I'm thinking of replacing the registration plates on my car. The rear plate is the "shaped" one and I'm thinking about replacing it with a standard rectangular one. Does this fit? How does it look? Does anyone have a picture of an XK with a standard rectangular rear number plate?

 

Here's one from Auto Trader :

 

Thanks! I'm an idiot. I realised as soon as I posted the question that I could look at cars for sale and see for myself... I will change to the standard shape.

 

The two fixings can be restrictive in where the holes coincide with the numbers on the plate.





3M or equivalent adhesive strips aren't much good as you need to be able to get to the lock in an emergency. I use a mounting frame which screws to the lid and the plate then clips into it. Almost invisible .......




Graham

 

I'd been thinking about this myself @GGG . The plate has to be removable, and the fixing holes are where they are. What is this mounting frame of which you speak? Something like the stuff they sell at Adamesh? Sounds like a good solution, if the frame doesn't foul the lock.

 

I've tried a few and eventually settled on a German product from DEZENTOFIX as the least obtrusive.





Sourced from Amazon where they were also sold under the ASARAH brand. Unfortunately showing as 'currently unavailable'.

Graham

 

I assume, though, that such a mounting would allow the plate to be popped off i.e. nicked by a n'er-do-well?

Meanwhile, it looks like the smallest UK-legal dimensions for a 5 digit plate (my reg is V8CYJ) is just 338mm x 101mm. A rear plate this size would leave the keyhole exposed and so could be stuck on rather than screwed. I'd have to actually buy one to see how it looked on the car though, and also I don't know what state the bodywork that would be revealed is in. The site I'm looking at offers custom plate dimensions (as long as they aren't below the legal limit) so I could potentially order a plate that was as wide as possible while not not fouling the keyhole - about 390mm from a rough measurement. And if I replace the front plate, I could specify it to actually fit the existing surround on the car I suppose.

 

This looks remarkably similar:

https://www.amazon.com.be/-/en/elega...98PGM785&psc=1





Graham

 

I have that mounting plate. The upper-right corner can be prised back somewhat to gain (cumbersome but do-able) access to the lock. My set-up:

 

So I popped my head into a rabbit hole to do with road-legal number plate sizes, and then went completely off the deep end. (UK owners note - this plate size is legal because there are only 5 digits in the reg. number.)

The next problem is dealing with the damage and discolouration which was under the old plate. Nothing I had in the shed would touch it and I think I might have to resort to T-Cut or something. (Do they still make T-Cut?)

 

A standard rectangular plate will technically fit, but it won’t sit as nicely as the shaped one because of the curve on the XK's rear. It tends to leave gaps on the edges and doesn't follow the contour of the panel, which can look a bit off. If you want a cleaner look, you might want to stick with the shaped plate.

 

Maybe Plates for Cars or Pro Plates both do XK-specific plates if you're looking for a good fit

 

I replaced my plate a good while ago now. The picture in the previous post shows what I did.