Seal or paint the INSIDE of my ugly fiberglass truck shell?

[coupgirl]

Hey All, if this was posted before or in the wrong place, kindly redirect me.

Just got a used leer high top truck shell for $350 bucks for first truck camping setup. Thing is the -inside- of the shell has stains and seems like the coating is worn/powdery in some places, so I'd like to re-seal the fiberglass, then make it look nice somehow. No leaks or water damage, just old and ugly Inside.

Does anyone have experience re-sealing or painting the -inside- of a fiberglass truck shell? I don't know what kind of sealant/coating to use, or what kind of paint. Latex? Water base?

I've seen some nice setups where inside the shell people have used fabric, carpet, camo tape, everything to make it nice and cozy inside instead of just staring at the ceiling of ugly fiberglass. I also might insulate, doing a lot of hot and cold camping.

Contacted leer, they have no idea and said body shop, no one can seem to get it that I want to re-seal then paint or somehow cover the INSIDE of the shell, not the outside.

Let me know folks! What have you all done? Send pics! these forums have been great and this is my very first attempt at setting up a truck camper and beginning my mod journey. Step 1, got the truck, step 2, got the topper.

Ford F-150 supercab 4x4 lifted (please don't beat on my for not getting a super duty, I know, I know, it was an inhertiance so I got to make it work)
Leer raised fiberglass truck cap
God Bless and thank you.

 

[downhill]

I would take a hard look at Lizard Skin! They have two coatings that can be used separately or combined. The insulating film is a lot of performance for the money and weight added. I haven't tried it yet, but plan to. It appears to be easy to apply at home with their kit. The sound deadening film may not matter in a shell.

In my experience with Leer, I have found them incredibly unhelpful with anything accept selling you something new.

 

[robert]

Spray on or roll-on truck bed liner? Spray more resin on it? Elastomeric coating for mobile home/RV roofs?

Personally I'd probably just flip it over, clean it well and let it dry thoroughly then roll some more resin on before applying carpet.

 

[jgardiner]

I just brush painted mine with a white gloss enamel.

 

[Hartigan]

I repainted the inside of my fiberglass slide-in pod with flat white project enamel after a vigorous scrub. It was used in a masonry role before me, so the inside was really beat. The enamel paint adhered well and took to the fiberglass really nicely with a regular paint roller. After a few coats it looks brand new.

I searched far and wide for fiberglass specific paint, but I didn't find anything so I just went with the multi-purpose project enamel. I'm happy with it!

 

[quickfarms]

Marine paint, it's a fiberglass she'll, lightly sand the inside to remove any loose stuff and create a little teeth for the paint to stick. If there are areas that have voids or are delaminating they need to be fixed with epoxy resin and the correct filler. If you have a west marine near you check them out and get there guide or book, if is also probably on line.


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[M35A2]

Invert the shell and roll on alkyd house enamel from the hardware store with a small foam roller. It is inexpensive, covers a lot of sins, and is not at all picky about surface prep. The little foam roller will give a nice texture. Just pour paint into the shell and spread it around with the roller - use a brush to cut the corners and nooks and crannies first.

 

[coupgirl]

I would take a hard look at Lizard Skin! They have two coatings that can be used separately or combined. The insulating film is a lot of performance for the money and weight added. I haven't tried it yet, but plan to. It appears to be easy to apply at home with their kit. The sound deadening film may not matter in a shell.

In my experience with Leer, I have found them incredibly unhelpful with anything accept selling you something new.

Hey Downhill, Thanks, I checked out the lizard skin and it's something I'll consider so thanks for point that out to me. I agree with you on leer...

 

[coupgirl]

Spray on or roll-on truck bed liner? Spray more resin on it? Elastomeric coating for mobile home/RV roofs?

Personally I'd probably just flip it over, clean it well and let it dry thoroughly then roll some more resin on before applying carpet.

My truck bed liner is the plastic one that came with the truck when I bought it... I learned that it makes truck caps NOT SEAL unless you cut away the plastic at the tailgate so you can push it up toward the cab where it belongs. A good note for anyone else who buys a used cap that fits an unlined truck perfectly. I like your idea of flipping it and cleaning it... the RESIN is what I was after.. I had no idea what to use. What type of Resin? I kept seeing boat repair stuff, didn't know where to begin or what would work. Will it just be something I could pick up at home depot that says for fiberglass, Thank you, this forum is great.

