I couldnt find a plate frame to fit my 1932 south dakota plates so I made my own. I bought two pieces of aluminum that were 1/4 inch thick, I had a friend of mine mill the inside so the plate sits in about 1/8. I then rounded the corners and then routed the edge on my router table using a carbide round over bit used for wood working. I went this route because I wanted to have something backing the plate so it wouldnt get bent. Now all I have to do is spend a few hours sanding and polishing.
Yeah, I have to do something similar to use my vintage '47 Washington plate as it's not the same size as the current ones, but I need a plate light on mine too...
About 10 years ago I had an OT chevy truck. I was working nights at he time for the airline. Any ways, with boredom setting in, I cut out a piece of aluminum and stainless steel. Both were the same size as a license plate. I polished the SS to a mirror shine. The aluminum, I cut out the chevy symbol and then painted to match the body. This ***embly went on the front in the place of the front plate. It was just something different. When you have spare time at work with nothing to do, mechanics tend to get a little creative. Mark
Neat job with the aluminum! Here's mine from 1984, using 1/4 round stock with aluminum on backside, sandwiching all together after plating the round frame.
A friend asked if I could make a custom license plate frame for his deuce roadster. All Arizona license plates were made of copper from ’32-’35, these plates are smaller in size than a standard plate and varies between years. I cut a ¼” steel plate the exact size of the O.D. of the license plate. I drilled (4) holes matching the mounting holes. Next I attached a second ¼” plate on top of the base plate sandwiching a piece of 22 gauge cold rolled material between the two plates. The material needs to be about 1” larger than the base plate. I used a dead blow hammer to slowly work the edges. In order to make the corners I added some heat, continuing to work the material. The edges need to be trimmed to size and the center cut out.
The Jalopy Journal
