NEW REVOLUTIONARY FRONT LICENSE PLATE HOLDER !

Bruce

That is a unique solution to an old and pervasive problem!  It's really ingenious.  I'd like to see a back shot of the plate attached to the holder.

I assume the rods insert tightly enough to prevent the plate from flying away at speed?

Well done! 

Well done, sir. 

An excellent idea. . . and one that could be used on many different makes and models of cars produced over the years by other manufacturers.   

Have you talked to a patent attorney?

Very nice!

So far, I haven't lost the plate. I have been up to 80mph. Don't know about crosswind yet but in order to lift it out you must pull straight up or it will bind. Same going in. There's about .018" clearance for the slip fit. This allows the unit to be powder coated later if i decide to go that way. I do have one more improvement to try but I'm not hopeful that it is needed.

Patents....I've had a couple. Expired now though. My experience tells me that they are a waste of money nowadays. There are too many foreign manufacturers who knock you off and don't abide by patent rights anyway. This stuff is small "taters". If it had potential to make millions it would be a different story. Of course this is only my opinion based on my own personal experiences..............Bruce

aircooled posted:

So far, I haven't lost the plate. I have been up to 80mph. Don't know about crosswind yet but in order to lift it out you must pull straight up or it will bind.

Bruce,

You or the buyer might consider drilling a few locating holes through one or both rods and shaft.  Then, depending on what height someone wanted the plate displayed above the bumper, a large cotter pin or nut & bolt could be inserted through the holes to hold the plate in place.

Good suggestion Cliff !   I will take that into consideration.....thank you.......Bruce

Well done sir!

Now what about us bumperless owners?

i woud buy one

Not to rain on anyone's parade but the DMV has been toying with the idea of using a "bumper sticker like" product for front plates. They have been testing them for a while but I don't know what the outcome will be or if they have decided against it.

In the meantime these look like they will work very well. Good job Bruce.

YOu could try these they are easier to use. 

@aircooled Actually Bruce your device is nice and I know your pretty good at making stuff.... but permit me to suggest I think a better option IMHO

I have a plate holder that bolts to the bottom of my bumper and works well but I was thinking of doing the following...

My suggestion would be to create the same unit but with tubes that come out of the front horizontally just under the bumper with a backet that bolts to the bottom of the bumper...  It would allow removal as easily and easy spring clip locations unseen. 

If they were done that way the L shaped bracket would cause the plate to have a backing area that rested against the rubber strip of the bumper.  (this prevents body scratches)

It could have a hole location which would allow a spring clip like I posted before to hold the bars secure but located back underneath unseen. 

You could also do one more thing and that is angle the plate towards the ground somewhat which will allow the plate to not reflect laser or radar quite as well.

Here is a rudimentary sketch done for you.  Hope it is clear enough for you.

Here Bruce... I found this... FYI it is essentially what I am talking about but without it being angled to the ground. 

http://www.ebay.com/itm/C7-Cor...racket-/181688870889

MOvie of how it works. 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iImGo6twQiE

$85 'cuz it's for a 'vette

Great idea.  I would buy one.  You have designed some very nice products.

would be interested to see a picture of how the bracket attaches to the bumper

Thanks for the feedback and suggestions ! The slip tube concept wasn't my idea. It came from a friend who has a Corvette Z06. She bought one of those $84.00 units and said it was hard to maneuver the plate in and put the pin in because everything is so low up there. Also it rusted up and was a little difficult to store because the plate and the two tubes are at right angles to each other. (doesn't store flat) Anyway that was what got me thinking about making something a different way and, hopefully, an improved design.  Ray...this is the reason I went vertical. When installing/removing my bracket you can see what you're doing plus you don't have to get down on one or two knees to remove/install it like my Vette friend does. Another plus is that the receiver bracket is mounted on the top side of the lower bumper shelf so it is not visible from the front and the mounting machine screws are counter sunk into the bottom of that bumper shelf. (no bolts are visible).

