jframe Posted August 7, 2016 Share Posted August 7, 2016 Whoever designed the front tag bracket on a 1st Gen ought to be taken out and drawn and quartered. What a PITA! I needed about 14 hands to hold the nuts/bolts together in all 3 locations, and now I can't seem to locally source a couple of the rubber bumpers in the bottom face or a license kit to mount the tag either. An engine rebuild could have been accomplished faster. Maybe I should have started drinking BEFORE I started this project. To top it off, I managed to sideswipe a comcrete flowerpot in the yard with my 94 Corvette after going to the parts house for tag fasteners. Not my day. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Riviera63 Posted August 7, 2016 Share Posted August 7, 2016 I had the same problem. I have attached pictures of what I did. I used clips (which I know have a specific name but, I don't know what it is) which come in various sizes and are used all over this vintage car to attach various items. These were 3/4" long. The ones I used were actually from an NOS back-up light kit that I had installed on my 1963 Pontiac LeMans convertible. I'm sure they are not "correct" but, do the job. I have some left if you need them. I used phillips stainless screws that matched the rear screws and I was good to go. I do not remember what size diameter they are as far as being an 8,10, 12 etc. The bumpers are just common bumpers you can get from Steele Rubber, Rubber the Right Way, CARS, Inc etc.These places may even carry the fasteners as well. I hope this helps. Bill 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Riviera63 Posted August 7, 2016 Share Posted August 7, 2016 I believe the bumpers on my car are original. I forgot to mention they measure approximately 1/2" across and 1/4" deep. Once you have the plate on no one will know if everything is absolutely "correct" anyway. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RivNut Posted August 8, 2016 Share Posted August 8, 2016 Those are called J-nuts Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jframe Posted August 8, 2016 Author Share Posted August 8, 2016 2 hours ago, Riviera63 said: I had the same problem. I have attached pictures of what I did. I used clips (which I know have a specific name but, I don't know what it is) which come in various sizes and are used all over this vintage car to attach various items. These were 3/4" long. The ones I used were actually from an NOS back-up light kit that I had installed on my 1963 Pontiac LeMans convertible. I'm sure they are not "correct" but, do the job. I have some left if you need them. I used phillips stainless screws that matched the rear screws and I was good to go. I do not remember what size diameter they are as far as being an 8,10, 12 etc. The bumpers are just common bumpers you can get from Steele Rubber, Rubber the Right Way, CARS, Inc etc.These places may even carry the fasteners as well. I hope this helps. Bill Those just might do the trick; hadn't thought of those. I'll check for some at work tomorrow, and up at O'Reilly's if our bolt bin doesn't yield them. Thanks for the tip! The biggest pain was actually mounting the bracket to the car. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RivNut Posted August 8, 2016 Share Posted August 8, 2016 You're just as likely to find a good assortment of J-nuts at your local full line hardware store. If you have an Ace Hardware in your area, look in the yellow metal drawers where all of the specialty fasteners are. Pick out the J-muts that are big enough to slip on and expose the entire hole in the bracket then find the correct screw for that particular J-nut. The two screws pictured are sheet metal screws, the thread cuts in the J-nut are cut for one size of screw. Match everything up and you'll be set. Then go over to the auto section and find the license plate screws. You can find a small washer to go between the screw and the license plate. They come with snap covers that will cover the screw head. You should have a choice of colors to match your plate. Ed Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
smithbrother Posted August 8, 2016 Share Posted August 8, 2016 And don't put the clips on BACKWARDS, seen that, Dale in Indy Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Seafoam65 Posted August 8, 2016 Share Posted August 8, 2016 Something else about this bracket......on a lot of 65's I've seen including mine, it is not possible to screw on the license plate to where it is perfectly horizontal, unless you enlarge the mounting holes on the license plate. It's like it is designed incorrectly. This drove me nuts on my car so I wound up just removing it completely......boy does the front end look better without it! In Texas, we have front license plates but the cops don't enforce this on the antique cars. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jframe Posted August 8, 2016 Author Share Posted August 8, 2016 I would agree, but my awesome girlfriend bpught a tag I like, so I suppose the least I can do is use it. She knows I am a big fan of Tennesse Sheriff Buford Pusser, so she got me a copy of his 1965 Tenn. sheriff tag that just so happens to be black and white, to match my color scheme. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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