OK, here's how it went. The hatch arrived from GT Racing with the manufacture's sticker stating it was made by Five Star Race Car Bodies.
http://www.fivestarb...=product&id=485 The hatch fit very well needing only around 1/16" to be removed from the lower front radius on each side. This is easily done with a belt sander with a 120 grit belt.
I used two primers for the job. Dow Betaprime 5504G for any exposed metal and its equivalent for plastic parts Dow 5404A for the Polycarbonate panel. The 5404A has a similar container as the kits Mercedes markets, Smart Car Glass Plastic paint sealant kit.
I used vinyl electrical tape to mask a surround area around the polycarbonate. Vinyl tape because it holds a tight radius without distortion and seals better with the chemicals used in this primer. This keeps the primer from running under normal masking tape creating a dirty line. Scuff the area you are going to paint with 600 grit sandpaper until it is hazed. Don't worry, the scuff marks will be filled by the primer. Using a clean cloth containing denatured alcohol, move in one direction around the whole area to be painted. This will clean the area which was just scuffed up, removing any poly dust from the sanding operation.
Follow the instructions on the Dow Betaprime 5404A bottle making sure the shelf life has not expired and it is shaken thoroughly. Apply primer over the scuffed surface area in one direction. Wait two minutes and repeat until the area you want covered is blacked out. These primers contain carbon black, so they will block all UV and visible light. Adhesion is fantastic and you possibly could skip the next step of painting if you choose to do so. But since it's all taped off, I waited 10 minutes and then hit the area with a hair drier to make sure all the primer was completely dry.
Jerry Bickel Race Cars makes a black border spray paint specifically formulated for polycarbonate windows.
http://www.jerrybick...pray-paint.html One can is enough to border ten hatches, so don't over order as I did. Spray three light coats on the border area letting each dry between coats.
Wait a day for everything to dry thoroughly
Clean the hatch channel with alcohol, let dry and apply the Dow Betaprime 5504G to any exposed metal surfaces. Dow says this is a direct replacement for the 5404A but since I could not find any posts or articles which did, so, I choose the old 5404A rather than take the chance.
If I had to do it over again, I would have a glass shop assemble the hatch to the frame. The Dow 428Plus windshield urethane primerless adhesive is thick and tough to apply to the frame using a standard caulking gun. That said, it can be done. Here's the current result.
Now for the questions on weight by
Cloud9...68 . Installed in the frame, hatch assembly without trim and spoiler, weighs 21.5 pounds. It was light enough that when I put it back on the vehicle, I contemplated not using the old hatch struts. Until I put the spoiler back on. It added just enough weight that struts are necessary just for convenience but they are way too powerful. I'm looking at a replacement set from
http://www.autogassp...iversalpage.php with a lower rating.
MB968, Dubai944 and Ryker brought up scratch resistance, UV protection and heat rejection issues when using a polycarbonate hatch. I'm going to take the hatch off tomorrow and put on some Exterior Plexi 6 Mil Clear Anti-Graffiti Window Tinting Film from
http://www.windowtin...nting-Film.html This film is designed for polycarbonate windows, goes on the exterior of the window, has a 99% UV rejection and 23% heat rejection rating. When scratched up it can be removed and replacement film reinstalled. If heat transmission remains an issue, this tint can be removed and replaced with Exterior Plexi 2 Mil Silver 20% VLT Window Tinting Film which has a 82% heat rejection rating. I didn't want it due to differing state laws and its 20% Visible light transmission rating.
All said, practical application on a street vehicle is, not ideal. When the car is idling you can see the window slightly vibrating also. Such is not the case with glass. Maybe a vendor will make one out of 1/4" but your weight savings will be gone. Eventually the coupe owners may have to take this route as replacements get rare. Better to drive it with a vibrating hatch than not to drive it at all.
Oh, heard back from the insurance company today. They still cannot find a LKQ hatch so they are sending me a check for $6867.88 to buy a new one from Porsche. 968 512 929 00 here I come! <img src="/forum/images/smilies/968/EmoticonCar.gif" class="smilie" alt="" />
