Is it possible to shave off the license plate holes in the front bumper of our 88-91 Civic's (primarily hatchbacks)?

Just wondering because apparently some newer Honda's come with "hollow" license plate mounting points which results in large holes in the bumper that need to be glassed then bondo'd (sounds like it'll crack quickly over time as it's at the very front of the vehicle/airflow). Come winter break, I'll probably be heading home from school to have my front bumper resprayed (again) and I plan on relocating my plate towards the passenger's side to direct more flow towards a certain front mount (to be mounted) .

Also, how many of you out there are running shaved front emblems?...just curious .

Thanks in advance!

 

interesting question. i too would like to know the answer to this as i am getting ready to paint my car

 

Bump? I know somebody out there's shaved their front license plate "blocks" off before.

 

I'm sure it's possible... You're asking if you can simply bondo some tiny holes in a bumper? I have seen many people just put screws or plugs in the holes but still relocate their plate also.

 

I've seen it before, it can be done. I don't know the process used to do it but I bet it was fiberglass/bondo. How else would you do it anyways?

 

cool

 

I shaved mine:

I sanded down to an even surface
I fiberglassed the hole up, sanded again, primered, and painted.
voila!

 

when you shave the "blocks" off, are there large holes, or is it just still the holes for the screws? you can buy plastic bumper filler that works great for rubber bumpers. it comes in a 2-tube, like 2 part epoxy. i used it to fill in some scuffs and gouges in my bumpers. that would work to fill those in with

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by civicandy &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">when you shave the "blocks" off, are there large holes, or is it just still the holes for the screws? you can buy plastic bumper filler that works great for rubber bumpers. it comes in a 2-tube, like 2 part epoxy. i used it to fill in some scuffs and gouges in my bumpers. that would work to fill those in with</TD></TR></TABLE>

Yeah, this is what I was wondering as well. Worse comes to worst (if there are massive holes like the newer Civic's), I'll probably shave, fiberglass, reinforce, then bondo to perfection. Just wondering how people go about reinforcing the fiberglass...epoxy plastic or steel rods/plates behind the shaved holes?

 

For my license plate holes, I used a two-part product called Ure-Weld, I think it was. It came with some mesh to reinforce over open areas. I mixed up some of the Ure-Weld and used it to glue that mesh to the back of the trim where the holes were. Then, I let that dry, and filled in the rest with more of the Ure-Weld. It cures up to be just like urethane and stays flexible.

I didn't go too crazy with smoothing it down, and in the right light, you can still see a little bit of an outline of the two holes that used to be there, but it works for me

For the front emblem, the holes are small enough to just weld up. Grind them down, and then apply a thin layer of bondo to make sure everything is super smooth. I did that to my old hood as well.

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by Mr_CRX &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">

For the front emblem, the holes are small enough to just weld up. Grind them down,
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Keep in mind the thin gage of our hoods , you'll need low heat and low wire speed or your going to puddle out a bigger hole. Also you'll need to sand it down to bare metal so you get a clean ark and good penatration. I would find someone good with a mig to do this , not a stick welder.

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by Rex-Si &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">Keep in mind the thin gage of our hoods , you'll need low heat and low wire speed or your going to puddle out a bigger hole. Also you'll need to sand it down to bare metal so you get a clean ark and good penatration. I would find someone good with a mig to do this , not a stick welder. </TD></TR></TABLE>

Definitely. I had the auto-shop teacher do it for me when I was taking a class on bodywork last summer.

 

Put a peice of aluminum behind the hole when u weld in the hole.

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by Capn’jazz &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">Put a peice of aluminum behind the hole when u weld in the hole. </TD></TR></TABLE>

good luck gettin one behind the holes lol