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After Chris posted about his run-in with the po-po about his front plate, I thought I would post a few pics of how I have my front plate mounted, without drilling holes in the car. I've got a few pics, but will explain the best I can. (This is on my LT, not sure the best way to go about it on the SS)
Items needed: OEM front plate mount, Automotive grade door weatherstripping, zip ties, and a drill with a drill bit large enough to make a hole that the large end of zip tie will fit through.
First thing I did, is drill 4 holes in the plate mount, 2 on each side, above and below the support that centers the mount on the car-
(sorry for the blurry pic, didn't notice it happen on this one)
Then I flipped it over, and put the weatherstripping on. the most important part is what was originally the top of the mount, which will actually be the bottom when mounted up on the car- I put one piece right along the edge, then another for good measure just above it. The second piece will need to be a little loose, not pulled tight, as you have to leave some room for it to stretch around the bumper. I found that it helped to stack short piece of the weatherstripping under this one, giving it some support. I did also put a short peice of weatherstripping on what will now be the top, but it's not nearly as critical, the top does not contact any of the painted surfaces, and I'm not even sure if it will contact the center post of the lower grille, but it never hurts to be cautious.
You can hold the plate mount up to the front of the car now, placing it at the upper part of the lower grille opening, the molded piece of the mount that centers the car will fit over the center post in the lower grille. - check for any place that might have plastic on paint or plastic on plastic that you arent comfortable with, move or use more weatherstripping as needed-- you can see from the below shot that what used to be the top of the plate mount will sit nicely on the car now, with the weatherstripping protecting the paint-
Set the plate mount off to the side for a minute while you prep the zip ties.
I used 3 zip ties per side, together like this-
Then, I put them in the lower grille, like this- (Somehow I didn't get them in the shot, but note that the receiving end of the zip tie chain is at the top, this is important.)
The tightening of the zip ties is the tricky part, I'll try and explain the best I can, but you almost have to see it to understand-The first step is to feed the two ends of the zip tie through the holes drilled into the plate cover. You'll then need to shorten the top zip tie, and then the second one, which is now behind the mount. Then the last one, which is the one you can see (Isn't that just clear as mud? LOL) --any way, what you want to end up with is the receiving end of the zip tie that is on the front side of the plate mount right at the hole opening, so that you can take a screw driver (or similar) and push it back into the hole, so that the plate can sit flat when it gets screwed in-
Then, you can put your plate on!
....yes I know... I hate to put a plate on the front of this beautiful car, but I have no choice. I can guarantee tickets if I don't... probably multiples. :/
oh and yeah, having really really long zip ties would probably be easier, but I used what I had available!
Items needed: OEM front plate mount, Automotive grade door weatherstripping, zip ties, and a drill with a drill bit large enough to make a hole that the large end of zip tie will fit through.
First thing I did, is drill 4 holes in the plate mount, 2 on each side, above and below the support that centers the mount on the car-
(sorry for the blurry pic, didn't notice it happen on this one)
Then I flipped it over, and put the weatherstripping on. the most important part is what was originally the top of the mount, which will actually be the bottom when mounted up on the car- I put one piece right along the edge, then another for good measure just above it. The second piece will need to be a little loose, not pulled tight, as you have to leave some room for it to stretch around the bumper. I found that it helped to stack short piece of the weatherstripping under this one, giving it some support. I did also put a short peice of weatherstripping on what will now be the top, but it's not nearly as critical, the top does not contact any of the painted surfaces, and I'm not even sure if it will contact the center post of the lower grille, but it never hurts to be cautious.
You can hold the plate mount up to the front of the car now, placing it at the upper part of the lower grille opening, the molded piece of the mount that centers the car will fit over the center post in the lower grille. - check for any place that might have plastic on paint or plastic on plastic that you arent comfortable with, move or use more weatherstripping as needed-- you can see from the below shot that what used to be the top of the plate mount will sit nicely on the car now, with the weatherstripping protecting the paint-
Set the plate mount off to the side for a minute while you prep the zip ties.
I used 3 zip ties per side, together like this-
Then, I put them in the lower grille, like this- (Somehow I didn't get them in the shot, but note that the receiving end of the zip tie chain is at the top, this is important.)
The tightening of the zip ties is the tricky part, I'll try and explain the best I can, but you almost have to see it to understand-The first step is to feed the two ends of the zip tie through the holes drilled into the plate cover. You'll then need to shorten the top zip tie, and then the second one, which is now behind the mount. Then the last one, which is the one you can see (Isn't that just clear as mud? LOL) --any way, what you want to end up with is the receiving end of the zip tie that is on the front side of the plate mount right at the hole opening, so that you can take a screw driver (or similar) and push it back into the hole, so that the plate can sit flat when it gets screwed in-
Then, you can put your plate on!
....yes I know... I hate to put a plate on the front of this beautiful car, but I have no choice. I can guarantee tickets if I don't... probably multiples. :/
oh and yeah, having really really long zip ties would probably be easier, but I used what I had available!
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