Introduction: Remove and Repair License Plate Bracket Holes in Your Bumper!

If you buy your new automobile off the lot, or you purchase a used car in a land that requires forepart license plate tags, and your home country doesn't, you'll often observe that the dealer or previous owner required that a front license plate subclass be installed.

While the demand for these is perfectly understood, (state or local laws), they can be annoying if your state doesn't require them, or you don't care to root for a football/baseball team, driving effectually with the dealers 'gratis vanity plate' advertising their dealership all over the place, or just have a blank license bracket.

The problem that many people accept to bargain with is that is when they go to remove the forepart subclass they observe that the dealer/previous possessor drilled two to 4 holes into the front end bumper to become that license plate bracket on.

You could have the car to a body shop and spend $200+ on bodywork to have the holes covered up, or you tin spend $20 and exercise what I did.

In this Instructable I'll show you how to cheaply, easily and tastefully get rid of the front license plate bracket and fill in the holes that our friends at the dealership accept made. Information technology's not a complete shine cover upwardly, but you volition barely notice it.

Annotation: I accept no responsibility for damage to your car. If you lot are uncomfortable doing this Instructable, take a friend who is well versed in tools do it for you lot, or don't do it at all&

Supplies:

(two-4) v/xvi Nylon Plugs (black or white, your choice) available at Ace Hardware, Hd or Lowes.
(ane) Dupli-Color Touch-Upwards paint, which matches your vehicles' colour (see http://www.duplicolor.com/duplicolor/step1.php.)
(1) Bit Piece of wood
Liquid Nails (optional)

Tools

Electric Drill
1/8" Drill Scrap (optional)
5/16" Drill Chip
Razor Blade or Knife

Pace 1: Remove the Bracket!

This is probably the nearly difficult stride. Depending upon how your bracket was fastened, you will demand to do one of two things:

ane. If the bracket is fastened via screws or bolts, use a screwdriver or socket wrench to remove them. This should release the bracket from the motorcar.

2.If the bracket is fastened by what appears to exist a rivet (see photo), and so it will need to be drilled out. This is a fairly easy process, in which y'all apply a i/viii" or larger drill bit straight into the heart of the rivet, using pressure level to let it to go all the way through. One time you are all the way through, the rivets should be asunder from each side, and you should be able to remove the bracket.

Finally, with the bracket removed, you lot will want to make clean the area, to get rid of any dirt and grit. A moisture material or paper towel should work only fine. If need be, use some windows cleaner to go boosted grime.

Step ii: Make Bigger Holes!

Nosotros are going to be inserting 5/16" nylon plugs to fill the holes, then we need to brand certain that the holes in the bumper are 5/16" besides. Well-nigh likely the original holes are smaller, and we'll need to drill the bring the existing holes upwards to spec.

Using your five/sixteen" bit and drill, bore out the existing holes so that they are nice and clean. If there is any plastic bits however hanging on, use a bract or knife to clean up the hole by rotating it within the hole (not also much) to brand it smooth.

Annotation: If this is for a pickup truck of SUV with a metal/chrome bumper, utilize a drill bit that is rated for metal. Besides, I recommend leaving the nylon plugs blackness, so you can skip steps 3-4.

Step three: Brand a Plug Holder!

In order to properly paint the nylon plugs, you will need to take a flake piece of forest and drill holes through it to place your plugs. Using the same 5/xvi" drill flake, drill 4 holes into the scrap wood (all the way through). Clean off any splinters with the pocketknife, if demand be.

Press the four nylon plugs into the holes in the wood, nearly iii/four of the way in. Don't press them in all the way. Y'all need piece of cake access to the edges.

Step 4: Paint!

Shake the HELL out of the Bear on Up pigment tube. ane infinitesimal is adept.

Using the Dupli-Color Touch Up paint, use the brush to put on a LIGHT coat of paint to each plug, paying special attention to the edges. You will desire to wipe off any excess pigment on the edge of the paint tube, or the wood, and so that you don't glob information technology on. Paint it quickly and don't go over your existing paint strokes, otherwise you volition end upwardly with streaks in the paint.

Wait 24 hours, then apply some other coat. This one can exist A BIT more than liberal, but non much. This is your topcoat, so make sure all the edges are covered and information technology is smoothen.

Wait another 24 hours before removing the plugs...

Notation: Dont exist surprised if the paint looks 'swirly'. This volition settle and fifty-fifty out with drying time.

Stride 5: Plug 'em In.

Carefully remove the plugs from the wood. They should be dry out considering you let them for 24 hours right? Right. If need be, use a pen or screwdriver to push them up from the lesser.

Have them to the car, and press them into the holes that yous drilled into the bumper. IF You WANT, you can put some Liquid Nails on the END of the plug, merely I Practice NOT recommend it, because it could smear onto the car, and y'all volition never get information technology off. Otherwise, just pressing the plugs in should lock them into place, and leave barely noticeable 'bumps' on the bumper where the holes used to be.

Congratulations, you just saved yourself at least $200 and got rid of the nasty bumper license plate subclass!

NOTES:
I found that my local Ace hardware shop had better plugs that the Lowes version. They were lower profile and didn't accept rounded edges. They were more flush.

The nylon plugs are usually found in the 'special hardware' section, which is commonly a bunch of drawers with various types of hardware in them. ASK if you can't observe them.

If y'all need to locate the manufacturers paint code for your automobile, use the Dupli-Color website http://www.duplicolor.com/duplicolor/step1.php. Information technology will tell you in the leftmost column, what the manufacturer paint code is. Y'all can so have the paint code to AutoZone, Pep Boys or OReilly Auto Parts to get the pigment tube.

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