When we bought our pop up camper, we had been looking on Craigslist for quite some time for just the right deal. I wasn’t quite sure what I wanted in a pop up, but I knew one thing — I did not want a Coleman with an ABS roof. We obviously threw that right out the window when this little Coleman Santa Fe came along.
Because our Santa Fe was in such fabulous condition for the price, we jumped on it. I had read horror stories about the Coleman ABS roof situation, but I was confident we could head off any problems. What is an ABS roof? Well, in the mid-90’s, Coleman had this fantastic idea to make a one piece, ABS plastic roof on some of their higher end pop up trailers. The idea was good, no seams for water to leak in, etc., but in reality, the ABS roof didn’t hold up on most trailers. The sun really dried them out, and there was some severe cracking and delamination on many campers. Coleman had to replace quite a few roofs. The pop up camper division of Coleman/Fleetwood eventually went out of business, and now it is impossible to have your roof replaced. Seems like a deal breaker, right?
I thought so, too. After a lot of research, though, I realized that you could still repair that ABS roof, and, in many cases, the owners of the repaired Coleman ABS roofs were happier with the results than had they gone with a traditional pop up camper roof. We had minimal cracking in our ABS roof. There were a couple of medium sized cracks on one corner, a few small hairline cracks along the lip of the roof, and some spidery cracks under the awning rail.
After a lot of research, we decided the best method for repairing the roof, and preventing further cracking in the future, was the ABS MEK patch method, followed by a good coat of UV protectant bedliner. The Pop Up Portal was an invaluable resource for all things repair related, and there is a good amount of information there about the MEK repair method. If you have a pop up, and you haven’t checked the Portal yet, you are missing out! So, what is the ABS MEK patch method?
Mr. TypeTwoFun started out by drilling a small hole at each end of the crack. This is supposed to help keep the crack from spreading.
Then he used a cutting wheel to clean out the crack. He wanted a nice clean surface for the patch to adhere to.
Now, I don’t have a picture of the next step, because the stuff Mr. TypeTwoFun used to patch the crack is pretty toxic. He had to use a respirator when he was applying the stuff. We basically took equal parts of MEK (Methyl Ethyl Ketone) and white ABS plastic pellets and mixed them together in a glass jar with a lid. MEK is a solvent that breaks down plastic, and it is pretty dang toxic. Make sure you wear gloves and a respirator when handling it. You can buy ABS pellets on eBay, but we just took white airsoft bb’s, which happen to be made of ABS plastic, and used them. It takes about 24 hours for the MEK to melt down the plastic, but then you’ve got a nice liquid patch for your cracks.
Wipe down the cracks you are patching with a bit of MEK on a clean rag. The MEK will eat into the plastic a bit and give you a nice surface for your patch to adhere to. Use a Popsicle stick or paint stirrer to patch your cracks and then let them dry. Again, use the respirator and gloves when working with your MEK patch “goo.” Once you’ve got your crack patched to your satisfaction, you can sand it down a bit with some fine grit sandpaper or steel wool.
Once we had all of our cracks repaired, we used some steel wool pads in our sander to sand the whole roof down. We wanted to make sure that we had a nice clean surface for our bedliner paint to adhere to.
It’s a little hard to tell from the picture, but when you sand, it will leave your roof looking a little dull. That’s what you want. Make sure the whole surface has been sanded evenly.
We then used drop cloths and painters tape to protect the areas we didn’t want to paint. Once you’ve got your camper taped up, you can don that hot respirator again and break out your MEK. You want to wipe the whole roof down with MEK. We used clean, old t-shirts cut into rags. Make sure you protect your hands with gloves and check them periodically for holes. (The MEK ate through Mr. TypeTwoFun’s gloves!) 🙁 Once your roof is wiped down, it should shine like you see in the picture above. Now you are ready to paint on your bedliner.
We used a product called Grizzly Grip, which can only be purchased online. It is supposed to be incredibly durable, and it is a favorite product among Coleman ABS owners. We purchased the 4×8 kit in Snow White. Our camper is approximately 6.5′ x 8′ and we had PLENTY of product to finish the job. We actually had about half a jar left over.
This step was pretty toxic, too, so I stayed away. I did manage to snap a picture of Mr. TypeTwoFun finishing up the first coat. The paint goes on with a foam roller, and you want to apply a light first coat, wait 2-4 hours, and follow with a heavier top coat. Same rules here — gloves and respirator — and don’t get it on your skin! It is supposed to cure within 24 hours, but ours was still tacky 24 hours later, so make sure to allow for plenty of dry time.
Remember that corner crack from before? You can’t even see it anymore! The roof looks amazing. It’s now bright white, and it looks brand new.
The spidery cracks underneath the awning rail are gone, too. You can see that the Grizzly Grip did leave a slight bit of texture, but I don’t really mind it. It seems strong, and I am hoping it will last the life of the trailer.
When we went to put the seal back on, we discovered that it had shrunk quite a bit. We tried everything, but couldn’t get it back on. In the end, we had to buy a new seal. We purchased it from colemanpopupparts.com and the new one went on pretty easily. We wiped down the lip of the roof with some acetone to make sure we had a clean surface for the new seal to adhere to.
The new seal had a tape adhesive on one side, and we just gently peeled off the backing and tapped the seal into place with a rubber mallet.
Then we cranked the roof down all the way to keep the seal in place while the adhesive cured.
Here’s one last look at my brand new roof. Isn’t it pretty? Obviously, if you have a Coleman ABS roof with major cracks and/or delamination, the roof repair might not be so simple. If you’ve just got a few cracks in the ABS plastic, like we did, this may be the repair to go with! We’ll report back on how it holds up over the summer. Now who’s ready for some camping? 😀
Happy Camping!
Hi, We have a 2001 Santa Fe and our ABS roof is actually in pretty good shape but I’ve noticed a few hairline cracks about an inch to an inch and a half starting to appear. I’m trying to decide if this approach would be worthwhile as a preventative action since we’d like to keep our popup for several more years. I am anxious to hear how yours is holding up though I know its only been a few months. I’m hoping this is an actual long term repair rather than a cosmetic band-aid though I suppose you could repeat this every few years as required (yuck), Also, was it necessary to remove and replace the seal rather than just masking it off? Thanks for any advice, and great site btw! -Brian.
Brian, thanks for the comments. I think it would be totally worth your while to take on this project — especially if your roof needs minimal work. This was hands-down the best thing we did for the camper. It is easy to wash, and I don’t have to worry about any further cracking issues. So far, we have had zero problems. The roof looks brand new, and I love it! I’m not sure about masking off the seal. I wanted to make sure the entire roof was covered, so we took the seal off. Sorry I can’t be of more help there. Maybe ask on the Pop Up Portal forums? 🙂
We have a 1999 Bayside that within the last year has started to crack on one corner and along the roof edge at the gasket. LIke your roof I dont have many cracks yet, but would like to stop them now. I feel pretty confident in being able to handle the repair. I do wonder where you were able to get the roof gasket? i purchased this pop up from a dealer 3 years ago, around when FTCA closed the plant in Somerst PA. Unfortunately they don’t have a gasket in stock any longer. I’d like to get this done as the rest of the camper is good shape yet. TY for any help – Rob
Rob, this is the seal that we purchased from Coleman Pop Up Parts. It’s pretty expensive. I don’t recall how much we paid for it, but I think it has gone up in price since we purchased it. I know that there are some sellers on eBay that sell a similar item for cheaper, but I don’t have any experience with them, so I really can’t recommend anyone in particular. I will say that we have never regretted purchasing the new seal. The roof looks like new now, and we expect it to last us a good, long time. Best of luck on your roof repair! 🙂
Any Help would be great. The new roof seal. Did you put the adhesive side outside or inside the camper? Don’t know if it matters just thought I would ask. Thank you
We put the adhesive side outside the camper, John. We did that for two reasons… 1) It was easier to pull the paper backing off the adhesive as we went along if the adhesive was on the outside. 2) We wanted to make sure the adhesive formed a barrier on the outside in case of rain. It was a tight fit anyway, so both sides are snug and sealed well, but we just wanted to be sure. 😉
Amazon has better pricing on the gasket. I just ordered one for our 1998 Coleman!
found mine on ebay under 150.00last year
Hello, just wanted to add my experience. When I bought my 2001 Sante Fe I wasn’t familiar with the ABS roof problem but was soon engulfed with it. The cracks were very small at first but quickly grew and were soon so big that the roof was peeling off. I live in Florida and heat was not kind. My BIL just pulled the crumbling shell of a roof off and sprayed 2 coats of Rhino Liner. He did tape off the seal but soon after the seal started to shrink, its time was up. I guess it’s been about a year and a half and the roof is holding up great. Because of the texture it is hard to keep clean, I can live with that. We purchased a seal from ebay for around $130.00 and am currently waiting for it to be delivered. I saw some posts on popuportal about installation and it looks easy enough.
Thanks for your input, April. I have heard of people peeling the ABS roof off when the cracking is severe. Nice to hear some first-hand experience about that and that it actually does work. 🙂
Good luck with the seal. Ours was super easy to install, and I’m glad we spent the extra money to do it.
Hi April,
I have a Santa Fe too, about the same age (and of course with the same problem of the top cracking apart). I like the idea of peeling off the ABS and sealing the substrate, mainly because I think there is water under the ABS and I live in a freeze/thaw region. I looked up Rhino Liner, but they have all kinds of products. Did you use the Rhino Hardline truck bed stuff, or something else? How is it holding up now?
Hello there,
I am about to order the Grizzly Grip. Which would you recommend for the Coleman Pop-up: the course or the fine Grizzly Grip?
Thank you so much for your help.
Tom
We ordered the fine GG, Tom, and I love it. It’s easy to clean and very durable. You hardly notice that it isn’t part of the original roof. Hope that helps. 🙂
Did you drill the ends of the hairline fractures like you did the big ones or did you just clean out the crack with the ritary tool? My Coleman Cheyenne has a crack near the hinge of the cargo box and around one of the cargo box clamps. Thinking of trying out this method to fix those along with a few hairline fractures in main roof. Thoughts or suggestions?
Kyle,
My storage box was really cracked up behind the hinge. I used the fiberglass body repair kit from Autozone and it’s super solid. Nice and ugly yellow/brown, but will be using the Gorilla Grip to get a nice match to the roof.
Todd
Sorry, I meant Grizzly Grip 🙂
Thanks!
I have hair cracks on my roof as well. Do I drill the ends or just leave them be and cover with Grizzly Grip?
