Bending a number plate to fit

[Zippee]

Bit of a random question but does anyone have any tips to pre-bend a number plate to fit on an angled front plinth?
I can obviously just press on and stick but the tension is quite strong and the last one kept breaking the seal of the number plate tape. Is there a way to give it a pre-bend in the first place to help?
Plinth is as per the attached pic, doesn't look like much but it is quite a sharp angle;

[Mandat]

I've got a similar angled front end on my Mustang, and I've used pressed metal plates that you can bend in the middle.

I know that some say that pressed metal plates are not legal, but I don't seem to have attracted the attention of the plate police so far.

The other option is to screw fix the plastic plate in place, so that you avoid the issue of the plate bending moment trying to unstick the adhesive mounting pads.

[paradigital]

I used a heat gun to make the plate supple then slightly bent it by hand before sticking on with 3M VHB. Plate has remained the right shape for the front of my 440i since.

[sherman]

Just use screws with white or yellow screw caps to hide the head.

[Scrump]

I bent a plastic plate into shape by taping it into shape before fitting and leaving it in the garage for a week or so. When I removed the tape it retained the shape and fitted the plinth.

[Hol]

sherman said:

Just use screws with white or yellow screw caps to hide the head.

That's how our SLK came from the Main dealer when new.

A heat gun and a straight edge sounds like the easiest approach. I would say warm it up in the oven first, but that comes with the risk of a lovely burnt plastic odour in the kitchen.

[Krikkit]

3M VHB (as already recommended) is absolutely brilliant for this. Accept no substitutions!

[Gilhooligan]

You don’t have to get the European style pressed plates to have metal ones. I recently bought standard
UK plates from Halfords and they are aluminium. Mine are also slightly bent to match the curve of the car and are just stuck on.

[Zippee]

Thanks all, A heatgun and some 3M tape it is then

[348jeff]

Another one for the 3M tape

skip to 4 mins :-)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U2vbR34jBzk

[944 Man]

Mandat said:

...I know that some say that pressed metal plates are not legal...

Legal pressed plates are legal and will continue to be under new regulations too. People love drama and misunderstand the '4D' element of the revised regs (where guidelines have used the same vernacular as the cut-out acrylic character vendors ie 4D, but this doesn't affect pressed plates).

[kambites]

Nothing wrong with metal places as long as they meet all of the letter formation and reflectiveness requirements. That'd be my approach in your situation.

[Roboticarm]

Scrump said:

I bent a plastic plate into shape by taping it into shape before fitting and leaving it in the garage for a week or so. When I removed the tape it retained the shape and fitted the plinth.

I did the the same to get a UK plate to fit my imported car worked well, I also left it my the radiator in the hope it helped but not sure how practical that is in this weather

[944 Man]

Heat will do it. Careful / judicious application of heat.

[Blockbuster]

As long as you can get your hands round the back of the plinth (or can even remove it), just drill it and use those nylon nuts and bolts to keep it in place.

Example
https://www.halfords.com/motoring/number-plates/nu...

You can use adhesive pads as well to stop it rattling about.

I always attach mine with a nut and bolt now as the heat in the summer can cause the adhesive pads to unstick, especially if you park facing the sun.

[Demelitia]

If you’re using 3m tape, or even an off brand, use some primer 94 along with it. Just be sure you never want to remove what you’re sticking together, it’s an incredible adhesion promoter.

[speedking31]

Why do manufacturers think that curved number plate mounts are a good idea?
Is it for the 0.001 mpg they gain in wind tunnel tests without the numberplate in position? They must surely know what a pain they can be.

[sherman]

speedking31 said:

Why do manufacturers think that curved number plate mounts are a good idea?
Is it for the 0.001 mpg they gain in wind tunnel tests without the numberplate in position? They must surely know what a pain they can be.

I think its just british plates are longer than most other countries who require front plates so the plates, to fit the shape of the car have to bend or they would be oddly sticking out at ankle cutting height.

[anonymous-user]

i bent a plastic plate 90 degrees along the bottom edge so it would fit onto my jeep, took a few seconds with a heatgun and the plate held in a vice between 2 bits of wood, then just slowly bending it down, and it set solid almost immediately once the heat is removed.

[Zippee]

All done. A combination of heat and holding it down in shape with weights on either side over night and lots of 3m tape