Z600 roof

[woofbiteme]

I have a Z600 shell im dealing with. the bodys fairly good but its going to need a new roof panel because the roof that it has is just too dented up. I do have another shell that the roof is about the only good thing it has on it. So I have to take an old roof off and weld a new one on. Before i dig into it is there anyone that has done this and anything i should be watching out for. I'll be using a MIG. I was looking to drill the spotwelds out from below and then cut thru the front and back with a die grinder. Any suggestions before i start are greatly appreciated! Thanks, Tim

[Bill]

The best way to do it is to drill the spot welds, cut at the skin at the posts (2 or 3 inches down) and on the inside of the gutter and replace it doing the same for the patch panel (roof).  This why you keep the shell in tact, less welding and the seams blend in.
That is the way I had a shop do one of my Sedan's that a previous owner had cut a hole in the original roof.  Worked out very well.
Bill

[T W S]

hi Bill, that was what i was concerned about was anything shifting. I got it about drilling the spot welds out but i didnt understand the rest the way You explained it. Are You saying leave the front of the roof where the top of the windshield is intact and just cut it back a few inches and weld the new panel on top of it? and not sure about the back either. Sorry. just not clear on it. Thanks, Tim
On Tuesday, June 16, 2015 10:41 AM, "'Bill' billmyong@... [anzhonda600owners]" wrote:
The best way to do it is to drill the spot welds, cut at the skin at the posts (2 or 3 inches down) and on the inside of the gutter and replace it doing the same for the patch panel (roof).  This why you keep the shell in tact, less welding and the seams blend in.
That is the way I had a shop do one of my Sedan's that a previous owner had cut a hole in the original roof.  Worked out very well.
Bill

[Bill]

Hi Tim;
The roof is a skin to the body of the vehicle, which is spot welded to the roof portion of the body.  By drilling out all the spot-welds and cutting the skin at all four corners (down 2 or 3 inches) will allow the whole roof to be removed.
Keeping the body intact and keeping it from shifting.
Bill

[davepdouglass]

I am going to disagree with bill this one time.  I did this exact same thing on a N600 and it was a huge mess with the drip rail..... if the z has a drip rail measure and cut the a-b-c pillars and weld it their.  I wish I had.  Just my .02....
Dave

[Bill]

Dave;
Attached is a picture of the Sedan I did this to.  I don't know how you did yours but this went very smooth start to finish.  Yes, more welds but the completed product has a factory finish.  I too thought that cutting the pillars was the best way to go, but the repair shop said this is the correct way to do it and looking at the finished product I had to agree.
Bill

[davepdouglass]

Bill, looks great, I did it at the factory welds at the drip rail.  What i had trouble with is the dip rail metal is so thin it was tremendous amount of work to get it straight again and fit the chrome trim back on.... it never looked perfect after that.  The beefy posts are much more forgiving to weld and refinish.  I would use templates to make the cuts on both cars and cute wide then grind down to my template lines if i was going to do it again.  lots of measuring and fitting before cutting and welding.
Dave

[Bill]

Dave, no it's not easy, that's why I took mine to a shop that only works on old cars and specializes in panel replacement.
Do I have welding equipment and body tools to do the work, yes but only for basic repairs.
However, because I don’t do this on a regular basis purchasing the correct equipment to do the job was not practical.
Bill