Do I have to sand this?

Hey guys I found this camper shell for a good price but it’s silver so I’d like to give it a cheap DIY paint job. I know I can hit it with a bed liner type textured paint and probably wouldn’t need to do much prep. My question is do I have to fully sand and prime before I paint and clear coat. Or can I just prime over the peeling/chipping paint? Or even just spray black and then clear?
I know it won’t be perfect either way, but want to do the best I can if I’m going to try. I have access to an air compressor and cheap paint gun, we have used this set up to “rhino-line” an entire 3rd gen Runner. But I don’t have much experience with automotive paint. Thanks for any advice.
alternatively, if anyone has wrapped one of these with good results? It has side windows.

 

I'd recommend at least sanding the areas that are chipping. You don't know how much surrounding it has already started coming off but doesn't look like it yet. If you just prime over it, you'll likely be seeing chipping paint in the near future.

 

You have to sand off all the peeling paint or nothing will stay on.
For example Raptor liner suggests 180 grit then spray or roll and prime any bare metal surfaces if around windows.
See their site for more info. Duplo color site has info too.
Actual auto paint will require a finer sand and requires 3-4 color coats then several clear coats so more involved.

 

Thanks I will check their site out, I'm not looking to get into that big of a project so a quick sand/prime and then raptor liner should work.

 

I was definitely planning on at least giving the bad spots a quick hand sand, do you think it would be worth it to buy a sander and give the whole thing a once over? @muddog321 mentioned 180 grit, maybe use a sander and do the whole thing with 180 grit? I feel like I might as well give it a proper paint/clear job at that point.

 

I'm not an automotive finish guy, but I'm not sure a sander is the way to go. Maybe a block of wood and some old fashioned elbow grease.

 

Get yourself something like a Makita random orbital sander. Also use a dust mask.

 

Looks like a variable speed one is $130, Dewalt has one for $85 same specs, I do like Makita, I'm assuming I want to pay the extra to get a variable speed model. Any reason to get a new tool.
I may look into a block of wood and some sand paper like @RedWings44 suggested, save $100, have to keep this project cheap enough to justify buying/painting this one instead of waiting for a Softopper or black topper to pop up on here or Offerup.

 

Do you have any idea what the previous owner applied to the paint? Even if it was in good shape you'd need to go over it to make sure the primer stuck. While you're sanding, take a pick of some sort and tap on any places that look suspect; if you find any soft spots or rot you need to take care of that before shooting your primer. There are videos online showing you how to do this as well as how to prep the surface for various coatings.

Even a cheap corded electric random orbital sander from Harbor Freight or Walmart will make the job a lot easier; cordless is a lot more convenient for small jobs but they don't tend to hold a charge long enough for most jobs in my experience. Even with the dust collection on the tool be sure to wear an appropriate mask and safety glasses. If you use automotive paint, especially something like 2K- MAKE DAMN SURE YOU WEAR THE APPROPRIATE MASK! The stuff is really nasty.