Hole in Westlake trunk top

[norm]

My 2000 Coleman Westlake has a hole in the top of the trunk.  It is in the area between the lid and the main part of the camper.  I think a socket fell back there, and the lid got opened.  The hole is about the size of a dime, and the broken out part is still attached.  

Ive read about using the MEK ABS paste to do the fix, but how do I get to the spot to fix it.  Do I need to take off the whole ABS top for the trunk?  I saw a photo album with a total rebuild of the trunk, but it doesn't show how the parts come off.  I may end up having to do the whole rebuild since the water that got in did mess up the floor, and the wood on the side with the access hatch.  I want to make sure that I can fix the leak before I rebuild the trunk (I only want to rebuild the trunk once

Also, how do I make the part stronger?  It seems that there are lots of little cracks on this part, and the dealer told me it was not a warranty item.

Thanks for any help!

[gijoecam]

I don't know if your Westlake is like my Monterey's trunk, btu on mine, I had to first remove the two reinforcement plates that mount to the underside of the lid opening.  Then, I removed all of the screws that hold the hinge in place.  (IIRC, there were 6 or so)  Then carefully and gently pry the butyl tape from between the hinge and the storage trunk opening.  A good sharp putty knife or a piece of piano wire would work well.  (Wrap the piano wire around a couple of sticks or wrenches so you can pull on it)Once it's off, use some butyl tape from a body shop supply house...  I used some black 3M designed for windows and windshields from the local Painter's Supply.  The OEM Coleman/Fleetwood butyl tape was somewhere north of $00, wheras the cheap stuff from Painter's Supply was a whopping $3.  Yes, it was a round bead instead of being flat, but that's nothing my fingers couldn't take care of in a few minutes...I think I have pics in my p-star gallery in my signature...

[norm]

Thanks for the info.  The pictures were very helpful. 

I finally got a chance to take a look at it, and there was no way to remove the shelf brace under the broken area.  I had to take the whole top off.  Once it was off, I saw how bad the wood was rotted, and decided that I needed to do a whole trunk rebuild.  Finally finished that and am now repairing the broken area of the trunk top.  There were tons of small cracks in it.  I used a thin mixture of ABS/MEK to flow some plastic from the top into the cracks, the did the same from the bottom.  Then I used the ABS/MEK mixture to "glue" some fiberglass cloth to the underside, and built up the area with several coats of ABS/MEK.  It's ready to paint the patch on the top, and install it.  I found a couple cracks in the lid that I will fix before I put the lid seal back on.  Hopefully I will be done by the weekend.

Of course spending so much time with my camper, I noticed that the roof is starting to get small cracks around the edges.  Guess I need to start saving for the shipping costs of a new roof since it I'm the original owner.  What next 

I think my new trunk looks better than the original.  Better wood, and lighter too    I made the shelf removable so I can get to the underside without having to remove the trunk top again.  Hopefully I won't have to do any more repairs, but if I do it will be easier.  I also added an outlet by the water heater so I can plug in my electric element when I need it.