need help installing license plate holder

[CamaroCorvetteFerrari]

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/ws/eB...#ht_2328wt_939

This is where I purchased the front license plate holder for the camaro. I would that others who have purchased this same bracket can lend me their brain to munch on.

I'm having two issues with it: 1) There 2 total flat-head screws included with the bracket kit. These flat-head screws are used to attach the foam piece to the front license plate bracket. There are two holes spaced evenly on the foam piece, which is where the flat-head screws would grip. The problem is I think the flat-head screws are too short. The girth, or circumference, fits fine. But it is too short. Am I doing something wrong or did they send me the wrong flat-head screws? And it is not an issue with the placement of the foam, by the way. I even took a flat-head screw and tried to directly screw it into the foam piece but it wouldn't budge.

2) The bracket also comes with 4 head bolts and locknuts to screw the license plate into the license plate holder. My problem is it doesn't make sense how it's supposed to screw securely because it doesn't. The locknuts screw onto the tail of the head bolts and turn only a few times. That is, what I expected the locknut to do is screw all the way till it hits the top of the screw, similar to a washer. Instead, the screw is just dangling and the only thing keeping it from falling out of the license plate and license plate holder is the locknut. Does this doesn't sound right. Shouldn't the screw be tied firmly and snug somehow?

Thank you.

[Bruce_Lee]

Well, I don't know.

That's why I am going with the 'toggle/butterfly screws' and original license plate bracket that came with the car. This is what some one else suggested.

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


No drilling or removing existing screws.


I am still waiting for my plates.

Good luck.

BL (In San Francisco)

[Ivas]

Don't mess up your oh so fine car with an unneeded front plate. Even the most philistine cops understand that beauty must not be marred by trivialities.

[Fogey]

So we need to get you squared away if we can.
There is a piece that goes inside the grill. It has two tubes that stick outside of the grill so you can push the larger foam piece over it. I tied the inside the grill piece with some string on either end so that I could push the foam over the tubes on the outside of the grill withou pushing the inside piece back inside. The screws then went thru the bracket and into the tubes. As for the four bolts. They work just fine. As they are whatever you call screws witht the plastic in the nuts, you have to use a small end wrench to hold the nuts while you scrrew in the srews, or better yet, hold the scrrews with a screwdrived and turn the nuts with the end wrench.
It is helpful if you have a wife, friend, neighbor, to hold the scrrewdriver while you tighten the nuts.
I added a little foam tape to what came with it to give a little more protection to the paint.
The only negative is that despite their claims, it is not so easy to take off and put on, but as I don't go to shows and have no intention of taking it off, I don't care.
For a license plate holder, I thin k it is pretty cool.

[Fogey]

Philistine cops may understand but not meter maids. In my area, Los Angeles, the city makes big bucks having the meter maids cite cars for no front license. So cast your fate with the cool but don't be suprised and don't complain if you get a ticket from a fat lady on a scooter

[Fogey]

I installed the foam piece before hooking the plate up to the bolts under the fascia. I seem to remember that I had the problem that you had at first. Once the bracket was attached to the grill, I then pushed it under the fasica a little to line up with the existing bolts.
Hope all this helps.

[CamaroCorvetteFerrari]

Originally Posted by Fogey

So we need to get you squared away if we can.
There is a piece that goes inside the grill. It has two tubes that stick outside of the grill so you can push the larger foam piece over it. I tied the inside the grill piece with some string on either end so that I could push the foam over the tubes on the outside of the grill withou pushing the inside piece back inside. The screws then went thru the bracket and into the tubes. As for the four bolts. They work just fine. As they are whatever you call screws witht the plastic in the nuts, you have to use a small end wrench to hold the nuts while you scrrew in the srews, or better yet, hold the scrrews with a screwdrived and turn the nuts with the end wrench.
It is helpful if you have a wife, friend, neighbor, to hold the scrrewdriver while you tighten the nuts.
I added a little foam tape to what came with it to give a little more protection to the paint.
The only negative is that despite their claims, it is not so easy to take off and put on, but as I don't go to shows and have no intention of taking it off, I don't care.
For a license plate holder, I thin k it is pretty cool.

So, if we draw this out somehow, it looks like this:

front of car--license plate--license plate bracket--foam piece--black bracket with rods

The instructions say to "use the 1/4-20 x 3/4 flat head screws (labeled C in figure 2) to attach the upper part of the plate mount (using the upper holes) to the rods through the foam spacer."

The foam spacer has two holes on either side where the flat head screws are supposed to go. The flat head screws fit inside, but they just "fall in", ya know. I mean, they don't grip or anything, like a screw is supposed to. If I hang it upside down, the flat head screws will fall out, does that make sense? In your experience, you were able to screw it in successfully. Unfortunately, even if I take the black bracket with the rods and the foam spacer outside of the car and try to attach the screws, they still won't grip. So, I could turn those screws all day and they still won't tighten, or grip.

I went to Lowes and got longer 1/4-20 screws. So, I'm hoping that will do the job.

As for the locknut, I didn't think of that, thanks. I'll try tightening the nuts with a wrench. It seems so obvious now. I should sit in the corner with a dunce cap for that one.

[Fogey]

Just out of curiosity, if you just have the thing on the garage floor without the front foam piece, do the screws screw into the tubes?
Note: There were so many typos on my first post that I think it's time for another beer.

[Fogey]

When I put the front rubber piece over the tubes, the tube ends were flush with the front of front rubber piece. Are you sure you are really getting the front rubber piece all the way over the tubes? I'm not quite ready to take mine off to check but it seems to me the screws were pretty short. If you are trying to go thru the license plate also, that may be your problem.. I installed the holder several weeks before I got the plate.

[CamaroCorvetteFerrari]

Nope, I am trying to put the screws through the license plate bracket, sans license plate. The foam piece and the black bracket with the rods are as close as a married couple (okay, okay, the first year or two of a marriage). No matter, I'll try to install the longer screws I bought and see what happens.

[Fogey]

nt

[CamaroCorvetteFerrari]

Okay, I got longer screws and that seems to do the trick. As for the 4 screws for the license plate, that is a pain in the neck. I might just find some alternative screws that will be easier to put on and take off, especially for washing and waxing.

[Ivas]

Originally Posted by Fogey

Philistine cops may understand but not meter maids. In my area, Los Angeles, the city makes big bucks having the meter maids cite cars for no front license. So cast your fate with the cool but don't be suprised and don't complain if you get a ticket from a fat lady on a scooter

Thanks for the heads up, bro'. It's a good thing I never park anywhere those broads lurk.

[CamaroCorvetteFerrari]

I spoke to Frank, from New Era, the ebay store which sold the front license plate holder...I told him about the difficulty with screwing on the bolts and locknuts for the license plate. He said what he can do is send me 4 of those clips that are used to attach the bottom bracket to the front bracket. To clarify, on the bottom bracket, there are these two clips which act as nuts and you simply screw in the 2 hex head screws and washers to attach the front plate bracket to the bottom bracket. I think this will be much easier to take off and put on, as needed, then to screw around (pun intended) with locknuts. He said they sell him at Lowes, I believe. So, that might be something to think about if you have or plan on purchasing this bracket for your car.