Scotty,
Some aircraft were built with the forward deck permanently bonded in
place.  This may be the "filled and smooth" look you describe.  Of the
removable versions, many have been attached with internal piano hinge.
Based on pictures of your plane it looks like yours uses screws to
attach the forward deck.  Switching to piano hinge would clean things up
a bit, while keeping good access for maintenance.
Chris Zavatson
N91CZ
360 std