picked up...have to install front plate

[ness5353]

Good afternoon guys and gals.
Got stopped on the way home from our weekend road trip by a crabby cop.
Said i had to put the front plate on. I took the Corvette filler cover off and found the rubber where the 4 screws go. Does anyone know if the screws use the rubber only?, or is there a fastening hole in some plastic or something, behind the rubber?
Is there a GOOD dark plastic cover available that would go over the plate to make it blend in a little better than by itself??

thanks!!

 

[c4cruiser]

You can get some nylon inserts for the plate screws but you can also just drill a small hole into the small aquare tabs and attach the plate that way using screws that are larger than the drilled hole.

Some states make it illegal to use a dark plastic cover over the plate so check your state law before going that way. If they are illegal, chances are you may get pulled over for that at some point. And some states don't allow the use of any sort of cover.

If you can run a cover, try a clear cover and paint the inside of the cover in body color and leave a clear area for just the plate numbers. A fellow club member did this on his and it looks really neat. The numbers are visible but from a distance, you see more of the body color than the numbers.

 

[jrzvette]

Chances are if the state requires a front plate they also have a regulation about covering or obscuring it. For example, in NJ even a license plate frame that obscures part of the state name can get you a ticket if the cop is in a bad mood.

 

[koolaid117]

Is the crabby cop a local one or from another area that you don't normally travel in? In Ohio not having a front plate is illegal, but I don't pull vettes over for no front plate. It also isn't a moving violation here so no points against your driver's license is assessed either. I don't have a front plate on mine and I have never been stopped for it. I also don't have anything on my car indicating I am a cop. I would rather pay the fine than ruin the look of the front of the car.

Just my .02, do whatever you think you need to do.

Jim

 

[firstvet]

Good afternoon guys and gals.
Got stopped on the way home from our weekend road trip by a crabby cop.
Said i had to put the front plate on. I took the Corvette filler cover off and found the rubber where the 4 screws go. Does anyone know if the screws use the rubber only?, or is there a fastening hole in some plastic or something, behind the rubber?
Is there a GOOD dark plastic cover available that would go over the plate to make it blend in a little better than by itself??

thanks!!

Ness,
Did he write you.
In ill we should have 2 plates. If we get stopped they usually will warn you and then we avoid the area for a while.
if it was me i would not change a thing.
firstvet

 

[jester]

Good afternoon guys and gals.
Got stopped on the way home from our weekend road trip by a crabby cop.
Said i had to put the front plate on. I took the Corvette filler cover off and found the rubber where the 4 screws go. Does anyone know if the screws use the rubber only?, or is there a fastening hole in some plastic or something, behind the rubber?
Is there a GOOD dark plastic cover available that would go over the plate to make it blend in a little better than by itself??

thanks!!

It is illegal in MN to have any kind of a cover over the plate. However, you see a lot of cars with them on. You didn't happen to be down by Red Wing did you? The State Patrolman down there has a thing about license plates. He once pulled a car out of the middle of a line of about 20 Vettes on a cruise for not displaying a front plate.

 

[cjs2]

I would rather pay the fine than ruin the look of the front of the car.

I couldn't agree more! I do not use a front plate, and so far I haven't been stopped for it. But if I do, and if I get a ticket, I will gladly pay it. Just doesn't look right with a plate on there, IMHO.

Chris

 

[jiangtao]

What about Texas?? Anyone know?? I am about to register it here in Longview, TX and I don't want the tag on the front. I also don't want to pay 12 bucks for someone to tell me that my car is safe and then put a sticker on my windshield either, but that's another story.

 

[BlueMonster94]

What about Texas?? Anyone know?? I am about to register it here in Longview, TX and I don't want the tag on the front. I also don't want to pay 12 bucks for someone to tell me that my car is safe and then put a sticker on my windshield either, but that's another story.

Well, if you happen to be driving through Kaufman County, be prepared to be stopped by the local sheriff deputy for having no front plate. Oh, if you have a frame on the rear plate, he'll write you up for that too. Got my first warning yesterday for both infractions. No cherry Vette now.

 

[redvett]

Didnt 94 Corvettes come from GM with a licence frame as part of the body? My ZR-1 does. I would fight the frame if its OEM.

