repair and paint club car ds body

[rammunition361]

I have an old club car that I purchased a body for (unsure of year) that I want to paint. my old body was plastic so im assuming the new one is. What should I use to repair a gouge in the body and is it possible to rattle can a golf cart body? Ive been reading post after post but none of them really have a follow up on how it held up. Any suggestions? I got the body for $40 so im not real worried if it isn't perfect. this cart is probably going down the road soon