Registration number painted on grille

[alolympic]

I have a few ideas to help improve cooling on my car.
One of them is to turn my front plate into a secondary radiator grille.
My car is a '72 so black plates = black grille after cutting the hole in my front panel. Letters and numbers then sprayed in silver.
I can't seem to find any examples of cars that have done similar, so am looking for any advice/tips/pictures where something similar has been done.
Any help appreciated as I don't want to cut a hole in my front valance and end up with a mess.
Cheers

[vixen1700]

Not painted on, but you could get letters and numbers to put on the grille like this Elan.

[e21Mark]

I had a MK4 Spitfire with a Lenham bonnet, where the intake was black mesh, with my plate figures in white. (I masked out the plate numbers/letters) It was clearly legible and looked great. I got stopped once in 3 years and was told it wasn't legal but they let it go.

[alolympic]

Thanks guys,
The stuck on letters is an approach I had considered. In fact, I have a relevant set. The thing is, I am actually going to try and get away with it being smaller than standard, and the letters only come in 'legal' sizes.
The current front plate is not standard size already, but gets through every MOT so I will try my luck.

[Rostfritt]

alolympic said:

Thanks guys,
The stuck on letters is an approach I had considered. In fact, I have a relevant set. The thing is, I am actually going to try and get away with it being smaller than standard, and the letters only come in 'legal' sizes.
The current front plate is not standard size already, but gets through every MOT so I will try my luck.

Does anyone do stick on letters for motorcycle plates? Not that I would condone such things of course.

[alolympic]

Rostfritt said:

Does anyone do stick on letters for motorcycle plates? Not that I would condone such things of course.

Excellent thought, one idea that I had completely missed. Had a quick hunt online and can't seem to find anyone who makes them. Best I can find is self adhesive motorbike sized letters which I guess make the job of creating a stencil a. It easier. Cheers.

[GT6 Jonsey]

Stick on all the way

[tapkaJohnD]

I thought that all plates had to be on a vertical surface, but the MoT site only refers to cars first registered after 1/1/73.
So I think that GT6 might get away with it.

John

[uk66fastback]

What car is it?

If you can get hold of the font, you can make a PDFs of it and get any place that does signs etc, to do you the individual letters.

The dark GT6 wears that plate well, a lighter coloured car wouldn't do it with the same aplomb, methinks.

[James B]

My Alfa has 3/4 sized plate on the front and got an MOT without issue. I don't exactly drive the car often so it may be that it doesn't come to the attention of the local constabulary. I do run a full size rear plate in the correct colours which helps I suppose.

[James B]

I have also seen race cars with plates painted onto the grilles at the front. There are a couple of well known E-type race cars with that. I think it's simple to do and quite effective provided you have sufficiently tight a mesh to show the letters correctly.

[GT6 Jonsey]

http://club.triumph.org.uk/cgi-bin/forum10/Blah.pl...
I had a similar question over on the CT forum

[Rostfritt]

alolympic said:

Excellent thought, one idea that I had completely missed. Had a quick hunt online and can't seem to find anyone who makes them. Best I can find is self adhesive motorbike sized letters which I guess make the job of creating a stencil a. It easier. Cheers.

I found this http://www.chestnut-registrations.co.uk/vintagebik... not sure if they are smaller than usual though and they are in black.

[LordBretSinclair]

GT6 Jonsey said:

Stick on all the way

+1

[gothatway]

Rostfritt said:

Does anyone do stick on letters for motorcycle plates? Not that I would condone such things of course.

There's a chap who turns up to the Bristol Classic Car shows (next one in a few weeks time) with a stand which seems to cover all options.

[gforceg]

LordBretSinclair said:

+1

Holne New Bridge quite recently?

[LordBretSinclair]

gforceg said:

Holne New Bridge quite recently?

Great spot !!!!!!!!!!

May this year

[blueg33]

tapkaJohnD said:

I thought that all plates had to be on a vertical surface, but the MoT site only refers to cars first registered after 1/1/73.
So I think that GT6 might get away with it.

John

My Ginetta G33 came with stick on plates from the factory. Car was built in 1992. Never had any MOT or police issues at all.

[lowdrag]

This subject came up elsewhere recently. Early E-type owners faced the wrath of the BiB but in the end the whole thing went away. Yes, plates had to be vertical so the stuck-on plates on the bonnet were technically illegal. But you'd be hard-pressed to find a car with a "real" number plate. Today, it has all passed into history.







Wouldn't look right otherwise, would it? But as for this - it turns out fictitious - plate, I'd bury the car!

[gforceg]

LordBretSinclair said:

gforceg said:

Holne New Bridge quite recently?

Great spot !!!!!!!!!!

May this year

I think I've seen you out and about in that car. I'll give the secret PH wave and flash combo next time!