i hear ya on this being a time consuming effort. it seems like every day i work on it, i add a few weeks to my estimate! :-D i foolishly thought i'd have the shell off, new floor and pan, and shell back on in 4 weeks. it still might happen, but we'll see.
the problem with my trailer is the guy i bought it from had already started cutting it apart, so i can't tell how a lot of things went together. when i got her, the rear floor rear belly pan, interior and all plumbing was out of it. the reason i want to do a full shell-off restorations is the amount of rot i keep finding. i'm kinda picky when it comes to rust. my plans once i get the frame out is to sand-blast it all, weld in new cross members, outriggers, and fix any other stuff that shows after the blasting, then epoxy-prime it (several times!), and coat it all with a nice thick silver coat. that should hold the rust at bay. i know it seems extreme, but i want to be able to enjoy this trailer forever!
i'm not saying the shell off/on is better or worse, but in order to put everything back as it originally was, it seems like the most complete solution? if nothing else, it's an interesting learning experience, to be sure. it seems like after going to all this trouble, lifting the shell completely wouldn't add too terribly much to the over-all job. especially considering it's a shortie. i knew shorter was better! ha! do you have any input on the installation order? i would love to hear feedback on attaching the floor, belly pan and shell together in one step.
i'll attach a pic of where i am at the moment. things will look a lot further along after this weekend. i am concerned about hidden rivets, though. i'd rather not remove too many external panels, unless totally necessary.
jordan