Front license plate

Just for completeness…I present to you my finished, low priority and low skilled project that allows me to install a front plate sans bumper.

I used a couple of 1-1/2” steel straps and a rear license plate bracket. One strap will remain in place and is installed using the battery hold down bolts and wing nuts. I shaped it so that it terminates just above the lip of the front fascia (?), and I used a piece of rubber wedged between the end of the strap and the body to create a little tension and reduce vibration out at the plate. The second strap is mated to the license plate bracket, and is held in place to the first strap using wing nuts, after fist installing bolts to the first strap that are held in place with jam nuts on the bottom side. After the bolts are all tightened, I can grab the plate and deflect it up and down a bit, and if I push the top with a bit of force I can manage to just make contact with the body - but if I’m driving fast enough to cause that, I have other worries. I did place an adhesive foam pad on the backside of the plate just in case. It feels firm enough to me that I can drive at speed worry free.

The hardest part of this project was shaping the straps. My bench vise is not large, and I had a hard time creating single axis bends - all my bends contained a slight twist it seemed. Couple that with an imprecise starting point - the battery hold down bolts - alignment was the challenge. When I finally got to the point of installing my plate, it was understandably not centered, but more importantly not level. A few iterations were required, and with a little bit of clearance at all bolts, I was able to align it pretty well. A quick field install if ever needed would likely only be eyeball good.

For sure this isn’t as convenient as using magnets, but it is secure. I realize this could have been much simpler if I drilled a few holes in my body, down where they’d never be seen, or if I chose any number of different methods. I started down a path and this is where it took me. I’m happy with it. So far I’ve left it installed, probably because stowing it in my car will no longer be as easy as sliding the bare plate under the parcel shelf cushion. That is my next problem to solve!

While it does make my front end a wee bit busier, I don’t hate it, and the view is still quite nice.