I have a 2006 Mercury Montego (let's all pretend that it's a Ford 500 for a
minute)

Now comes the part I really hate myself for asking.(but not enough not to
post).

This car has a black plastic license plate holder mounted on the the lower
front facia. I'm required to have a front plate where I live and was going
to put it on this evening after I finished up with everything else.

When it was getting dark I decided to go ahead and mount the plate. I
promised the local Barney Fife that I'd have it installed by Monday Morning.

I go to pit the plate on and find 3 circular steel or aluminim pins
protruding from the bracket that's mounted on the car. As it was getting
dark, I put the little project off until I could figure out how these things
come off. Obviouslt, the plate can't be mounted until those things are
removed.

Maybe the whole bracket comes off and the pins are removed from behind. I've
never paid it any mind before. didn't even know whether or not I had a
factory bracket up front until I got pulled over and tried to convince
Barney that the plate had fallen off. He made be get out and look at the
evidence which seemed to indicate that there was never a plate there in the
first place.