Installing Front License Plate Bracket

[azviber]

Well, it's off to Germany for me so now I need to install the front license plate bracket. Anyone done this on their own? I have the bracket and I see where it goes, but how do I open up the holes? Do I just punch through them? Is there something behind there to actually put bolts/screws into? Thanks for any help!

[MadBill]

I asked my dealer not to install the front plate, because stuck up high the way the factory does it, I think it looks like a Band-Aid across a broken nose. For the moment I'm running without. Since I'm not a 20 -something in a slammed Civic (20 x 3, actually), I hope to fly under the Cop radar. If that doesn't work out, I'm going to install it in the center of the lower grill, bent to the contour of the valence. (I figure up here in The Frozen North I can get away with a bit of airflow restriction) Plan B. is to go for one of those Street Rod powered retractors, that suck it up out of sight when you park and/or hit the override switch as you approach a curb...If you're determined to bolt up the standard frame, there's two tiny dimples marking the places to drill.

[Bakoguy]

I just got a new Vibe without the front license plate bracket. The dealer told me to come back with my license plates arrive and they will install the bracket. Like you, I dislike the high placement of the factory bracket. I was interested in how you finally mounted the front license plate on your Vibe.

[MadBill]

Wow, you dug deep in the archives for this thread, Bakoguy!About 6 months after I got my Vibe there was an article in the local paper about a police crackdown on missing front plates, so I wimped out and installed mine. I've posted a not-too-good pic here that should give you the general idea, but basically, I creased it just a bit to match the contour of the nose and mounted it in the centre of the lower radiator opening, with two screws into the upper lip and two into the lower. As per above post, I think it looks better in this location, and since I won't be towing a cabin cruiser through Death Valley anytime soon, I'm not concerned about the slight loss of airflow. (It might even reduce drag a bit; the NASCAR guys use tape and fine screen to choke off as much airflow to the radiator as possible without overheating, to increase speed...) PS: Check out those Monster Meats! (275/40 x 17")

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[Raven]

Boy! Peterborough is really in the Banana Belt of Ontario, up here it still looks almost like winter!

[MadBill]

It's all that white stuff blowing in off the ski hills that keeps you in perpetual winter...