 

[coupgirl]

I just brush painted mine with a white gloss enamel.

Thank you jgardiner, sounds good to me! Maybe after I use the resin that robert recommended to reseal it. Needed a cheap solution for first setup with cheap cap. I'm sure this won't be my forever home... but for now... paintbrush sounds good. ; )

 

[coupgirl]

Great Hartigan, again, right up my alley. Didn't know if scrubbing fiberglass would water damage it by soaking too much, or worse cause the particulates to shred. Enamel wins again for votes, I was told latex would peel. Thank you for your feedback and personal experience what worked for you. Appreciate it.

 

[coupgirl]

Great! More detailed information. Would you recommend dry sanding and damp wiping vs. using any water/soap to scrub/clean? Don't know much about fiberglass... Common sense about the "teeth" but didn't think of it, thank you. Don't see any voids, but like I said, got powdery spots so probably is delaminated. 2nd vote for the epoxy/resin coating. Sounds like that would be good to do before putting the project examel coat on it like Hartigan suggested. I don't think I have a west marine here, but plenty of boat shops as I'm on the water in Florida. Will ask them. Thank you quickfarms for helping me along.

 

[coupgirl]

Invert the shell and roll on alkyd house enamel from the hardware store with a small foam roller. It is inexpensive, covers a lot of sins, and is not at all picky about surface prep. The little foam roller will give a nice texture. Just pour paint into the shell and spread it around with the roller - use a brush to cut the corners and nooks and crannies first.

Wow, Great M35A2! yeah, this topper got some sins! Key word, inexpensive. Like the foam roller tip, fiberglass is very textured and thanks for mentioning the technique of pouring and letting it settle in, that's important, it will fill in all the gaps. Nooks and crannies first, got it! Awesome. This sounds great for first project ... maybe someday do it big, but for now I'd rather get out there until the day I can sit outside my class a in a very comfortable chair... ; ) Excellent advice everyone, thank you for all your replies, now I got a direction to go in and I know it'll work.

 

[SDDiver5]

Welcome and good question. Try to carpet the inside once you're done. It makes a big difference.

And don't be ashamed repping an F-150! Sure, they're not a super duty but they are plenty capable. What year do you have? I've had my 98 for about 10 years and love it so much.

There are a few builds on this site with F-150's.

Good luck and enjoy!

 

[robert]

My truck bed liner is the plastic one that came with the truck when I bought it... I learned that it makes truck caps NOT SEAL unless you cut away the plastic at the tailgate so you can push it up toward the cab where it belongs. A good note for anyone else who buys a used cap that fits an unlined truck perfectly. I like your idea of flipping it and cleaning it... the RESIN is what I was after.. I had no idea what to use. What type of Resin? I kept seeing boat repair stuff, didn't know where to begin or what would work. Will it just be something I could pick up at home depot that says for fiberglass, Thank you, this forum is great.

I'm not sure I understand the first part about the bed liner on the bed. You should be using a foam seal between the shell and the bed. Maybe I'm just misunderstanding.

Yeah, I wouldn't bother painting the shell if you're going to add carpet, which I definitely prefer since I sleep in mine. The carpet provides minimal thermal insulation unless you put some under it but it does help with sound and condensation.

Some marine grade stuff would be best but honestly, all you're doing is putting a coating on that you're going to cover anyways. Ideally you'd remove the windows first but that's a PITA and requires that you reseal them when reinstalling. If you're not OCD or a perfectionist I'd just mask everything off well. Flip it over on some scrap carpet/an old blanket/a cheap mover's blanket from Harbor Freight/whatever, scrub it using a brush and some degreaser, rinse well and let it dry thoroughly (shouldn't take long in Florida ), then using whatever brand of epoxy resin you find at Home Depot/Lowe's/etc. I'd roll it on with a foam roller; don't worry about getting it perfectly smooth, just a thin layer over the entire surface should keep it from getting powdery again. Wear gloves and eye protection; if you are working inside wear a respirator as well. Not a bad idea to wear one even outside.

After the resin dries and while you still have it flipped over fit your carpeting to the inside. Dry fit your carpet leaving extra on the edges. Professional places use the spray on adhesive but I've had better luck, and it costs a lot less, just using the heavy-duty stuff in a can and a cheap foam roller. After it dries then trim up your edges and touch up anywhere that you need to.

I'm certainly no expert and I'm sure someone will be along to tell me how a pro would do it.