Well, we left them and covered them with Grizzly Grip, but that might not have been the best course of action. Now six years later, anything we didn’t drill out is starting to crack again. 🙁
I have found your post very informative and it has given me a new desire to try a “secound” attempt to repair our niagara elites roof. First attempt we took it to a repair body shop the owner said he knew how to weld abs plastic back together after spray painting it with a Bed liner product called U-Pol $1000 later it looked like your photos after yours was completed. About a year later all the cracks came back with a few more additional.
It looks like the final solution would be you must repair it using the MEK method. I had read post prior to the U-Pol treatment about the MEK but most people just poured it in the cracks making a mess of the roof seeing pix of the projects they completed it looked terrible. Looks like the conservative filling of the cracks works best..
My son is taking the camper to the smokie mountains for spring break hopefully no addtional damage will be done from that trip and I will schedule it for a vacation in May.
Thanks for posts it has got me pumped up
I’ve heard about the U-Pol Raptor bedliner, Rick. We had thought about going that method because it can be sprayed on. Ultimately, rolling on Grizzly Grip just seemed easier, so we went that route. We are getting ready to use the same method to repair our front and back ABS panels because the roof repair went so well.
One note on the MEK Goo method… Once the MEK Goo sets, it can be sanded. If you make more of a mess than you intended, you can sand it smooth before applying your Grizzly Grip. That’s how we got such a nice finish. Best of luck to you… and let me know how it goes! 😀
How long after the MEK paste is applied to the crack before it can be sanded?
Mr. TypeTwoFun says it let it sit overnight. Depending on how thick your goo is, you may be able to sand it within a few hours.
I am going to look at a 2000 Utah sat. I was about to walk away till reading your article. I’m pretty handy so I think I could handle it. This one does have a roof ac/heater. From pic it shows no sag.. So my question is about how long did the repair take start to finish.. And what was a ball park cost including new seal.. Thanks
Curtis, we ordered the 4×8 kit from Grizzly Grip, and with shipping, that came to $185–we had quite a bit left over, though. The seal was $198. Our Santa Fe is a 10 ft. box, so your costs may differ, as I’m pretty sure the Utah is much bigger than ours. We added in some MEK and a few miscellaneous supplies from Home Depot, but I’d say that our total roof repair came to around $400. It took us about a full weekend to complete. We started it after work on Friday and finished it up on Sunday afternoon. It did require some late nights, as we had to factor in drying time between coats. We got the camper for dirt cheap, so $400 and a weekend of work was well worth it for us. It you are purchasing a camper that already has roof issues, I’d factor that into the purchase price. I wouldn’t pay full market value for a trailer that is going to need some major roof work, but if you are getting a screaming deal, it may be worth your time and money. 😀
how long does it take for the mek/abs goo to harden so it can be sanded
It will depend on how thick your goo is, Joe. My husband left ours overnight (about 12 hours) and it was perfect. Yours may harden slower or faster depending on your mixture. Hope that helps!
Hi, I was thinking about applying the GG to my santa fe. I read you went with the snow white color, are you happy with that color or would you maybe consider the dove grey color if you were to do it again? Thanks, Dan
I love the snow white color, Dan. I think it is a matter of personal preference, but if I had it to do over again, I’d still pick snow white. 😉
Hello,
I have 1999 Coleman Pop Up Camper (Niagra Grand Touring) We are replacing the seal today actually thanks to all of the comments and reviews from this site. The post above were so helpful! I just have one question though… Is there anything else that we could use to repair our roof besides the MEK? My dad is a painter and he thinks that he might be able to use something else to repair the cracks in the roof. Any suggestions?
Thanks!
-Nathan
You can check the Pop Up Portal forums for more information, but this is the preferred method there. I’ve read on the forums that anything less won’t adhere long term. I’ve seen people do repairs with caulk, plastic epoxy and welding and such, and they just don’t hold up well. That’s why we went this route, but feel free to report back here if you try another method! 🙂
I tried using FlexSeal based on the recommendations of two people that have used it (albeit for different purposes). That was a big mistake! The FlexSeal itself has started to crack, worsened the cracks in my roof, and is discoloring to yellow. I think the MEK ABS method is really the only way to go. Now I just need to get started!
Last year I purchased a 1999 Coleman Fleetwood Niagara, when I saw it I was excited to see a popup that’s canvas was in excellent shape I failed to really inspect the trailer. Not that I regret purchasing it because the price was well below market. Before we even took it out for the first time we had a dealer inspect and repair the electrical, gas and plumbing lines… seems the previous owner thought using household plumbing would be adequate. This Winter we had the flooring repaired. The only thing left is the minor cracks in the roof, the roof seal and the crack along the front storage compartment. I have found your post extremely helpful. My question is what type of ABS pellets should be used (grade, color, quantity)? The crack in my roof looks like the size yours was and the compartment crack is almost the entire length. I had plans on purchasing a new roof seal and applying the Grizzly Grip this winter but would like to fix the cracks now. What are your thoughts about separating the repairs?
We just used white airsoft BBs for our ABS/MEK goo, Lori. I’ve heard of people using Wendy’s spoons or ordering ABS pellets from eBay. If you are covering with Grizzly Grip, the color won’t really matter. The smaller the pellets, the quicker they’ll dissolve in the MEK. We mixed it at about a 50/50 ratio, but Mr. TypeTwoFun would check the goo periodically and add more pellets or MEK to get the consistency he wanted.
You can certainly repair with the ABS/MEK goo without covering the roof with Grizzly Grip, but you will likely have to be continuously repairing cracks. We don’t have any experience separating the repairs, though, so I can’t comment there. I don’t know how the ABS patching will hold up under normal use during the summer without a UV protectant on top. You may have to go back and fix your earlier repairs when you get ready to coat the roof with Grizzly Grip. That Grizzly Grip adds a lot of protection and prevents further and additional cracking. Have you checked the Pop Up Portal forums? Someone there might have experience separating their roof repairs and can answer your questions better than I can. That place is a wealth of information! 😉
Great post and great blog! How much MEK and ABS Pellets did you need to make enough for the patched area in your photo. I have an area about that large that needs repair. Thank you!
We just made sure that we mixed the ABS pellets and MEK at a 50/50 ratio. I think we started with about 1/4 cup of each. Mr. TypeTwoFun kept playing around with the consistency, and so I’m not exactly sure how much it took to cover the cracks. I’d err on the side of more–better to have too much than not enough. It’s relatively inexpensive anyway.
I have a 1997 coleman with the ac mount in the center of the roof. We have been plagued with cracks and serious sagging due to the weight of the ac unit. Last summer my hubby sent me off on a camping trip without the usual duck taping of the cracked edges. The wind caught the roof as I was traveling and peeling it back like a banana! Before I noticed the damage while driving, I had a huge piece of roof flapping in the breeze….my husband says junk the trailer. What a shame because everything else still works great! I can now see the inside rubber of the roof. My thoughts are to take the entire top coat off and have it all professionally sprayed with a bed liner, the re-attach a new piece of base trim. Our trim had rotted and cracked, so it was taken off the trailer prior to my trip, which caused the whole banana peel fiasco! What is the purpose of salvaging the top coat of the ABS (?) plastic when it as fragile and brittle as an egg shell? Any thoughts out there? I hate to junk it…..I love my little solitary camping trips!
Jana, there are quite a few people who have pulled that ABS plastic coating off of the roof and just coated the foam underneath with Grizzly Grip bedliner. I have heard great things from people who went that route. The roof can be fixed! Now, by “trim” do you mean the gasket/seal that goes around the bottom of the camper roof? Those can be replaced quite easily, too, and they sell them on eBay and at Coleman Pop Up Parts. We replaced ours, and the camper closes up so much better now. I definitely wouldn’t junk the camper. You can totally take on this project! Don’t listen to your husband! 😉
Yes, the gasket seal that pinches/seals the whole thing together along the bottom. I looked up the site you linked, and saw the seal on there for purchase. The problem we had with the first seal was that it became so brittle over time that it actually separated into 2 pieces. The roof is so warped/bowed at this point that it’s impossible for it to sit flat around the base. It sits like a banana with the outer edges not touching the trailer body as soon as the center does. This amount of pressure caused the rubber trim to break apart. I have debated about using some sort of steel plate to raise the sides of the base body to possibly force it back to it’s original shape without breaking apart a new piece of trim. Honestly, we have been fixing this dang roof since barely 2 years after purchasing it! It has been a repair nightmare, but it’s paid for so I want to find a way to still use it. Thanks so much for the input!
What a bummer, Jana. Does your roof have the braces inside? I think they started bracing the later Coleman ABS roofs–especially if they had an A/C unit.
When we approached Coleman about the sag, they furnished us with 2 braces and instructions to install ourselves. We did put those in, but the weight from everything has been too much for the roof. the base trim (that you shared the link to) started to break down from the weight and when that was no longer intact, that allowed to roof to settle even lower. hence, the crescent shaped sag. I can force the roof all the way down and still latch it, but the worst sag of course is in the center. Our heavy snow winters haven’t helped, either. I have racked my brain trying to come up with a solution, and after my last trip with the roof topcoat actually peeling back, I came up with the bedliner idea. I am SO glad to know other people have done that, too!
Coleman only guaranteed the roof for life to the original purchaser. We got ours used like you did, so we were stuck. Your info has been so helpful!! Thank you!
Wow! We have had none of those problems, so I guess we’ve been pretty lucky. Our roof was braced, and we only had minor cracking. I hope that you find a solution to the sagging–you might check the Pop Up Portal forums–and that you come back here to report on your roof repairs and how they worked out. 🙂
I purchased a 1999 Coleman westlake several years ago. The pop up had no cracks at the time of purchase. I bought a cover fo it and with in two weeks of having the cover on it the camper roof bubbled up, cracked and delaminates. After an extensive search on line I decided against repairing it and decided to replace the entire roof. The reaso for replacing it was I read several posts online that said that I might spend all the time and effort repairing the areas where it was delaminates and cracked only to have it do the same thing in other areas. The moral of the story is do not use a cover with ABS as it traps to much heat and the glue bond releases the ABS from the foam roof.
I removed the entire roof and then sanded down the foam to remove the glue. I then installed two layers of fiberglass mat. After the fiberglass resin dried I once again sanded down the entire roof. Once the roof was to my liking I applied gorilla grip. I purchased a new roof gasket from eBay for $130.00. The roof is now strong enough to stand on. I just purchased a set of yakima 60 inch roof tracks to mount on the camper. The tracks will allow me to install bars anywhere along the 60 inch track. I also purchased a mega warrior basket with extension to hold gas cans, firewood etc. I also have a kayak and bike rack. The final result is a very strong and water tight roof that is capable of supporting a roof rack.
