Trying to prep shell for paint but it’s covered in small cracks.

I picked up a shell on the cheap that needs repainting. I was hoping to refurb the windows and repaint the cap with a single coat Toyota super white epoxy paint system. After sanding a bit, I decided to spray some primer on just to see if my sanding job was going to be adequate. The primer revealed that there are hundreds of little cracks on the surface of the shell. Anyone have any insight about what’s going on and how to fix?

Don’t know if the epoxy paint will cover the cracks. Another option might be wrapping the thing but I’m not sure if the cracks will cause problems with the wrap.

I’m not a fan of painting shells with bed liner but maybe that’s what I gotta do?

Any help is greatly appreciated!

Thanks,

Mark

 

I'd just prep, prime and paint.
You'll be so busy admiring the new finish you'll barely notice the imperfections.

If it must be perfect, do multiple coats of primer; sanding between coats.
Use body filler on the big cracks.

Or you could try a bed liner coat to seal the cracks, then sand smooth and paint.

 

The cracks you're seeing are likely gel coat crazing, which happens when fiberglass flexes over time or gets prolonged UV exposure. Unfortunately, epoxy paint alone won’t hide them. If you paint over them as they are, they’ll likely show through and worsen over time. The best approach is to sand deeper, use a fiberglass-compatible filler, and then apply a high-build primer to smooth everything out before painting. Wrapping might still show imperfections unless you properly level the surface first. If you’re going with paint, a ceramic coating afterward can help protect it from further UV damage and prevent the paint from oxidizing again in the future.