The Stovebolt Site Forums The Shop Area General Truck Talk Where do you put the license tag? (1953 Chevy 3/4 ton)

It is on my left tail light but it shakes a lot & actually broke off once.

Two holes in the right place on the rear of the bed support. I don't know if they're stock or not but it was like that when I got here. It satisfies my sense of symmetry. I hate off center license plates.

Glenn -
That installation looks like a real drag, so to speak. Right smack dab in an area of accelerated air flow.
Mine is similar to that of Mr Skorzeny , but offset. I chose to avoid obstruction of the view to the differential, which I intend to paint a contrasting color sometime soon.
(sorry Otto)

From my understanding, the rear bumper was an after market accessory for the AD trucks and the license plate was designed by the Chevy engineers to hang below the single tail light on the left (as evidenced by period photos and the clear glass lens in the bottom of the tail light).

However anyone wants to place the tail light is entirely up to them, though.

As for me, I've had the rear license plate in the factory position for more than 20 years now with no issues.

Past success is not to be used as an indication of future success, however.

I found some pictures of what John was talking about with Charlie, 1949 3800 1-ton. (Had to add the hauling hay image. )

In a fit of impatience to go for my first drive, I self tapper’d mine to the farmer fabbed bumper. Passenger side.

From angle of pic the bag of dirt looks centered, as does the trees in the bed. We know you didn't stage it just for this thread.

JW.


This post! Send a pix if you've got it JW.

BTW, I really don't think this "pix."

First plate of my very own, wired to the farmer's bumper with some electrical wire. Then backed into a hill and creased it forever, right across the middle.

That's funny. It probably just worked out that way because I load truck beds for even weight distribution - i.e. symmetrically.

If you can mount the plate bracket using the two bottom red bolts below the tailgate hinge it would bring it in several inches. But I don't know what "bracket" you have.

Todd

Bolted to the left side of the "railroad track rear bumper" built and installed by my Grandfather decades ago. You can see the original bracket still attached below the left brake light.

In a fit of impatience to go for my first ride, I self-tapper’d mine to the farmer-fabbed bumper on my truck. Passenger side.

Pic to follow later.

JW, We'll be waiting. Looks like the OP has a nice bunch of responses. Hope we hear back from Glenn.

The problem I had with the original mount location was the plate stuck out too far to avoid sometimes catching an edge and ripping a shirt or jeans. I ended up making a “T” shaped bracket and mounting it upside down with the plate to hang off one of the bumper bolts. It hangs just below the bumper.

I put both mine in the centre of the front and rear bumper using a backing plate

Kevin, I added an image from your Gallery Forum. Hope this is the right one. (Man! It looked cold in the original photo ... I cropped it to get more of the plate without having to add arrows. I think it's kind obvious. )

‘SKI,
I don’t think I collected or posted a gallery. In fact I don’t know anything about the Gallery Forum.
I’ve never seen that picture before.

Opps. I fixed it to "Kevin" ... the *other SKI*. Kevin's Gallery Forum link is in his signature line. Go look at our little guy, with the link, and see what else is in our "virtual garage." You know about the Shops!

Wrong picture here is what I have now.

I have mine where they came originally. It hangs out, but it forces me to take the long way around to the back of the truck, thus preventing me from shin-boning my trailer hitch knob.

Stock plate stock location.

I like the way Kevinski centered it. My ‘57 has the “dipped in the middle” style bumper (nice spot to sit a spell and rest the aging bones) so license plate bracket and light are already centered there. I appreciate Carl’s long way around. Avoids the end of bumper grabbing your knee cap also. I’d like to say, “ya only do that once!” but personal experience says that ain’t true.

Stock plate location for me as well

I find it interesting that California issued a '50 tab to the corner of what I assume is a '49 plate rather than issue full '50 plate.
Virginia did the same thing in 1952.
Did California also use the '52 corner tab in 1952 as well?

The '50 tab was actually on a '47 full plate (also used tabs for '48 and '49.)
California issued a full plate for '51, and tabs to go on it from '52 through '55. In '56, they issued new plates then went with stickers for renewal for the next few years.

Here's an interesting web site for plates from all sites. Link

For my 53 year of manufacture plate in Indiana We have a 51 plate with a 53 topper. I was told it was due to a metal shortage because of the war. I will use the 51 plate and 53 topper and they give you a new plate with a sticker that you have to carry with the vehicle but not mounted. My registration has both license numbers on it. The plate cannot be restored. We only run one plate but evidently ran 2 in 51 because I bought 2 of the same plate.

Those are '47 plates with '50 tabs.

Glenn, your existing bracket is not factory or isn’t mounted correctly. Pictured below is a new bracket from Classic Parts and my right hand tail light which is mounted the same. I couldn’t find a picture if the left side without the plate blocking the mounting bolts.

The last photo is my 1951 plate with a 52 tag on it.

Glenn, per your pic, the two red painted bolts below your left tailgate hinge are used to mount the licence plate bracket. My first pic shows these two small bolts at the bottom of the pillar.

All original with the exception of that rear bumper?

Attached pics show lower plate location of the bracket that was on my truck. (part of the license bracket is broken off) Anyone else seen this lower style?

I don't believe the new repop driver side brackets are truly factory correct because they put the plate above rear bumper. Most AD trucks weren't sold with rear bumpers so hiding it behind a bumper wouldn't seem to be much of a consideration.

Skooter, your bracket looks like it was taken apart/modified to reposition the plate and light to some previous owners desired place. The original vertical and cross plates were riveted together, but yours appears to have been welded at some point. Whatever works for your truck is fine. Just don't recall ever seeing a mount like that before.

I installed a trailer hitch back under the valance. Then I had a slide-in hitch made with a license plate bracket welded to that. You can slide that out and install a hitch ball and pull whatever. In the 23 years I have had the truck I have only used it 3 times and that has been in the last 4 or 5 years.

If I understand correctly, the dealer dealt with war related shortages by improvising a rear bumper? I wonder if it was done in a local shop, perhaps even at the dealership; would you know about that?
It appears that the improvised bumper consumed more raw material than a stock one would have.

And yes , I am enlightened.

Waveski and papas52, Bumper discussion is veering off the original topic. In respect to the original topic, lets get back to that question please and thanks.

The PO removed the box of my 3/4-T and built a wood flatbed, a perfect place for the plate.

My '48's plate.

Pictures of the original location and the current location. The original location would help to foil photo radar, but thankfully we don't have that here anymore.

My '52 GMC 3/4 ton, factory (I think), flatbed license plate holder attaches as shown below. All the wood has been replaced at least once and needs it again. But most of the bolts are clutch head.

Makes no difference to me, it's just interesting because it appears original to me partly because of the rivets. Don't believe it's welded, although the thick flaky rust does look like weld spatter. The horizontal piece that bolts to the truck has a lengthwise bend I haven't seen in modern repops. Who knows, it could be from some other brand truck of that era.

Hey Wally, is that bailing twine holding up the plate?
Looks like you are doing the 007 flip plate trick to stay incognito.