I just thought I would share my ABS roof replacement with you all so you would know that there is an alternative to just repairing the ABS.
Awesome, Dave! Thanks for sharing. I have heard of people removing the ABS shell and applying Grizzly Grip over the entire roof. I’ve heard great things about that method, and if you have delamination, it seems like the way to go. Since you’ve got the racks on the roof, it was probably pretty smart to reinforce the roof with the fiberglass mat & resin. 🙂
Could you please list the material you used, and where you got it from. My biggest concern, is that I will order the wrong stuff, and it will melt the foam roof!
This is an awesome, permanent fix!
This is what I did to stop the roof from sagging. I used unistrut, and it is straight as an arrow now.
http://www.popupexplorer.com/forum/index.php?topic=94607.0
Are you removing your ABS shell from the roof, Jeff? I don’t have specific experience on that, although a couple of readers here have done it with excellent results. I’ve just never done it myself. Most people use the Grizzly Grip in Snow White, fine texture, which is what we used.
I heard that it will collect dirt on the surface of the grizzly grip over a short time frame. Is this true?
Jeff, we’ve had Grizzly Grip on our roof for over a year now with no problems. You may have a problem with dirt if you use the course texture, but the fine texture cleans up well. We took it from Arizona to Montana and back last year, and the camper collected a lot of dirt and debris from the trip. We hadn’t repaired the body panels yet at that point, and when we cleaned the camper, the roof washed up better than the aging ABS plastic body panels. We haven’t had a single issue with the Grizzly Grip, and I am so glad we did the repair.
I am looking to do the same repair to my 1998 Niagara. How difficult was it to strip the entire abs roof? Any techniques you can recommend?
Hey April, Hi Larissa, I’m wondering how the Rhino liner is holding up. I had cracks I was going to repair but I have found considerable delamination and more severe feathering under the awning rail that what Larissa had. I am thinking it might be easier just to peel it all off and seal with the Rhino liner. Not sure how to remount the awning rail or if that will be come more obvious once I peel the ABS back. Any thoughts.
Brit
I would remove the ABS plastic if you have severe delamination, Brit. If not, you’ll have to glue it down–and that can be difficult. I have heard that the awning rail can be glued back on with Liquid Nails. I haven’t done it myself, but have seen a couple of roof jobs where that was done. You can also cut around the awning rail and leave it in place.
Hey Dave,
I would love to learn a little more about the process you took to add fiberglass. Did you do two layers of cloth and then add resin all at once or did you do 1 layer at a time. I’ve only done a little bit of fiberglass work (on a surfboard) but I think this may be the method I need to do to get the most out of my camper. What weight cloth did you use?
Bri
Do you have any pics of your pop up and roof? We have a 1997 Westlake and I need to work on the roof in the next year and I would love any more detailed advice and pics on how to do it
I am not sure if you still remember but where did you get all the materials to do the fiberglass repair and how long did it take, thanks.
We have a Santa Fe camper. The seal has shrank over the years. You posted you bought a new seal. We have the same camper you have. How much seal did you purchase? Did you measure around the camper top? Have looked at this camper site several times. I am glad I saw this about you redoing your camper.
We measured our old seal and added a few inches to compensate for the shrinking. In the end, though, the seal we bought was cheaper when sold in 41′ lengths, so we ended up purchasing that length. We did have a couple feet left over, but it was still cheaper to buy that length than purchase it by the foot. Hope that helps.
Love what ya’ll have done, looking to start on ours. I have a lot of cracks, We have a 2000 coleman cheyenne. having trouble finding grizzly grip on ebay, Do you no where on ebay it is located?
You won’t find Grizzly Grip on eBay, Ron. You can find the white ABS pellets on eBay often, but Grizzly Grip can only be ordered directly from Midwest Chemicals on their website. You can order that here. Best of luck with your roof repair! 🙂
Thank you very much
Hello from NJ,
I used Grizzly Grip on my 2002 Santa Fe last summer, looked great. survived the winter. I opened it up, did some spring cleaning. My popup top does not always come down evenly in one corner, so when I pressed on it, my cracks re-appeared……… Now I am going to try Kool Seal product as it does not become so rigid. I will keep you posted… Great website
Michael
Hello. I have a 2001 Santa Fe with a crack in the roof that I want to repair. This information has been extremely helpful and I am going to give the ABS/MEK method a shot! My only question is this.. If I don’t apply the Grizzly Grip, will it look really bad? I am thinking about only doing the patch of the crack and sanding it down but I don’t really want to do the 2nd part which is applying the Grizzly Grip over the entire roof. Is that a bad idea? Could I possibly just use the Grizzy Grip or a regular gloss latext paint over the patched area only? Thanks!
Cindy, you can patch your cracks and not apply the Grizzly Grip, but it won’t be pretty, and you run the risk of getting more cracks later on. The Grizzly Grip provides both durability and UV protection. We haven’t had any cracking since the roof repair. I wouldn’t use latex paint, but I know some people have used elastomeric roof coatings. I don’t have any experience with that method, so I can’t attest to whether or not it will last. Best of luck on your repair, and be sure to come back and let me know how it goes! 😉
Thank you!
@ThePUPrincess
I have cracks on 02 Cole Utah
Did Mr type two fun ? have any problem with air pockets when he applied applied it to the roof. did he make the slur thin or thk to fill cracks, I’m using a meat syringe to inject the slurry and I get air bubbles that rise and can’t escape because the slurry has skinned over. any suggestions
Tks in adv
KC135SUP
By the way Great job on you camper and blog
Are you using a plastic syringe? I’d be nervous about that, because MEK is made to dissolve certain types of plastic. Second, do you have any delamination? If your ABS is pulling away from the foam roof underneath, you’ll have to address that before you attempt to repair the cracks because you’ll have air pockets underneath the ABS shell.
You want your “goo” to be about the consistency of Elmer’s glue. Mr. TypeTwoFun used a Popsicle stick to drizzle it down into the crack. Once the crack was filled, he would use the stick to spread the goo flat. We never had any issues with air bubbles at all. Hope that helps.
We have a 2000 Coleman Bayside Elite and we had to take the whole ABS roof off because the cracking became so severe and then when we had a bad storm the wind peeled most of the room off! I was really upset. So I started searching online for roof repair when we were left high and dry on the ABS roof, I bought the Raptor bedliner and had a body and paint man do the job. but was done shotty! so my husband and I had to wind up completing the project ourselves and so far so good the roof has held up. To me I think another coat can be applied. It sits outside with no where to store it. Once i get it all cleaned up on the inside and out, i am going to take another look at the roof. One of the screws come out of the doorstep and I was wondering where i could find a screw that would work to allow the door to open and close with ease. Really enjoy your website 🙂
Check Coleman Pop Up Parts for replacement parts, Angela. They have a pretty good selection of Coleman parts. 🙂
Angela, how did your camper hold up to removing the whole ABS shell? Our ABS shell is beyond repair at this point. Did you have an AC unit? Our concern is the foam roof will not hold the hardware well and it will end up falling apart. I have also read comments of other sites, that the berliners will “eat” the foam, did you notice any deterioration? Thanks in advance!!
I had my camper closed up 2 years and when I uncovered it, I notied the roof has a medium L-shaped crack in the corner as well as the seal is falling apart. I took it to the shop and they opened the camper up and some mice had made theirselves at home. The shop said they could fiberglass the top but it would be very expensive or they could put this specisl tape which would not look very pretty. I had the camper under a tarp all the time but they said they believed that some water got in the top and they were concerned the cables would break but I didn’t think there was any problem. There are surface cracks that have not broken through. After reapiring the crack – do you think the Grizzly grip will seal the rook. My goal is to repair the camper and donate it to the Wounded Warriors programs so the can check it out and go out for a weekend to get away.
It has worked for us. It’s been over a year since we repaired our roof, and the cracks are not coming back. Do you have any delamination?
I saw your before and after photo’s. Where did you get that awning? It looks ;like it’s telescopic. Our roof cracked, fiberglass, and the RV shop said they could repair it based on what you did. Saved us a bunch of money.
Nice! Did they use the same method?
That’s the factory awning, Jazzg55. I think we are going to have to replace it soon. It has seen better days. 😛
I just came across this while looking at common pop-up repairs. Spot-on advice Larissa! We use MEK for metal surface prep and stop-drilling sheetmetal on military aircraft routinely and yes it does stop the crack from continuing so long as you find the very ends. Another famous example, the Liberty Bell! If I can offer a helper hint with regards to injecting MEK slurry under the ABS; MEK turns foam/plastic to muck on contact and injecting it would dissolve the roof foam creating additional cavities under the cover. If the cover is separated in spots, drill the smallest hole possible to squeeze silicon or foam safe glue into the gap. If you drill a slightly larger hole in a thin piece of plywood and place it over the repair, aligning the holes, and add a small amount of weight, the plywood will distribute pressure across the area and help force excess silicon/glue up through the hole. Clean off the excess that squeezes out, let it cure, apply the slurry, and paint. Cheers!
Awesome advice, Craig! Thanks! 🙂
Craig, could you please explain the addition of silicon before MEK procedure? The cracks I have in one area are a bunch of Zs next to each other and some ABS pieces between the Zs are very loose and I could probably pick them out. I know in this area I will have more than just a crack to fill, more like a square centimeter, and do not want to apply the MEK/ABS paste to the foam under the roof if it is just going to create a larger and gooier mess.
Actually, I just went out and looked and may end up with quit a large rectangle to patch in this area. Most of these cracks seem to be starting under the awning attachment grove if anybody has any experience fixing these, please help?
In that case, Brad, you may want to re-adhere the ABS plastic will some heavy duty glue (some use Gorilla Grip) and a syringe. The other option is to remove the ABS plastic shell completely, but if you’ve only got a few spots of delamination under the awning, the glue may be the way to go. Check the Pop Up Portal forums. There’s bound to be someone that’s encountered your problem before! 🙂
We have basically followed your process described here to fix extremely similar repair on our Coleman Westlake ABS roof. We added a strip of Eternabond tape over our MEK repairs, though, under the awning rail as an extra preventative measure, hopefully. We are now doing the Grizzly Grip. Do you know during your GG application if it seemed ‘patchy’ after a coat was applied? The top of our camper roof seems like some areas still look wet and smoother and other areas look dryer and more textured. Just not quite what I was expecting. Possibly my husband just laid down more on some areas than others with the roller. Or maybe he went over areas with the roller after it was starting to dry and made it ‘nappier?’ Just hope it’s all going to dry looking the same in the end.
