Morris Minor Owners Club

Posted: **Fri Oct 30, 2020 4:10 pm**

Hi,
After a long debacle attempting to re-wood my Traveller, I have now gone all in and am having it resprayed. My current number plates are looking very worn so need replacing. They are currently white and yellow metal plates with raised black plastic digits. I know that the most popular option is to fit black plates but if these are the original plates I would like to keep them in that style. The question is, does that sound likely? The car is 1970 (H plate). Were these style plates being fitted at that time or is it more likely to be a replacement?

Thanks,
James

Posted: **Fri Oct 30, 2020 4:26 pm**

The reflective plates came into force in 1973 so yours are replacements.

Posted: **Fri Oct 30, 2020 4:57 pm**

Myrtles Man wrote: ↑Fri Oct 30, 2020 4:26 pm The reflective plates came into force in 1973 so yours are replacements.

We've been over this last year.
viewtopic.php?f=73&t=70930&hilit=number+plates#p644834
They were compulsory from 1973 but were available as an option long before that, from about '67/68.

Very likely that the reflective plates on a H plate are original.

I certainly had a '69 Ford Escort, G Reg, with Reflective plates.....

Posted: **Fri Oct 30, 2020 5:40 pm**

As Berni says, reflective plates were an option (and taken up by the majority of new car buyers) from around 1967/1968.
Tippers Plates among others will help with correct period replacements.

Posted: **Fri Oct 30, 2020 10:08 pm**

our 69 has a similar plate on the rear which I believe is original (the front has had an accident at some time and been replaced).

I re-painted the letters black then bought a self adhesive reflective backing plate and stuck it over the plate, went carefully around the letters with a sharp craft knife to cut the background away, I wasn't too difficult to get a reasonable result.

: 8cdb9c9ff9b8_m.jpg (28.33 KiB) Viewed 3483 times

I've not seen anywhere that does ones in this style I would like to get a matching one for the front one day,

Posted: **Fri Oct 30, 2020 10:30 pm**

I associate the Minor with non reflective plates. They don’t look right with the modern ones. —— my personal opinion of course.

Posted: **Fri Oct 30, 2020 11:01 pm**

Have to agree with Les. I know some later vehicles came with them originally, they just never seem to look right. They look so much better with black and silver plates or black with white digits. Very much down to personal opinion though.

Posted: **Fri Oct 30, 2020 11:07 pm**

kevin s wrote: ↑Fri Oct 30, 2020 10:08 pm our 69 has a similar plate on the rear which I believe is original (the front has had an accident at some time and been replaced).
I've not seen anywhere that does ones in this style I would like to get a matching one for the front one day,

As I said earlier: Tippers Vintage Plates

This style was used on a lot of Minors in the late 1960s - including many Police Panda cars.

Posted: **Sat Oct 31, 2020 8:34 pm**

Thanks for the replies. I've got a while to think about it but I think I'm going to go for the yellow and white plates. Perhaps it's just because I'm used to it but I like the way the yellow plate looks against the Trafalgar Blue. Also, I've got lots of pictures of the car (holidays, my wedding, my sister's wedding) with the yellow and white plates so I suppose I don't want it to look too different. It's good to know that it was probably fitted with these plates originally.

Thanks for the link, that's a much more reasonable price than what I'd already found.

Thanks,
James

Posted: **Sat Oct 31, 2020 8:40 pm**

You are better off with the reflective plates.

Posted: **Sat Oct 31, 2020 9:08 pm**

JOWETTJAVELIN wrote: ↑Sat Oct 31, 2020 8:40 pm You are better off with the reflective plates.

In terms of safety?

Posted: **Sat Oct 31, 2020 11:17 pm**

My '71 traveller had the original rear reflective plate with Bluemels type raised letters. The front had a horrible Halfords plastic replacement so I was in the same predicament as James - replace as original or go black and silver. I opted for original and found a backing plate and lettering on ebay along with a couple of Bluemels badges too

Sorry about the chrome trim, it didn't last long

Maybe it's the Bermuda blue but I think the car suits the reflective plates

Posted: **Sat Oct 31, 2020 11:38 pm**

Beauty is in the eye of the beholder !

Posted: **Sun Nov 01, 2020 11:31 am**

Not just in terms of safety but the car has acquired them at some time in its life, very likely from new when reflective plates were the latest thing and the buyer to specify them.

Posted: **Sun Nov 01, 2020 1:56 pm**

My grandads minor 1966 came new with white and yellow reflective. I would go reflective

Posted: **Sun Nov 01, 2020 5:29 pm**

James k wrote: ↑Sat Oct 31, 2020 8:34 pm Thanks for the replies. I've got a while to think about it but I think I'm going to go for the yellow and white plates. Perhaps it's just because I'm used to it but I like the way the yellow plate looks against the Trafalgar Blue. Also, I've got lots of pictures of the car (holidays, my wedding, my sister's wedding) with the yellow and white plates so I suppose I don't want it to look too different. It's good to know that it was probably fitted with these plates originally"

That's exactly how i feel, the car currently wears black and silver plates but when it was new and I was growing up it had reflective plates, the black and silver plates seem fake somehow.

Its definitely fake when you see late 70s cars on black plates which would never have been allowed them before.

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