DIY - Fairlead Cover / License Plate Holder
#1
03-20-2010, 05:00 PM
DIY - Fairlead Cover / License Plate Holder
Decided to put my "HEMI" license plate that I punched out of scrap aluminum back on the truck. My old winch carrier had a flange on the bottom with holes for a license plate, but the new one does not. Was gonna simply drill a couple holes in a piece of angle iron, weld it on the bottom of the carrier and paint it red to match, but I decided to kill two birds with one stone and make it into a fairlead cover. This is gonna mainly help anybody with a winch who lives in a front license plate state.
I'm gonna assume you have a license plate and you know how to pick up a plate holder for all of about $2.00 at Wally World. So in addition, you'll need a MagLite "D" cell flashlight bracket, available for about $5 at Wally World, Ace Hardware or just about anyplace who sells MagLites. A few various small bolts, lock washers and nuts will do it. Now because I was mounting my "HEMI" plate, I needed some dark backing so the letters would stand out, so I made a blank. But if you are mounting an actual state license plate, you won't need it.
If you don't need the backing, simply choose a license plate holder with a back to it. Now you need to measure the holes in the MagLite bracket and drill a pair, centered in the backing or back of the plate holder. The holes need to be 1 1/4" apart for each bracket and 8 5/8" from bracket to bracket.
I used an adhesion promoter before I painted the back plate as the aluminum is very smooth and slick. For the paint, I didn't get anything special, it's just the backing, so a $1.69 can of indoor/outdoor flat black was fine.
Now mount your MagLite brackets with a couple of flathead screws, lock washer and a nut.
Then it's just a matter of bolting your license plate on and slipping it in your license plate holder. This is just a cheap plastic plate holder I had laying around the garage. I'll probably opt for a nicer chrome or maybe diamond plate plate bracket at some point.
In my case, I only had to buy the MagLite holder, so this was a $5.88 mod. But even if you gotta buy the license plate bracket and bolts, etc., this is no more than a $10-15 mod...
I'm gonna assume you have a license plate and you know how to pick up a plate holder for all of about $2.00 at Wally World. So in addition, you'll need a MagLite "D" cell flashlight bracket, available for about $5 at Wally World, Ace Hardware or just about anyplace who sells MagLites. A few various small bolts, lock washers and nuts will do it. Now because I was mounting my "HEMI" plate, I needed some dark backing so the letters would stand out, so I made a blank. But if you are mounting an actual state license plate, you won't need it.
If you don't need the backing, simply choose a license plate holder with a back to it. Now you need to measure the holes in the MagLite bracket and drill a pair, centered in the backing or back of the plate holder. The holes need to be 1 1/4" apart for each bracket and 8 5/8" from bracket to bracket.
I used an adhesion promoter before I painted the back plate as the aluminum is very smooth and slick. For the paint, I didn't get anything special, it's just the backing, so a $1.69 can of indoor/outdoor flat black was fine.
Now mount your MagLite brackets with a couple of flathead screws, lock washer and a nut.
Then it's just a matter of bolting your license plate on and slipping it in your license plate holder. This is just a cheap plastic plate holder I had laying around the garage. I'll probably opt for a nicer chrome or maybe diamond plate plate bracket at some point.
In my case, I only had to buy the MagLite holder, so this was a $5.88 mod. But even if you gotta buy the license plate bracket and bolts, etc., this is no more than a $10-15 mod...
Last edited by HammerZ71; 03-20-2010 at 05:11 PM.
#2
03-21-2010, 01:19 PM
UPDATE: COULDN'T RESIST THE "BLING" FACTOR.
Replaced the cheazy, black plastic license plate bracket I had laying around the house with a stainless one I picked up for $8. So now I got about $14 in this mod...
Replaced the cheazy, black plastic license plate bracket I had laying around the house with a stainless one I picked up for $8. So now I got about $14 in this mod...