How to install new rear license plate?

[Timothy Guest]

This new Delorean owner needs the step-by-step process for changing the rear license plate. PLease advise.

[Bitsyncmaster]

You pull the 4 flat head screws from the plate surround and it and the plate will come off. There are two clips held by two screws on the back side that hold the plate to the surround.

[Timothy Guest]

Thanks Dave M.

[DMCMW Dave]

You'll probably find that the plate doesn't want to stay in position since the tiny clips that hold it in place to the frame are broken/missing/frozen. Often the screws on the small clips are frozen. A cheap trick is to put some self-stick foam insulation tape on the back of the license plate so that friction between the foam and the fascia hold it in place.

[Bitsyncmaster]

You'll probably find that the plate doesn't want to stay in position since the tiny clips that hold it in place to the frame are broken/missing/frozen. Often the screws on the small clips are frozen. A cheap trick is to put some self-stick foam insulation tape on the back of the license plate so that friction between the foam and the fascia hold it in place.

Here is what I did but I was able to remove the clip screws. Note that aluminum frame is not stock.

[Rich]

You'll probably find that the plate doesn't want to stay in position since the tiny clips that hold it in place to the frame are broken/missing/frozen. Often the screws on the small clips are frozen. A cheap trick is to put some self-stick foam insulation tape on the back of the license plate so that friction between the foam and the fascia hold it in place.

Owners can go more or less "factory" on this, too.

Yes, the original black nylon clips weren't the best when new and lots of them went missing over the years as well.

Fortunately, those clips are one more thing DMC has updated as a repro part.

The copy below is from their listing for the updated 2023 clips.
Don't forget to buy 3 of the proper clip screws if yours are missing or damaged, too. (Not to be confused with the 4 Phillips head screws that hold the license plate bezel to the rear fascia.)

UPDATED FOR 2023!
This license plate retaining clip is the little plastic clip that helps hold the license plate in place on the license plate bezel of a DeLorean.
The DeLorean license plate bezel has threaded inserts for three of these clips, but for years most people have only used the ones on the left and right (and futzing with the plate dropping down) as the bottom clip is really too big to be of use there.

NOT ANY MORE! We had these reproduced, using better material (and certainly not brittle acrylic) with injection molded tooling and a re-design to allow all three mounting points to be easily and painlessly used in your factory or reproduction license plate bezel.

[82DMC12]

Chris Miles sells a really license plate retaining tab kit, not sure how it compares to the DMCH stuff but I bought Chris's and couldn't be happier.