I bought a nice NCSU Alumni front license plate the other day. It is made out of 1/4" cast aluminum, but it is flat.

My front license plate on my jetta is curved.

Someone suggested to me to use my car as a press because I cant physically bend the plate myself. I want to try to bend the plate to more closely match the curve of the front license plate mount, because it looks silly to have a flat plate on a curved license plate holder.

What I'm thinking about doing is using two wooden blocks about 1/4" thick to prop up both ends of the license plate, and drive the car on top of it. The weight of the car should hopefully be enough to press a curve into the plate. (or destroy it)

Any suggestions?

9/29/2007 8:42:11 PM

that doesnt sound like it'd be very successful.

if you cant physically bend it yourself cant you heat it up to make it more malleable for you to bend yourself...or at least use a hammer or something.

9/29/2007 8:49:06 PM

Thinking about people doing things like this makes me happy

9/29/2007 9:19:29 PM

you'll just crush the plate to look like this \____/

wedge it in a door and start bending carefully

on second thought, bolt one side of the plate onto the plate holder, then manually bend the other side to fit the contour. when the holes line up on the other side, thread the remaining bolts into place, making sure they go nice and easily (don't force them or you'll be sorry)

[Edited on September 29, 2007 at 9:30 PM. Reason : ]

9/29/2007 9:28:48 PM

Quote :

"1/4" cast aluminum"

i say... GO FOR IT DUDE! lol

9/29/2007 10:11:13 PM

cccrrrraaaackkkkk!


dont do it bro.


either mount the thing flat and add spacers, or sell it for crack money

9/29/2007 10:18:39 PM

show me the curved plate mount.


is it bad that a NCSU alum cant solve this problem on his own, with a better method than this??

9/29/2007 10:42:26 PM

dont do it it will snap

9/30/2007 12:37:28 AM

put car in drive, brick on gas pedal to make sure it can get over the blocks, then get out of the car to watch and make sure it happens properly. don't wear any eyewear to make sure your vision isn't obstructed, you need to watch every detail.

9/30/2007 1:39:30 AM

use standoffs underneath each corner so that you can bolt it down solid and deal with it being flat

9/30/2007 2:46:28 AM

heat is your friend, use it.

9/30/2007 8:12:39 AM

Quote :

"show me the curved plate mount."

9/30/2007 10:52:36 AM

Quote :

" on second thought, bolt one side of the plate onto the plate holder, then manually bend the other side to fit the contour. when the holes line up on the other side, thread the remaining bolts into place, making sure they go nice and easily (don't force them or you'll be sorry)"

cant do it, the front plate mount is plastic, I'd have to have it bent to match the contour first

Quote :

"show me the curved plate mount."

Come take a look at my 2006 Jetta, some German idiot made the front plate mount curved to match the curve of the front bumper

I would rather remove the front bumper license plate mount alltogether, but it is screwed into the front bumper, and removing it would leave four ugly screw holes in the chromed plastic front bumper. I think the car was originally from VA, where they are required to have the front and rear license plates

Do they make something to fill in the holes and keep the chromed plastic look?

the NCSU plate is nice enough that I want to keep it, but if it cant go on my car then I may settle for hanging it on the wall

[Edited on September 30, 2007 at 10:57 AM. Reason : ,]

9/30/2007 10:54:29 AM

Quote :

"Do they make something to fill in the holes and keep the chromed plastic look?"

yes, they sell license plate screws with chrome caps that snap onto them.

9/30/2007 11:00:01 AM

^ thats a better solution, do they have these at Auto Zone or Advance?

I've never seen anything like that

9/30/2007 11:02:40 AM

anywhere.

9/30/2007 11:04:07 AM

^ I can hook you up with a set of tires.

9/30/2007 6:05:29 PM

cast

9/30/2007 6:36:10 PM

9/30/2007 10:17:16 PM

cast

manufacture much?

9/30/2007 10:20:56 PM

what i find funny is some of yall didn't graduate

call this man retarded but he made it out... so who is really the tard?

9/30/2007 10:40:59 PM

^erroneous.

College degree isnt necessary in a situation like this, bob. common sense and a quick internet search is all that is necessary. as well we answered his question repeatedly.

9/30/2007 10:59:40 PM

^^ wtf? I have been smacking the OP with my high school diploma since this thread began. GTFO.

9/30/2007 11:08:32 PM

^^^dude, you are the poster child for having a college degree yet still being a moron. you're the worst kind, the guy that thinks just because he mastered some formulas, a few theories, and reads google he's an expert.

if anything, it's WORSE to have that piece of paper and still look stupid. at least people that didn't go to college or graduate have an exscuse.



[Edited on September 30, 2007 at 11:27 PM. Reason : .]

9/30/2007 11:21:29 PM

having a CSC degree does in no way qualify me to bend a piece of aluminum, thats why I asked TWW for suggestions

but you all are right, the plate will crack and break if I drive on it with my car, stupid idea

I simply do not have the tools or the means necessary to bend it, [/thread]


whats the problem with cast, the plate is made of aluminum, and it is textured in such a way that it appears to be molded via sand casting (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sand_casting)

10/1/2007 10:12:19 AM

you just can't bend something that has been cast. it will crack and break. This is opposed to a stamped license plate which is malleable and can be bent easily and repeatedly (until the material has been work hardened enough at the site of bending that it breaks)

10/1/2007 10:31:39 AM

in theory though, could it be heated and bent?

this damn thing is going on my wall

10/1/2007 1:00:46 PM

It could be melted down and re cast.

You still havent posted a pic of the curved plate mount.

10/1/2007 1:03:11 PM

right, well i'll take it off, and snap a pic of it today

10/1/2007 1:15:52 PM

you know those sand "rocks" that form... big clumps of sand that you can just squeeze and they break apart, you know... you think you are superman because you can turn rock into sand.

yeah that is pretty much the same idea..

almost

like everyone has been saying.

10/1/2007 2:00:07 PM

Someone made a business out of selling a product to cover up the holes:
http://www.bumperplugs.com/BPindex.html

-- Dave

10/1/2007 2:58:18 PM