Front licence plate bracket/bezel

[drdelorean]

Alright this might have been covered well before here, but I couldn't really find what I was looking for.

So how can I mount a licence plate in the front of my car without drilling holes in my bumper/front fascia?
I know that DMCH have a front license plate bracket, however with that bracket it will look like its mounted on the bumper right? I kinda like the look of when the licence plate is mounted underneath.

Also the fact that my car is in Norway and needs to have eurosize licence plate probably does not make my hunt easier.

However I got the back euro bezel from a member here and it looks fantastic!

Sorry for the long post, but any pointer would help!

[Tillsy]

I know that DMCH have a front license plate bracket, however with that bracket it will look like its mounted on the bumper right? I kinda like the look of when the licence plate is mounted underneath.

The mount point on the DMCH bracket aligns along the bottom of the bumper. So if you attached the top of your number plate to it the plate would be hanging below the bumper, and if you attached the bottom of your number plate to it then it'd be sitting along the bumper.

I experimented with various positions as well as number plate sizes before coming up with my chosen layout - slimline hanging below the bumper.

http://dmctalk.org/attachment.php?attachmentid=22351&d=1381031721

[SS Spoiler]

I rigged up a hinged bracket so the plate swings up horizontal at speed
And drops back down when stopped. Helps airflow also....

[Delorean Industries]

Important note on DMCH plate bracket and DPI plate bracket. Both require loosing upper rock screen mounting hardware. On most cars this opens a can of worms large enough to warrant fascia removal. Is it really worth being street legal? I would take a few tickets for not having a front plate over tearing down the front of this car any day when the fasteners are in poor condition.

[DMCMW Dave]

I kinda like the look of when the licence plate is mounted underneath.

!

Depending on your climate, that can cause cooling issues at high speed. Whatever you do don't attach it directly to the screen, and if possible don't have it in front of the screen at all.

[drdelorean]

Thanks for the feedback all good information for me to keep in mind before I figure out what I do ;)

[jamesrguk]

Thanks for the feedback all good information for me to keep in mind before I figure out what I do ;)

Black sticky-back Velcro (hoon'n'loop) easy to take off for car shows, put back on, no interference with air flow and takes all of 30seconds to do, also costs the square route of diddly squat.

J

[Jonathan]

Important note on DMCH plate bracket and DPI plate bracket. Both require loosing upper rock screen mounting hardware. On most cars this opens a can of worms large enough to warrant fascia removal. Is it really worth being street legal? I would take a few tickets for not having a front plate over tearing down the front of this car any day when the fasteners are in poor condition.

This isn't my sketch, but it got posted a while back and thought it showed pretty well what Josh was getting at with the mounting hardware. It doesn't show exactly where the license plate fits in, but getting into it all might be more than you bargained for.

35804

[davidc89]

Important note on DMCH plate bracket and DPI plate bracket. Both require loosing upper rock screen mounting hardware. On most cars this opens a can of worms large enough to warrant fascia removal. Is it really worth being street legal? I would take a few tickets for not having a front plate over tearing down the front of this car any day when the fasteners are in poor condition.

+1

I was going to put on a front plate regardless, however, in Minnesota if you have collector plates it is up to the discretion of the owner if you want a front plate or not. So I'm legal :).

[Alan]

+1

I was going to put on a front plate regardless, however, in Minnesota if you have collector plates it is up to the discretion of the owner if you want a front plate or not. So I'm legal :).
Thank you. The MN DMV employee who we encountered had it wrong. He told us a vehicle newer than 1972 needed a front plate even with collector plates. Based on your post I looked up the statute and you're right. For collector plates, a front plate is always at the discretion of the owner. For a vehicle from '72 or older, a front plate is at the discretion of the owner even without collector plates. I wouldn't have double checked if I hadn't seen your post.

[JRNY13]

Important note on DMCH plate bracket and DPI plate bracket. Both require loosing upper rock screen mounting hardware. On most cars this opens a can of worms large enough to warrant fascia removal. Is it really worth being street legal? I would take a few tickets for not having a front plate over tearing down the front of this car any day when the fasteners are in poor condition.

