Front license plate options?

[brianman]

BrianMan's cheap and quick, no-drill front license plate

Parts required:

• License plate (Government-provided)
• Front license plate holder (Tesla-provided)
• 2x small strips of masking tape (0.5" x 0.5" is plenty)
• 2x Cable Ties, 8.0"
• License plate screws x4 (Tesla-provided)

Tools required:

• Torx bit (to match Tesla screws)
• Drill, dremel, knife, or screwdriver

Installation process:
1. Make oval shaped holes vertically oriented into the license plate holder that are large enough for zip ties to easily pass through. A pair about a half inch above the left and right large holes that the holder came with. You'll want each pair about a half inch separated. [I used a drill but a dremel, knife, or screwdriver would work.]

2. Bend the "entry" end of two cable ties 1" or 1.5" from the end to make a V or L shape. L is good enough, but V is easier later.

3. With your left hand, position the license plate holder where you want it vertically. With your right hand, use your license plate to help position the holder horizontally relative to the T(esla) logo. Transition both to your left hand and lean back, left, and right to verify you like the positioning.

4. Remove the license plate, attempt to wiggle the holder to verify it's at a stable location. Return to step 3 if necessary.

5. Mark the horizontal location of your holes from step 1 with masking tape on the cone.

6. Push the cable tie through the right-most hole of the right-side pair of holes from step 1. Reinforce the bend from step 2. Push the cable tie end through a honeycomb hole on the right side of the last full row and horizontally aligned with the right edge of your masking tape. Maneuver the cable tie end through the neighboring honeycomb hole to its left.

7. Push cable tie end back through the neighboring hole of the right pair and then through the clasp. Note that you want to stop at the first notch in the clasp so that (a) it's a reasonably firm hold (won't come loose) but (b) doesn't restrict movement too much for the next tie.

8. Do steps 6 and 7 with the left cable tie, wobble the holder to the position you like, and tighten the straps.

9. Clip the excess cable tie ends.

10. Remove the tape, screw in your license plate.

Notes:

1. Props to the Ford Thunderbird forum members that inspired this approach.
2. Yes, my car needs a wash and my garage is a mess.

 

[brianman]

I made a separate topic for what I did for my vehicle.
BrianMan's cheap and quick, no-drill front license plate

 

[Doug_G]

I was thinking about doing something very similar. Since there is no cable tie at the bottom, does the plate holder flop around vertically, or is something keeping it in check?

Also, do the cable ties sticking through the front of the plate holder prevent the plate from sitting flush against the plate holder?

 

[brianman]

Since there is no cable tie at the bottom, does the plate holder flop around vertically, or is something keeping it in check?

It can but there's a spring tension that pulls it downward such that it doesn't flop. I considered (and will continue to consider) adding an additional tie or two at the bottom but this far it doesn't seem needed. I went on a 118mi jaunt to see how she likes .31 tonite at speed limits ranging from 25mph to 70mph. Afterwards the plate seems unchanged (tension and position) from when I left the house, and no wobbles observed while driving either.

Also, do the cable ties sticking through the front of the plate holder prevent the plate from sitting flush against the plate holder?

The way I did them (clasps between plate and holder), the plates are not flush with the holder at the top. Again, the idea was quick and dirty. It could of course be improved by moving the clasps to the side of the loops and behind the holder, and I may make that change at some point.

 

[mknox]

I was thinking about doing something very similar.

Awww... I was looking forward to the high tech magnet solution :smile:

 

[Doug_G]

Awww... I was looking forward to the high tech magnet solution :smile:

I did some experiments on that front, and wasn't satisfied with the results. Even with rare earth magnets behind the nosecone and on the plate holder, I wasn't comfortable with the amount of "grip".

 

[rick325]

I did some experiments on that front, and wasn't satisfied with the results. Even with rare earth magnets behind the nosecone and on the plate holder, I wasn't comfortable with the amount of "grip".

use more magnets?

 

[Babylonfive]

I did some experiments on that front, and wasn't satisfied with the results. Even with rare earth magnets behind the nosecone and on the plate holder, I wasn't comfortable with the amount of "grip".