It’s been awhile since we applied our Grizzly Grip to the roof, Rebecca, but when we did the front and back panels, we rolled over some of the drier areas, and it did give it a bit of a patchy look. It’s not noticeable unless you look closely, though. We’ve found Midwest Chemicals to be pretty responsive to all our questions, so I would suggest you e-mail them or give them a call. They were great with us. 🙂
My wife and I bought a 1998 10ft. Sante Fe pop up with air in May of 99. Our camper was kept in a garage the first 10 years. After the first 2 years the gutters started developing small cracks in which I patched up. As the years rolled along, more and bigger cracks developed with delamination. A few months ago I decided to completely restore our pop up to it’s former glory, with the roof being the biggest problem. After reading your post Larissa, I feel that stripping the existing roof off and replacing it with gorilla grip is our best bet. I can’t begin to tell you how many great memories and times our little pop up has brought us. We have had it on many beaches and many mountains with great comfort. Thanks again for the priceless info, Sincerely Kenny
Great thread! I have a 2000 Coleman Niagra Elite, 2nd owner, garage kept since new…no sag, no cracks…immaculate condition. Moved to new house & will not be able to garage it any longer. Trying to decide to sell it or keep it & wait for the cracks/sags to commence 🙂 will be watching this thread with much interest. wk
My dad, brother, and I just went in together on this same make and model. I spend TOO much time on DIY projects and doing DIY research. I’ve seen countless forums, youtube videos, webpage after webpage after webpage. I LOVE yours. It is incredibly helpful. Keep up the good work, and keep DIYing!!!!
~DC
Thanks, Daniel! Congrats on the new PUP. Pop up camper projects are incredibly addicting. You’ll never really be finished with it. 🙂
Hi Larissa,
We have a 2000 Coleman Utah, our roof has just a few small cracks along the edges and a couple of bubbles starting on top. Out main problem is the for has lost some shape and doesn’t meet the side body properly anymore. Are you familiar with this at all? Thank you for sharing your experience.
Stacie Dartnell
That’s called delamination, Stacie. When that happens, you can drill small holes in the ABS shell and inject Gorilla Glue (or a similar adhesive) between the foam and the shell. This really only works well if the delamination is not too severe. In most severe cases, people opt to remove the ABS shell and use Grizzly Grip directly over the foam. I have not tried either method, so I cannot attest to their effectiveness, but I’ve had many readers tell me their stories of removing the ABS shell and coating the foam. It seems to work pretty well. 🙂
Do you have an A/C unit, or is you roof sagging in the middle at all?
Larissa,
I don’t think I explained that very well. I know we have some delamination beginning on the top. The problem I am trying to explain is that when the trailer is closed the side of the roof on the kitchen side especially and a little at the trunk the entire roof edge sticks out farther than the side. Therefore the gasket is not meeting the side of the body. We worry about water if it storms when we are on the road with it. Is seems like the sides are spreading out some, not just the outer layer. I wish I could send a picture.
Does that make sense?
We do not have an A/C unit. We bought the trailer new in 2000 and have enjoyed it very much.
I haven’t seen this before, Stacie. Do you happen to have a picture?
I will try to get one. How do I send it to you?
You can always e-mail it to me at Larissa@thepopupprincess.com, but I think you should be able to post a picture here in the comments as well. Either way is fine. 🙂
Hi Larissa! A short time ago I wrote to you on a different thread about my pop up. Recently I had to take it to an rv shop for some repairs. Before I did I gave it a mojor cleaning inside and out. That is when I discovered the cracks. They are hair line cracks about 1 to 1.5 inches long leading up from the bottom edge of the roof along the sides. In your story about how you repaired your roof, you drilled and ground out the large corner cracks before filling with the MEK mixture. My question is how did you repair the small side cracks… did you use the same method as the large ones? I want to make sure I make the repairs right the first time. The small side cracks are the only issue with the roof but I want to catch it before it gets worse. Thanks for your help and again, great site!
We repaired the small cracks the same way, Mark. Small cracks can quickly become large ones if you don’t stop them from spreading. It’s a big pain, but we definitely recommend drilling out all the cracks and patching them. You’ll be happier with the results in the long run.
Thanks for the reply Larissa! I kind of figured those small cracks had to be repaired the same way but I didn’t want to create more work for myself if I didn’t have to. I guess I had better get busy. I have a camp site reserved for October 1st! Thanks again!
We repaired the small cracks the same way, Mark. Small cracks can quickly become large ones if you don’t stop them from spreading. It’s a big pain, but we definitely recommend drilling out all the cracks and patching them. You’ll be happier with the results in the long run.
We repaired the small cracks the same way, Mark. Small cracks can quickly become large ones if you don’t stop them from spreading. It’s a big pain, but we definitely recommend drilling out all the cracks and patching them. You’ll be happier with the results in the long run.
I am looking at a 1998 Coleman Casa Grande with roof issues. When I went to look at it, it was set up so I couldn’t see the roof. I asked the owner about it and she said “there is a small crack that I have taped up and it doesn’t leak. other than that there are no problems.” Well, when I went to pick it up the roof was down and the small crack was about 3 times what she described. Plus the whole top is warped. I have called two RV places and they both told me to walk away and find something else because the cost of repair wasn’t worth it. (I left it there that day because the owner didn’t close it up correctly so the slide wouldn’t close tight) I am supposed to pick this up tomorrow at 5:00 p.m. but I am struggling because I really love the camper…except for the roof. Does the warping mean that the whole outer skin should be removed? I am not extremely handy and since I don’t have a significant other the repairs will be up to me. If anyone can offer any suggestions I would appreciate it. Thanks. Oh, and there is a slight sag in the roof as well. No evidence of water damage anywhere inside though.
Sadly, Jacqueline, I think the RV places you called are right. You should probably walk away from this camper. Bracing a sagging roof is no easy feat, even for those of us who are handy. You may not have water damage issues now, but if the roof doesn’t close properly, you will. 🙁
If you are patient, the right camper will come along. No need to settle for something that isn’t worth the money. It took us a year to find our camper, but I love it, and I’m glad we waited.
Thanks for your story and instructions. I am almost complete on my Grizzly Grip restoration. I have a 97 Coleman Cheyenne with a significant amount of cracks.
Everything went well with the project except for the supplied roller broke apart after completing half of the first coat. I believe I need to thin down the product before using. I luckily had a few spare regular foam rollers to complete the first and second coat. I ordered more than I needed of the Grizzly Grip so I plan to add a third coat.
I did use the Airsoft BB’s to make my ABS Goo and I used Acetone to melt down the pellets. I was unable to locate MEK in my local stores.
The roof delamination was minimal so I drilled holes into the bad spots and squeezed in gorilla glue into the area and placed a weight over the area. After I sealed the hole with ABS Goo.
Again, Thanks for your instructions and I hope my comments will reassure and help others with their project.
Good to know, Jerry. Thanks for sharing. We did have a little more trouble with the rollers on this last batch of Grizzly Grip–when we did our body panels. Before you dilute it, call Grizzly Grip. Their customer service is amazing. They may be able to make suggestions. 🙂
HI All thanks for all the great comments regarding the ABS ROOF REPAIR. I have seen many people fixing the roof’s but not when decontamination is involved. My roof curves upward on both ends leaving a gap at the front and back with cracking on the ends. Do I cut the top part off and use Grizzly Grip or do I build some kind of truss? My 1999 Utah does have the metal support already. ANY COMMENTS AND THOUGHTS ARE WELCOME! P.S. Heading to clifty falls indiana this weekend
uh I meant DE LAMINATION – I think if the camper needed decontamination I would just bury it and wait 1000 years
Larissa the best part of this blog is that your still giving updates, ty. Im rebuilding the roof on my 92 Starcraft starlite pop up using luan for the roof with a layer of fiberglass over that. A few others are doing the same but its hard to get updates from people that have used the grizzly grip. I found one bad update but it was 3 years after he painted it. Is yours still doing ok and where do you store the camper when your not using it and do you cover the top with a canvas? Basically I just want to know if you keep it out of the sun 🙂
Thanks
We do keep it out of the sun, Rick, as it is stored in our garage. The roof still looks amazing, and I’m so happy with it. We haven’t had any problems with durability since we did the roof repair. It still looks as good as it did when we first did it 18 months ago. Having said that, we used Grizzly Grip on our body panels, and I was not quite as happy with the consistency and results of that batch. It still looks good, I just don’t think it looks as nice as the roof. I don’t know if they’ve changed the formula or if we just got a bad batch, but the texture is rougher than our roof repair. Grizzly Grip customer service is really great, though, so you can always call them with questions or concerns. 🙂
Well I did what your blog stated and got me some airs oft bbs melted with mek in mason jars overnight… made 3 jars with 10000 bbs … only needed 2 jars… boy that stuff is toxic! Definitely for anybody doing this method to buy a really good resporator! Lowe’s or home Depot have them for about 35 to 45… worth it! One thing I did notice was after the cracks dried… I began noticing new ones before I applied the liner… didn’t know if that happened to you….
My roof was severely cracked with big and small ones to include everything to the front of the ac was delaminated. So I used a cutoff wheel and basically cut off the top -leaving the sides intact- and used the mek to help bridge the gap between the foam and the existing top…. I used the t Rex 2000 spray liner… just took 12 bottles to cover the entire top and trunk lid… worked great just a few over spray spots I’ll deal with in spring when I add a roll on liner over the top just to get it thicker where I cut off the original top. Replaced the delapitated junk ac cover with a max air replacement cover and it looks like new… just hoping now it holds…. was wanting to attach before and after pics but can’t figure out how….
Oh yeah… sry I’ve got a 2000 coleman cheyenne
Bought brand new and had it ever since
Thanks again for your help!
Joe
Hey Joe, how did the AC hold up? Is it still attached after a few camping trips, this is my main concern that the hardware and AC will cause more damage to the foam. Thanks!!
We too got a great deal on a Coleman Westlake camper and the roof need some repair. I did not notice how bad the roof was until we got it home. I tried using Flex seal but I did not have much success with it. The Flex Seal just made a mess and started to crack again. When I saw this posting I tried the ABS MEK repair and I have to say it looks great and worked great. My roof had a few more issues then what yours had. I had to use gorilla glue to re attach parts of the roof were it had cracked before applying the ABS gue. But with the roof all sanded and the Grizzly Grip applied the top looks like new. Thanks for the Tips.
Hello Larissa! I’m am fixing my roof on my 1999 Coleman Santa feb and I purchase the abs roof seal From Colemanpopupparts.com. The question that I had was did you guys use any other adhesive or glue on installing the seal to the roof,or if you only use the the tape adhesive it comes with? Thank you and I hope to hear from you soon.
