Awhile back I posted pics and notes on the install of a Minidomore concealed receiver hitch on my 2011 Clubman S:

https://www.northamericanmotoring.co...clubman-s.html

One compromise with the Clubman over the way these hitches work on the standard R53 or R56 is that the hitch ends up square behind the license plate mount, so you need to drill a hole in the bumper to provide access. When not using the hitch, the license plate covers the hole, and when in use, you have to mount the plate elsewhere to be in legal compliance.

I rigged up a DIY solution, in order to minimize the screwing/unscrewing of the license plate and doing damage to the threaded holes over time. The details are below, with the caveat that I have a few more changes to make (chain instead of cable, etc) but it works pretty great and it's stealth when you aren't carrying a rack.

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The concealed hitch, exposed for access...

This post is a follow-up to my review of the Saris Thelma 3 bike rack system which I'm using for the MINI Cooper S Clubman, otherwise known as Longboy. The rack mounts to a rear receiver hitch, and on the Clubman, I'm using the Minidomore system, which I reviewed and posted installation notes for in the link above. In my case, the hitch hides behind the license plate, meaning that if you want to access the hitch occasionally, you need to unscrew the license plate to get to it, risking gradually stripping the holes for the plate mount. If you left the rack on all the time, you could mount the plate on the rack or use a no-holes plate holder system. But in my case, I wanted periodic access, with no unscrewing.

My concept was to leave the mounting bolts in place, and untether the plate from there in a fashion that would allow the plate to be moved with ease, but still be securely retained. I started with a prototype that assumed the use of long rectangular slotted washers, most likely machined metal shims, but I found sourcing these problematic. That design relied on a double nutted slider system to move the plate out of the way and then re-cinch it down with wingnuts.




The cable is dimensioned to allow the plate to hang just below the rack, and still mount via top Velcro position, to the bumper below the access hole.

The current design employs #3 cable, wound around sets of washers. One set is bolted to the car, and the other set, to the frame. Velcro holds the frame in place in the closed position, and when you want to access the hitch, you pull the frame off and reattach the velcro in the lower position. In point of fact, having dual bolted connections is overkill: a single cable or chain secured to the bumper would have allowed for the primary purpose of the design: to keep the plate from disappearing if the velcro failed or what have you. But when it comes to structural design, I believe in redundancy.

I will be following up with a bit more velcro and replacing the cable with small chain, as the bending of the cable combined with the compression between washers on each side conspire to break down the cable, so I need something more robust.


Here, you can see that the washers at cable ends are secured with bolts: on the car side, normal license plate mounting hardware, and on the plate side, tiny 3/32" countersunk flathead screws to absolutely minimize the raised level of the mounted connection, so that the velcro can work. At the plate side, I used double washers as there's more movement and stress on the cable here.


In the closed position, the plate offers what we like to call Concealed Dope. Much like the pockets in 70's Nick Fury's SHIELD uniform, you can only wonder at what lies within.

Anyway, just one way to solve the problem! Hope this is of help or interest to others with Clubmans, concealed hitches, and the desire for stealth mods.

 

very clever

 

I was thinking of trying to source the license plate bracket from the rear of an older car that had the gas cap behind the plate (had a '78 Impala and a '68 Fairlane like this). Might be another option to consider.

 

Nice and creative!

I have a tilt License bracket that I got off an old Chevy at Pick & Pull, total cost..... $5.00. Works great no screws to undo or lose.

 

I saw that sweet set-up in another thread, at least one designed for front plate. Well, actually maybe a different product... it was either manual or motorized and allowed the plate to swing down and under for 'car shows'...

 

I made a folding hinge for my rear plate that simply swings up.

Stays in position with a flat magnet strip when down.

 

Excellent solution as well!

 

there are aftermarket solutions ie hinged license plate mounts...they are marketed to the custom truck.street rod folk when they remove the stck bumper and use a roll pan and hidden hitch,,about $15-20 on line

 

http://www.streetbeatcustoms.com/trimlicplatf.html

 

All fine and good, and certainly easier. But to be clear, my goal was legal compliance with the CA VC. The plate must be visible, so this was designed to allow it to be seen despite the rack being in use.

Here's from today, in fact...

 

ah hah, but if you notice , the plate flips UP , above the hitch's draw bar and thus remains visible...albeit from above..it IS visible, as opposed to obscured
perhaps a fine point in the law, but compliant in most areas
FYI have used this on multiple street rod style vehicle w/o any law enforcement issues...unless of course, you're doing something else that initiates the stop...

 

good info dizzy! If mine explodes, I'll pursue that one...

 

Here are dimensions of my drilling, for those that have asked...

 

Mod completed!

Looks great!


Thanks everybody for a great write up.

Pictures to follow.

Tata