Hello,

Well, it took me 6 months, but I finally got around to finishing my 350Z license plate bracket. For some reason, Pro/E won't generate a JPEG of the model (Keeps crashing), so you'll have to look over the drawings to see what you think.

I was thinking of rounding the outer corners of the "Z" more, so it would match what is on the car better, but it just doesn't seem to look right that way.

Also, what do you think about the top strip of the plate? I've kept it narrow because it looks a little sleeker, but the width where the screw holes are could be maintained throughout the center of the plate which would leave room for other "decorations". Do you guys have any preference?

I'm going to attach the files to the next few posts, but because of the image resolution limit, I don't know how good the drawings will look. If there are problems maybe someone will be able to host the drawings at their full size. In JPEG format they are about 100K each in size.

I will get my machine shop to quote a QTY 10, 25, 50 price, just in case any of you are interested and don't have access to a sheetmetal or machine shop. For those of you who do have access to your own shop, feel free to PM me for the drawings in DXF format.

-D'oh!

 

Page 1:

 

Page 2:

 

OK, here's the last sheet:

 

Looks Great! What will the finish be? I'll suggest a brushed look, like the Z on the hatch. I like the thin top, as it won't hide my yearly sticker. And I like the thick bottom, as it covers the lower plate holes(I haven't drilled extra holes in the hatch). One last question.....will the "depth" of the frame cover a clear plate shield?

 

Yeah, it will be brushed 1/8" thick aluminum with a Clear Anodize coating. If you look closely at sheet 2, you can see two horizontal arrows in the top section of the frame. Those arrows indicate the direction of the grain. I've specified 200 grit initially, but I may need something finer depending on how that looks.

The anodize coating should not change the color, but it will help protect the plate from the elements and prevent oxidation.

The back side of the frame is totally flat right now. I forgot about hogging out a section for the actual plate, but I'm not sure if that is required. I guess it would help everything sit flush, but starting with only 1/8" thick sheet means that there won't be much material to play with. I'll see how changing to 3/16" or 1/4" changes the cost.

I have all my stuff at work (and I am now at home) so when I get back on monday I can post a comparison between the two versions of the "Z" that I've experimented with. You guys can tell me what you think.

VQ, I can send you higher res drawings at that time as well.

Thanks for the comments so far...

-D'oh!

 

Going to 1/4 " will definitely up the cost (bare aluminum about $150 for a 4'x4' sheet) you might be able to get it cheaper if you go for scraps at the metal place tho, instead of going for one big piece.

At least, I think that's about what i paid for two 2'x4' pieces of 6061 for the table I built a couple years ago...

 

Looks good, but don't forget to have two tabs on the lower inside portion of frame to hold plate. That is how most frames are that only have two holes on top. I apologize if this has been addressed.