We only used the adhesive tape that came with it, Armando. It’s holding up fabulously over a year later. 🙂
Hi Larissa, I LOVE this blog! I have a 96 Coleman Shenandoah with an ABS roof. The roof has started to cave in and is cracking pretty bad. I’ve been researching how to repair it myself since they don’t make the roof braces anymore. My husband has been pushing me to get rid of it because he thinks its an eye sore, although our family has really enjoyed using it in the past. I had almost given in and then I found your blog and now I am super motivated to fix it up!! I had no idea it had so much potential!! Now, my roof is definitely worse than yours. I know we first need to brace the roof and then fix the shell. Can I send a photo to see if you or your readers have some advice as to the best way to do this or tell me if it’s too far gone?
Sure! It might work better if you posted in on Facebook, though. It’s easier to have a discussion there! 😉
Hello:
I have a similar but different problem and was wondering if anyone may know from personal experience how best to fix my problem. I have a 2004 Fleetwood Laramie with an Aluminum roof with ABS plastic mounted to 1/8th inch plywood that has delaminated from the Aluminum roof. Has anyone used the Gorilla Grip liner to seal one of these Aluminum roofs successfully? I have seen a different bedliner material applied to Aluminum and it didn’t stick, which is why I ask. Also, I am considering using the #12 delaminating epoxy to reattach the ASB/plywood ceiling back to the roof, I am also not sure if this will work as I don’t know if it will stick to Aluminum. I have contacted both manufacturers for there expertise, but I thought I wood ask here also if anyone had any insight as well as to let you all in my project. Any words of wisdom is appreciated!
Thank you for this site, it has been very helpful thus far.
Chad
Hi, I read the Q&A about only repairing the cracks and saw that you highly recommend the grizzly grip coating for UV protection. My question is can I apply the GG as a spot treatment vs a full roof paint job? It just seems like a big job… I’d love to find a way to only repair the small cracks instead of doing a full roof makeover.
Also, have you heard of MEK and marine grade 5200 mixture? It’s supposed to create an excellent “goo” as well.
Thanks for the amazing blog. I Wish I could hug you in thanks for all these great ideas!!!
~fellow Coleman Santa fe owner
Aw, thanks, Carolina! 😀
I have not heard of the MEK/5200 mixture. I’ll have to check that out. I suppose you could spot treat your roof, but it wouldn’t look very pretty. There is a definite difference in color and texture between the Grizzly Grip and original ABS plastic. You’d be able to see spots all over your roof. You’d also defeat the purpose of the UV protection. You want to give the entire roof a good coat of GG to protect it from the sun and prevent the need for further spot treatments.
p.s. Aren’t Santa Fes the best? 😉
We love our Santa Fe!! Like you, we came across a deal that we couldn’t pass up. Luckily “LC” didn’t need too many big repairs. We sure do have a long list of customizing we want to do though! Haha
Nice fix! I’ve been repairing cracks by plastic welding , but will need to give this a shot. I’ve been welding ABS for a long time , but change is good. Thanks for the idea.
We recently purchased a 1997 Coleman Niagara. The roof is in comparable condition to yours in the rood repair write up… with maybe few more cracks. Thank you for the detail I which you posted. Any chance of getting an “18 Months Later” follow up? If it is still going strong, it may be the first project we tackle. Thanks again for the teriffic write up.
Our roof repair has held up really well. My only advice is to drill out and fix every little crack. The Grizzly Grip will fill all the cracks, but they will reappear if you haven’t repaired them to begin with.
Hi my husband and I are thinking about purchasing a 2000 Coleman Mesa pop up. I wanted to see how your repair was holding up. How long ago did you repair your roof? When you mix the beads and mek how big of a glass jar did you use and did it make enough product? And do you close the lid on the jar while it is melting? I would love to hear back from you !!! THANKS!
We have the exact same camper. I plan on doing the roof repair with Grizzly Grip. Do you think that the 4×8 kit is enough to do the roof and the front ABS panel?
I would do both panels at the same time, Aaron. The panels will look different once you apply the Grizzly Grip, and if you only do the front panel, they will be mismatched. Plus, it will protect your rear panel in the future. The only real regret we had with the roof was that we should have applied another coat. Maybe that’s why we had so much left over. The panels took quite a bit of the product to coat, so you may want to order another quart or so of Grizzly Grip with the 4×8 kit so you can coat everything well. 🙂
I’m wondering if the mek good ends up getting hard like the ABS roof? I tried starting this project yesterday and put some MEK goo on a test area and 24 hours later it is “dry,” but soft. What I mean is, it isn’t sticky or tacky or anything, but in the cracks that I opened up, if I press with my finger nail, it indents. Its not hard like plastic. Should it be? I’m at a loss right now and now sure what to do. PLEASE HELP!
It depends on how thick you apply it, Brad. The longer you let the goo dry, the harder it will be. Ours was kind of soft and flexible in the beginning, but the longer we allowed it to dry, the harder it became. Hope that helps. 🙂
Hi we own a Sante Fe just like the one you have worked on. We need to replace the floor inside and one of the walls on outside needs to be fixed as well. We had this same problem with our roof although ours was cracking so badly that we ended up having to take the outer shell off. We painted a product called Duck Coat on the fiberglass. While it does not leak at all, it proceeded to bubble and looks hideous. LOL I was wondering if you knew of anyone who had taken their outer shell off and was able to possibly use the Grizzly Grip to recoat the fiberglass?? Or any other ideas? We have used it this way with the bubbles for one whole season and just took it this past weekend on a trip too. Once again no leaks but just looks bad. Would like to fix the look of it if we are going to keep it.
Thanks ahead of time and thank you so much for all the info you have posted about your fix up jobs to yours! They are going to help us tremendously! 🙂
I actually have heard of several people removing the ABS shell when the cracking is severe. They seem to have good results with the Grizzly Grip over the foam roof. You may need to call Grizzly Grip, though, and find out if you need to remove the Duck Coat. How difficult would it be to remove it? Does it peel off pretty easily?
We just bought a Colman the previous owners took all the abs off the top and now it’s just foam. There is a rather large Crack in the foam that starts on the side and goes on to the top. How do I fix the foam that’s cracked?
This is just a shot in the dark, but maybe try taping off the crack except for the ends and shooting some “Great Stuff” foam gap filler (you can buy at Home Depot or Lowes) in the crack. You may need to put something heavy down along the tape as the foam expands, After the foam cures you can sand it down flush. Just a thought.
Hey Larissa! Wondering if you know if this method will repair Apache hard sided pop up trailers? We just bought a 1976 Apache Royal and the roof has some fine cracks…. I think covering the entirety of the roof after fixing the cracks would look really nice, so wondering if this method is a possibility…thanks!
I’m not super familiar with Apaches, Amanda, but you guys have your very own Apache Owner’s Group. I’m sure someone there has already performed that repair. Here’s that link:
Apache Owner’s Group
Larissa, thanks for the great instructions!! I just want to make sure of one thing before I mix the MEK and the ABS plastic. My camper has about 6 major cracks that are 1-2 feet long and about 15 additional hairline cracks that are 6 inches to a foot long. Your instructions say “equal parts of MEK and pellets.” Do you recommend 2 cups of each or more/less?
It honestly depends on how thick you apply the goo, Mark, and how wide your cracks are. We did a mix of 1/4 cup each, and had more than enough goo to cover the small cracks that were on our roof. It keeps well, so if you are in a hurry, it might be best to err on the side of too much rather than having to wait another 24-48 for a new batch to be ready.
Thanks for the quick reply! I was going to use 2 cups of each, so I’m glad I have the right amount now.
I just completed the restoration and have a few observations:
1. Buy at least two 9″ rollers from Grizzly Grip. You want to have a fresh roller for the second coat. I tried to use the old roller and it quickly disintegrated. In fact, I’d buy 3 rollers “just in case.” I also bought 2 4″ rollers but I didn’t need them. I did the entire task with the 9″ roller.
2. My MEK/plastic mixture lasted over 3 days. I was able to go back to the jar more than a few times and reapply in areas that I missed or in areas where the wind blew the mixture back out of the drill hole (I applied the MEK/plastic mixture outside). By the way, I mixed 1 cup of MEK with 1 cup of ABS plastic and I had a little left over.
3. I have an 8X10 camper, and the Grizzly Grip customer service rep was able to tell me exactly the amount to purchase. The Grizzly Grip arrived in two 3 quart containers (with a bottle of accelerator for each). As I applied the first “thin” coat, I started to worry a little that I was using too much. I ended up using almost an entire 3 Quart container on the first coat. But the second “heavy” coat did not require as much of the “paint.” I also bought the snow white color and it looks great!
4. They say this in the Grizzly Grip instructions, but you don’t want to push hard on the roller when you apply the Grip, especially at the end of a painting session. You’ll start to get flecks from the roller in the paint, and it’s almost impossible to pick out.
5. I bought a pair of heavy-duty rubber gloves (specially made for applying caustic liquid) from our local “Big-R” to apply the MEK/plastic, to wipe the camper top with the MEK solution, and to apply the Grip. Worked like a charm.
Thanks again for your outstanding instruction!
Mark
I found this in a smooth finish. Does this appear to compare to Grizzly Grip (other than the finish)
http://www.durabakcompany.com/
We are really happy with the Grizzly Grip on our roof, Chuck. Not sure how others compare, as we haven’t gotten our hands on them and would hesitate to give an opinion without first-hand experience. If you go with the DuraBak, be sure to come back and let us know how it works out. 😉
Just received my new updated Coleman tent trailer roof seal. It is self adhesive . Does the adhesive go on the inside or the outside? I have read either way. Which one is correct. Rob
I’m not sure how much it matters, Rob, but we have put the adhesive on the outside. 🙂
Thank you.
We have a 1998 Coleman Cheyenne, it had spider cracks like yours did when we got it but we did not know about the ABS problem someone before us had covered them with a clear sealant so we were not really worried. The our first winter with it there was a bad deep freeze and the entire top cracked open like a puzzle. I made some huge mistakes in trying to fix it. We had gone to a local dealer who repairs campers and he told us to ditch it and buy new, he gave us no hints on how to deal with this. So today as I am looking for other parts and pieces I find your post and I know we have hope. Only now it’s gonna be harder because we have to undo my I love Lucy fixes. Thank you for this post.
Hello, love the ideas from your site. I’m going to fix my coleman popup….again. Quick question – did you use MEK or MEK substitute for thew ABS goo? thanks!
We used MEK, but I hear MEK Substitute works the same way.
I just finished replacing the front storage compartment on my Coleman Utah. Now I am working on the abs body panels and roof using the mek/abs goo repair. My question is when mixing the two products you used a 50/50 solution. Do you leave the glass jar sealed when mixing the two or did you leave it open?
