hkgroggy Posted April 11, 2013 Report Share Posted April 11, 2013 (edited) I know a lot of you have done this on the forum already, but those of you that haven't, here's a quick run through of my process of removal and cover up. The license plate bracket is held in by two rivets, so it's not a simple unscrew method. I started with a small drill bit and drilled through the front of the rivet, progressively moving up in size until I actually blew threw it. You'll feel it when this happens, you'll also start spinning the rivet. Once I went through them both, I was able to pull the bracket off the bumper with little effort. You will find that the holes might be a little jagged. I took a stepped drill bit and made the holes smooth, sorry I don't have an image of this. Once the holes were prepped, I picked up a couple plugs at my local O'Rielly Auto Parts store. The final diameter of my holes were 5/16. http://www.oreillyauto.com/site/c/detail/DORN/464340BP.oap?ck=Search_464340bp_-1_-1&keyword=464340bp Here's the final product. I'm thinking about paint matching them with a bit of clear coat but for now this will work. The girlfriend was nervous when I was drilling into her brand new car. She's happy now. Edited April 11, 2013 by hkgroggy 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
the64game Posted April 11, 2013 Report Share Posted April 11, 2013 Looks awesome but does your state require a front plate on your vechiles... Here in CT we have to... Great work though.... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hkgroggy Posted April 11, 2013 Author Report Share Posted April 11, 2013 Looks awesome but does your state require a front plate on your vechiles... Here in CT we have to... Great work though.... Unfortunately we need to run a front plate, but it's a grey area. Police in my area seem to not be bothered by it. We'll see how it goes. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ls973800 Posted April 11, 2013 Report Share Posted April 11, 2013 (edited) I had removed my front plate bracket from my Limited which has a chrome front grill. Most major hardware stores or Home Depot type stores have a huge selection of plugs you can buy. They carry all different sizes and colors, including chrome colored. I ended up putting my plate back on due to state law. Edited April 11, 2013 by ls973800 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hkgroggy Posted April 11, 2013 Author Report Share Posted April 11, 2013 I had removed my front plate bracket from my Limited which has a chrome front grill. Most major hardware stores or Home Depot type stores have a huge selection of plugs you can buy. They carry all different sizes and colors, including chrome colored. I ended up putting my plate back on due to state law. How did you re-install the license plate? Did you get those same rivets from Ford parts or come up with another method? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KingMike Posted April 14, 2013 Report Share Posted April 14, 2013 I always wondered if there was a way to take those off.... I just settled with keeping it and found a cool front plate lol. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dingo Posted April 14, 2013 Report Share Posted April 14, 2013 When I ordered mine, I specified that I wanted no front tag frame. It came with a front tag frame. The dealership swapped out the lower grille bar with another sport that didn't have one. Hi Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hkgroggy Posted April 15, 2013 Author Report Share Posted April 15, 2013 Good call Dingo, I should of did that. Oh well, I have a new one coming from Ford parts. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ls973800 Posted April 15, 2013 Report Share Posted April 15, 2013 How did you re-install the license plate? Did you get those same rivets from Ford parts or come up with another method? One of the hardware stores I stopped at had a vast selection of rivets and those expandable plastic ones. Almost like some of those drywall anchors that when you run the screw into it, it expands against the back side of the wall (Molly bolts I think they are called.) I found something similar which worked the same way. The biggest problem was finding something other than 1/2 inch or 5/8 in thick that is for drywall. I believe I needed something about 1/4 inch or a little less after going through the plate frame and the grill. I didn't use the Ford ones because when I drilled out the factory rivets the hole ended up larger in diameter than what is drilled at the factory. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
spicaly Posted June 26, 2013 Report Share Posted June 26, 2013 did you ever end up painting the plugs? what color did you use? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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