for the expensive version...

NICE! I called the court to ask if the had to be 'bolted' on to pass inspection, and they said yes. I'm thinking that now that I've passed inspection, I might come up with a more flexible solution.

Originally Posted by maxmini

Nicely done. I have had 61,000 lucky miles so far and have only been pulled over for no front plate twice . I fabbed up a quick mount for mine .
Parts list

2 1/8 bolts one inch long
4 flat washers
2 lock washers
2 nuts

I threaded the two bolts thru the grill and bolted them in place . Whe n needed i can hang the plate and secure it with the remaining two nuts and lock washers.

Thats all folks

Randy
M7 Tuning

Great solution, Randy.

A guy on my local board suggested I try something with really strong magnets. I just wasn't sure what strength to order or how to set it up without removing the bumper. Plus, for the reasons above, I needed to have it bolted down. Your solution would have worked perfectly.

I like the idea of a quick removal option (like this or the 'tow hook hole' option) so that I can leave it on for every day commuting, but take it off for photos and events.

[battle cattle]

Originally Posted by maxmini

LAPD, CHP and the Sherrif's Dept do not the the humor in Zip Ties

Thats crazy! I know zipties that have held things on for years! wow... im speechless

also if you leave the front plate as is... please please please pad the back of the plate holder... wind + loose = not paint friendly

[F.G.]

Where can I Get a tow hook mounted licence plate from??? cause I really want mine off the front also I have holes in my bumber is there any way I can fix those???

thanks again for the support,
F.G.

[maxmini]

Originally Posted by F.G.

Where can I Get a tow hook mounted licence plate from??? cause I really want mine off the front also I have holes in my bumber is there any way I can fix those???

thanks again for the support,
F.G.

If you poke around NAM you can find some bumper hole covers . There is actually such a product I made sure with my dealer to NOT have the holes put in and they listened to me .

Randy
M7 Tuning

[maxmini]

Originally Posted by battle cattle

Thats crazy! I know zipties that have held things on for years! wow... im speechless

also if you leave the front plate as is... please please please pad the back of the plate holder... wind + loose = not paint friendly

Thats part of the fun out here in california . We do have to put up with more than some but we do have all the fine bitches , I mean beaches

Randy
M7 tuning

[melissa]

Hey DD,

How do u protect the paint from the plastic? wouldnt u have more rubing since the black thing can wiggle more?

[Batrugger]

Great Job I've been front plateless on both of our cars for more than 3 yrs and was only stopped once for it, leaving a club parking lot on a Friday night at 10pm. He said he stopped me for no plate, but then he had me follow the pen with my eyes, I hadn't been drinking though, and no ticket.

[F.G.]

where can I get the tow hook mounted plate holder thing? I got the hole fix thanks randy!

[dickdavid]

Originally Posted by battle cattle

Thats crazy! I know zipties that have held things on for years! wow... im speechless

also if you leave the front plate as is... please please please pad the back of the plate holder... wind + loose = not paint friendly

Originally Posted by melissa

Hey DD,

How do u protect the paint from the plastic? wouldnt u have more rubing since the black thing can wiggle more?

I was worried about that as well, so:

Originally Posted by dickdavid

...Step 6: Protect the Bumper (Optional). I'm not sure if this will be a temp solution or not. Either way, I didn't want the bumper scratched by the backside of the OEM license plate mount. I had some old weather stripping in the garage, so I used it:

...

The OEM Plate mount is actually on pretty tight with this method. There is no movement.

[melissa]

ooo i didnt see that.. good call