Z600 hatch frame

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Kevin Gailey
Posts: 44
Joined: Sun May 10, 2009 12:17 pm

Z600 hatch frame

Post by Kevin Gailey »

What is everyone doing with their plastic hatch frame? Mine was painted badly and was going to sand, fill cracks and repaint.
Semi gloss, flat or ????
Thx all, Kevin Gailey
Sent from my iPhone
camjen
Posts: 6
Joined: Mon Jun 16, 2008 2:35 pm

Re: Z600 hatch frame

Post by camjen »

That reminds me.....my hatch frame has developed a crack right across it.  Can it be repaired with fiberglass or ? or ?.  Suggestions?
Cam Barbour  Medicine Hat, Alberta, Canada From:
"Kevin Gailey krgailey@... [2cylinderhondas]" To:
anzhonda600owners@yahoogroups.com, 2cylinderhondas@yahoogroups.com Sent:
Saturday, February 20, 2016 9:48:44 PM Subject:
[2cylinderhondas] Z600 hatch frame
What is everyone doing with their plastic hatch frame? Mine was painted badly and was going to sand, fill cracks and repaint.
Semi gloss, flat or ????
Thx all, Kevin Gailey
Sent from my iPhone
TYE M KNOERNSHCILD
Posts: 5
Joined: Fri Jul 05, 2013 6:11 am

Re: Z600 hatch frame

Post by TYE M KNOERNSHCILD »

I tried to melt the plastic and use some other hard plastic as filler to fix a very bad crack it didn't work just not enough knowledge on plastic welding-ended up buying another hatch abt 15 years ago and I took off the torsion bars thinking it would last longer not crack and it's ok to this day-the color looks like a black semi gloss
Bill
Posts: 198
Joined: Sun Apr 09, 2006 9:34 am

Z600 hatch frame

Post by Bill »

I don’t know if this will help, but this is what I have done in the past.
The hatch/hatch window frame is made of a plastic used to make the 70's style bathtubs.  Molded and glued together.  The crack is from stress made by the two bar springs used to keep the hatch up without a Hood Lift Strut used on today’s cars.
So it cracks from the inside out, not the other way around.  So two things need to be corrected, the crack you see and building up the hatch structure to help with the stress.   I have tried just fixing the crack with fiberglass hair and resin in a V cut made in the hatch frame on both inside and outside.  This held up for a few years but after a while the cracks came back.  Then I cut the inside from about two inches past the curve all the way across and made a piece of metal strip about 1.5 inches wide and about 1/32nd inch thick.  Then ground the backside of the plastic removed earlier to make the plastic fit correctly and drilled holes to allow the spring bracket to be bolted in place like original.  Then more fiberglass hair and resin along with sanding and regular paint prep.  Then I used SEM Trim Black.  Almost looks original, but he original had a very fine metal flake look to it.  The SEM Trim Black didn't have.  But, after 6 years, this too is showing a couple of hair cracks.
Bill
camjen
Posts: 6
Joined: Mon Jun 16, 2008 2:35 pm

Re: Z600 hatch frame

Post by camjen »

Thanks for the suggestions, Bill.
I'll be on the lookout for a spare hatch frame or complete rear window , just in case.
Cam From:
"'Bill' billmyong@... [2cylinderhondas]" To:
2cylinderhondas@yahoogroups.com, anzhonda600owners@yahoogroups.com Sent:
Sunday, February 21, 2016 8:39:52 AM Subject:
[2cylinderhondas] Z600 hatch frame
I dont know if this will help, but this is what I have done in the past.
The hatch/hatch window frame is made of a plastic used to make the 70's style bathtubs.  Molded and glued together.  The crack is from stress made by the two bar springs used to keep the hatch up without a Hood Lift Strut used on todays cars.  So it cracks from the inside out, not the other way around.  So two things need to be corrected, the crack you see and building up the hatch structure to help with the stress.   I have tried just fixing the crack with fiberglass hair and resin in a V cut made in the hatch frame on both inside and outside.  This held up for a few years but after a while the cracks came back.  Then I cut the inside from about two inches past the curve all the way across and made a piece of metal strip about 1.5 inches wide and about 1/32nd inch thick.  Then ground the backside of the plastic removed earlier to make the plastic fit correctly and drilled holes to allow the spring bracket to be bolted in place like original.  Then more fiberglass hair and resin along with sanding and regular paint prep.  Then I used SEM Trim Black.  Almost looks original, but he original had a very fine metal flake look to it.  The SEM Trim Black didn't have.  But, after 6 years, this too is showing a couple of hair cracks.
Bill
Bill
Posts: 198
Joined: Sun Apr 09, 2006 9:34 am

Re: Z600 hatch frame

Post by Bill »

Cam;
Honda did a recall on these, not like today where they have to call every owner, but if you brought yours back they exchanged it so I am told.  So the ones you want to look for are the ones with 1974 under the spring bracket.
Bill
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