Keep the lid on the glass jar, Kenneth. Once the MEK evaporates, you are left with the hardened ABS plastic. If you allow it to evaporate while mixing, you’ll never get a goo texture.
I’m starting to prep my pop up to put the grizzly grip on. I repaired the cracks with ABS goop already last week, just need to sand those down.
I used my camper this weekend so took it in to the car wash to wash the road dust off and noticed the front top part of the shell has some bubbles in it where the ABS has separated from the foam. There’s no cracking yet on those bubbles.
Do I need to open up those bubbles and re-glue them? I was hoping to just roll over them with the GG to save time but I’d also like to fix it up right.
Thanks for the help!
Update on my roof fix-it. The ABS patches went well, although the BBs never melted fully, I had soft chunks in my mix. Those would squish out as I applied it and they sanded down just fine.
Got the camper prepped yesterday for the Grizzly Grip and applied the first coat, it looked horrible! My roller basically kept melting and left tiny chunks of blue plastic all over. I spent and hour today scraping all of them off. Hear me out all the way here…I think that was my fault. I had contactd GG last night via e-mail and got a reply this morning…awesome customer service for the 4th of July weekend! I was told it happens a bit and the 2nd coat should cover everything. So, here’s my advice on this and what went wrong:
1) Use a drill attachment paint mixer and mix your GG thouroughly! That’s what I did wrong with my 1st coat, I shook the jug a lot but there was a big pile of stuff in the bottom of the jug. Te 2nd coat was mixed better and went on great! Covered all the badness from coat #1 just like GGG customer service said and looks like its supposed to.
2) The rollers will come apart a bit, unlike my first coat the 2nd coat didn’t cause this nearly as badly. Be prepared to pick a few chunks out, no biggie if the GG is mixed properly.
3) This stuff stinks! Make sure to use a respirator.
4) I put a shallow disposable aluminum pan in my paint pan and it worked great to roll from. The first coat I tried just pouring it on and rolling it around, not the best idea. No mess, no cleanup this way.
Hope that helps someone else.
Hi-
I was wondering what you di the spider cracks? Or did you all just roll over them? Thanks, and great blog!!! Awesome info!
-Rob
We actually drilled out and patched all the little cracks, too, Robert. It was a pain, but worth it. 🙂
Love this info… Have a ’97 Fleetwood (Coleman) Sun Ridge… Thankfully, no cracks in ABS currently, but absolutely bookmarking your page as a future reference..
Cheers
Getting ready to do my ABS roof repair!!
Is there a reason the repair was done indoors? Do you think it will be ok to do this process outdoors?
Thanks
Big Fan of the Pop Up Process 🙂
Diana
Hi, We have a 1999 Coleman Santa Fe. The top was up so we didn’t see the cracks. The cracks were taped over (very Gooey tape) then painted over. There is a lot of delamination as well but not cracks on the very top where the delamination is the worst. After removing the tape the cracks were quite large again with delamination. We bought everything to do your process but now think we should remove the ABS top. No one says how to remove the whole top (no air conditioner). Do you remove only the bad areas and hope for the best. How do you remove the areas still in place? Do you cut around those small rectangled things (2″x4″). Do you cut around the awning channel which has a lot of delaminated cracks under it. Don’t know how to proceed
. Please help. Thanks
We were able to get the whole roof off the Santa Fe. The foam is sticky in places. Most of it has a film or coating over it but again there are places that film is missing and the foam is exposed. Also there is glue where previous owners tried to fix the cracks. How to proceed? on the foam? How to remove the glue. Do we wipe the top down with something before the grizzly grip is put on?
Thanks,
Peggy
Peggy, I have never removed the ABS shell on a Coleman camper, so I don’t have any first-hand experience to share. I have seen this video tutorial of the process you are asking about, and it seems fairly straightforward. The author sanded the roof lightly once the shell was removed and then applied the Grizzly Grip. You may want to check it out. 🙂
ABS ROOF REPAIR VIDEO TUTORIAL
Any suggestions on how to glue the ABS back to the core where it has delaminated?
I have a ’97 Santa Fe. The roof has one big crack on a corner and an assortment of small cracks. I’m getting ready to go to work on it and pulled the seal off yesterday and noticed several areas the ABS has delaminated from the core on the sides. The top seems secure, just the on the sides above the seal in a few places (maybe 18″ long and up 6-8″) Any suggestions how to glue the ABS back to the core? In most areas it isn’t cracked, aside from a few 1-2″ long spider crack at the bottom.
Great post and love the discussion thread
Thanks,
Mike
I have heard that Gorilla Glue (applied with a syringe) and some heavy weights will do the trick, although I haven’t tried it myself. Have you checked on the PopUpPortal yet?
Thanks, yes I have looked at PopUpPortal, and many others. Seems they all prefer Gorilla Glue, just the challenge is how to get it in there. Some say cut slits, some drill holes, etc. I just measured the depth of my delimitation around the edges. One spot, about 3′ long it is delaminated about 8″ up from the bottom edge, but no cracks or defects in the ABS, just no longer attached to the core. They say Gorilla Glue foams and expands, but I can’t weight the side, others talked about bubbles on the top, which would be easy to weight down. maybe just cut the whole section out, spread GG on one part and spray the other and hope for the best – Then coat with Grizzly Grip.
Appreciate any thoughts.
Thanks,
Mike
I’ve been prepping our ABS top and I was able to re-attach some small delaminations on the side with clear abs glue. I used q-tips to get the glue in the best I could and pressure for 30-60 seconds and it seems to be working very well. We had one large “bubble” about 6-8 inches in diameter on top near the front so for that one I drilled some holes around the perimeter and made one large enough to insert the applicator of a can of Great Stuff foam. I inserted the applicator as deep as I could and withdrew it as I applied foam. Then set a 6 inch square piece of plywood on it and some heavy weights (about80lbs) from a barbell set. the foam has glued and filled the delamination and the Bubble is barely visible. Now onto prepping crack, making goo and applying GG. Our top has too many small hairline cracks so I’m only prepping the large and medium ones. Anyone one with experience on just covering the hairline cracks? Are they still holding up or repairing? I figure if I can keep moisture from getting between the ABS and foam it will help prevent delamination. I’m also using Oatey ABS/PVC clear cleaning solvent instead of MEK since it is no longer available in California. It is a mixture of Accetone and MEK and is available in a 16oz can. I tried a bit with the ABS shavings from prepping cracks and it makes a great goo that adheres extremely well and has set up nearly as hard as the original top and sands well. The more solvent you add the longer it will take to harden. Works best in multiple layers for deep cracks.
Great site, good info, looking forward to some feedback!
Thanks
Jim
I purchased a 2001 Coleman Cheyenne yesterday that needs a little exterior work. The seal between the roof and the body is not on the PUP. The roof has a few cracks that I plan on repairing, but the cracks are all the way to the bottom. Did you notice if any of the cracks on your roof went below the line of the seal? If so, how did you handle those?
We did, John. We just drilled them out as best we could at the top and filled them like the other cracks.
Thank you. Did you leave the seal on or did you remove it to patch all of the cracks?
Disregard. I just looked through the steps again and saw what you guys did. This is a great site!
I had a 1998 Coleman Santa Fe and I tried to fix the roof with the pellets and The MEK thing. But the cracks returned shortly thereafter, it make sense, it the ABS did not hold the first time, why would it work the second time around. The fact that ours was stored outside in the south Florida sun was certainly not helping, I covered the roof with roofing tape ( tar/aluminum tape), painted it with white roofing paint, and that was the end of my problems. It held well for 4 years, then we sold it to a friend 3 years ago and I did not hear any complains yet.
Hey, Marie! We recommend covering the ABS roof with Grizzly Grip to prevent the cracks from reappearing. The Grizzly Grip protects your ABS roof from the elements, but it also adds a layer of strength you don’t get from the repair alone. 🙂
Good Morning Larissa;
Hope this note finds you well and out of harm’s way.
I have been following your website for some time now and find it a treasure of ideas. Thank you very much. I have a question that I am sure you have been asked quite a few times. I have a 1999 Coleman/Fleetwood Utah pop up trailer. I am having issues with the ABS roof. Not just cosmetically. ( I have been in contact with Grizzly Grip to get the three cracks sorted out).
From front to back, there is a sag in the roof. When setting up the exterior door, I have to push up on the roof in order to secure the top of the door. But now, the roof is not sitting on the outside ledge when closed. It now bulges out the side and pushes down on the exterior light assembly and the exterior electrical outlet. It is tearing the outlet off the trailer and will not be long before it becomes a danger. The other side is okay, well for now anyways.
Not sure of the construction of the roof. Do you know how the roof is constructed or can point me in the right direction? It would be nice to buy a new roof, but I think that ship has sailed. I am thinking about replacing the outer ABS shell with 1/4″ Aluminum checker-plate. Not sure if it is even possible and that is why I am asking you for some help. Maybe you or some of your readers have come across the same issue and have found a solution. Our family really enjoys our camper and would like to continue doing so for years to come. Can you help us?
Have a safe day.
Talk to you soon.
Thanx
Randy
It sounds like you’ve got a roof sag. Do you have an A/C on your ABS roof, Randy? Have any braces been installed?
–Larissa
Hey Larissa;
Yes, there is an A/C unit on the roof. I would venture to say no to the braces.
Getting ready to tackle this, but wondering if you or anyone has advice on whether to remove the rooftop a/c unit first? Would rather not and there aren’t currently cracks at that location. Thanks for a great site!
Hey Larissa; Thank you for getting back to me so quickly. Do you know if this “sag roof” can be reversed? I though about the braces you mentioned earlier, but not quite sure where they would go or how they would be installed. Do you know how these roofs/rooves are constructed?
ColemanPopUpParts.com sells roof braces, but they are quite pricey. I know some people have made their own. Check the PopUpPortal.com forums for ideas. It’s been heavily discussed there. Good luck! 😀
Hey Larissa; Thank you for all the support and tips. I believe I am well armed with avenues to travel to sort out my trailer’s issues.
Have a safe day.
Talk to you soon.
Randy
I know this has nothing to do with fixing the shell, but we bought a pop up a few months ago and I found one of the outlets didn’t work and when you trace it the wire runs back to where the fridge is and where it is plugged into also does not work but there are no fuses blown. Granted the trailer had a little work done to it but everything else works and seems to be fine, but I was wondering if you knew around how much it would be to get it fixed (03) or would it be cheaper to run a new line to that outlet and put in a college fridge (about same size). I know the propane works because the bottle was from my grill and the stove top works great, but the fridge (pilot) did not light up and keep it running cool. I know there are websites on running proper winterization checks on the propane system for the fridge but should I even bother because of age?
