RMK

I'm trying o divise a way so that I can fold the rear number plate of my IROC down while driving. Let me emphasise that climbing out of the window with the cruise set to 70mph isn't an option. I'm looking for something mechanical or something. Has anyone got any ideas or has nyone actually done it???


Thanks for the help


Rob

------------------
1987 IROC-Z Auto (LB9)
Black/grey with the stance of a streetfighter

Mods
Custom exhaust. 4 Inch pipe from the headders all the way back to a single muffler at the rear. No Cat.

Future mods:
K&Ns
RAM Air
New Underdrive pulleys-either March performance pulleys or Auto Specialties Performance
Air foil

jm91rs

I am just curious....WHY?

Monkie

Because! Oh my god I get it. While running from the cops press the button and they will never be able to make it stick in court that your car was the one in the chase that is if you get away. But my god thats a good idea! Im gonna figure out how to do it.

84FTA

As in rear number plate do you mean rear license/registration plate? If you do I think it'd be much wiser to hinge the top and pull up the bottom. If you were to flip it down the extreme amount of force cause by air friction would strain every last part in the assemly and would probably send your plate flying. Some people put switches on to kill the lights over the plate but while I have ideas I'd rather leave you wondering other ways to elude law enforcement these short 6 months before you go to go jail.

------------------
1984 WS6 Trans Am Hartop
Former L69 Car under restoration
1984 WS6 Trans Am T-tops
4-bolt main 350, headers, Holley 650, T-5, dual elec. fans and 3.23's.
Daily driver and restoration
13.98 @ 101

turbo497

hope your not planing any drive by shootings or bank hits LOL I think if Johnny law caught you with a setup like that it would cause some legal problems.

Come to think of it the only reason I would want to flip my plate out of sight would be for skipping tolls,robbery,or other evil things but thats me. but if I was going to do such evil things I would just boost a car,do what I had to do then dump it-I would not use my own car.

but all kiddin aside, I'm sure your not like that and have a good reason for this setup but hiding your tags on public roads could cause trouble

zedder 1 9 9 0

In the Toronto Area we have a toll highway that takes a picture of your plate at the onramp you use and then at the offramp you use, then big brother sends you the bill in the mail. This would be a nice little way to stick it to the man and have a free ride. FLick the switch when you get on and off the highway just long enough to prevent the cameras from getting your plate number. How about this, I seen some high tech windows on a home improvemnt show years ago, with a flick of a switch then would turn from clear to fogged.It would be real interesting if someone could apply that technologie to a liscence plate cover. LOL

------------------
1990 Iroc convertible,305 tpi,Black with black leather interior,lowered

AmorgetRS

iTrader: (6)

I think it is a cool idea... for awhile I drove around w/ my rear plate down and expired tags... saw lots of cops, never bothered. But anyway, flipping it down isn't a problem... someone needs to look at the way air flows over the back end of a F-Body, it doesn't damage it to drive with it down... tons of people do it on accident every day! I think the best thing to do is set of a gear system with an electric motor that goes back into that area behind the plate, you'd have to cut a nice hole, though.
Later,
RS

Red Demon

yes but the problem wouldn't be with driving with it while it's down, the problem would be the way the wind would catch it as it would go down while one was driving.. Having the plate go up IS the best method.. I'm no physics kid, but I did learn a couple things about drag, and upwards would minimize the force put on by the air

------------------
Hey feel free to chat with me on AOL IM if you wanna.. Darkhal2000!
My site, http://www.personal.psu.edu/users/j/m/jmj211/index.htm

lonsal

iTrader: (2)

These instructions apply for Camaro's only. Firebird owners will have to come up with another method. Camaro's already have a fold down license plate mechanism with an over-center spring to keep them up or down. Forget about reversing the hinging to have the plate lift up rather than fold down for several reasons. The license plate would still be partly visible from a high camera mount location for one. Push out the pin that holds the spring and remove the spring. This allows the hinge to move up and down with only minimal force. I haven't fully worked out the linkage. But there is enough room on the left side inside of the rear cargo cover that covers the latch mechanism for a door lock solenoid. There is also enough room behind the black plastic Iroc/Z28 license plate light shroud. You would have to remove the tail light assy to get to the bottom screw that holds it on. Unfortunately the solenoid only has about a 1" stroke. It appears you need at least a 3" stroke to pull up and down the license plate from the middle of the formed flange that previously held the spring. You will have to use a lever to increase the stroke of the solenoid or come up with a solenoid having a longer stroke. That is about as far as I am willing to help you on this. As it is very illegal to hide the plate while driving. I will leave it up to you to figure out the rest. If the solenoid method is beyond your skills. Then you could always rig up a cable mechanism (like a choke cable) to pull it up and push it down. Leaving the license plate down accidently is one thing. But getting caught with a driver activated mechanism is something entirely different.

