I picked up a 2004 AP2 about a month ago, and I'm probably one of the few out there that prefers having the front license plate mounted.

I wanted something a bit sturdier and more customized than the bucktooth mod, so I designed and printed my own mount. It has a 20 degree backward tilt for extra cool factor and wind deflection. It attaches via 3M VHB tape along the top and to the existing hole in the OEM grill for two solid points of contact.

You can choose the half plate model or the full plate if you want to make sure your license plate doesn't bend (though I don't think it would unless something hits it). Hope it helps someone else!

https://www.thingiverse.com/thing:6703391

 

That doesn’t look half bad!!


thanks for sharing!

 

Looks fine, but I wonder if it might block the radiator airflow a bit?

 

Should be the same as the buckteeth mod, and plenty of other users have had no trouble with that. I'll monitor the temperatures a bit, but I'm not planning to track my car.

 

Looks good for adding a front tag but I'm not getting how this is secured to the front of the car. No hole in the grill I can spot to connect with a screw.

How wide is it supposed to be, only 22mm wide in my slicer?

-- Chuck

Added: Make that slicers (plural). Same issue noted on Thingiverse.

 

It is perfectly legal for a license plate holder to obscure the edges of a plate as long as the identifying letters/letters/characters are visible.
That being said, I have often thought about trimming my front plate (now gathering dust for years as it has never been mounted in CA) thus making the “footprint” smaller and allowing for a better fit and better airflow. The CA. DMV.Gov is of no importance. I guess you could even bend back the portion that has the California script on it if you did not want to slice up the plate.

 

I've found that my slicer was acting weird with the dimensions too. The actual width is 220mm. Set it in your slicer (scaling equally the other dimensions) and it should be good to go!

I looked up the AP1 grille part number and it does not look like it has a hole. Maybe you have that grille? For reference:

• AP1 grille (no center screw hole): 71102-S2A-000
• AP2 grille (has center screw hole): 71102-S2A-010

For what it's worth, I think the main stability comes from the 3M tape. You might be able to zip tie on the rear to something. It's mostly a backup in case the tape fails for some reason, but it should be plenty strong enough to hold the light weight license plate.

 

Thanks for getting back, I just saw your Thingiverse response. 220mm fits in my printer nicely.

There's a bolt in the center of the grill that I'm guessing secures the grill to the car. It can easily serve both purposes with the right bolt/screw.

-- Chuck