License Plate Bracket

[Tractor Dan]

Well after the power dryers at the carwash ripped my mounting bracket off the day before my great grandmas funeral back in February i have been running with the plate in the front window. Thankfully i ain't got nailed by cops because here in the great state of Ohio they will nail you to the tree if you don't have it on the front bumper. So what i'm trying to figure out is how to make a bracket for this. I know i could buy something but i go to vocational school and it gives me and a few friends something to do during class and lets me practice my welding skills. I plan on using 1inch square tubing which i already have 4 feet of. The problem we ran into the first go round was correcting the downward slope of the front bumper. Even if i made a bracket the plate would have still faced the ground. So anyone got ideas on how to do it? I'm thinking if i put a wedge or something behind the square tubing that will kick it out at the bottom similar to the stock plate brackets. I removed the plastic valance under the bumpre since i have it on 31's and i thought it looked stupid. So i'm open to any ideas as long as i can make it with the tubing i already have.

Dan

 

[dogboy]

crap, it didn;t put up my reply.... I typed the day after you posted this...


Anyway, if you take your square stock, and cut off two 1-2" pieces, that will be all you need.
Take one of those pieces, and cut a slot in the top, long ways (from the open end, to open end). if you widen the slot by cutting it bigger, you will be able to fold the square stock into a triangle, if you make it wide enough (basically making a "U". You do not want to go this far though. Just cut enough out, so that when you fold it together, the new piece is not a square, but not a triangle (sorry, I don't know the name for that, but 3 equal sides, with 1 side shorter), these angles, if done right, should allow you to put the piece between the bumper, and the plate, so that the plate is vertical. Do this with the second piece, so that you have 2 identical pieces.

You should already have 2 holes in the bumper, that probably line up with your plate. All you need to do is drill a hole through the 2 pieces you just made, and slide a bolt through the plate, then the bracket, then through the bumper, with a nut on the back.


I hope that helps. PM me if any of it doesn't make sense.

 

[Tractor Dan]

All of that makes sense for the most part. Basically what once you make the cut end to end just put the peice in a vice to press it untill it folds in on it's self making something that is between a triangle and square but closer to a triangle? lol. I'm honestly wondering if i could slide a piece of PVC tubing like 1/4 or 1/2 inch diameter behind a peice of regular square stock to act as a spacer that would then correct that downward angle? I think i might try that with some scrap PVC i have in the garage. Fabrication isn't exactly my strong suite, well not on a tight budget anyhow. lol.

Dan

 

[dogboy]

Yeah you understand what I was describing, pretty much.

I think I get what you're saying about the PVC. My only issue would be how durable it is. It would be plenty to hold a plate, I would think, I just think the method I mentioned would look more professional. That is, if professional is the look your after.