Altec Show-N-Go, Stay Legal and Still Look Good
Last Updated on Tuesday, 16 November 2010 17:40 Written by Christopher Ihara Wednesday, 07 July 2010 20:36
Exterior
Update
About two or three weeks after installation contact with a steep driveway broke the Show-N-Go. The failure was because the transport mechanism is directly connected to the pulley cable. There is no breakaway to prevent damage to the transport mechanism when the plate is put under stress. When the driveway scraped the bottom of the license plate frame it pushed the frame backwards, this in turn pulled the front pulley out of its mount. We attempted to repair the unit; however, we were unsuccessful. The small press-fit pin that holds the pulley in was simply too small to fix.
We recommend that you not install this unit anywhere it may contact the road surface or you will ultimately damage it. Altec needs to install some kind of breakaway for the transport mechanism to prevent this from happening.
Original Article
So you live in a state that requires that you have a front plate, but you don't like being pulled over every few days for not having a front plate. You also don't want to drill a bunch of holes in the front bumper of your pristine new ride. What's a Mustanger do to stay on the good side of the law?
The Altec Show-N-Go is a license plate holder that can keep the front of your car looking like it is supposed to, while enabling you to stay on the good side of the law. Two different kinds of Altec holders are available, a manual version and an uber-pimpy electric version that pulls the plate in and out automatically at the touch of a button on the included remote.
Installation will require a very minor bit of electrical wiring with just positive and negative wires being attached to the battery. Depending on how your car is laid out the amount of fabrication necessary to complete the project will vary widely. Cars with a front splitter or air dam will probably have to have some extra materials to build a frame to support the Altec Show-N-Go. We utilized some aluminum strap and rivets to build a bracket to hold the Show-N-Go. The design of the splitter on the project car made our installation more difficult. One thing to consider is mounting the unit in such a manner that it provides enough clearance for curbs, speed bumps and low driveways.
Cars that have smooth areas under the front bumper will have the easiest installation. Three small holes on the underside need to be drilled and a rubber grommet installed, then the unit can be mounted using three screws. For installation on cars with smooth bumper covers your installation time will be less than an hour.
One thing to consider is mounting the unit in such a manner that it provides enough clearance for curbs, speed bumps and low driveways.For other cars though, the majority of the time is spent in fabrication. The end result though will look like this:
The Show-N-Go uses stainless steel hardware to prevent rusting; however, we will keep an eye on the other components to see how they perform in the long run. The system utilizes a small electric motor that in turn pulls a thin cable and pulley system. This cable and pulley system transports the plate along a metal guide bracket and causes the plate to move forward and backwards and ultimately to flip up and down. It does appear somewhat fragile; however, there have been no problems thus far. A remote control activates the system and brings the plate out or in by pressing one of two buttons.
For a modest investment you can keep the front of your car pristine and still stay in compliance with the law. With the Show-N-Go you can have the best of both worlds. Check it out at: http://www.altecproducts.com/
