Rovert
05-14-2014, 10:14 PM
Hi guys,
I'm posting this as a DIY for my M3 but this can be used for any bumper. Just a little bit of creativity will be needed for your bumper. I believe this would be a similar install compared to a coupe with M-tech II front bumper.
For all those who don't want to drill holes in their front bumper and don't like the JDM tow hook mount for a plate, this is my solution for a front plate which is reliable and strong! I did this "similar" modification on my 330i (http://www.bimmerfest.com/forums/showthread.php?t=377209&highlight=) as well and it lasted many years of my ownership of it, including hard cornering at 90MPH and breathing stretches at 140MPH+.
https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-KxBfhN8n9to/U3Q0Ze1pXzI/AAAAAAAANQA/-fgd4JNCkTY/w996-h638-no/IMG_1925.JPG
The hardware you'll need are rare earth magnets. When you install them into cups, they increase in strength four fold. So I found these:
https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/JD6n0jp3XxvodqZtxQ0R_gKQvofPLE1ES2qTuNcQNwg=w851-h638-no
http://www.leevalley.com/en/images/item/woodworking/magnets/99k3330s2.jpg
I purchased "D" which is the 3/4" diameter rare earth magnet set. The direct-pull strength on a naked 3/4" magnet is 22lbs when against steel. I got two of each magnet, cup, and washer for $6.30 where I live at Lee Valley Tools in Vancouver, Canada. In normal application you'll use the magnet and cup on one side and the washer on the other side to keep things together by magnet. Since I wanted to use this on an automotive application I wanted to make sure I use a magnet on each side for extra strength. So I used a total of 8 3/4" magnets, 8 cups, and 2 washers for this project. I also used two screws, two nuts, and two locking washers for the license plate. The last thing I bought were a pack of heavy duty soft acrylic pads ("B" on the image below) to stick on the bumper clear coat and magnet surface. They're non-skid, high shear load, and handle temps up to 140F so they're great to protect the clear coat as well as keep the magnet seated against the bumper.
http://www.leevalley.com/en/images/item/woodworking/magnets/99k3261s4.jpg
https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-BYMG_X-LVf8/U3Qpv4lFtvI/AAAAAAAANRA/p4LoFjarbtQ/w851-h638-no/IMG_1905.JPG
I folded the bottom of my plate to a near 90 degree angle which you can adjust after. I used the two holes on the bottom of the plate to mount my rear earth magnets. In order from top to bottom is: rare earth magnet, cup, screw, license plate, washer, locking washer, nut.
https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-HdZl5-wVMnY/U3QqsrmWbhI/AAAAAAAANQ4/RhDlczz6kqg/w851-h638-no/IMG_1907.JPG
You'll need to remove your front bumper for this because you need to add magnets behind to create four hidden mounts.
https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-K3wB7lB5LNE/U3QFiIefI7I/AAAAAAAANRI/Y4SgMc4BfAI/w851-h638-no/IMG_1901.JPG
Pull off the lower grille too to make it easier to access the empty space. I didn't have to do this with my ZHP sedan.
https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-jwHcPMzVojg/U3QrdM35qHI/AAAAAAAANQg/xLIAF-DS_q0/w851-h638-no/IMG_1912.JPG
You'll need to make sure the magnets attract to each other positive to negative. Keep them both the same and they'll repel each other. Clean the bumper so there is no dirt and test the magnets to align the plate. You'll want the bumper magnets to be as far forward as they can.
https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-cICM7WjXGMY/U3QrG3nmDZI/AAAAAAAANQw/kidUl9n-4VA/w851-h638-no/IMG_1909.JPG
Once you have them aligned I use thin double sided tape to attach the magnets to the inside of the bumper:
https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-YhcbLZPxv3k/U3QrL-CNTbI/AAAAAAAANQo/Oru51Ag8wd4/w851-h638-no/IMG_1911.JPG
After the two magnets were setup and taped down I installed another 2 on the plate with 3M double sided tape which is thicker than just double sided tape as I wanted it to buffer the space in between the plate and magnet should the plate need to bend a little which it was. The 3M tape made the inner magnets higher than the screwed on ones so I needed to bend the middle of the plate further down from the outside magnets.
Once the license plate is centered and inner bumper magnets are set I installed the black soft acrylic pad stickers on each magnet and where the magnets contact. To get the sticker on the bumper accurately I laid one sticker upside-down on the magnet. I let the opposite magnet set itself on the bumper while i slowly placed the sticker onto the bumper as that magnet attached to the bumper. The sticker was installed perfectly when I did that. Pop the lower front bumper grille back on if you took it off or take extra time to black Plastidip the grille if it's faded and not black anymore.
https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-A4smUn9r9UM/U3Q0OxKf1II/AAAAAAAANQI/zhMDVlLbpmQ/w851-h638-no/IMG_1919.JPG
You can see how close I made everything in the picture below. I added another sticker to the back of the license plate where it can contact the front facing part of the bumper right in the middle.
https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/QsrcPlbZ5uAQiwWRox99jQbi9ewRVJFtiBObBhh4tFI=w479-h638-no
https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-tRTqMFA-XMY/U3Q0fBJqVJI/AAAAAAAANP4/DJbvk36Rb4o/w851-h638-no/IMG_1929.JPG
Put the bumper back on and enjoy being able to take off and put on your front license plate in less than a second. This is great when you're at car meets and want a clean front bumper for photos. I'll probably cut off the excess screw length and then Plastidip the washer/nut so it blends in with the dark grille better.
https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7330/13969059199_e875f3ba24_b.jpg
I'm posting this as a DIY for my M3 but this can be used for any bumper. Just a little bit of creativity will be needed for your bumper. I believe this would be a similar install compared to a coupe with M-tech II front bumper.
