front license plate alternative?

[Darth_Emma]

I got a no drill bracket from ebay. Even I will be able to intall it without any trouble. It uses 2 existing bolts under the bumper plus a paddes piece attaches through the grill. No damage to the car. I'd rather not use a front plate, but I think I'll put it on to be legal.

Here is the one I bought:
http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/Chevr...Q5fAccessories

That one is for the SS without GFX, but he also sells them for other Camaro models including those with GFX.

[G.E.]

zip ties... i just used the bracket that came with the car... zip tied to to the front through the lower grille/mesh.

[yubman]

Don't know if it'll work on the Camaro, but this looks interesting:

http://www.skenedesign.com/FPBracket/Gallery.shtml

[drtwo]

Originally Posted by G.E.

zip ties... i just used the bracket that came with the car... zip tied to to the front through the lower grille/mesh.

I'd love to see this as I think it's ridiculous spending $100 to hold the license plate on.

[The Don]

Thought I would ignore the TX law and not deface the front of my beautiful ride, pulled over three times before I installed. The police were more interested in the car than giving me a ticket.

[tropick]

cheap and easy
http://www.camaro5.com/forums/showthread.php?t=73549

[Ctrain24]

Any more pics?

[abaucom21]

Thanks for the picture and web link. Very interested but have a few questions. Is there a difference on how this mounts on a 2011 2LT vs a 2010-11 SS? Reason: I have a 2LT (without RS) on order here in Ottawa. Second question, can I attach the standard GM front mounting plate surround (black plastic) to this bracket. Reason, Ottawa winters require I use a car wash and the rotating brushes tend to catch on any license plate without a 'frame', thus bending the license plate. Last and stupid question, can I attach this bracket without removing any existing parts? Can this be easy installed?
My Ottawa Camaro dealer reads Camaro5 forums and I would think both the dealer, and their customers, would be interested in a front plate mounting system that does not require drilling into the bumper. VERY surprised GM has not already considered this where the Camaro is sold requiring front plates.
If I had one wish for this front plate bracket, please paint it flat or matt black to better blend in with the black grill it is attached to.

[Inspector 17]

Originally Posted by Ctrain24

Any more pics?

I have a ton of pics of it installed and can take any others you would like. PM me with what you would like to see and I can post them back in here.

Originally Posted by abaucom21

Thanks for the picture and web link. Very interested but have a few questions. Is there a difference on how this mounts on a 2011 2LT vs a 2010-11 SS? Reason: I have a 2LT (without RS) on order here in Ottawa. Second question, can I attach the standard GM front mounting plate surround (black plastic) to this bracket. Reason, Ottawa winters require I use a car wash and the rotating brushes tend to catch on any license plate without a 'frame', thus bending the license plate. Last and stupid question, can I attach this bracket without removing any existing parts? Can this be easy installed?
My Ottawa Camaro dealer reads Camaro5 forums and I would think both the dealer, and their customers, would be interested in a front plate mounting system that does not require drilling into the bumper. VERY surprised GM has not already considered this where the Camaro is sold requiring front plates.
If I had one wish for this front plate bracket, please paint it flat or matt black to better blend in with the black grill it is attached to.

Let me see if I can answer all your questions:

Q: Is there a difference on how this mounts on a 2011 2LT vs a 2010-11 SS?
A: Yes, well kind of. The lower grille on the V6 models is different and slightly smaller. The existing bracket could be made to work, but it wouldn't be as clean of a fit as it is on the V8 models. Doug was looking into a V6 version, but I don't know where that currently stands.

Q: Second question, can I attach the standard GM front mounting plate surround (black plastic) to this bracket.
A: Good question. I don't think that there is anything that would prevent you from doing that. You would just have to drill some holes in the standard GM provided plastic bracket. However, I think it would stick out even further than this bracket does and possibly could tear off the plastic bracket. I think a better solution might be to add a support piece across the top of the bracket and plate to add a little bit of rigidity to the plate. I can't comment on if the plate would bend because I only take my car through brushless automatic car washes.

