Has anyone bought one of these from Thompson Automotive? It appears they just swing back when you get above 25 mph. $20 does not seem like a bad price.
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Has anyone bought one of these from Thompson Automotive? It appears they just swing back when you get above 25 mph. $20 does not seem like a bad price.
I think blackroadster made his own for just a few bucks...
BR has one of those "off kilter" ones. ;)
I made mine for twofiddy. Really!
I can show you when I make it over to Plano.
Its easy, and it works.
Not over engineered like Thompsons.
I saw BR's post, and it's OK. I have tried to get my wife's nephew to make one for me (and possibly sell them) since he owns a CNC machine, but he is too busy making other things (car and HVAC parts, art). Of course I was wanting it for free!
I had a disappearing one from Team Miata that mounted to the bottom. It worked OK until it got mangled when I pulled too far into a parking spot. The one from Thompson Automotive mounts to the top so it might be susceptible to that problem.
It looks like Team Miata has a diagram of theirs if you want to copy it.
http://www.teammiata.com/mall/TM305.htm
IIRC there seems to be an issue with the plate not being visible when the officer wants to see your plate as you drive into the sights of his radar gun. ::Bust1::
You might search the ::Batman:: board for this topic.
This is one of the reasons I never worried after the one I ordered wouldn't fit the NB.
If no visible plate = no plate then I don't want to spend the money.
YMMV
Good point... I just take my chances and run w/o a front plate. I keep it in the trunk, though. I've been pulled over once and was able to BS my way out of it. Unless the cop is having a real bad day, you should get off with a warning if you're polite and play dumb. :rolleyes:Quote:
Originally Posted by onething
When I got mine, I was in California. At the time there, traffic cops NEVER wrote license plate tickets as it was a $25 Fix-it-ticket that required you to go to the police sub station that issued it so that an officer could sign it off. The people that did give license plate tickets were parking cops. They were focused on the low dollar fines. This meant that as long as the plate is visible when parked, you were fine.Quote:
Originally Posted by onething
Yeah, I have that now as I had to pass a visual inspection by an Allen LEO. The swing plate is easy to do with two hinges and some nuts, bolts and screws from Homer Depot. Like Rogue said, it's about $2.50 in parts. If I have to run a plate I prefer the side mount though.Quote:
Originally Posted by Rogue
::Rant::
I have ..er.. HAD the Team Miata bottom-hinged version. If I find myself in need of a front plate, I'll probably run the side mount version as well...Quote:
Originally Posted by black roadster
Does anyone know if the Thompson one just hangs down and swings or does it have a spring to keep vertical until you get up to speed? The website does not give that info.
I looked closely at the photos on the Thompson website - it appears to be just a piano hinge, no springs. The Team Miata one didn't have any springs either. Having seen them in action, I'd bet that any spring at all would be enough resistance that the plate wouldn't fold back when driving.Quote:
Originally Posted by motorollow
Quote:
Originally Posted by motorollow
Just get the hinges from Homer Depot. Works just as well and a whole heck of a lot cheaper.
$20 for just a hinge is a bit much. I will probably just make one like BR's or just go without since my car has been in Texas for 18 years without a FLP and no tickets.
Surefire jinx, there.Quote:
Originally Posted by motorollow
+1Quote:
Originally Posted by cam76034
Take a look at this though...
Why would they bother writing a ticket if they are only going to get $10 out of you? It cost them more than $10 to process the paperwork. Texas HB 1623 basically eliminates the FLP requirement.
That one is still over-engineered.Quote:
Originally Posted by ken o
All you need is two small gate hinges and hardware.
Are the hinges spring loaded to stand the plate back up?
The one on M.net that you posted is the functional equivalent of the Team Miata one. The weight of the plate makes it stand up. The force of the air makes it lay flat when driving - or when parked in a stiff breeze...Quote:
Originally Posted by ken o