 

[BlueMonster94]

I bought my vette last June. It had the dealer's frame on it, which he kept upon selling the car to me. But he did let me pick out a much nicer frame, which I have on the car right now. I don't live in Kaufman County. The deputy who pulled me over just because of the plates or lack thereof apparently had nothing better to do yesterday afternoon. I was not speeding or moving my car in any violate way. So I figured the kid needed some training, which he got. Trouble was, highway 34 outside of Terrell is a two lane road with NO shoulders. I had no idea he was after me since I was not speeding. So when he finally blinked on his lights (up to this point, I thought he was trying to get around me) it dawned on me he wanted to speak with me. When I found a sort of accpetable place to pull off of the highway, I did, parking the car off the road and in the dirt and grass. He must have loved it. I didn't. So stay away from Kaufman County.

 

[redvett]

Check itut but i think the non ZR-1's got a frame also. You may be able to get a new one from the dealer or Eckler,Mid-America.

 

[Glide]

Usuially you can get away with displaying it in on the dash.

 

[Edmond]

In Minnesota, you can't even have a license plate frame. Friend of mine got pulled over for that shortly after moving there from Illinois. Of course, she didn't know because you can have a frame here in Illinois.

I don't run a front plate on my Grand Prix and certainly didn't put one on when I went to Minneapolis last fall. Didn't have any problems without having a front plate or the tinted windows.

I saw a Corvette on 94 in the TC's and noticed he didn't have a front plate either. When I was there, it seemed like 99.9% of vehicles had the front plate. Both plates are also required here in IL but it seems like many more folks ignore the front one.

Some cars just don't look right with a front plate.

I also believe it's illegal to have a GPS device mounted to your front windshield in MN.

 

[BLACKTALON]

Front plate on a Vette is a :nono

 

[BLACKTALON]

Front plate on a Vette is a :nono

Corection.... Front plate and a wing on a vette is a :nono

 

[Norsky4360]

Minnesota does require both front and back plates. I've was tagged on my daily driver years ago when the front bracket mounting points rusted away and the bracket/plate fell off. And it is a no-no to have anything covering a plate. But as far as I know a plate frame is ok as long as none of the plate letters/numbers and month/year tags are covered (been stopped for that also).

That being said, most daily drivers do have both plates displayed. Most Vettes and higher performance cars do not (that I've seen anyway). The recently aquired ZR-1 did not have a front plate period (nowhere to be found in the car), just the body colored cover plate up front. I've had a specialty plate on the front of the '70 Vette for most of the time I've owned it and have never been bothered about it. Same with the '78 Trans Am. And I've also had clear covers over the front plates of the last several pickups I've owned and never been hassled about those.

So I guess it boils down to the individual who is wearing the badge deciding whether or not you are the one they choose to make an example of on any given day.



(btw - the front plate is stowed inside each car now just in case)

 

[Red Vette]

Good afternoon guys and gals.
Got stopped on the way home from our weekend road trip by a crabby cop.
Said i had to put the front plate on. I took the Corvette filler cover off and found the rubber where the 4 screws go. Does anyone know if the screws use the rubber only?, or is there a fastening hole in some plastic or something, behind the rubber?
Is there a GOOD dark plastic cover available that would go over the plate to make it blend in a little better than by itself??

thanks!!

Colorado requires a front plate, but I see many vettes without the plate. As an example, the April 2007 issue of CORVETTE ENTHUSIAST has an article on a red 1993 convertible and the pics show that the front plate is not displayed. I commented on this to my wife last weekend and said he might be picked up, especially if he drives through Denver. I have a 1994 and 2002 and display the plates on both. I did purchase clear covers from Mid America Motor Works that are contoured to the front of the cars. Makes it look somewhat acceptable. They fit fine and do not obscure any of the plate. Hope this helps.

 

[redvett]

I guess that cop hasnt seen a C5 Corvette the licence plate is held in by the licence frame it OEM. That would be a ticket to fight and WIN for sure.

 

[Glide]

I've been driving around with tinted windows and no front plate f(both illegal in Virginia) or years in Vettes, Zs, and other sports cars and never, ever been bothered. My teenage son has received 3 tickets (that I know of) for those infractions in his Honda. Profiling...