+1 - Don't do it unless you have zero choice. In my state I'm supposed to have it too, but don't. No issues so far. While the euro plate looks better than the US, it disrupts the symmetry of the car IMO.

[sdg3205]

+1 on not doing it unless you REALLY have to. I'm 5 years into it with no front plates in a province requiring front plates. I have even been pulled over for speeding but no mention of front plates missing. At only 1000 miles driven per year I'll take the risk, plus cops are not even familiar with most peripheral laws (any other Canadians following the topless women on bikes thing in Ontario?!).

[Jonathan]

...(any other Canadians following the topless women on bikes thing in Ontario?!).

I was thinking of planning my afternoon around it now that you mention it... lol.

[hmcelraft]

For 10 years in Texas (Houston), I drove my DeLorean every day all over Texas and Oklahoma, etc. racking up over 90,000 miles. No front plate - although one was required. I never got so much as a mention of no front plate from any law enforcement authority. In 1991 I buy a new car to finally retire the DeLorean from everyday driving - A Taurus SHO. After a few days I go to the dealer to have the new plates put on and they don't have the bracket to install the front plate so I'm told to come back in a few days. I start a drive to Austin and boom - I get stopped and issued a warning for no front plate. 500 miles on the car.............Point - when you drive a DeLorean no one pays attention to the front plate. The only reason I have one in Jersey is I can't pass inspection without it.

[aotmfilms]

Black sticky-back Velcro (hoon'n'loop) easy to take off for car shows, put back on, no interference with air flow and takes all of 30seconds to do, also costs the square route of diddly squat.

J

I haven't thought of THAT! Cool Beans :notworthy: I'll try it!

[DMC5180]

Black sticky-back Velcro (hoon'n'loop) easy to take off for car shows, put back on, no interference with air flow and takes all of 30seconds to do, also costs the square route of diddly squat.

J

I do this with my daily driver except I use
3M dual lock tape ( fancy Velcro ). The license plate bracket screws up the aero dynamics of the plastic bumper cover, so I form fit the plate to the contours. I've only had the plate come off once when I took it through a car wash that had the traveling arm that goes around the car. The bar snagged it when it passed across the front.

[mluder]

(any other Canadians following the topless women on bikes thing in Ontario?!).

I was not but now I have a reason to visit...:jawdrop:

Cheers
Steven

[refugeefromcalif]

(any other Canadians following the topless women on bikes thing in Ontario?!).

I've only been following topless women in the states. (Thanks for new Google keywords)... :histerical1:

George

[Mario]

On my car (Gen 1 Honda Insight, not a DeLorean), I don't have a front plate in a state that requires it (California). In about three years of owning it, I've never had any issues. The previous owner did not have front plates and he never had any issues.

I think it depends largely on where you live, but I see a fair number of cars with no front plate around here and nobody seems to have any issue. It's just not a big deal to the police around here as long as you have your rear plate and you're not doing anything else illegal.
I imagine the situation is even better with a DeLorean. You can get away with a lot more with a D unless you meet an officer that's just a real grouch. Try going without a front plate, the worst you'll probably get is a fix-it-ticket (though those can be a mild annoyance).

I know this info doesn't help OP because they're not in the states, but maybe it's useful to somebody else on the fence about a front plate.

[Jonathan]

My car had the front plate bracket since the day it came to me via St. Louis. It's required in Ontario and I never thought it looked bad with it on. When you live in a province/state that has always required one, you don't look at as many cars and wish/want to see it without. That's my take on it anyway.

Here's how mine looks. It goes up and is in front of the bumper and not so much the rockscreen so doesn't block any air flow from what I've seen.

35809

Now back to watching the headlights...

[David T]

Just because you may have been driving around for years and never been stopped cannot be a reason to not comply with the law. At least, if you are not going to put the plate on the bumper, leave it on the dash so you can say you tried to comply but the car doesn't have a bracket for it to be on the bumper.

