I WOULD LIKE TO ADD MY SOLUTION TO MOUNTING MY LICENSE PLATE TO MY MINI.

I HAVE HAD MY PLATE MOUNTED THIS WAY FOR 6 YEARS........

I BOUGHT 4 VINYL "SUCTION CUPS" AND FORCED THE ONE END INTO THE MOUNTING HOLES ON THE PLATE. THE SUCTION END, I PLACED THE PLATE ON THE "INSIDE" LOWER CORNER, "INSIDE" MY REAR WINDOW.

I HAVE A CLEAN BOOT, NO HOLES.........................

MANY A COP PASSED ME, NEVER BEEN PULLED OVER

 

RICK PATTON

The BEST light I have found anywhere $15 autozone

Thank You in advance!

Stieve

Grumpy: I'm bettin' The Joker told you to kill me soon as we loaded the cash.
BOZO;The Joker: No no no no, I kill the bus driver.
Grumpy: Bus driver? What bus driver?

mine uses the centre bumper bolt

Thank You in advance!

Stieve

Grumpy: I'm bettin' The Joker told you to kill me soon as we loaded the cash.
BOZO;The Joker: No no no no, I kill the bus driver.
Grumpy: Bus driver? What bus driver?

I like the piano hinge idea!  Kind of like the swing down plate mount on the boot lid or like on my pickup tail gate.  In PA, the plate must be lighted at night.  I assume that is a pretty standard requirement in most states.  So the under the bumber mount would need some kind of lamp, unless the car was never driven at night.  I was stopped for having the wrong kind of plate light on my pickup.  The P.O. had a purple neon frame light.  The officer said white light only while driving, purple neon OK for shows and while parked.  I thought the purple light went well with the purple antique PA liscense plate!  Oh well... I changed out the neon for the standard plate light.

Don

Why take the time to learn when ignorance is instantaneous?..... Hobbes   (to Calvin)

Local hardware store.  I may have a pic at the office.  Made a backing plate out of 1/4 inch thick lexan type plastic.  Screwed onto hinge with 1/4-20's, mounted plate, then hung from center bumper bolt.

edit....Sorry, no picture.

 

Sail & Drive Fast! Live Slow! Billy Backstay

where do you get a piano hinge? headstay do you have a pic of your install.

thank you

I did similar but used a piano hinge, so it could swing if it hit anything.

 

Sail & Drive Fast! Live Slow! Billy Backstay

I suction cup mine to the inside of my back window.  I've never had a problem with the cops, and it looks much better than covering up my Australian plates with the US plate, or having it hanging off the body somewhere.  Plus it's easily removeable when you want that authentic look - such as at car shows.

"I drive a Mini. What are you compensating for?"

This is what I did: I bought the stainless steel front mounting plate from our host, drilled holes in it according to the boot lid, and used rubber spacers to keep it away from the boot, also allowing you to bolt the US plate to it without drilling new holes in the boot itself.

http://s250.photobucket.com/albums/gg249/Millkyl/temp/?action=view¤t=CIMG5327.jpg "One day spent working on the car is like one hour of sex"

I attach them to the english plate with mechanics wire. It my state that is not a problem. that way I dont have to drill the boot lid or the english plates.

Cheers,

 Cosimo

www.madhouseminis.com

My mini came with both sets of holes already drilled. The US plate holes were drilled a little off center too. I mounted up my plates with some chrome(ish) carriage bolts and rubber washers from lowes (so the metal was not scratching my boot) then used the same bolts and washers to 'plug' the new zealand plate holes. I used wing nuts on the inside of the boot for easy removal. That being said had the holes not already been there I would have used double sided tape. But it looks good for what it is.

 

"22's? Shee, i be creepin on 10's gangsta. Bentley? real ballas drive minis" (real life first response of my best friend seeing my mini)

Dooder took a flat steel and bent it to mount to his rear bumper holes.

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"Poor people have been voting for Democrats for the last fifty years....and they are still poor" .... Charles Barkley

http://www.flickr.com/photos/79632720@N00/

http://www.kibbi.com/RenegadesOnTheRoadImage.aspx?img=106Big.jpg

Yep, drilled holes in my plates

...double sided tape, why drill holes?  

herman

 

 

i would just drill new holes on the US plates to match your existing. if that still isnt enough then drill holes in the bootlid. no pint wasting money for something like this i say.

Napa Auto Parts sells a real cheap $5 mounting adapter plate made of plastic that can easily convert US plates to EU holes or most any other country. I've also seen people drill thru their US plates right into the exisiting holes in the car.

How about a picture? You can use a piece of flat bar, drill holes for both holes and place spacers to go between the one plate holes in the lid to flatbar, and then use  regular short screws and nuts for the shallower depth than the spacers, to mount the US plate.

Thank You in advance!

Stieve

Grumpy: I'm bettin' The Joker told you to kill me soon as we loaded the cash.
BOZO;The Joker: No no no no, I kill the bus driver.
Grumpy: Bus driver? What bus driver?

The plate mounting holes on my Japanese Mini are 9" apart, wider than the US standard 7" hole spacing.  So I just drilled a couple new holes spaced 9" apart in the US license plate and used those original mounting holes rather than drilling more holes into my Mini's boot lid. 

I have usually made my own adaptors. For the front, I use 4 'L' brackets bolted in pairs to make 2 'Z' brackets that then bolt to the plate mounts on the front valance and space the US plate out and up to just in front of the bumper. Being separate 'Z' brackets allows the tops to be angled in toward each other for the space difference (like this: / \). For the back, I would get a piece of flat aluminum bar (available at Home Depot) and cut it to just longer than the spacing of the existing holes. Then drill holes at the spacing of the existing holes as well as for the US plate. Bolt the US plate directly to the bar. Bolt the bar to the boot lid at the existing holes using some nylon spacers to hold the bar out from the boot lid enough to clear the bolts holding the US plate to the bar.

I searched for some kind of adaptor plate and had no luck. 

Seems like someone should make this. 

 Let me know what you find.