Epiphany
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- #1
I'm in NYS and we are required to have a front license plate in place and I hate it as much as the next guy. And since NYS troopers don't play nicely in this regard I have no choice but to mount one. I'm still waiting for my factory bracket to show up but I only planned to make it available to the next owner of my car as I don't plan on drilling my front bumper cover. Thankfully, the '20 GT500 comes with a threaded bung in the bumper beam that also works as an anchor point for a custom front license plate bracket.
I looked at a few aftermarket kits for ideas as I honestly planned on just making my own. I liked what I saw from GrimmSpeed and after looking closely at the Focus RS kit they sell I ordered one. The idea was to verify thread engagement, measure for proper depth, and generally see what would need to be done to get the plate where I wanted it. Fitment caught me a bit off guard though. As in, the kit works right out of the box - no need to spend too much time reinventing the wheel here.
I ordered the kit direct from GrimmSpeed (link) and it was delivered to my home in short order. Well packaged too, which I always like to see. The kit consists of an aluminum laser cut and powder baked bracket (in black), a phosphate coated mild steel threaded adapter, miscellaneous hardware, etc. First rate in my book, all of it.
Installation is pretty self explanatory but I'll share my experience with it. Starting with pushing in on the right side of the small cover to pop it open and expose the threaded bung welded to the bumper beam.
A 17mm socket and ratchet with a small extension was used to tighten. Remember, this uses a left hand.
I then fastened the included radiused and slotted bracket that serves as the go between for the threaded adapter and the plate bracket. I used a couple of the included spacers (to start with anyway) to ensure the plate was not in contact with the bumper cover when all is said and done. I may remove one of the spacers later but we'll see.
I figured I'd remove the dangling plastic cover at this point and I'll just keep it in the glove box if I need to pop it back in place. I used a couple of dental-style picks to squeeze the "arrow" ends together so I could pull it out of the bumper cover slot. It's a little tricky but if you are careful it comes out without having to cut anything. I may come up with a quick release lanyard to that would make for easier removal.
The two smaller allen key bolts are then used to fasten the plate bracket to the radiused bracket. I snugged them up enough to be able to tweak to level.
The next shot shows how much space is behind the plate bracket with two spacers. Again, I may change the spacer stack but I'm going to look for some closed cell foam to adhere to the back of the bracket to go in between it and the bumper.
Anyway, now that the above is done you can bolt your plate in place with the rest of the included hardware (which is all stainless I might add). I may adjust one way or the other but I think this worked out really well for a kit designed for another application.
Before anyone asks, this rather simple mod only required a 17mm socket/ratchet along with both 3mm and 5mm allen wrenches. I also used picks to release the plug cover lanyard.
All in all this one was simple and painless. For those looking for an aftermarket solution that requires no drilling in order to attach a front plate this may serve you well too.
I looked at a few aftermarket kits for ideas as I honestly planned on just making my own. I liked what I saw from GrimmSpeed and after looking closely at the Focus RS kit they sell I ordered one. The idea was to verify thread engagement, measure for proper depth, and generally see what would need to be done to get the plate where I wanted it. Fitment caught me a bit off guard though. As in, the kit works right out of the box - no need to spend too much time reinventing the wheel here.
I ordered the kit direct from GrimmSpeed (link) and it was delivered to my home in short order. Well packaged too, which I always like to see. The kit consists of an aluminum laser cut and powder baked bracket (in black), a phosphate coated mild steel threaded adapter, miscellaneous hardware, etc. First rate in my book, all of it.
Installation is pretty self explanatory but I'll share my experience with it. Starting with pushing in on the right side of the small cover to pop it open and expose the threaded bung welded to the bumper beam.
A 17mm socket and ratchet with a small extension was used to tighten. Remember, this uses a left hand.
I then fastened the included radiused and slotted bracket that serves as the go between for the threaded adapter and the plate bracket. I used a couple of the included spacers (to start with anyway) to ensure the plate was not in contact with the bumper cover when all is said and done. I may remove one of the spacers later but we'll see.
I figured I'd remove the dangling plastic cover at this point and I'll just keep it in the glove box if I need to pop it back in place. I used a couple of dental-style picks to squeeze the "arrow" ends together so I could pull it out of the bumper cover slot. It's a little tricky but if you are careful it comes out without having to cut anything. I may come up with a quick release lanyard to that would make for easier removal.
The two smaller allen key bolts are then used to fasten the plate bracket to the radiused bracket. I snugged them up enough to be able to tweak to level.
The next shot shows how much space is behind the plate bracket with two spacers. Again, I may change the spacer stack but I'm going to look for some closed cell foam to adhere to the back of the bracket to go in between it and the bumper.
Anyway, now that the above is done you can bolt your plate in place with the rest of the included hardware (which is all stainless I might add). I may adjust one way or the other but I think this worked out really well for a kit designed for another application.
Before anyone asks, this rather simple mod only required a 17mm socket/ratchet along with both 3mm and 5mm allen wrenches. I also used picks to release the plug cover lanyard.
All in all this one was simple and painless. For those looking for an aftermarket solution that requires no drilling in order to attach a front plate this may serve you well too.
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