Honda ?? -- Attach License Plate

can you get your hand behind the bumper?

 

Road & engine vibration would turn unsecured sheet metal screws into miniature buzz saws in the naked plastic and they'd lose their grip within a few thousand miles, so some sort of metal nutplate is necessary. Ask an autoshop if they've got a Riv-nut setter that can set Riv-nuts about that size into the holes. Shouldn't cost more than $100 to get done. Otherwise you'd have to take the bumper off to put the original nutplate back and that'd cost more.

That's what I'd do, but Honda gurus may have better ideas ---

 

Uh-oh!

I'd try to remove the front bumper cover and see if a behind-the-plastic
piece just slipped out of place. (I'm almost positive a google search will
turn up video on doing this.)

If there is no behind-the-plastic piece back there, that might mean the
bumper cover, etc, was removed for repair of accident damages,
hopefully a minor fender bender.

Are there any other evidence or subtle indications/suggestions of an
earlier accident? I'm hoping not.

As to just mounting the license plate directly or a license plate carrier
to the plastic bumper cover, nice thick shafted pan head or oval headed
self-tapping stainless steel sheet metal screws should do just fine --
#8 or #10 should do.

Drill holes just smaller than the shaft of the screw ~1/2 inch above or
below the existing holes. Tighten the screws only with a good ol' hand
screw driver to prevent stripping out the new threads in the plastic.

I'll bet they'll do satisfactory service for a very, very long time.

Total cost could run as high as $3 as you'll probably have to by a package
of six screws at Home Despot, etc.

 

Hi Kristi,

This might be the answer:
Honda Civic Replacement License Plate Bracket - 1988-2000 Honda Civic - Replacement 1180

 

Go to Home Depot and get some anchors like they use for drywall. Put them in and then attach the license plate. The anchors will flare in the styrofoam and should hold the bolts securely. They make some that will flare out quite wide so even it the bolts were to vibrate loose over time, they would have to back all the way out before the plate fell off.

 

Maybe you can just tuck the front plate in between the dash and windshield, far over on the passenger side? At least until you get the proper hardware from Honda.

 

Temporarily display the plate inside the front windshield? That seems to work here in southern california

 

you could put long screws all the way thru the styrofoam with nuts and large fender washers to keep it from pulling out through the styro.

 

[sigh] I guess I'm a scofflaw, but I'd just leave the plate off and get a couple of plugs from BumperPlugs that match the car.

 

i had my miata for a couple years when mass reinstated the two plate rule. i hated how it spoiled the beautiful front end and kept it in the trunk for 7 or 8 years except when i had to get a sticker.

 

use the dry wall molly.......best way in older car. !!!

 

And get a plastic expanding one with #12 phillips panhead screw to hold on the plate...

 

I recommend that Kristi ask her friends to fabricate a reinforcing metal bracket for her niece's vehicle's front bumper. That bracket should be placed behind the plastic bumper. It could be made of aluminum stock, which is easy to drill and bend as needed.

Hence a sandwich will result: license plate, plastic bumper, and bracket. Use machine screws and nuts to secure the sandwich together.

Otherwise, the first time her niece uses the Braille method for parallel parking (or the car parked in front does the same), the front license plate will fall off and be lost.

 

+10000000

Zipties FTW.

 

Don't use aluminum.....it will fall apart when exposed to road salt.

 

In CA most of the front license plate brackets are added by dealer personnel. Their fastener of choice: sheet metal screws. I wouldn't give it a second thought.