How much paint do I need for camper shell?

I finally decided to try and paint my camper shell so it will match my truck. It is a fiberglass top that is currently white and I will be painting it silver, plus it also has windows on all four sides. Will 1 quart be enough? It does have some sun damage on top that will be sanded. So my next question is with it already being painted will I need to prime the whole top or just the spots if I sand down to deep?

 

Careful when you go in to buy about (10) cans of silvery spray paint. They might call the cops on you. lol I am doing the same and I am just going to go with 10 as the cans say how many square feet they can cover. Since I am rattle canning I am going to do many layers. The only way to make it durable because more than likely a year to two from now it will look like it was rattle canned. Might get some spray on clear coat to go over it as extra protection. Make sure you do it in a ventilated area where a bunch of crap will not fall on it as the paint is setting up.

 

painting over fiberglass might require a primer/sealer specific for fiberglass.

 

If it was me 5 gallons might be enough !

My attempt at painting did not go well

 

Prep the surface and bring to a body shop. The next time he paints silver on something he’ll do a good job cheaper if you leave it with him and he has no setup. Rattle can will look like shit.

 

I have a camper shell I'm planning to paint in the next few weeks. I bought a quart of paint, based on everything I read that should be enough, but I suppose we'll see!

 

I agree that rattle can will look like shit, I tried using it on one of the corners of the camper and the metallic flake looks rough. I've got a compressor and a spray gun now though.

I called probably 4 body shops near me and none wanted to touch my topper, most wouldn't give me quotes and the one that did said it would be around $1200, and would be cheaper for me to buy a painted one. I get the sense that most body shops make their money on insurance jobs and don't really want to mess with anything else. Maybe OP will have better luck in his area.

 

If you have the spray equipment, then do it.

Suggest to strip all the old paint and do a thorough prep. Prime, paint, clear.

The project that pushed me to learn how to spray was a motorcycle gas tank. I had it stripped. Body shop, in 2011, wanted $750 to apply 1 coat of prime, 1 coat of a single color, 1 coat of clear. Purchased everything I needed Prime, 5 colors, clear, equipment for less than $300.

Don't skimp on the paint. Get a high quality 2k urethane automotive paint. Use products from the same "system" to avoid any compatibility issues.

 

I wont be going the rattle can route, I have had my truck 17yrs and like it to much for that. I already have an air compressor and a harbor freight spray gun that I have used on other projects. I plan on ordering my paint from https://www.automotivetouchup.com/. Only thing I am a little worried about is that the camper shell will shine to much after I do the clear coat since the truck has its original paint and its 21yrs old.

 

You know anything about priming fiberglass? I've tried figuring out what kind of primer to use on my shell, and when I search for fiberglass primer 95% of what I find is related to boats and their gel coats.

 

Sorry, guys. I don't know about priming fiberglass.

I would urge you to find a Sherwin-Williams Automotive Paint store. These guys really know their stuff.

A gloss clear coat is not the only option. There are flateners that can be added to the clear to make satin, eggshell, matt or anything in between.

I think the Sherwin guys might be able to test or sample your truck's finish with suggestions to match on the shell.

The following pic is of my wheels that were done last summer. All using the Sherwin products. I spent about 1 hour just talking about primer, color, clear, flateners, reducers, paint systems, costs...... I used the "Sunfire" 2K Urethane products.
Anyhow, these wheels have a black primer (2 coats), color (2 coats), clear (2 coats). The clear was "flatened" to make a satin finish. Black primer was used to help mask any chips that may occur. Ignore the picture date, I didn't rest the camera date.