License Plate mounting

[Surfdaddy]

I put on the bumper and plate mounting hardware but the plate seems to bind between the tailgate when opening. Other than getting rid of the plate mount how do you align it so it works.

[61_FL_Apache]

Mine does the same thing.

[creep]

I had the same problem. The plate mount stuck up too high and interfered with the tailgate. There was no way my plate mount was going to fit on my truck. I even had to space my new bumper out with big washers because it was only 1/16'' from the bed with the new mounts. The GMCs may have had diferent bumper brackets because of the leaf spring frames. I just screwed my plate directly to the bed under the tailgate and use some liscense plate bolts with lights built into them.

[Surfdaddy]

I went to the Pomona swapmeet yesterday and looked at a bunch of trucks. They all seemed to have the same problem. I'm thinking that the mould used for stamping the repro bracket is wrong. I really don't want to screw the plate to the bed. I wonder if spacers between the bracket and bumper will lower the plate and allow clearance for the tailgate.

[creep]

That could work. The problem I had was the bracket was too tall and it leaned back at an angle so the bracket wouldn't even fit between the bumper and the bed. Is your bumper original or repop?

[Surfdaddy]

The whole thing is repro. I had this big telescopic stwep bumper on before. It weighed about 125lbs. I think the bumper and bracket are like all the other repro stuff out there. Close, but not exactly right. I may have to spend a few hours figuring it out.

[creep]

I was wondering because the bracket mounting holes on my bumper look closer to the bed than yours. I got mine from Classic Parts.

[QBA]

Man,i thought i was the only one with this problem.too chicken to ask also.what i did was use spacers between the bumper and the bracket.still not happy with it.

Thanks for posting this.

[Surfdaddy]

I got mine from the Truck Shop but I'm sure they are all made at the same place (either Taiwan or mainland China) since there can't be such a large market to justify more than a few companies making repro parts. How did the spacer look and what size did you come up with ? The other idea I had was to remove the bracket and bend the mount ing tabs on a brake to get the plate to sit lower and to get the spacing to look right. I also have to mess with the bumper brackets to get the bumper to align right.

[QBA]

The spacers were actually torsion bar link bushings.i'd say there're about an inch tall maybe a bit more.then i bought some longer stainless carraige bolts.works well.i also have some bumper to bed clearance issues.i think they stem from the truck once having a hitch and getting used very hard.

[jocko]

you could elongate the mounting bracket holes for the bottom of the bracket to scooch it down a bit. I had a similar issue on my chev, and seem to recall it was just BARELY interfering with the tailgate - and all it needed was to be a little lower. Alternative would be to elongate the lower holes in the plate itself. I'd try either of those before I poked holes in my tailgate.

[Surfdaddy]

I'm trying to find a frame from the dealer that sold the truck so I'll have to space the plate far enough to allow clearance for that. Perhaps it will take a spacer and bending to get it to work. I wonder if all repro parts are this way. Most of the repro parts I got for my Squareback looked ok until you tried to put them on. Then, I would mess around to the point that I would either rebuild the OEM part or find a better stock part.