Well like i said it depends on what sort of finish you are after, sure it can be done! I did it to my car back in 2007 to protect it until i could get around to finish. It took me 8 hours to sand by hand and prep including tape and 45 minutes to paint three coats. They call it a 10 foot paint job because it looks great from 10 feet away. It depends on the condition your paint is in now.
All i am saying is if you have the shell apart it would save you a bucket load of time and expense in the future to prepare the shell properly now.
Below is a picture of my 10 foot paint job two years after i layed the hue on.