Q: Last and stupid question, can I attach this bracket without removing any existing parts? Can this be easy installed?
A: There are no stupid questions. Yes this can be installed without removing any existing parts. I installed it (and I am not extremely mechanically inclined) without removing any pieces of the car. I basically fed the back of the braket through the lower grille and installed it that way. It requires some manuvering and if I had to do it again I would have put some JB Weld (or similar substance) on the nuts to hold them onto the plate. It would just make it a little easier to attach that way. If you would like more details, feel free to PM me.

Q: If I had one wish for this front plate bracket, please paint it flat or matt black to better blend in with the black grill it is attached to
A: This wasn't really a question, but I thought I would chime in anyway. I believe another member on here bought one and had it powder coated. Not sure if they posted pics or not. The point is that it can be easier powder coated to blend in. Frankly, when it is installed and the plate is on, you can't really see the metal of the bracket unless you are really looking for it.

I hope this helps.

[Inspector 17]

Originally Posted by Ctrain24

Any more pics?

Ctrain24, here are a few shots. Let me know what else you would like to see. A few of these shots were taken with the prototype bracket so the welds weren't clean. The one I have on the car now it perfect (I just don't have those pictures on my laptop).

[Ctrain24]

Pete those pics are perfect. Thanks for posting them.

[sting808]

I had mine powder coated black. I posted pics... the thread is searchable, but cannot be viewed with a message "no longer active". I only powder coated the back and front grill bracket. I left the aluminum license plate bracket alone since it was flat with the plate. I never went back to paint the stainless steel bolt heads. Everything blends in enough for me and I have a black 2SS.

Using glue on the nylocks on the back plate is a good idea to keep them in place for an "easier" install. I took off the front fascia since I needed to install other "stuff" in the lower grill. Lot of little fasteners, but easy to do for backyard mechanics. Now that I know where all the fasteners/bolts are located, probably take 15-20 minutes. This include jack stands and removing the 20x10 front wheels.

Hey Pete, maybe you should upgrade your prototype brackets. The current versions is a single bent piece for the front grill bracket. Then, you can paint it black.

[Inspector 17]

Originally Posted by sting808

I had mine powder coated black. I posted pics... the thread is searchable, but cannot be viewed with a message "no longer active". I only powder coated the back and front grill bracket. I left the aluminum license plate bracket alone since it was flat with the plate. I never went back to paint the stainless steel bolt heads. Everything blends in enough for me and I have a black 2SS.

Using glue on the nylocks on the back plate is a good idea to keep them in place for an "easier" install. I took off the front fascia since I needed to install other "stuff" in the lower grill. Lot of little fasteners, but easy to do for backyard mechanics. Now that I know where all the fasteners/bolts are located, probably take 15-20 minutes. This include jack stands and removing the 20x10 front wheels.

Hey Pete, maybe you should upgrade your prototype brackets. The current versions is a single bent piece for the front grill bracket. Then, you can paint it black.

sting! There you are. I was hoping you might chime in. I was actually thinking about bending the front bracket and plate mount so it matches the V-shape of the front bumper. That's why I was keeping the prototype bracket around! I actually have the new one on the car now, but just didn't have those pics with me.

Originally Posted by abaucom21

...Is there a difference on how this mounts on a 2011 2LT vs a 2010-11 SS?...

UPDATE:
Check in with Doug (****************). I believe he modified the original bracket to work on the V6s now too. Drop him a line and I am sure he can provide you the information.

[sting808]

Hey Pete,

I remember another post of someone with our bracket that bent it. Older threads are not viewable anymore. It looked good. Was gonna post a close-up pic of the powder coat yesterday, but stuff happened...

Just when I started to enjoy my recently dropped and full suspension upgrades, I just got rear-ended yesterday in early evening traffic. No driver license, no car insurance, no car registration.

http://www.camaro5.com/forums/showpo...&postcount=735

I refused to release the brake pedal when I saw the car coming in my mirror. I didn't want to repair front and rear... Luckily, the car in front started to move forward right before impact. More details in my link.

Back to topic, I like our bracket option, regardless of the price. Dealer said it was the cleanest and best looking solution they've seen so far.