front license plate help

[tarmac and beer]

i live in nj and my 'new' mp3 does not have the front license plate holes. i may try risking it and leaving the front plate wedged between the dash and windshield. however, assuming jonny law thinks differently, i need to know what is involved with the mounting the front plate 'properly.'

if i drill holes in the bumper where the dimples are located, is there a metal support underneath with pre-drilled/pre-threaded holes? or do i have to have to hold a nut behind the bumper to thread the bolt through?

[jersey_emt]

If you want to remain legal I would look into ways of attaching the plate to the lower grill somehow. My car came predrilled, and when I took the front plate off it looked bad with the two holes. Don't destroy your car like that.

[tarmac and beer]

If you want to remain legal I would look into ways of attaching the plate to the lower grill somehow. My car came predrilled, and when I took the front plate off it looked bad with the two holes. Don't destroy your car like that.

so you are in nj and you don't use the front plate? any issues with the man?

[Gbourdon]

I hit a sign and then replaced my bumper. I didnt want to drill holes so I attached it to the lower grill and left the plate bracket in my garage.

Then somone hit me on the highway I got another new bumper and the damn body shop screwed the plate right onto the bumper with no bracket. (mad)

So alas, I have holes again.

[Gbourdon]

I am 99% sure there were nuts on the back of my original bumper to thread the plate bracket in to. I am also 99% sure that my replacement bumpers did not have said nuts on the back.

I will try and find my bracket when I have a chance. May not be for a week or so, if you want that then I would just charge you shipping on it.

[wannabe]

can could always just zip tie it to your grill....

[jersey_emt]

so you are in nj and you don't use the front plate? any issues with the man?

Well, not anymore (:(), but I did get pulled over for it once, and got a warning.

[wannabe]

those pics make me sad...another tragedy (it could have been MUCH worse tho...)

[joka1]

just take 2 l brackets and attach them to the bottom of your lower grill... this wont be seen at shows and it totally legal.... i have to do this this weekend since i will be mounting my n-tercooler ring in the front lip..... anyway thats just another idea
rob

[Mike R]

Go to home depot or lowes. Get a small piece of 1/4 x 1/2" aluminum or steel stock and bend two pieces that mount to the two bolts under the bumper cover and mount the tag low. Works great, easily removable, and NO HOLES in the bumper!

[joka1]

ya just like i said......

[Mike R]

Riiight. :)

[Stormtrooper77]

Put it this way, the damn plate is going to be somewhere on the front of the car anyway making it look not as pretty as it could be. I say mount the plate where it is suppose to go (yes that means drilling 2 small holes) and go and buy some plugs or whatever they are called and paint them to the colour of your car. Insert the plugs when you are not using the plate. I think this looks cleaner than having the plate mounted elsewhere and leaving that huge indent on your bumper where the plate is supposed to go.

[wannabe]

there was a guy here (might actually be daveb) who had his plate cut(ohio plate), he had cut the top and bottom off and he said it was legal as long as the stickers were still on it somewhere, and its still said ohio somewhere on it....looked better IMO

[joka1]

how is having 2 plugs cleaner then mounting 2 l brackets screwed to the bottom of your lip? if you want to take it off just remove the screws and nobody ever knows you had a plate mounted??? should i draw a diagram??

[Stormtrooper77]

how is having 2 plugs cleaner then mounting 2 l brackets screwed to the bottom of your lip? if you want to take it off just remove the screws and nobody ever knows you had a plate mounted??? should i draw a diagram??

I'm talking about when the plate is actually on the car. But I could be picturing your mounting position differently.

[joka1]

it is mounted on the car, just not in the stock location where you have to drill holes..... i have fought and won this fight in my state and mine right now is just stuck in the lip area ...... the law in most states is it has to be in the front most part of your car......... that is why the windshield does not work..... as long as it is firmly mounted in the front of the vehical no cops can say anything

[Gbourdon]

I think what stormtrooper is getting at is that there is a spot on the bumper that is made for the plate. Without the plate there it looks like something is missing since there is an indentation for the plate and 2 for the screws.

[joka1]

yes but if you drill the holes it is much more obvious....... my new msp bumper has the divits for the plate but they are barely noticable...... 2 big holes are pretty damn noticable.........

[Gbourdon]

^^^ I concurr. This is why I wish the body shop didnt drill my new bumper. I purposely left the plate off the last time.

[wannabe]

http://www.msprotege.com/forum/attachment.php?attachmentid=40606

that pic shows the lip/indent thingy he's talking about kinda well....(ignore the screw holes though)

[Stormtrooper77]

I think what stormtrooper is getting at is that there is a spot on the bumper that is made for the plate. Without the plate there it looks like something is missing since there is an indentation for the plate and 2 for the screws.

Yup. I just think it would look better there than anywhere else. I have mine folded so that the plate is not overhanging into the bottom grill. This wasn't for cosmetic reasons (although it turned out that way), it was because everytime I washed my car I would cut my wrists up on the damn thing.

But anyway, what I was referring to is that if you buy the caps (paint them) and replace the drilled out holes it would still look clean. Kind of like on Hondas. That is if you decide to go this route.

[Mike R]

Here's what mine looks like
http://www.msprotege.com/forum/attachment.php?attachmentid=20715

[joka1]

that is what i was talking about.......mike r ..... anyway do what you wish...i am done......by the time i wake up 30 other things will be said so i have gave my .02 and goodnight

[SilentSno]

Depending on the size and cut of your state plate, i'd mount it with zip ties onto the grill. Thats what i did with mine. I had to trim probably a 1/4" off of the plate, which was mostly white border so its not noticable.

It looks decent and no holes, its been very dependable.