[sdg3205]

Just because you may have been driving around for years and never been stopped cannot be a reason to not comply with the law. At least, if you are not going to put the plate on the bumper, leave it on the dash so you can say you tried to comply but the car doesn't have a bracket for it to be on the bumper.

Without getting into a political debate, just because something is law doesn't necessarily mean it's a good law or should be a law. I think we can all agree on that. I'm not drilling into my OEM fascia or taking the rock screen off just so the cops can ID me in backwards car chase.

The dash isn't a safe place. If you were to be rear ended that becomes a flying knife.

If your paranoid, scuff it up and throw it in your trunk. Say it fell off in the car wash and you've been meaning to get it reinstalled.

[Morpheus]

Has any DeLorean owner ever been pulled over or ticketed for not having a front tag?

I've been pulled over just so the cop can check out the car, and i'm sure others here have as well.

[Mario]

Just because you may have been driving around for years and never been stopped cannot be a reason to not comply with the law.

Yes, this is true. It is a ticket-able offense to not have a front plate in many states, and if you don't, you are breaking the law and take on the risk of getting that ticket.
However, the reality of the situation is that this particular law is sometimes not heavily enforced. It also doesn't endanger anybody to remove the front plate, and it doesn't compromise the safety of the car.
If you're able to get away with it in your area, I say why not. If one is morally opposed to the idea, then that's fine as well. It really doesn't harm anybody either way.


At least, if you are not going to put the plate on the bumper, leave it on the dash so you can say you tried to comply but the car doesn't have a bracket for it to be on the bumper.

Not sure about other states, but in California at least, having the plate in the window is not legal either. They can still cite you for no front plate.

[DMCMW Dave]

Illinois checking in - I've driven several cars, including my DMC, with no front plate for years including a traffic stop or two :nono:. The only time I've been cited was parked at O'Hare airport, with the front of the car up against a concrete wall so it's pretty apparent someone had an assignment to look for such a violation.

[David T]

Illinois checking in - I've driven several cars, including my DMC, with no front plate for years including a traffic stop or two :nono:. The only time I've been cited was parked at O'Hare airport, with the front of the car up against a concrete wall so it's pretty apparent someone had an assignment to look for such a violation.

In New Jersey the police have become revenue collectors, writing tickets in the name of safety when it is all just a way to suck more money out of the citizens. Between a burnt out light, no front plate, using a cell phone, the seat belt law and child seats have become so complicated it is changed on an almost monthly schedule. A cop once said he could find a citeable offense on any car given enough time. Now if you can't produce (1) your license, (2) your registration, and (3) your insurance card, even if you have everything in order and can produce it later, it costs $110 EACH! So if you left your wallet home to get a 6 pack and cracked a cold one open on the way home it can cost you hundreds of $$$$. I am not saying such laws are bad, I just think the way the fines are assessed and that they are so high is outrageous. Now they are talking about writing tickets if you smoke in your car! I don't smoke but it is becoming more and more obvious what the real intent is. Never mind what they do to speeders. Now if you violate a law you can be cited for endangering a child if one is in your car. They just pile them on once they pull you over for ANYTHING! That is why I say put the plate on so maybe they won't be able to find anything easily and pick on the next car. Not having that front plate on allows them to check on all of your paperwork and look for anything else they can cite you for. We have all seen on the news where they pull someone over for a minor violation and the driver ends up arrested or dead. Also here in NJ the State has given money to the towns to install license plate readers on some of their cars. They automatically read the plate of every car that passes by and if it sees a car with a violation a ticket pops out and the cop MUST stop the car and issue it. Why, you ask? Because the State gets a big piece of that ticket! Out-of-date inspection stickers, expired registration, open warrants, etc.

[Bitsyncmaster]

I was at my son in laws police academy graduation and overheard some other cops talking sitting near me. They were talking about pulling people over for not having a front plate displayed and how often and how some owners have been pulled over 3 or 4 times.

Now I think a DeLorean would distract the officer from even seeing there is no front plate but it all depends on each officer and his mood for the day.

Dark window tint is another excuse to be pulled over.