Alas, I'm afraid I will need to go with a front license plate someday soon. In searching the forum, I find a lot of ink on how disgusting that idea is and how it degrades the XK's sex-appeal factor by at least 50% (no argument from me there) but has anyone found or developed reasonable way to do it? By reasonable, I mean as low as possible and without drilling holes in any obvious places. I will probably set out to engineer something myself, but I just thought I'd check with y'all first.

Thanks.

 

There was a black plastic piece for mounting a front plate that the previous owner had (this was actually a Jaguar part and the previous owner did not mount the plate). Here in SoCal they have really clamped down on giving tickets for cars without front plates (one of the last desperate revenue-collecting measures in a dying state). I have new model XKR and did not want to block the grill so I found a way to use plastic tie-strips to fasten the mount to the wide "bar" that divides the upper and lower grill areas. The benefit is that I was able to mount the plate lower without blocking the grill and I did not need to do any drilling. I can try and remember to take a photo if that would help.

Doug

 

my front bracket was mounted when I got the car, I think a dealer item...and of course included holes drilled into the bumper overriders. Removed and fixed since then, but I hope someone can give you a better option w/o damaging them.

 

XK8-XJ8L
I have a front plate bracket that mounts low on the front bumper. It's easy to fabricate. I'll post a print tonight when I get home. It's adjustable so you can raise it or lower it. It does require two holes in the bottom of the bumper. I don't use it, I just carry it around in the trunk. It worked good when it was installed but, it was easy to hit curbs and parking blocks. It was more of a hassle since I only drive the car on weekends, I take my chances.
Doug
2001 XKR Silverstone

 

RCSign - Thanks. That looks like the type of thing I'm looking for. I would definately appreciate any detailed pics.

Thanks again.

 

Here's s simple solution for the license plate mount. It will require two holes on the lower lip of your bumper. I don't run the plate any more and you really cannot see the holes.
Doug
2001 XKR Silverstone

 

Yeah, I've got the same issue...I've had one police officer warn me about the front plate so far...I just wish there was a good way to do it without obliterating the front end. My MINI had the same problem, but there was a company that made a nifty holder that actually looked decent that took care of the police being interested in my car because of the plates (now the lowering and the tint...those were other "interest" items...)

 

Hey, Doug. Thanks a ton for following up with this diagram. One question: Did you have any support at the top of the plate or was the combined stiffness of the frame and plate enough? I might adhere a small strip of felt or rubber to the bumper up there and just snug the plate into it. (I have the 3M clear vinyl "bra", so the paint is protected.)

Thanks again.

 

Hello
I stumbled on this solution on eBay today
Ed K
http://cgi.ebay.com/Jaguar-XK8-XKR-s...item5d2a8db5e8

 

Show and Go?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=khzkAgs5GVY

 

XK8-XJ8L
When sandwiching the 1/8" aluminum, the bumper, and bottom bracket, it is stiff enough to support the holder. My neighbor bought the electric one for his newer Corvette but never got it to work properly, he then bought a similar one that folds under manually. I think both were made of ABS plastic.
Doug
2001 XKR Silverstone

 

We've been around this topic a few times. As previously posted, I've made an aluminum bracket that fastens to the lower bumper with stainless bolts then the plate bolts to that with a smoked cover on it. Keeps it pretty legal but unobtrusive and down from the grill. You need to angle it back a bit to ensure ground clearance..

 

I lost my front plate twice using the factory mounts, then decided to take matters into my own hands. Plus the factory mounts looked horrible as it spaces the plate so far out.

I had to drill two holes in the plate that ligned up with the center of the bumpers. Then I used coarse thead stainless steel self tapping screws to mount it. Been there for 6 months and it's still there. I did drill small pilots holes through the plastic to get the screws started.

Have to have one unfortunately as the don't give warnings by my shop, just tickets. Lost my plate and got a ticket.

 

Dan, expanding on your solution, could you have moved the holes towards the center of the plate a bit farther and missed drilling into the 'teeth' altogether? Maybe run a fastener of some sort to the horizontal bar behind it?

 

Why not just zip tie it to the mesh? Personally, its going to take a few tickets before I concede and put on a front plate. So far, I haven't been bothered.

 

Matt,

There were already a bunch of holes from the original factory mounts, so it wasn't a concern for me. It may work for someone else though.

By the way those are the mesh grills I made from SS. I know it's a bit different from the XKR grills, but I've see way to many the XKR grills that have been hit by rocks and get damaged. To bad Jag made them from aluminum and had them plated.

 

Dan
The XKR grill on my 2001 is stainless I've never seen a plated aluminum factory grill.
Doug
2001 XKR Silverstone

 

Adamesh has a set of brackets to lower the mounting of the plate.
http://www.adamesh.co.uk/jaguar-xk8-...h-kit-18-p.asp

It's pretty simple and anyone that has a brake and alumium sheet stock could make a quick set,they don't need to be well finished.When you mount the brackets to the plate,make sure that when you put it up to the bumber you monut it as high as possible to give you ground clearence on the bottom of the plale.

To fill in the holes where the original plate mount was I just put in flat black sheet metal screws which blended in from a distance.

 

Wow!! Lots of great discussion here. Turns out that I went to the local Pull-a-Part and found brackets on a couple of different cars that I'm combining to get what I want. I'll need to drill a couple of holes near the back of the bumper's underside and run a zip tie around the center post of the lower grill opening, but nothing that will show. Gonna do it, along with installing a mesh grill, this week. Will post some pics when available.

Off-topic: Took the wife, our daughter and her hubby to a concert at the opera house last week in the XJ8L. Reminded me of a saying I once heard:

If you're going to "ARRIVE", you need to arrive in a Jaguar.

 

Thank you so much for this advice, I'm in NYC and it would be an automatic ticket, I didn't want to ruin my car and it worked perfectly!