Rear License Plate Tight

[Wbulk]

I am hanging my doors, hood and trunk, and have read a few post on various brands of cars having a problem fitting the rear plate between the license plate light and the trunk handle. I am to that point now and have done some measuring on mine, and it looks like I have that problem to. I have not drilled for the trunk handle yet.

I don't what to relocate the plate. I was wondering how much room is there to move the handle lower than the recommended 1 3/4" to center from the lip of the trunk. I would like the plate to be under the lic. plate light like intended.

If I have to I am not against moving the lic. plate light higher by adding some Kitty Hair to build up and raise it.

Another option may be to not install the handle and install a trunk release cable and lever. I have seen one of these but do not know the detail or parts used.
What have you done to solve the problem other than relocate the plate?

Wayne

[Z-linkCobra]

Wbulk, I was looking at mine the other day trying to figure out what I was going to do as well. I was seriously considering making it spring loaded so it will pop up a little with a release lever type latch. You can go to just about any stereo shop or acc's shop and they will probably have an electric remote operated latch that you can modify into it. I was thinking of going to the junk yard and looking through some of the toyotas, nissans etc to find a cable pull latch. Run the cable up and put it down by the seat...kind of hide it. That way you have no exterior handle on the trunk. Thinking of doing the same for the hood.

Just what I was thinking about doing.

Gene

[Wbulk]

I know a guy about five miles from me that did the trunk release with a lever and cable on his cobra. I guess I will go over and take a look at his. I was just at a wrecking yard last week and saw a mid 90s Nissan Altima setup that might work.

I am curious what other guys have done.

Wayne

[lnfletcher]

During my build, I could only see a few options on fitting the plate between the light and the handle.
1) Trim the plate to fit
2) Tilt the plate so that it overlapped the handle.
3) Make a plate holder that would just allow the plate to fit between the light and the handle.

I didn't like the first two options because they didn't look right and it was very hard to work the handle.
I did the 3rd but didn't like the way it looked. ( It needs a little space to look right.)
The handle that is supplied could not be moved down because of the well on the inside of the lid would not allow. Reshaping the hump for the trunk I thought would look strange, plus be a lot of work if I didn't like it when finished!
I made a alternate location bracket while I decide. I have about come to the conclusion that I will have to trim the license plate to fit.

[Clois Harlan]

Mine fits! No trimming necessary but the plate does almost interfere with the trunk handle. The bottom of my plate is almost touching my trunk handle but it works just fine.

Clois

[Wbulk]

Larry, is that 1 3/4" absolute, or could it be 1 1/2". A little here and there helps.

Wayne

[Paul F]

My trunk handle and light was assembled by LA Exotics (now known as B&B). The plate and trim plate do hit the handle. The plate just touches. For the trim plate, I put a semi-circle cut in it.

[Jim Werth]

I cut a small notch on the bottom of my plate. Now it fits fine. Was made originally for the small English plate. Jim

[lnfletcher]

You may be able to get 1/4" out of it. Buy the bracket that you plan on using first because the one that I bought would not fit under the light like it should. I had to fabricate my own to fit flush with the light mounted.
I'll try to get some pictures to show what I'm talking about.

[BeasleyRB]

Like Clois, mine fits too. The bottom of the plate is about 1/8" above the trunk handle. I wonder what the difference is?

[Wbulk]

I completed installing my rear trunk latch today and I believe the way I did it will allow the plate to fit between the license plate light and the handle. I am going to go into some detail on the resolution in case someone else with a B and B has this same issue. It appears it can be an issue with other brands to. I now have about 6 1/4" clearance.

After a lot of measuring and looking at pictures, I realized that the picture in the manual shows the rear latch bracket is just about flush with the the top (upside down) or rather bottom of the fiberglass mounting pad that the bracket bolts to. But if you go by the 1 3/4" to center of the handle measurement given, that would put the bracket 1/2" below that glass mounting hump. In fact just about 1 1/4" to the center of the handle from the lower edge of the truck makes the bracket line up with the fiberglass hump like the picture in the manual. This actually turns out to be about 1 3/4" to the top of the trunk handle hole not the center.

I also realized that by moving the bracket further in and cutting out the fiberglas slot so the bracket mounts directly against the inside fiberglass hump moves the latch further in and should make it so I will not have to notch the lower trunk edge for the latch finger. The latch finger should just clear and be on the inside of the trunk to grab the trunk latch stud. I did cut off the lower 1/4" welded in nut on the bracket and I welded up the hole. I then redrilled the hole a 1/4" higher and welded on a new nut.

Hope this helps.
Wayne





I added this picture to show the latch on the inside and the stop I added.

[Dwight]

I have a Lone Star and this might not work on your Cobra.

I have made a few stainless bracket to move the tag up and back to clear the handle.

One for a Hurricane and maybe a FFR.
A picture is better than words.


Dwight

[Wbulk]

Nice color Dwight. I looked at a Lone Star last week. Their lic plate mount is different than mine.

[ebiggs1]

Wayne you can trim 1/16" or 1/8" off (top and bottom) of the licence plate and it will fit and no one will know you did anything. Off coarse I found out mine would not fit after I was done.

[Wbulk]

The way I did it I now have room for the plate and a bracket to hold the plate.