Anything would help at this point.
Our Fleetwood SanteFe has too many hairline cracks to drill and prep every one so I’m only prepping the large, medium and small ones. Anyone one with experience on covering hairline cracks with Grizzly Grip? Are they still holding up or re-appearing?
Thanks
Jim
I also found a great source on Ebay for ABS resin for $10/lb with free shipping.
Just search Ebay for:
ABS RESIN REGRIND PLASTIC INJECTION MOLDING EXTRUSION- 1lb. box. chunks/pellets
That is a tough one, Jim. One the one hand, hairline cracks are a huge pain to drill out, and some of them are so close together, it makes it tough. We drilled out most of ours. We did skip a few, and sadly, they are reappearing through the Grizzly Grip. They are very tiny now, and it has taken nearly 2 1/2 years for them to make their appearance, but I anticipate we may have to go back and repair them at some point. If I could go back and do it again, I would drill them ALL out… but that is just our two cents. 😉
Have you had any further delaminations or just the cracks? I suspect that the delamination occurs with moisture intrusion. I think the moisture intrusion happens two ways: through cracks in the top or from getting into the seal and wicking up in the foam layer (hence the side delaminations. I’ve noticed the foam is dirty under cracks when I’m prepping them for repair. I also noticed dirty foam at the edges where I had a couple of small spots where the side delaminated a bit. At each of those spots I notice that the foam was dirty as I was removing the seal. Fortunately our Santa Fe only has one large bubble and a few very small ones.
We have a 1996 Santa Fe that we bought new. The cracks appeared and we removed our air conditioner years ago to see if that would help. It wasn’t working properly, so it won’t be put back on.
Now we are in the process of doing the Grizzly Grip repair and have been considering putting a roof vent fan in the hole where the air conditioner was. Has anyone else tried this?
How is your roof holding up?
Your website has prompted me to love our camper all over again with the remodeling ideas. We’ve had many years of enjoyment in the past with our kids and now it is our “vacation home.”
Just curious about the seal you replaced. Is it the roof top seal or the lid seal?
Hmmm… not sure what you mean, Stephanie. We replaced the seal that runs around the edge of our roof. It provides the seal between the camper and the roof when the camper is closed.
We have a Coleman Bayside 2003. The previous owners tarped it and it was covered in hair line cracks and had problems above the awning bag with a lot of delamination. Unfortunatley the abs goo method didn’t help us so we glued it all down with gorrilla epoxy. We then applied the grizzzly bed liner. It seems to have worked, but I am worried that putting the awning back on the roof will pull the roof layers apart again. Have you heard of anyone dealing with this before? Thanks- Andrea
We had the same problem on a 2003 bayside. There’s no permanent fix. I’ve re-glued all the pieces together with gorilla glue, then tried to seal the cracks with an epoxy. Finally, I’ve applied several coats of cool seal to give it a final coating. Looked great, but sadly, new cracks will appear. Every year I’ve worked on it to use it for the summer. To answer your question. I’ve removed my awning because I was afraid of the stress making the roof worse. Now, I try to cover the roof during the winter months, with a make shift roof, hoping it’ll survive without more damage. Long story short, it’s depressing. My front lid is ruined and I have no idea how to attack that problem without damaging the panels. Food for thought, if you ever look into buying a new camper, when the salesman harps of the wonderful life time warranty on the roof, tell him to stuff it. Warranties means nothing if the company doesn’t honor it; especially when it goes out of business.
I adore our ABS camper roof, Peter, but we have the smaller Santa Fe and no A/C unit. We’ve had no sagging or delamination. The roof repair was the best thing we ever did. In fact, we loved the roof repair so much, that we did a similar repair to our body panels. You can find that post here.
I have heard great things from readers who have removed the ABS shell entirely from their roof and applied the Grizzly Grip directly to the foam underneath. If you Google it, you should find some tutorials. I know there are a few on PopUpPortal.com. You might want to check there. I don’t know if it would help with your storage lid issue, but it is definitely something to think about for your roof. 🙂
It’s been several years now since your grizzly grip renovation – how is it holding up?
Thanks!
Erik
Do you think you need to take the seal off to repair the roof? I’m helping my dad with installing a new seal this weekend, but I wonder if we should do roof repairs first?
Yes, definitely take the seal off to do the roof repairs… especially if you have cracks along the bottom edge of the roof.
Crap. Just had the seal reattached before finding the ABS/MEK repair process. I’ve got hairline cracks around the edge by the rubber seal. Gonna have to strip the dang thing off now and attempt to re-adhere the gasket after drilling, goo application, & grizzly grip, arent I? Dadgummit, what a bummer! Lol
Can the roof and compartment seals be re-glued? The seal on my 2001 Coleman Westlake is separating from the track. I wanted to see if I can glue it before buying a new one.
You can, Dominick, so long as the original seal hasn’t shrunk. We originally intended to use our old seal, but when we went to reinstall it, we found it had shrunk, hence the reason it was no longer fitting well. No amount of stretching would allow us to get it back on, so we bought a new seal. If yours hasn’t shrunk, and the seal is still in good shape, you should be able to reuse it. 🙂
Has anyone used Gorilla Glue or Gorilla Glue Epoxy in the cracks of the ABS before sealing with Grizzly Grip? I see people have used it for delamination. The application seems much easier than the MEK/ABS goo mixture without the nasty toxicity issues. If so, what exact product have been used and has it held up?
Thanks!
Found your site a few weeks ago – so MUCH great info!!! I just got a 97 Coleman Santa Fe(my first ever pop-up!) and the roof, other than being dirty and a bit warped only on top, seems to have no cracks(or maybe I haven’t looked close enough). I’ve heard so much about the ABS roof cracking and leaking, I am wondering if I should just coat it with a bed-liner like you used to prevent any from forming? What are your thoughts? Is it worth all the trouble if I don’t have any issues…yet?
I would, Danielle. The bedliner (especially Grizzly Grip) just a great job of protecting the ABS from the elements. 🙂
I just finished my MEK/Grizzly Grip repair on my 1997 Coleman Sante Fe. It worked great. Its not that hard it just takes more time than you expect. A couple of tips. 1) Get a full face respirator (~$70). I have worked with chemicals for many years, MEK is bad news, but with a good respirator its no big deal. 2) Grizzly Grip doesn’t “paint” very good. On the roof I poured it out of the bottle and swiped it around with the brush. With this stuff you have to brush back and forth many times to even it out. 3) Tape and use plastic liberally. I thought I did a good job, that stuff fly’s around off the roller and finds all your open stuff. Also wear long sleeves. It doesn’t do anything to your skin but pull your hair out trying to get it off. 5) Expect to do multiple coats of the MEK goo, it sinks in and you need to do multiple coats. Then use a good sander to level it out. A dremmel does not work. Follow the directions on this post and you will be fine. You can do it, it is worth it. My roof is as good as new.
Side Note: Do not neglect your lift system, especially the crank mechanism.
Thanks Pop-up Princess and the PopupPortal for all the awesome information and tips. My camper will be like new soon.
🙂
When you get a respirator get one with active charcoal.
@Mike Bitter – did you do any other crack preparation if you did not use a dremmel?
Hi Larissa,
We have a larger Coleman popup that was vandalized with a hammer about two years ago and has sadly sat in our garage since. It has large holes (largest is 6×12) where the vandals smashed it while it was in storage. I was wrestling with how to adapt your method for repairing mine after taking it to four body shops that turned me with away with no hope of a fix (fiberglass or Bondo will not work). Long story short, I think I figured it out. I purchased a sheet of ABS from Amazon that was the same thickness as the camper roof, cut the holes into squares with a Dremel, then used strips of ABS as backers against the inside edges of the hole. I cut the ABS to fit my square holes, then used a product called WeldOn (ABS plumbing cement, also on Amazon), to cement the ABS patch to the backer strips and the surrounding ABS roof. WeldOn dries really hard, and while I have not tried to sand it yet, I’m hoping it sands as nicely as your mixture above.
Anyway, thought I’d share here in your blog since you inspired this in the first place. If anyone has large holes there’s hope!
Hi, All of your information is extremely helpful. I have a couple of questions though. Did you use the cutting wheel on all the hairline type cracks along the side of the top or did you just ignore the small cracks and have them filled in with the gorilla grip? The previous owner put a bike rack on top which I want to get rid of, but there will be 8 large holes in the top that I’ll have to repair. I’m assuming that it would be adequate to put painter’s tape on the inside of the roof while I filled in the holes with the MEK mixture and let it set?
thanks
You should always drill out the ends of the cracks–even the hairline ones. We didn’t do this with a few of them, and they are starting to come back. The Grizzly Grip filled them in for awhile, but it didn’t prevent them from eventually spreading. We’ll likely have to fix them again later next year. 🙁
No to be the barrier of band news. But my Camper roof repair did pass the test of time. Spring of 2015 I noticed small cracks in 2000 Coleman. I filled the cracks with the MEK method and followed all the intrusions for painting the camper with grizzly grip. The finish product looked great. Fast forward to this summer uncover the camper and found big cracks all over the camper. The roof of the camper is worst off then in 2015. It very depressing to spend all the money and time and two year later in back in the same boat. I currently look for another modification to fix the roof. But beware this mod did not stand the test of time for me.
So sorry to hear about your roof, Andrew. Did you drill out all the cracks and re-adhere any delaminated portions of the ABS shell? Also wondering if you had any sagging in the roof? Some of the larger campers did not have their roofs braced correctly, so if your roof was not braced, it will continue to sag and crack. If that is the case, those cracks will reappear until the roof is properly braced, regardless of whether you repaired it. I’d love to chat with you if you have the time. You can email me thepopupprincess@gmail.com. Happy Camping! 🙂
For the ABS pellets and the MEK mixture: is it by weight or by volume for “equal parts”?
We measured by volume, Jennifer.
I have a 2002 coleman utah pop up camper & I would love to restore it, I’m not rich. Would really appreciate an honest opinion of the cost.
The cost of repairing the roof, Rhonda? I think we spent in the neighborhood of $400 with the new gasket/seal and and the Grizzly Grip. It was a little pricey, but definitely worth the work!
I’m about to put a new seal on our Coleman Bayside tent trailer. My new seal has an adhesive strip already inside the track. Do I need to add extra glue? or is the adhesive strip strong enough to hold?
Thank You
Kathy
We didn’t add extra glue, Kathy. The adhesive strip was plenty strong. 🙂
Has anyone used Acetone to make the ABS Goop/Slurry/Glue mixture INSTEAD of MEK? I am nervous about using the MEK and would rather use acetone if it works. I know that people use acetone to make a slurry for 3D printing applications.
