RE: old model needs a face lift?
Hi!... Welcome to RCU...
There is a great article on covering which is already on RCU... [link=http://www.rcuniverse.com/magazine/article_display.cfm?article_id=67]Click Here[/link]
That will teach you all the basics... There is some downloadable video too...
As for the old covering if its that bad you will probably find it will just peel off...
Peel it all off, prep the surface by filling any dents and sanding lightly with a fine paper... Read the article... Then cover... Post some Pics...
Matt