Jza

For educational and debative purposes only:

Actually, a good way would be to remove that spring so that it could easily fall over itself. Then use a solonoid similar to the one on Q-Jets that kickup the throttle when you turn the A/C on. The end of that solonoid looks like a hex bolt. With a rubber bumper on the end, it would simply look like an adjustable bump stop for the plate if it were theoretically sticking out of a hole back behind the plate.

Or one better way would be to use an electromagnet mounted behind the plate (with springs removed from the carrier), mated to a stick-on magnet on the plate carrier itself. When the car is off the stick-on magnet would be enough to hold the plate up while parked, but while driving, the electromagnet is energized so it can hold onto the plate at speed. Then when you need to fold down the plate, a hidden switch (I would recommend those reed switches someone brought up a while back) would reverse the polarity of the electromagnet, pushing the plate away where gravity and air resistance would neatly hide it.

Thanks for the head excercise. Let me know if you see any flaws...

zupmanZ28

im thinking the electromagnet wouldnt be a very bad idea at all. Ive been trying to think up ways to this for some time and so far, thats about the best idea ive heard or thought of. the only problem i could see is what happens when you shut the car off? the magnet would lose power and the plate would fall. Unless it was a super strong magnet, it would probably not be able to lift it back up, so you would have to do it yourself every time you started the car. And personally, i know i would forget about it rather often. You could hard wire so it constantly had power, but that would put a drain on the battery causing it to possibly go dead after a long sit. With some mroe thought though, i think this could probably work.

EDIT: I just read the rest of the previous post about the magnet(i guess thats what i get for speed reading). Whoops my fault. That seems like a good idea. But what would stop the normal magnet from working when the electromagnet was turned off? If im missing something hear please let me know, but as far as i can see, if the normal magnet was still there the electromagnet wouldn't matter

[This message has been edited by zupmanZ28 (edited January 22, 2001).]

[This message has been edited by zupmanZ28 (edited January 22, 2001).]

RMK

I'm not planning on a drive by or anything like that. The main reason for it is when you have some lunatic trying to kill you with his tire wrench because you accidently cut him up at the lights.

Also, it would be fun when racing the stangs. I could have a little sign behind it that says "BYE" as I floor it

I'll give it some thought though. Thanks for the help anyway


Rob

------------------
1987 IROC-Z Auto (LB9)
Black/grey with the stance of a streetfighter

Mods
Custom exhaust. 4 Inch pipe from the headders all the way back to a single muffler at the rear. No Cat.

Future mods:
K&Ns
RAM Air
New Underdrive pulleys-either March performance pulleys or Auto Specialties Performance
Air foil

84FTA

My apologies, I was thinking T/A rear and not Camaro rear. It would be better to have it fall down on a camaro rear if the hinge is already there.

On a Trans Am I'd make it flip up because the majority of the plate would be hidden. My idea would be to hing the top of the plate, then run a small steel cable through the light for the license plate (and you'll have to somehow mount it so the cable is angular to the plate so it can be pulled up) then mount a motor or selonid with gearing to pull the plate up. However, even with your plate hidden you won't get away with your crime. It is illegal to drive with no visible plates and I bet they can even nail you for obstruction of the plate with the wire. If you plan on running through toll booths everyday eventually they'll find the car that looks like yours and nail you.

------------------
1984 WS6 Trans Am Hartop
Former L69 Car under restoration
1984 Trans Am T-tops
4-bolt main 350, headers, Holley 650, T-5, dual elec. fans and 3.23's.
Daily driver and restoration
13.98 @ 101

Jim85IROC

iTrader: (2)

The electromagnet sounds good as long as you set it up so that you'll have enough force to pull the plate back up when desired.

Another choice would be to use a selenoid at the BOTTOM of the plate, below the fulcrum point of the stock hinge. This would result in a much shorter stroke from the solenoid, and high power, short stroke solenoids are easier to find and cheaper than solenoids with a long stroke.

------------------
The IROC Homepage
<A HREF="http://www.rit.edu/~jli4307/camaro" TARGET=_blank>
View the restoration of an 85 IROC</A>
"I didn't know a bored out Ford could go so slow" -Shenandoah

cg91ta

I have an old motor from a T/A headlight that doesn't shut off. Mounted correctly and put on a couple of switches to make it stop it would do well. I've also heard of a guy that got an old windsheild wiper motor and put some fog lights in there to "discourage" tailgaters.