I am doing my repair on my front and rear ABS plastic panels that cover my cargo box (front) and rear of camper on my 2001 Coleman Utah. They have several severe cracks and breaks, which has resulted in floor rot.
Also, has anyone used any type of filament or mesh behind the cracks to help strengthen them?
Thanks for the help in advance!!!
How has the Grizzly Grip held up now that it’s been awhile since you did the repair? Would you recommend it for long term?
The Grizzly Grip has held up REALLY well. I will say, though, that we didn’t completely drill out some of the smaller spidery cracks, and those have returned. If you don’t drill out every single crack, they will come back. The Grizzly Grip alone isn’t enough to repair them. 🙁
We just replaced our seal last year, but the roof could use some replacing. Think we could manage this without taking off the seal again?
Did you guys use any extra adhesive when putting on the new seal or just the sticky tape that comes with it. And how is it holding up. I’m need to order one
We just used the adhesive tape that was on the seal. We wiped the lip of the roof down with acetone first. It is still going strong several years later.
We issues with cracking and delamination all mixed together. I glued the roof back down by drilling holes in the roof and using generous amounts of extremely strong super glue and then clamping/holding the roof down until glue dried. After this I sanded down the whole roof, wiped with Acetone, and rolled on 3 coats of a white bedliner. Then put on new seals. The seals I used had a metal component to them to help them hold and I used two tubes of 3M weather seal adhesive. After this we camped the roof down and left it for a couple days to hold it in place while adhesive dried.
Hi Everyone
First off sorry for punctuation.
1996 Coleman Tahoe repair. Roof had at least 4inches of sag,cracks all over the sides of the roof especially the corners and under the awning.
Fixed sag first, Went to lowes and bought Uni-Strut 8 or 10 feet long don’t remember for sure used the original roof brace for a template. Notched uni-strut then bent and welded to match the angles of original brace. attached them to the lift arms using angle iron. had to drill holes in angle iron to bolt to lift arms and to attach uni strut.
then cut other 2 pieces to length of the new braces. ended up having to take the door off the tracks on the roofand notch them for the uni strut and also had to move light and 12 volt plug a few inches. Also had to remove ac unit to lighten the roof to remove some of the sag then made 2×4 poles from the floor to the froof to remove the rest of the sag the attached the uni strut the length of the braces about 4 inches away from the ac hole in the roof.
roof now has no noticeable sag.
now for the abs
Abs was mostly delaminated so we took it all off. Cut the sides off of it wich left the flat part of the good. Lightly roughed up the abs and the foam then wiped with acetone then used gorilla glue to glue the abs back on the roof. After glue dried lightly roughed top side of roof with a sander wiped with acetone and 2 coat with grizzly grip.
Has been 4 yrs with no cracking no delamination
Did your new seal have a rubber barb on the inside, along one face of the U? Does that go the outside of the roof or the inside? ColemanPopupParts says “The triangle inside the seal points away from the camper when installed.” But I don’t know what they means. (They also link to this page.)
Thanks!
That doesn’t sound familiar, Jeff. I don’t recall ours having a rubber barb. Have you contacted Derek @ ColemanPopUpParts? He is usually pretty good about responding quickly.
Thanks Larissa. I did email Derek when I posted the same question here. No reply yet. Maybe I’ll try calling him.
Thanks for putting such effort into this website, and being so responsive!
Hi Larissa,
We are currently in the process of fixing the ABS roof on our Coleman Bayside Camper. Can you tell us why do you apply a layer of MEK after you sanded the whole roof, before applying the Grizzly Grip? What is the purpose of this step? Thanks for your insight!
We applied the MEK to clean the roof of any debris and make sure that the Grizzly Grip would adhere well to the surface. The guys at Grizzly Grip actually suggested this to us. 🙂
Hi Larissa,
We just got our very first pop up this week, it’s a ‘99 10ft Santa Fe. So very happy to have found your blog. What a wealth of information! We have very similar cracks in our roof and the only question I have, so far ;), is how deep are you drilling the holes and the ends of the cracks and what if the crack reaches the edge of the roof? Would you drill at the edge of the roof in this case? Thanks in advance. PS-Very impressed with you checking in on comments years after your post!
Best,
Jonny
The drilling is to help keep the crack from spreading, Jonny. If the crack has extended to the edge of the roof, there really is nowhere else for it to go, so you don’t need to drill it at the bottom. Just drill the top of the crack. 🙂
Thank you so much for this excellent description. I tried it and it worked great. I live in Thetford Mines, Québec, and it worked great.
However, I had some air bubble coming from drilled holes. I had to force MEK goo inside them and it was not easy. Maybe I should not have drilled holes for such small cracks.
That likely means your shell was delaminating or pulling away from the roof, Philippe. Most people solve that problem by using a syringe full of Gorilla Glue to re-adhere the shell to the foam underneath.
Hi Larissa,
I tried many products to fill in the cracks, such as construction adhesive, but it seems like there is a constant flow of air coming from the cracks that I created with a dremel tool, and when the glue is fully cured, I can see air bubbles under the glue.
I am thinking about widening the cracks some more, then injecting glue or maybe urethane. I think the cracks would have to be 1/2 inch wide.
Do you have another idea?
Thank you!
It is now summer 2018. Do you still have the pop-up camper with the MEK fix? If so, how is the fix holding up? I have a 2002 Cheyenne, just now developing hairline cracks, so I’m debating whether a fix is worth it or if I simply cut and run and sell it for a steal on Craigslist. Basically, is this a long-term fix or a short-term bandage.
It is definitely a long term fix, Mike. Our roof still looks amazing. Our only regret was that we didn’t drill some of the hairline cracks. We were hoping the Grizzly Grip would fill in those cracks and be a permanent fix. The GG did fill them in short term, but after a few years, those cracks are back. The larger cracks that we drilled out are perfect, though. So my suggestion would be to drill out ALL those cracks–even the little hairline ones. 😉
Love your blog, Would this Grixxlyly Grip work on a star craft roof? I do not believe it is ABS. I am cleaning it and want to just seal the whole roof and brighten it up. Not getting any obvious leaks but it is a 97 and trying to take some preventive measures before it does spring a leak.
It is a bedliner product, so I don’t see why not. You might want to contact Grizzly Grip to see if there would be anything to be concerned about. 🙂
My Roof had several 12 inch long cracks at each corner.
1. I drilled holes at each end of the crack and uses a dremel too to ope the crack to 1/8 wide.
2. I cut pieces of the fiberglass cloth (See below) 4 inches longer and 2 inches wide than the crack.
3. Pour Grizzly Grip in to a small jar then mix a small amount of acetone in thinning the Grizzly Grip
4. Soak the fiberglass cloth in thinned Grizzly Grip
5. Push the soaked cloth beneath the crack as best you can getting the 2″ wide spread out.
6. After all the cracks are repaired cover the roof with Grizzly Grip and spread the Fiberglass cloth over the entire surface. Use a large large putty knife to press the cloth into the Grizzly Grip.
7. Let Grizzly Grip cure and dry. (I waited 3-4 days)
8. Apply 2nd coat of Grizzly Grip over the roof
*** The Fiberglass adds incredible strength to the Grizzly Grip. And resists further cracking typically caused by the bending\flexing while raising and lowering the top.
Larry,
I was considering something similar to this but wasn’t sure how well the fiberglass cloth would bond using only Grizzly Grip. 2 years later, how is your repair holding up? Has the trailer been covered or garaged?
When you say in number 5 to “Push the soaked cloth beneath the crack as best you can”, do you mean lift up the edge of the ABS and try to stuff the fiberglass underneath it (between the foam and ABS)? If so, how did you go about doing this? I feel like this would cause delamination.
Thanks
Our roof is still on good condition. But reading all this was thinking of maybe doing it before it began to crack at all. It is a 1997 Coleman so bound too at some point. My husband also wants to paint the outside so could also choose a funky colour. Think worth it preventatively?
Thank you for doing this write up!!!
We just got a 2001 Fleetwood Bayside and it NEEDS this so bad. Buying it I knew it needed the main seal replaced.. Doing this before putting on the new seal is going to be nice!
Almost tempted to do a different color roof if possible. Light grey or light blue maybe!? It is the bayside model : )
Awesome! I always thought a color other than white would be cool! 🙂
Thanka for your many posts and responses to peoples questions.
What is the long term report on the grizzly grip “GG”
I just scored a 2001 bayside and it has a good amount of cracking. Nothing too crazy. I am leaning towards taking the majority of abs off and apply GG. Most people on facebook and youtube that have done it say they have repaired cracks and had more arise after doing the 300 GG repair and gluing cracks like you have done. Choices choices choices!!! Hahahah
We didn’t have any problems with ours while it was garage-kept. Now that it has been out in the Arizona sun, a few of the spidery cracks are starting to return. Nothing major, just a few here and there. It’s been six years, so we’ll probably give it another touch up next year.
By touch up do you mean clean it, wipe down with acetone, then apply another coat of Grizzly Grip?
It’s actually started to delaminate a bit now that it has been out in the sun. We’ve been using Gorilla Glue to glue the ABS back to the foam, then we’ll probably coat it with Grizzly Grip again. I don’t think those Coleman ABS roofs are meant to withstand harsh UV rays. 🙁
I did this to my 2001 Coleman SantaFe 2 years ago and it turned out so nice. It was labor of love, but I’m so glad I did it. The top is basically bullet proof now. I didn’t have any large cracks, but was to see lots of spider cracks in the finish that started under the seal and I knew they would eventually become an issue. The worst part for me was getting the old gasket off. It had these metal compression clips and was glued on there good! The rest was pretty straightforward–just followed PuP’s instrucitons. One word of caution is to not over do the grizzly grip paint on the edges where the replacement gasket will go. If you make the lip thicker, you’ll have a hard time getting the new gasket to seat well. I had to use some silicon sealant as a glue, in addition to using a rubber mallet to make sure the gasket stayed on well. For the last 2 years, I have it stored outside where I get all 4 seasons (range from 10 – 110 degrees) with just a breathable pop-up cover and haven’t had any issues. I highly recommend this project.
Do you recommend taking the ac off before applying mek goo and gg and then attaching it back?
We don’t have an A/C unit, so I don’t have any experience with that. I have read, though, that most people do remove the unit. It makes it easier to cover the entire roof. Let me know how it goes.
Do you have to paint the roof after you make the ABS/MEK Crack repairs?
You don’t have to, Stefanie, but the bedliner hides the crack repairs. It also adds strength to the repair, so I would definitely recommend it.