Front plate mount - no bumper. Inspiration pics please!

[HobieDog]

My state requires a front plate and I drive through a lot of small towns with bored police officers, so unfortunately it is something I need to have.  

 

My car has no front bumper and a turbo-look air dam.  Right now the plate is zip tied to the grill.  Looking for inspiration and ideas on a more permanent mount.  Not opposed to drilling into the air dam, but would love to see a pic if you've already done it before I decide to do it and then don't like the look. 

 

Thanks! 

[Mike Self]

No picture as my 02s have (1) their front bumpers and (2) Ohio no longer requires front plates, but...

 

How about making a U-shaped bracket where the one end of the U bolts to one of the hood support brackets behind the grille, and the the other hangs down to accept a horizontal license plate holder.  The plate would then be rigidly fastened with its top edge even with or slightly above the lower edge of the grille...

 

mike 

[2002iii]

Look up Sto N Sho license plate bracket.

[johnny02]

18 hours ago, HobieDog said:

My state requires a front plate and I drive through a lot of small towns with bored police officers, so unfortunately it is something I need to have.  

 

My car has no front bumper and a turbo-look air dam.  Right now the plate is zip tied to the grill.  Looking for inspiration and ideas on a more permanent mount.  Not opposed to drilling into the air dam, but would love to see a pic if you've already done it before I decide to do it and then don't like the look. 

 

Thanks! 

Right now mine looks exactly like that!  I need to figure something out, too. 

[ztay]

My air dam has a tow hook hole on the driver's side so I used a couple of washers to fix a bracket to that hole.  I used to have the motorized hide-a-way plate just below that same location but the air dam was too low for it - plate and bracket kept getting mangled from too many speed-bumps and potholes. 

[HobieDog]

20 hours ago, Mike Self said:

No picture as my 02s have (1) their front bumpers and (2) Ohio no longer requires front plates, but...

 

How about making a U-shaped bracket where the one end of the U bolts to one of the hood support brackets behind the grille, and the the other hangs down to accept a horizontal license plate holder.  The plate would then be rigidly fastened with its top edge even with or slightly above the lower edge of the grille...

 

mike 

Thanks for the suggestion, Mike.  I'll take a look behind the grill to see what that would take.  

16 hours ago, 2002iii said:

Look up Sto N Sho license plate bracket.

Well those are cool, I didn't know they existed.  Thanks!

1 hour ago, ztay said:

My air dam has a tow hook hole on the driver's side so I used a couple of washers to fix a bracket to that hole.  I used to have the motorized hide-a-way plate just below that same location but the air dam was too low for it - plate and bracket kept getting mangled from too many speed-bumps and potholes. 

Awesome.  That kills two birds with one stone, as my original tow hooks are all fubar'd. from years of probably pushing curbstones around in parking lots. Do you have any details on how the mount for the screw in hook is fabricated?  I'm wondering what they attached it to...maybe some square tube welded up to the front frame rail.  Any pics behind the air damn would be greatly appreciated. 

Beautiful car, btw.  

[Mike Self]

54 minutes ago, HobieDog said:

Thanks for the suggestion, Mike.  I'll take a look behind the grill to see what that would take.  

I envision a bracket similar to those made to mount driving lights (originally a factory accessory) but with an end bent downwards to accept a license plate bracket.  

   

 

 

mike

[Dave919]

If you're on Facebook look up Dohn Roush - he has a clever setup on his E9 that allows him to fold it down and slide it under the front bumper when he doesn't want it to show and then slide it out and pop-up so that it is displayed as required.   

[ztay]

3 hours ago, HobieDog said:

Thanks for the suggestion, Mike.  I'll take a look behind the grill to see what that would take.  

Well those are cool, I didn't know they existed.  Thanks!

Awesome.  That kills two birds with one stone, as my original tow hooks are all fubar'd. from years of probably pushing curbstones around in parking lots. Do you have any details on how the mount for the screw in hook is fabricated?  I'm wondering what they attached it to...maybe some square tube welded up to the front frame rail.  Any pics behind the air damn would be greatly appreciated. 

Beautiful car, btw.  

Thanks! I should have specified that I have a hole in my air dam for a tow hook if I had a place to screw one into 🥲

I looks like you have enough clearance for a sto n sho or the motorized hide-away plate which I would explore if I were you.  looked and worked great when it wasn't bottoming out! Here is a pic of it when it was still attached - you can see where I used the washer to attach the bracket through the tow hook hole in this pic too.

[visionaut]

https://licenseplatewrap.com/

[HobieDog]

4 hours ago, ztay said:

Thanks! I should have specified that I have a hole in my air dam for a tow hook if I had a place to screw one into 🥲

I looks like you have enough clearance for a sto n sho or the motorized hide-away plate which I would explore if I were you.  looked and worked great when it wasn't bottoming out! Here is a pic of it when it was still attached - you can see where I used the washer to attach the bracket through the tow hook hole in this pic too.

Ah ok!  Thanks for the pics.  Yeah, I think that may be the route I go. Appreciate it.  
 

2 hours ago, visionaut said:

https://licenseplatewrap.com/

cool!  Looks like it is a CA only thing though (I’m in NH)

[cda951]

My 2002tii came with this "dog with its tongue out" look when I bought it 11 years ago, never bothered to change it. 

 

Not pretty, but it's an option.