License Plate Problem

[oldpan]

I bought an restored 1949 ILLINOIS license plate to display on my 1949 Panhead. ..however the stock holes on this plate do not line up with the stock slotted holes on the original license bracket...has anyone found a way around this?...I really do not want to drill new holes in the restored plate which I am sure was done back in 1949 on Illinois Panheads. My other alternative would be to fabricate a new bracket that is slightly longer than the stock one...but this has 2 problems...(1) I do not want to remove the tail light to peen rivets on new bracket .(2) I know that this would no longer be correct ....ANY SUGGESTIONS?....CAN'T BELIEVE Harley made a bracket that would not fit a plate for that year...of course every state probably made whatever size they wanted to...THANKS..TOM COLBY oldpan

[Paps]

You might fabricate a mounting plate that allows you to mount the plate to the original mounting plate by using thin spacers to keep the original mounting plate and the new mounting plate slightly separated and yet allows you to affix the license plate as well. Consider short length threaded flat head fasteners and thin nuts which do not allow the threads to protrude past the nuts in order to reduce clearance problems. Mounting sequence of all would be a bit of a pickle though. Just a thought... Paps

[flthead]

you got it paps, take a thin piece of flat stock ,mount this to the stock tag bracket then mount the tag to this new flat stock mount

[oldpan]

..license plate

I have already attemped that , but ...the plate holes line up with the end of the solid part of the slotted ends , just past the slots, so any other bracket added to original ends up sticking way out and looks like hell...any other ideas?..tc

[flthead]

bend the flat stock like -__- very minimal an attach this way ,i've done it on my 41 servi-car with old plate, doesnt run stock lite or original tag

[flthead]

doesn't ruin stock lite ot plate

[oldpan]

..PLATE..

So does the bracket flex out in a small curve..?...HOW DOES THAT LOOK?..TC

[flthead]

send me your email ,an ill send ya a pic of my setup

[indianut]

Why don't you just make a flat bar, just like Paps said just long enough to hide behind the plate with two holes in it to bolt the plate to then HOLD IT UP TO THE STOCK BRACKET AND DRILL 2 HOLES TO THE INSIDE PART OF THE SLOTS?

[flthead]

send me your tag hole measurements an i'll make ya one ,