Suzuki Swift Registration Plate Wedge

thingiverse

I'm something of a car enthusiast, always looking to personalize my vehicle with unique modifications. In years past, this involved major physical changes like lowering, aftermarket wheels, and custom exhausts. However, now that I've hit the big 5-0, I prefer more understated tweaks. This particular modification was simply swapping out my standard rectangular registration plate for a sleeker square one. The number plate mounting point on my 2009 Suzuki Swift leans back about 6 degrees, which looks fine with a rectangle but seemed awkward with a square plate. To fix this, all I needed was a wedge-shaped spacer to adjust the angle. Easy peasy! Or so I thought. The real challenge began when I tried printing the spacer on my Ender 3. Its print bed is only 235mm x 235mm, and the spacer would have exceeded that size by about 55mm (2.1"). No matter how many times I rearranged the orientation in my slicing software, it just wouldn't fit. I decided to split the spacer into three parts, thinking this would allow for expansion and contraction due to temperature changes. This also helped me tackle the second issue: the curved shape of the car's number plate mounting point, which matched the bumper's curve. My first print in PLA was a bit too rigid, causing unnecessary stress on the perspex when tightening the screws. I rectified this by using black TPU filament for the second print, which flexed nicely to follow the curve. The central section of the spacer is designed to interlock with the two outer parts, ensuring it stays put between the registration plate and bumper. Although aligning all three pieces was a bit tricky during installation, some extra patience got me through it without needing any additional retention methods. The result is perfect – my square plate now stands upright, looking like it was always meant to be that way. The only downside is that I've inadvertently made it easier for speed cameras to capture clear images of my license plate. Oh well, sometimes one has to sacrifice a little convenience for the sake of aesthetics!