A custom mini-truck is all about style: clean and smooth body lines, tons of body modifications, a slammed stance, some bitchin' paint, and killer wheels. However, a license plate box molded into the tailgate or roll pan interrupts most trucks' smooth rear flow. Another annoying problem is a license plate that hangs well below the roll pan, which any mini-trucker can tell you doesn't last very long. Our project Toyota was one of these minis. We dragged holes in our license plate and tore off roll pans time after time.
Silver Star Customs (SSC) has the answer to these problems. Whether you want to clean up the rear of your truck, or just want an excuse to hit another switch, this kit is what you've been waiting for. The crew at Silver Star Customs now offers the Hidden Plate, a universal actuated license plate kit that can be mounted wherever you're bold enough to install it. Constructed from heavy-duty laser-cut 14-gauge steel and machined square tubing for the side rails, it uses an Autoloc actuator to raise or lower your license plate at the flip of a switch. For those of you who really like to show off, you can even wire it up to a spare channel of your alarm remote.
We jumped right in by tearing off our old roll pan that housed the license plate and replaced it with a smooth roll pan from FBI. This instantly gave us 3 more inches of ground clearance for those steep driveways, speed bumps, and dips that have claimed many a roll-pan victim. Instead of doing things the easy way and flush-mounting the Hidden Plate kit in the tailgate, we decided to install it in the back wall of the bed. There wasn't enough room in the back-wall rail for the kit, so we did what any mini-trucker would do: grabbed a grinder equipped with a cut-off wheel and went to town.
AFTER
We used 2x1-inch square tubing to build a frame for our new back wall and license plate housing. George Wilson, our sheetmetal expert, then measured 16-gauge sheetmetal front and rear panels and broke the top edge to match the line of our bedrail. Once everything was triple-checked, we began welding it all in place. After Joe Nunez got down on the bodywork, we wet-sanded and sprayed some primer. In the end, we had a clean license plate, an extra 3 inches of ground clearance, and one more body modification to be proud of. For more information, contact the companies listed in the source box.
1. The heart and soul of this...
1. The heart and soul of this install is the SSC Hidden Plate actuated license plate kit. We'll also replace the roll pan, where the license plate was previously mounted.
2. We began by unbolting the...
2. We began by unbolting the bed and the tailgate. We placed the bed on two stands so we'd have more room to work.
3. To find where the old roll...
3. To find where the old roll pan was welded in, we ground off the paint and bondo on each side. The old roll pan could then be cut out.
4. Once the previous roll...
4. Once the previous roll pan was removed, we ground both sides clean, exposing a good welding surface. We then lined up the new roll pan and tack-welded it into place. Go slow as you're welding, and be careful not to blow through the metal or warp it from the heat.
5. Once both sides had been...
5. Once both sides had been completely welded, we cleaned up the welds by grinding them smooth.
6. Joe Nunez, our bodywork...
6. Joe Nunez, our bodywork expert, got down to business molding the roll pan in and sanding both sides smooth.
7. While Joe and his partner...
7. While Joe and his partner Rick were banging out the bodywork, we began to tackle the task of building a new back wall for the bed to house the SSC kit. We started by welding a support beam in place to keep the bed straight while we unbolted the back wall and cut it from the bed.
8. After the back wall was...
8. After the back wall was removed, the entire surrounding area was ground down to bare metal.
9. We then took careful measurements...
9. We then took careful measurements to build a frame for the new back wall out of 2x1-inch square tubing. With measurements in hand, the square tubing was cut.
10. After lining everything...
10. After lining everything up, George tack-welded the new back-wall frame together.
11. The frame was then test-fit...
11. The frame was then test-fit into the bed to double check both sides and ensure it would fit snugly.
12. Next, we placed the SSC...
12. Next, we placed the SSC kit where we wanted it mounted and marked the area to be cut out.
13. After removing the top...
13. After removing the top bar to make room for the license plate kit, George measured to center it and tacked it into place.
14. When everything was in...
14. When everything was in place, the entire frame and SSC kit were welded, then ground down.
15. With the frame in hand,...
15. With the frame in hand, George took a trip to see Chris at Ludikrs Kustoms so he could pick up the 16-gauge sheetmetal and use the sheetmetal break. He took all his measurements and cut out both a front and back wall for the frame.
16. The sheetmetal was cut...
16. The sheetmetal was cut to allow it to slide right over the license plate box and be flush on all sides.
17. After the sheetmetal pieces...
17. After the sheetmetal pieces were dealt with, the frame was sprayed with an 3M weld-through coating to ensure that it won't rust.
18. The sheetmetal was clamped...
18. The sheetmetal was clamped in place on all sides, holding it flat against the frame while being tacked into place.
19. The front sheetmetal cover...
19. The front sheetmetal cover was then welded into place. We also had to go slow on this step so that the metal wouldn't warp. After the sheetmetal was welded up and allowed to cool, the welds were ground smooth.
20. Joe spread metal-finish...
20. Joe spread metal-finish body filler and worked his magic on our new back wall, ensuring that it was as smooth as possible.
21. Once Joe was finished...
21. Once Joe was finished with the frame, it was clamped into place.
23. The entire back wall was...
23. The entire back wall was sprayed with another coat of rust-proof primer, then tacked into place.
23. After the back wall was...
23. After the back wall was welded in, the top and rear edges were ground smooth.
24. While Chris was finishing...
24. While Chris was finishing up the work on the back wall, the double-throw double-pole (DPDT) switch was wired with power, ground, and the Up and Down wires from the actuator.
25. We placed the switch in...
25. We placed the switch in an easily accessible factory knock-out panel.
26. Meanwhile, Chris was finishing...
26. Meanwhile, Chris was finishing up the bodywork to make the back wall look as though it came from the factory.
27. The back area where we...
27. The back area where we worked was taped off and wet-sanded so it could be primered.
28. The top piece of the kit...
28. The top piece of the kit was measured out and prepped for installing the license plate.
29. After the license plate...
29. After the license plate was installed, the top piece was slid back into place, and the actuator could be bolt-ed up.
30. We wanted to make the...
30. We wanted to make the back wall accessible, so we measured and marked it off for sheetmetal screws.
31. The back wall was screwed...
31. The back wall was screwed into place, and we were all getting anxious to see this thing in action.
32. The bed was set back onto...
32. The bed was set back onto the frame and bolted up. We then wired up the wires we ran from the cab to the actuator.
This makes for quite an impressive...
This makes for quite an impressive end product. Now we just have to get the rest of our bed looking as smooth. Stay tuned for more on our Toyota project buildup.