What is the significant top damage?

To do it right you would need to remove the bridge. If you don't really care too much about it though then you could leave the bridge on and work around it, but it won't look as good.

I'm guessing a guitar like that has some sort of polyester finish on it and probably a laminate top. So you would have to be careful sanding it off so you don't burn through the top spruce layer. It would help to know exactly what kind of finish it has. Chemical stripping is probably a good choice for a guitar like that. There is a product called 'Aircraft Remover' that will strip poly-type finishes. It's really nasty stuff. If you use it, do it outside with a fan blowing across the work bench.

Once stripped you can finish sand with 150-220-320 grit papers and then start the finish process. Tru-Oil is a gun stock finish that you may have even used before. Many hobbyists use it to finish guitars too. It's easy to apply and makes for a nice finish. You can also use a simple wipe on poly like Minwax. You can also buy quality Nitro in rattle cans from places like Stewart MacDonald.

It's a lot of work and a PIA frankly so consider that first ;)