I played with the position of the license plate as well. Above, below and in front of the bumper and decided that above looked the best. Of course that is entirely subjective to the taste of the owner.  What I really liked is your suggestion Ray, about tilting the plate Down ! Speed radars really do pick up better signals from the license plate. That's why the operators are taught to aim for it. The angle to be effective is a mystery though. Hmmmm, trial and error research could be expensive on your own ? Perhaps this angle should be left up to to the discretion of the owner/installer ? Easily done by tweaking the aluminum plate a little.

Robert...My Vette friend said that the "sticker" front plate concept was /is radically opposed by many car clubs nationally and one car manufacturer has joined in the opposition. She didn't have much details on this matter though.

Anyone else have some suggestions ? So far I have received several very worthy ones.

If all goes well, production will start in June.  If you want one let me know. Also Thank You to you others for your positive comments.............Bruce

Whether you're modifying your Speedster, building an engine, upgrading a trans, selling a car, running a replica car business, structuring your sentences or inventing something, there will NEVER be a shortage of folks telling you how to do it better.... 

Bruce was very diplomatic in saying...'your opinions are appreciated'  

I really enjoy this site and all my knucklehead friends on it!! 

I can do anything better than you ... yes you can 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JGLnsNPQcls

Very good Ray....Thank you....That was a good movie too !......Bruce

Bruce you do some fine work and there are many ways to skin a cat after all.

Hey Bruce here's one idea en re the concern some people seem to have about keeping the plate secure: a strong magnet in the bottom of each tube. 

Or, in the alternative (and to get really fancy), magnets on both the outer and inner tube, arranged such that they resist each other a little until they get past each other, whence they "lock in." 

Probably too complicated and really not needed for this, but since you asked.

Edsnova..........Bingo !............Those little button magnets may be just the ticket to insure the plate portion doesn't fly out.   Thank you for that !  Now I have to find some slightly smaller than   .312" in diameter !

Ray.....Thanks again !!...........Bruce

Nice to see people working on this. I had my friend in our state legislature try to strike the requirement of the front license plate. It saves the state money. There are a few states that don't require one. The law enforcement lobby really worked hard and prevented the legislation from going anywhere. The plate is a nice reflector to measure your speed. They also make easy money from pulling people over for the tickets. I've earned 2 awards for not having a front plate in the last 9 years. Both have been in my DD, not in the speedster which runs without a front plate 24/7. I eventually put a front plate on the DD...

Bruce You could modify the L bracket and make it hinged so that once removed it folds away for storage 

But then you still have to kneel

" I had my friend in our state legislature try to strike the requirement of the front license plate. It saves the state money. There are a few states that don't require one. The law enforcement lobby really worked hard and prevented the legislation from going anywhere."

Want to hear something screwy?  In Massachusetts we had a single (rear) plate forever - it most recently was white with green letters/numbers.  Then, about 25 years ago, the state went to white plates with red letters and started issuing 2 plates.  You must have two red-lettered plates, but only one green lettered plate affixed to your vehicle to be legal.

Every so often, the state issues new plates to everyone (once a decade or so) as they tend to fade a bit after a while.  If yours is green you get one green plate, same numbers/letters that you had.  If yours is red you get two red plates but they'll be new letter/number combinations.   God help you if you only have one red plate affixed to your car - they'll ticket you.  BUT, if you have one green plate, you're OK.

Spring loaded button like they use on the pop up canopy's...

Ray....I think Bill has the answer  for your horizontal fixture (simple too !) A spring loaded bullet that would pop up into an indexed hole to hold the fixture in the 90 or -75 degree position !

Bill in Hawaii.......I just was thinking about those who are "bumperless". Since I've been looking at all the button type magnets available, it wouldn't be hard to come up with a set that could be mounted on the plate and inside the body that would be strong enough to hold the plate. Hmmmm.....here we go !!.............Bill.... you crack me up with your comments....I like your humor.....But there is some thought behind your comments too..........Bruce

I'm sure I'm in a minority of one here, but I just don't get it. What is the big freaking deal about the front plate? This is a cool way around running the front plate, but I'm at a bit of a loss why it'd be important enough to warrant a product to do.

