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MG MG Y Type - American License Plate holders

I now have to fit US License plates to my YA but do not want to put ant more holes in the front bumper (WA require a front plate too) or the SWC lid or damage the paint work.

Can US / Canadian members please send me photos of how they have fitted theirs please?

Email me at paul.barrow at earthlink.net (close up the spaces and replace at with @)

Thanks

Paul
Paul Barrow

Can you get away without it? California also requires them but I've never installed one on any of my classics. I've never had a problem.

I may be tempting fate, but I don't have ANY domestic plates on my YB. I only have the original British plates on it. Yes it's illegal but I'm not likely to be breaking any laws so an officer will have to notice that there is no plate as I drive by. It's in the boot just in case. ;)
Steve Simmons

Paul - I would suspect that your front bumper has holes in them to take the brackets that mount the British registration plates. If so, get a blank plate from Moss, drill the holes for the american plates in that plate and mount the American plate on it and mount the whole mess to the front bumper. Washington state requires front plates, and while you can sometimes get away without on installed, you will get the odd Trooper who will nitice it is missing and nail you for it (usually they are too busy looking at the car to notice the missing plate, but if the same trooper sees the car repeatedly, they will start noticeing details). The other alternative is to move to Bremerton, where because of the Navy presence, there is such a large number of out of state vehicles, many that don't require front plates - it's much easier to get away with it around here, but the comute would be a killer. Cheers - Dave
David DuBois

Paul:

An alternative to drilling anything, would be to; make up a couple of bracket strips which would mount to the holes in the plate, bend them to shape and slip them down and between the back-bar and the face bar of the bumper assembly, then tighten the assembly back up and 'voila', (that's from my Amilcar which is fiited with a TC badge bar). If you catch one of the bolts all the better, then there would be no issue of falling off, or shifting. The plate would end up resting on top of the upper edge of the bumper. A split bit of small hose, tubing, or whatever slipped over the bottom edge of the plate, would ward-off chaffing and the development of a rust spot on the face bar.

Safety Fast

Paul
Paul

I would fashion a bracket which hides behind the bumper, using the existing holes and only shows where the plate will hide it anyway. This is what I'm doing for the rear of my YB. I have a NOS MGA license plate bracket with a lamp mounted over the plate and all wiring ready to go. It installs on the existing center hole in the rear bumper and places the plate directly over the top of the bumper. Of course it's very easily removable. ;)
Steve Simmons

I use a couple of shaped bracket strips which are fastened at the Chassis Attachment behind the Chrome Dome Nut. The brackets are slightly bent inwards i.e. towards the front apron, and the then attach to 3/8" thick rectangular steel plate to which the licence plate is attached; so the plate is below the bumper. There isn't a lot of clearance but it works well. You don't want to put the plate above the bumper as it interferes with the starter handle guide at least if it is centered. If off centre I think it looks odd. Terry
Terry O'Brien

I recently received a catalogue flyer from Bob Drake antique Ford parts, in which there was a nice universal front plate holder in stainless steel.
Have you seen what the Hot Rodders do? They have a solonoid operated plate holder which folds down and back out of site when the ignition is switched off.
S.R.Barrow

They would. :}
Steve Simmons

I have my YA registered in Maryland, but have not mounted the plates. I keep them in the glove box and have the original British plates on the car. It has never been a problem. A proper British car like the YA needs to display its proper British plates. As long as the car is registered and US plates have been iddued, there is unlikely to be a problem.
Ron Chiste

Same here, Ron. Just today I had a police car on my tail for a mile or so. He never even gave a suspicious look.
Steve Simmons

I use magnetic mounts that dealers use. The licence plates are attached to the magnetic mount, then can be placed on the car when you feel necessary, removed at other times. This works for me. Larry
Larry Brown

Have just fitted the Washington plates to my 64 MGB Roadster using the Moss kit. Even with a nice union jack stainless steel frame I have to say how horrible they look on the car! Dread to think how ineligant the Y will look without the UK one on the rear & front!
Paul Barrow

Paul:

For over eight years now our 47 YA has run around the northwest with the rear WA State plate and a british plate on the front an never have had a bit of trouble.

This was true even the time a trooper stopped me for only having one windscreen wiper working and not using turn signals. After explaining that as there was only one person in the car I saw no need to have two wipers on we agreed to turn the second on. As for the turn signal I ask if he would take a look again to be sure... when the traffilator came out he turned bright red and sent me on my way...

Rob
Rob98801

"Dread to think how ineligant the Y will look without the UK one on the rear & front!"

So now all non-UK plate carrying Y look inelegant, I call on all non-UK residents to revolt and have a mind to report abuse to the webmaster!

Come on, Paul! Don't hang on to the last threads that connect you to the old world; I think you're still in denial. Face it, you live in the US of A now! Step into the meltingpot and hang those UK ones on the wall of your garage and mount them only on shows.

If I were you I'd make some brackets that use the original holes in the bumper and mount the front plate in front of the bumper (as in not under it) just like the "works" rally Y's.
You'd indeed have to mount it low enough to clear the starting handle of course: your battery won't cope with those horrible Washington Winters..... (LOL)

(btw, I still have to send THE stamp, I hope you haven't been laying beside the mailbox waiting for it)
Willem van der Veer

Thank you everyone for all your helpful suggestions, and also Willem, for your usual "off the wall" ones!

In the end I have taken Larry Brown's suggestion up of the magnetic backing strips. These have the adhersion of glue to a blanket and are fabulous. On the back the licence plate now straddles the SWC, although admittedly the front is a challenge, the front wing will suffice and gives almost 75% connectivity with the metal and the magnet on the bottom of the plate. The top has 100%.

The neat thing about these is that once I arriveand park up, they can be simply pulled off and stored in the car under the seat!

Thank you all once again for another great help!

Paul
Paul Barrow

This thread was discussed between 17/10/2004 and 20/11/2004

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