JPrevost

For the camaro's, why don't we just remove the spring and use a long bike cable to move it up and down? Maybe you'd need two cables, one to pull down and the other to pull back up. I don't see why it has to be so complicated. Just feed the 2 cables under the carpet to the front and have the cables marked up and down. Pull one and the other goes back. It's pretty simple. I'll draw it out if I have time.
Oh yeah, and about the wind. There is minimal. Kind of like when you draft. It's funny but I had put an empty 20oz on my rear license plate when it was down and it stayed the whole trip to my friends house, I was going 60 in some places.
------------------
, Jon (91 RS too many mods to list), getting new engine in summer

[This message has been edited by JPrevost (edited January 24, 2001).]

jeremy7777

hey thought i was the only person who ever thought of that lol, glad to see someone has the same criminal mind as me havent really messed with that ideal yet but i did take off the folding bracket for my camaro and put it under my firebird so i can fold the liscense plate back up under when i go to the track and all, or if a cop stops me i just tell him it was down and the wind must have blew it up lol, better chance then none

jeremy7777

hey thought i was the only person who ever thought of that lol, glad to see someone has the same criminal mind as me havent really messed with that ideal yet but i did take off the folding bracket for my camaro and put it under my firebird so i can fold the liscense plate back up under when i go to the track and all, or if a cop stops me i just tell him it was down and the wind must have blew it up lol, better chance then none

bigrobb

I was looking at a hot rod magazine and they had something that made the liscence plate fold up and down when bolted under the car, so it's not showing at car shows. I'm sure you could make use of it to accomplish this fairly easily. Hope you figure it out and let everyone intereested know. Like me, I always just pull over and put mine down if I think it needs to be

86FyrBrd

iTrader: (1)

with firebird headlights as soon as power is applied to the motor the lights go up...when power is removed the quicly wind back down. Go to a junk yard, but the headlight motor, buy the relay, and the switch, Its gotta have enough torque if it keeps the headlights raised with all that ram-air coming at them. Your license plate may need a little bit of re-enforcement, just put a thicker, but light in weight peice of metal and bolt all 4 corners to it and hook the motor up to that. Sounds like a good idea to me and you still get OEM quality with it.

------------------
86 Firebird, 305 4bbl, Flowmaster 80 series.

Sound System: Pioneer Head Unit, 2 Ground Zero 12" Nuclear Series Subs, Rockford Fosgate wiring, Crappy Amp untill July

Work to be done in July: New Engine (383 or bigger) New worked 700R4, power Sunroof, Kobel predator Body kit, Ram Air II hood, Rims, Tires, 1.5" lowering springs, and re-done interior...I want yellow and black but the 4th gen conversions look tempting, oh yeah painting it Yellow also

AOL screen name= madbiker1

86FyrBrd

iTrader: (1)

With firebird headlights as soon as power is applied to the motor the lights go up...when power is removed they quickly wind back down. Go to a junk yard, buy the headlight motor, buy the relay, and the switch, Its gotta have enough torque if it keeps the headlights raised with all that ram-air coming at them. Your license plate may need a little bit of re-enforcement, just put a thicker, but light in weight peice of metal behind it and bolt all 4 corners to it and hook the motor up to that, but hinge it at the bottom. Sounds like a good idea to me and you still get OEM quality with it.

I reposted this...look at the update in my signiture

------------------[*] Some women driver blew a stop sign and totalled this car last night

86 Firebird, 305 4bbl, Flowmaster 80 series.

Sound System: Pioneer Head Unit, 2 Ground Zero 12" Nuclear Series Subs, Rockford Fosgate wiring, Crappy Amp untill July

Work to be done in July: New Engine (383 or bigger) New worked 700R4, power Sunroof, Kobel predator Body kit, Ram Air II hood, Rims, Tires, 1.5" lowering springs, and re-done interior...I want yellow and black but the 4th gen conversions look tempting, oh yeah painting it Yellow also

AOL screen name= madbiker1



[This message has been edited by 86FyrBrd (edited January 26, 2001).]

drain89

iTrader: (10)

I at one time (when I was younger and considered running from cops) thought of a rear license plate that would flip over to reveal a fake license plate by use of servo's. Never tried it though. I figured I couldn't out run a radio or a chopper.

9177

go to a hobbie shop that sells real rs models they should hve every thing there you would need. they make pretty strong servos and some even water proof

Jza

The reason my ideas were so "complicated" was so that it wasn't so obvious that there is a driver operated concealment device on the car. Any official from your fresh out of the acadamy rookie to your experienced Mississippi goober patrol could look at a bicycle brake cable on the plate and figure out what it's for, and whether or not it's there for an innocent reason, they're gonna look down on it.
And another thing: cut of some psycho at a light, and your tag is the last thing they're looking at. Believe me. One guy was about to go LA riots on my *** if I didn't have my trusty PR24 in the seat next to me.
He settled for spitting on the car. Lot of good that did him, since it was raining. And he was wet and I wasn't, so last laugh.