Yes, it looks like a TV dinner stuck to your front bumper. So does the back one. Nobody ever talks about taking off the back license plate, and it looks equally stupid when you stare at it long enough.

The speed limit is 50 mph on the interstate through downtown Peoria. We still have left hand turn red lights. Chicago has red light cameras and short yellows. I suppose that (for me, at least) of all of the idiotic traffic laws out there, the front plate barely blips my meter. 

Would you believe it's for the gas mileage savings 

We are car guys, Stan. We like gadgets and gear and custom stuff. 

I dunno...maybe you're just not cut out to understand....

Glad to live in Florida where we don't need no stinkin' front plate!

Stan, I have got pinched with no front plate in the city of  Chicago more than once.   The meter maids are everywhere now praying on unsuspected suburbanites .  They  don't pull you over, they wait for you to you park and when you come back there is a nice gift waiting for you under your wiper blades.  I never take the 356 there and my daily driver has no plate  either (I have paid the price a few times for that) .  I would consider one for my DD but it would had to work on modern cars with no extruding bumper.  

I can see your point Stan.....What ever twists your tail. ....A lot of people  just don't like the way the car looks with a front license plate. It's similar to some of us getting excited about  steering wheels. I guess that's what is so unique about this "culture" we all subscribe to.  Perceived or real, beauty is in the eye of the beholder. When I think about the practical need of having a front license plate, I don't come up with a lot  of justification other than convenience for enforcement personnel.  So, for me, it's the aesthetics.......How the car looks from the front.

This product I'm about to come out with is no more than an alternative for for some of us to make the best presentation we feel we can .....and feel good about it,  while being clever about how we do it..............Bruce

"The meter maids are everywhere now praying on unsuspected suburbanites"

Marty:  Are they meter maids or nuns?  I suppose all drivers in Chicago could use a few prayers once in a while...    (Sorry.  Just couldn't let this one slip by with the image it brought to mind.)

Circa 2016

Crica1960's 

Bruce,

I completely get why you designed and are building your idea-- lots of guys (like Marty) would rather get a ticket than just stick the stupid thing on. I've just never understood why.

I still don't, but that's cool too. If I was all jacked up about the TV dinner on my front bumper (but not the one on the back), I'd probably run one too.

Ed,

You sure you have the right guy, here? My car is a veritable cornucopia of goo-gaws and what-nots. I can drop an engine in a "normal" speedster in about an hour. It takes all day (really) to take mine out.

Marty,

Dude: you live in the People's Republic of Chicago, maybe not in the belly of the beast, but certainly in one of the Satellite Nations. Just stick the stupid plate on the car-- it's not like you have any chance of winning this battle.

FWIW, I once had my BMW towed up in Wrigleyville when my daughter lived there. It was midwinter, after a snowstorm. I searched for on the street parking to about 10 or 12 blocks out from my daughter's apartment. I ended up parking in the animal hospital lot in her back yard. It was a Sunday, and the animal hospital was closed. I was there for less than 30 minutes when I saw my car headed down the street on the back of a hooker truck. I walked to Lincoln Park Towing, and waited 2+ hrs in the cold before the driver made it back with my car. It cost something like $300 to get the it back.

Chicago takes parking way-the-heck to seriously.

Our little town finally got parking meters when the big city we got amalgamated with decided they wanted more ticket revenue from us despite protestations that the little Mom and Pop stores in the downtown core really didn't really need fewer customers dropping by.

A year later, the projected revenues were 1/10 of what they forecast and the actual cost of the installations, replacement after a few were vandalized and the ticket meter maids were multiples of the money being brought in......they took them out again 

Oh yeah every city is creating parking attendants in every store, business, apartment complex they issue them like popcorn without any reservation and to the letter of their  understanding of the law or should I say sign of no sign etc.  

Our societies have a thirst for controlling everything and Chicago.... well Red Light Camera Mecca is known even up here.