Anyone remove the front license plate bracket?

[InS0mNiAc]

I tried to remove the front license plate bracket today while I was installing my new lower valence speed grill which by the way looks damn awesome! Anyways the bolts that hold it on in the back look like wingnuts with an extra wing and they seem like they're clamped down. I managed to rig up something to turn them because they are screwed into the front holders from the back, so with the needle nose plyers I started to undo them. I then realized after 5 minutes of continuous turning and getting no where that I can't get the front holders to stop spinning. Anyone have any luck with this?

 

[jasonb]

yeah... there were two black "screws" in mine that are like drywall anchors where you push them in the hole but they kind of flare out once through and you can't pull them out (well not easily). i just yanked the crap out of mine and it came off. you'll need new connectors or some other method if you want to put it back on. i attached mine to a homemade receiver insert so it hides the holes and the receiver now.

edit: i'm guessing it will be the same for you. just saw yours is a 2002

 

[InS0mNiAc]

it doesn't seem like they can even be "pulled out" because they are screwed into the housings.

 

[becker69]

I go with the 'yank the crap out of it'... that is the only thing I could do to make mine budge. This is also the way that my buddy with an '01 Ranger had to remove his...
If you wanted to get sassie you could drill out the plastic anchors (which given the make-up of the plastic) will probably destroy that black inner (retainer) enough so you could just pull it off. Good luck.

 

[Crankcase]

Put a pair of vise grips on the part that is spinning, and have someone else turn the "wing nut"

 

[Slush Box]

Insomniac where did you get your valence grill at. thanks

 

[InS0mNiAc]

california car cover It won't list it on the site but you can call them, I got it for like 70 dollars.

 

[Jefe]

The problem is it isn't a screw type piece of hardware. Its more like a rivet. It will only be able to be used once. So once you remove it (by destroying it) you'll need some more hardware to mount it again (assuming you're going to)

 

[Black Magic]

You have to unscrew the screw from the plastic wing type thing. Then you can just pull them out. I removed mine. Looks much cleaner. I just leave it off, even though it is needed in MO. Never had any problems even been pulled over for speeding and did not get anything for it then.