Doug, try a disassembled disk drive and pull THOSE magnets out. You know... the 'will pinch your fingers bad' kind? It looks interesting...

p.s. i also LOVE the printed squeegeed label idea - can't decide how I'd handle a cop or judge if ever challenged/ticketed/arrested/shot.

 

[sublimaze1]

Doug, try a disassembled disk drive and pull THOSE magnets out. You know... the 'will pinch your fingers bad' kind? It looks interesting...

p.s. i also LOVE the printed squeegeed label idea - can't decide how I'd handle a cop or judge if ever challenged/ticketed/arrested/shot.

Shot.

We are in Texas.

It will be shot.

- not sure how I feel about the Magnets. Gotta ponder that a bit.

 

[Babylonfive]

... not sure how I feel about the Magnets. Gotta ponder that a bit.

It would be fun to try, but not sure myself. Since that kind of force goes as the inverse-cube of the distance, almost any strength is lost at a very small gap.

Also, I'd want the mags coated in something softish to keep from marring the cone (under vibration), and that will just make the gap larger.

Still it would be fun to try IF I HAD A BLOODY CAR... <sigh>

 

[Doug_G]

I have lots of magnets, and they're the "dangerous to your fingers" kind. I think there would be enough pull if I used five sets, but you would still be able to pull off the plateholder, I think. I also think it would wiggle around a bit, and that would probably scratch the nose cone. Even if I put something soft on the back road grit would get in there and scratch, I think. So I'm still considering my options.

 

[Babylonfive]

I have lots of magnets, and they're the "dangerous to your fingers" kind. I think there would be enough pull if I used five sets, but you would still be able to pull off the plateholder, I think. I also think it would wiggle around a bit, and that would probably scratch the nose cone. Even if I put something soft on the back road grit would get in there and scratch, I think. So I'm still considering my options.

That all sounds right to me.

 

[brianman]

Still it would be fun to try IF I HAD A BLOODY CAR... <sigh>

I definitely don't want a bloody car. And I bet you'd get pulled over a lot, regardless of a missing front plate.

 

[dsm363]

I wish Tesla would just address this. They have their own plastic injection device so could make it in house.

 

[Tommy]

Throwing a mounting idea out to the group to use/refine:

First, some of my own personal mounting perimeters:

1. Must look stock; to the naked eye the plate holder has been factory mounted in the designated factory position.

2. Must be firmly mounted with no drilling holes in the bumper.

3. Must be easy to mount/unmount. 5 minutes max.

4. No interfere with cooling.

Experimenting with mounting ideas, I took the common toilet to flange bolt and filed it down to just fit between the honeycomb openings. I used the larger diameter 5/16" bolt as I found the bolt itself just cleared the opening and made for a nice snug fit with no up/down slop.

I secured the bolt to the honeycomb structure by rotating the bolt 90 degrees which allowed the "ears" on the bolt to overlap the plastic; it seems very secure just finger tight, though I would use a locking nut to keep the bolt from rotating. Believe it or not, the bolts hit the lower corners of the mounting frame nearly perfect. The honeycomb openings are staggered so with a bit of trial and error (2 attempts) I found the right slot openings to mount the bolts to the plate holder.

The length of the bolt is 2 1/4" which is about a 1/4" short of meeting up with the bottom portion of the plastic license plate holder. A longer bolt would permit a sleeve to be placed over the bolt that would backstop the license place holder and allow for a threaded flat nut to secure the front. Lots of different ways to capture and secure the frame to this setup. Leaving it to the group's collective ideas to come up with a "best".

This is on the GP nose cone and probably would work best for those wanting a "permanent" mount that doesn't drill into the nose cone.

Bolts mounted on the honeycomb; bottom of plate holder would attach to these bolts.

Before/After filing toilet flange bolt. The smaller diameter bolt I didn't use as there is up/down slop between the honeycomb structure.

 

[dsm363]

Throwing a mounting idea out to the group to use/refine:

First, some of my own personal mounting perimeters:

1. Must look stock; to the naked eye the plate holder has been factory mounted in the designated factory position.

2. Must be firmly mounted with no drilling holes in the bumper.

3. Must be easy to mount/unmount. 5 minutes max.

4. No interfere with cooling.

Experimenting with mounting ideas, I took the common toilet to flange bolt and filed it down to just fit between the honeycomb openings. I used the larger diameter 5/16" bolt as I found the bolt itself just cleared the opening and made for a nice snug fit with no up/down slop.