For all those who don't want to drill holes in their front bumper and don't like the JDM tow hook mount for a plate, this is my solution for a front plate which is reliable and strong! I did this "similar" modification on my 330i (http://www.bimmerfest.com/forums/showthread.php?t=377209&highlight=) as well and it lasted many years of my ownership of it, including hard cornering at 90MPH and breathing stretches at 140MPH+.
https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-KxBfhN8n9to/U3Q0Ze1pXzI/AAAAAAAANQA/-fgd4JNCkTY/w996-h638-no/IMG_1925.JPG
The hardware you'll need are rare earth magnets. When you install them into cups, they increase in strength four fold. So I found these:
https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/JD6n0jp3XxvodqZtxQ0R_gKQvofPLE1ES2qTuNcQNwg=w851-h638-no
http://www.leevalley.com/en/images/item/woodworking/magnets/99k3330s2.jpg
I purchased "D" which is the 3/4" diameter rare earth magnet set. The direct-pull strength on a naked 3/4" magnet is 22lbs when against steel. I got two of each magnet, cup, and washer for $6.30 where I live at Lee Valley Tools in Vancouver, Canada. In normal application you'll use the magnet and cup on one side and the washer on the other side to keep things together by magnet. Since I wanted to use this on an automotive application I wanted to make sure I use a magnet on each side for extra strength. So I used a total of 8 3/4" magnets, 8 cups, and 2 washers for this project. I also used two screws, two nuts, and two locking washers for the license plate. The last thing I bought were a pack of heavy duty soft acrylic pads ("B" on the image below) to stick on the bumper clear coat and magnet surface. They're non-skid, high shear load, and handle temps up to 140F so they're great to protect the clear coat as well as keep the magnet seated against the bumper.
http://www.leevalley.com/en/images/item/woodworking/magnets/99k3261s4.jpg
https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-BYMG_X-LVf8/U3Qpv4lFtvI/AAAAAAAANRA/p4LoFjarbtQ/w851-h638-no/IMG_1905.JPG
I folded the bottom of my plate to a near 90 degree angle which you can adjust after. I used the two holes on the bottom of the plate to mount my rear earth magnets. In order from top to bottom is: rare earth magnet, cup, screw, license plate, washer, locking washer, nut.
https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-HdZl5-wVMnY/U3QqsrmWbhI/AAAAAAAANQ4/RhDlczz6kqg/w851-h638-no/IMG_1907.JPG
You'll need to remove your front bumper for this because you need to add magnets behind to create four hidden mounts.
https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-K3wB7lB5LNE/U3QFiIefI7I/AAAAAAAANRI/Y4SgMc4BfAI/w851-h638-no/IMG_1901.JPG
Pull off the lower grille too to make it easier to access the empty space. I didn't have to do this with my ZHP sedan.
https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-jwHcPMzVojg/U3QrdM35qHI/AAAAAAAANQg/xLIAF-DS_q0/w851-h638-no/IMG_1912.JPG
You'll need to make sure the magnets attract to each other positive to negative. Keep them both the same and they'll repel each other. Clean the bumper so there is no dirt and test the magnets to align the plate. You'll want the bumper magnets to be as far forward as they can.
https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-cICM7WjXGMY/U3QrG3nmDZI/AAAAAAAANQw/kidUl9n-4VA/w851-h638-no/IMG_1909.JPG
Once you have them aligned I use thin double sided tape to attach the magnets to the inside of the bumper:
https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-YhcbLZPxv3k/U3QrL-CNTbI/AAAAAAAANQo/Oru51Ag8wd4/w851-h638-no/IMG_1911.JPG
After the two magnets were setup and taped down I installed another 2 on the plate with 3M double sided tape which is thicker than just double sided tape as I wanted it to buffer the space in between the plate and magnet should the plate need to bend a little which it was. The 3M tape made the inner magnets higher than the screwed on ones so I needed to bend the middle of the plate further down from the outside magnets.
Once the license plate is centered and inner bumper magnets are set I installed the black soft acrylic pad stickers on each magnet and where the magnets contact. To get the sticker on the bumper accurately I laid one sticker upside-down on the magnet. I let the opposite magnet set itself on the bumper while i slowly placed the sticker onto the bumper as that magnet attached to the bumper. The sticker was installed perfectly when I did that. Pop the lower front bumper grille back on if you took it off or take extra time to black Plastidip the grille if it's faded and not black anymore.
https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-A4smUn9r9UM/U3Q0OxKf1II/AAAAAAAANQI/zhMDVlLbpmQ/w851-h638-no/IMG_1919.JPG
You can see how close I made everything in the picture below. I added another sticker to the back of the license plate where it can contact the front facing part of the bumper right in the middle.
https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/QsrcPlbZ5uAQiwWRox99jQbi9ewRVJFtiBObBhh4tFI=w479-h638-no
https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-tRTqMFA-XMY/U3Q0fBJqVJI/AAAAAAAANP4/DJbvk36Rb4o/w851-h638-no/IMG_1929.JPG
Put the bumper back on and enjoy being able to take off and put on your front license plate in less than a second. This is great when you're at car meets and want a clean front bumper for photos. I'll probably cut off the excess screw length and then Plastidip the washer/nut so it blends in with the dark grille better.
https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7330/13969059199_e875f3ba24_b.jpg