The Stovebolt Site Forums The Shop Area General Truck Talk Rear License Plate Bracket Location

I purchased a lisc plate bracket off ebay for the back of my truck [it is stamped as a 54, but looks correct], but there does not appear to be any provisions to mount the bracket on the back of the bed. Can anyone tell me how high to mount the bracket for it to be correct?

Also, any idea why there would not have been holes there already for the bracket? I cannot see where they were either welded or bondo'd from the back side, so I am curious... :confused:

The reproduction license plate bracket I bought for my '54 GMC bolts to the panel below the tailgate, the holes are original. The bracket is for '54 and '55 first only to be used with a bumper that has a dip in the middle for viewing the license plate

My holes are approximately 1.25" from the lower edge. This might work if you are mounting your bracket to the sill under the tailgate, and you have no bumper obstruction. You don't want to mount it too high so that it interferes with the tailgate operation.

I'm told there were no "factory bumpers" back in Task Force days. Your bumper, if you had one, was installed at the dealership or after-market shop.

I wouldn't be surprised one bit if license plate installation was addressed soley at the dealership level. They'd probably drill holes in the sill if you didn't buy a bumper, or they'd move the mounting bracket to a location suitable to the bumper style purchased. My step bumper has no provisions to mount the bracket at the center notch- the design simply won't allow it.

Bill

TxLaTx- Thanks for the dimension, I will use that as a reference.

Interesting tidbit that they did not come with bumpers that must explain why mine was never pierced/ drilled for one. The bumper that is on the truck now looks to be similar to what I see on most trucks, rounded design with the step down in the center. In the center it was previously drilled out for a trailer ball, though the previous owner used that as a location for a modified braket to hold the license plate. Problem was no easy way to illuminate and a 'suggestion' by the local boys to get some light on the plate, hence my conversion to the new one.

I'll have to check to be sure, but I'm certain that in the Assembly Manual that th factories used show that if the truck was not equipped with a bumper factory installed, they came with a license plate mount under the left tail light, just as the AD trucks had. I may be wrong about that, I need to check the manual, when I remember where I put it! :hammering:
I do know that there is an RPO code for a rear bumper, that would generally mean thet it was installed at the factory, not the dealer.
Here's a pic of mine, with the factory style bumper and plate location.
http://rides.webshots.com/photo/2143877990092261295Fvdwnc
PS, I'm inclined to think that your truck may not have had a bumper factory, it may very well been dealer installed. Especially since it didn't have the holes for the plate.

A few months ago I came across a tail light housing that has a lens for illuminating the license plate. I posted a thread on Stovebolt and got some valuable info from guys who had seen it before. In a nutshell, the housing has a clear lens along the bottom surface so that the tail lamp bulb lights the license plate in addition to the tail lamp. Apparently this was fairly common in the mid-50s across many brands. It was used usually when a vehicle had only one tail light, rather than a left and right installation.

Maybe your connection works better than mine. I tried to verify access to the photos that I linked to in the thread, and I get part-way through, but then I time out. (No love lost with Yahoo shutting down down their Photos "service.")

I doubt you could make use of such a lamp since it forces you to move your license plate installation far outboard. Mine would have been a tripping hazard.

Just another data point to consider.

Bill