I secured the bolt to the honeycomb structure by rotating the bolt 90 degrees which allowed the "ears" on the bolt to overlap the plastic; it seems very secure just finger tight, though I would use a locking nut to keep the bolt from rotating. Believe it or not, the bolts hit the lower corners of the mounting frame nearly perfect. The honeycomb openings are staggered so with a bit of trial and error (2 attempts) I found the right slot openings to mount the bolts to the plate holder.

The length of the bolt is 2 1/4" which is about a 1/4" short of meeting up with the bottom portion of the plastic license plate holder. A longer bolt would permit a sleeve to be placed over the bolt that would backstop the license place holder and allow for a threaded flat nut to secure the front. Lots of different ways to capture and secure the frame to this setup. Leaving it to the group's collective ideas to come up with a "best".

This is on the GP nose cone and probably would work best for those wanting a "permanent" mount that doesn't drill into the nose cone.

Bolts mounted on the honeycomb; bottom of plate holder would attach to these bolts.

Before/After filing toilet flange bolt. The smaller diameter bolt I didn't use as there is up/down slop between the honeycomb structure.

Very clever! Nice work. Did you hammer the head of those bolts flat? If you have more pictures of how you installed it and the final product, that would be great too. Thanks.

 

[Tommy]

Very clever! Nice work. Did you hammer the head of those bolts flat? If you have more pictures of how you installed it and the final product, that would be great too. Thanks.

The bolt heads come flat, so no hammering needed, they can be picked up at any of the big box stores or a plumbing house. Once filed, the remaining head fits the honeycomb opening very tight; turning the bolt just a degree will prevent the bolt head from dislodging itself from behind the plastic.

No final product or pictures just yet. This was more of a proof of concept experiment, could these bolts be used as a means to fasten to the honeycomb. IMO yes. I wanted to share my idea in case someone else was looking for a fastening method. As a "permanent" mounted solution, the length of the bolts should not be an issue as the plate will be affixed to the car and no one the wiser.

However, I am trying to work out a quick mount/unmount system and the length of the bolts will need to be shortened so they appear as "stubs" when the plate is not mounted. Conceptually, I have an idea that might work for a quck mount/unmount solution which now that I know the mounting problem is solved I can proceed with. Will keep you posted and share with you my ideas.

 

[dsm363]

However, I am trying to work out a quick mount/unmount system and the length of the bolts will need to be shortened so they appear as "stubs" when the plate is not mounted. Conceptually, I have an idea that might work for a quck mount/unmount solution which now that I know the mounting problem is solved I can proceed with. Will keep you posted and share with you my ideas.

Thanks. A good opportunity to manufacture a kit for sale too for you or someone I think.

 

[Brian H]

. Not "legal" I'm sure but it fools uncle leo. It has not come of even going triple digits.

RU quite sure you wanted to advertise your plate publicly then?

 

[Doug_G]

View attachment 14293

Okay, I took your idea and ran with it! I bought a set of those toilet screws and milled down the ends (as you say a file would have done the job). I bolted them to my grille.

Next I fabricated a little bracket and attached it to the back of the license plate holder.

I was originally going to bend the aluminum stock to provide some offset for the mounting bolts on the car, but it was too thick and broke. So I made a two-tier bracket. One piece stabilizes the plate holder , the other holds it to the car mount.

Here is the finished assembly attached to the car.

And here is the final result:

Pros - No need for holes in the nose cone! better cosmetic positioning on the car. Removable with no cosmetic damage.

Cons - Might slightly obstruct radiator air flow (I doubt this will be a major issue - air can easily flow around it). Is a bit hard to attach the nuts when bolting to the car. The plate doesn't quite sit flat and you can see the screws behind it. Also I think I should have mounted it a little bit higher because I can see the mounting studs. These cosmetic things are not noticeable viewing from the front, but you can see it when you view it from above.

I will probably make some changes to refine the mounting, but I think I'll leave that for the spring. It's good enough for now!