Lower screws on license plate bracket?

[shirts_184]

Has anybody installed lower screws on their license plate bracket? My Ranger came with the bracket mount (as did everyone's), but there are no holes for bottom screws. Being transparent, I'm not very handy and I'm just wondering if drilling these holes is a) possible and b) a chore.

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[forestale]

I bought smoke bubble shields for my plates and just drilled the plastic bumper out (rear) so I could use all 4 stainless fasteners for the shield. Use a slightly smaller drill bit than the diameter of the screws you are using.

If you have front plates and you're doing this operation I would suggest removing the plate holder mount from the bumper before drilling, that way you won't bust through and scratch your painted bumper underneath. My front plate mount came with two tabs to hold the bottom of the plate in with only the top screws, and this was in the way of my smoke shield so I cut these off with a grinder and sanded the area smooth before drilling the holes and mounting the shield.

After doing this on my truck, I have noticed almost everyone with the bubble shields only uses the top two screws, which kind of bugs me!

Anyways, good luck!

 

[Cape Cruiser]

Paul , do the top screws hit your tailgate when open? My dealer installed the plate frame and it was just enough that it hit tailgate and scratch paint. Bret

 

[forestale]

Paul , do the top screws hit your tailgate when open? My dealer installed the plate frame and it was just enough that it hit tailgate and scratch paint. Bret

Hey thanks, I forgot to mention. The tailgate contacts the top of frame when lowered. The plastic bumper has enough give to kind of move out of the way. The screws don't make contact.

 

[Lone]

What I generally do is buy a chrome (or black) frame, matching snap on bolt covers, and a set of nylon license plate bolts. First, use the nylon from the back with the nuts in the fastener for the caps. It's easy to cut the bolts down even and snap on the caps. Then do the top as usual with the big screws and cover with the caps. Makes it neat and secure. My front has a "FORD RANGER" frame with a wide band at the bottom that covers the holes, but this is the way it looks on the back.

 

[brockdog12]

I use just the two top screws on the front and back license plate mounts and place pieces of 3M mounting tape on the back side of the license plate, near the bottom, to hold the plates in place and not rattle. This has worked great on all my vehicles so far. I also don't use any license plate covers or frames, just the plates.

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