Looking further into my “box of brackets” I found one which I inscribed at the time I removed it from a 1967 Beetle decklid. In fact, it is written in marker and also scratched into the aluminum. This makes me know that I wanted to be certain to preserve its identity, even though I cannot recall the actual removal of the Bracket.
This Bracket affixes directly under the two outside studs of the license plate light housing. I suppose that all three of the stud nuts could be loosened sufficiently so that the Bracket could be inserted—all without complete removal of the housing—and the nuts tightened to secure the installation.
In the second photo, I note a potential weakness of this style of Bracket. The constant vibration of the plate, especially with the added weight, if there is a plate frame attached, may eventually fatigue the aluminum and it begins to crack at either end at the bend. Or…it could be that an owner kept bending the plate/Bracket to get the plate at the right angle or, perhaps, to keep the plate from vibrating against the decklid and destroying the paint.
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I have discovered three more Brackets like the one pictured above–two are cracked similarly. jay
I have one just like this on my ’67 bus and it was cracked as you explained in two places. I looked for years for another and never found one. I wound up finding a guy that could fix it with some sort of weld. Has worked ever since.
Hello, Rick…Not only have I found this one to be cracked, but the simple one (which I talked about in my other Bracket article for the Beetle) also is subject to metal fatigue, apparently. I have variations of these Brackets in aluminum and in steel–some slightly different. The only ones with any manufacturer’s identification have been the Fullwell Brackets. Apparently other manufacturers weren’t that proud of their products! LOL. And..BTW…I have one like the first one which I described (the simple one with the two holes for the Beetle in my first Bracket article) which I marked way back when as belonging to a Bus–can’t recall when I removed it, but it was on a Bus of some year. We’ll never know all of the answers. Thanks for commenting, Rick! jay
One of the Readers of 1967beetle.com, Stephen Jaeger, recently contacted Eric because he needed a proper ’67 License Plate Light Housing. After successfully locating and installing a Housing, he also talked to Eric and me about a relevant License Plate Bracket. His Decklid had 4 holes drilled through the sheet metal for securing the license plate directly to the Decklid. And, to be frank, our Article Illustrations also showed Beetles with the Plates secured obviously directly to the Decklid rather than with Brackets. Here is my response to that situation: “It was at Dealerships that the License Plate Brackets were applied (or not). Apparently some Dealerships preferred simply to bolt the plate to the lid–which actually placed the plate well away from the light source of the light housing. Since it is human nature to go the easy route and not to spend time or money when there is “another way”–it would have been cheaper NOT to purchase the brackets (made by USA firms, as you could see in the Articles) and have to loosen the light housing and work the brackets into position. It would have been cheaper simply to drill 2 or 4 holes through the lid. Then apply 4 small bolts, washers and nuts bought in quantity at the local hardware. At best, some Dealerships DID purchase Brackets which required the drilling of 2 holes (see the Article). I have to tell you that even today you purchase a new Honda vehicle (manufactured in the USA) and then find that there are no attaching points for the front license plate! If you ask the Dealership to do the operation–they want a tidy sum! (in Texas both front and rear license plates are required). So either you pay or you do it yourself. We’ve not come far, my Friend! LOL”. Therefore, if you have the holes in YOUR Decklid–you can make the best of the situation and know that you are not alone! jay salser
Go, Jay!