December 7th, 2014 - JDM Illuminating License Plates for Project PRO.2

December 7th, 2011 - JDM Illuminating License Plates For Project PRO.2


From the time I was building Project 88 I'd planned to incorporate a JDM license plate on the front of the CRX. Since the JDM license plate mount points on the OEM EF8 front bumper are a different width, a standard North American license plate doesn't bolt up properly. After my EF8 arrived I decided that I wanted to upgrade to the "jiko-shiki" aka illuminating license plate for a little bit of bling.

 
So fast-forward about 12 years. I bought a JDM illuminating license plate and I'd mounted it for a while with a set of Mugen license plate bolts, but decided that since I was doing the whole Project PRO.2 thing, I wanted to get a tilt mounting bracket for it.

 The open-maw style of the Mugen PRO.2 front fascia's grill never seemed to look quite right with a North American or JDM sized front plate hanging in front of it. Since I'd already made up my mind that I wanted the front plate and it was going to be this JDM plate, I decided I would have to live with having the plate hang into the open front grill... until I saw a Nissan Silvia with a tilt license plate bracket installed. I scoured the Internet for more info about the bracket and when I saw it on a CR-X with a Mugen PRO.2 front end, I knew it was the exact solution I'd been looking for.

While doing research for this type of bracket I started to realize that the thickness of the conventional light-up frame wouldn't work very well with the tilt bracket and may look funny.

The traditional illuminating license plate frame uses two small, regular automotive bulbs to light the numbers. It ends up being quite thick and the lights end up being a little brighter in the area where the bulbs are, despite a white plastic piece designed to go between the plate and frame to soften and more evenly spread out the light to all the numbers.



After researching some more I discovered that another option would be to use a type of electroluminescent style frame to provide the back-lighting. One type, while ideal, at 1.5mm thick was the Cross Technology frame, but since I don't read Japanese I wasn't sure that it was meant to be used outside of the traditional frame housing. Being so thin and looking like it may not survive in the elements I surmised that it was to be used in the traditional housing, just behind the plate and used as a bulb replacement. At $200, that wasn't an option I wanted to take a gamble on. Besides, by the time I was ready to get one, I can't find them anywhere. They appear to be out of business.


The other type was a less expensive option, provided a full frame solution and was quite a bit thinner than the traditional type of frame. It was also substantially cheaper. I also wanted to buy my car something for its 25th "birthday". So I decided to take a leap and pick them up along with a JDM tilt license plate bracket to complete the upgrade.

The tilt bracket arrived a month ago, but the license plate frames only arrived the other day. I had an opportunity to test them out. They were a few years old (ca. Oct/2006 if my translation was correct) but still fully operational and lit up without issue. The plate looked fantastic with the EL frame and the light was very evenly distributed to the entire number area!

 Unfortunately, the Mugen license plate bolts at ~18mm (with washers) are simply not long enough to go all the way thru the new plate frame. The traditional frames don't use the same bolts to mount the frame to the car as mount the plate to the frame. These new frames used the same bolt to mount the plate and frame to the car.

Interior of a standard JDM Illuminating Plate Frame
(Note the Mounts for the Frame to the Car and the Plate to the Frame)

I also had a set of Honda Access locking license plate bolts that are also too short for the new frame. I managed to find a used locking license plate bolt from a JDM Toyota that is 29mm that I may be able to use. I'm waiting for the set to arrive from Japan currently. After arriving at this conclusion I noticed that there is a 30mm written on the sticker attached to the frame. There are times I think learning to read Japanese would save me more time than it would take to learn it. Ha ha ha.

So Close... Mugen License Plate Bolts with EL Frame and License Plate Attached.

I also went to my local Toyota dealership and verified their license plate thread diameter and pitch are the same as the Mugen and Honda Access bolts I have so there will be no problem attaching to the CR-X.

Another issue I feared was the way the frame mounts to the tilt frame bracket. I was concerned about the added length of the license plate bolts that may be required, and how the design of the back of the frame could possibly impact mounting it.

I braved the -20C temperatures and went to the garage to get the plate bracket to mock up the fitment. I discovered that it's much the same as the mounting for the standard Illuminating license plate frame. It mounts to the car with one set of bolts, then the plate/frame will mount with a second set. The hardware to mount the plate was included. They use a lock washer and nut on the back of the bolts for the license plate and frame, so the 29mm bolt I purchased will hopefully be just long enough. And luckily the thread diameter and pitch are the same as the Mugen and Honda Access threads, so no additional trips to the hardware store will be necessary to put the washer/nut on my Toyota bolts.

Now, as far as my original reason for purchasing the set: Would they be thinner? They are significantly thinner than the regular illuminating plate frames. I couldn't find my calipers for an exact measurement but I used a ruler and measured a ~20mm difference in width from one frame to the other! The standard frame was ~35mm and the EL frame was only ~15mm thick!!

Standard Illuminating License Plate Frame Thickness ~35mm

EL Illuminating License Plate Frame Thickness ~15mm

 Overall, I'm extremely pleased - even if I can't use some of my bolts with the license plate. I can't wait to use these next year. The installation plan will be to use a spare fog light switch to operate the license plate so that I don't have to have it on all the time my headlights are on. I have a spare North American Civic fog light harness I got from a friend and I'll see if I can make work for the installation or I may just use it as a template to make my own harness.

One thing's for sure, I will post more pics of the installation as I work on it.
 



Remember, this blog was written in chronological order so, you will need to click OLDER POSTS to move forward in time, and click NEWER POSTS to go backwards.