63 C10 - restoration help

[bighunting]

I recently bought a ‘63 C10 Custom Cab Fleetside LWB, big window, and would like to get your thoughts on my restoration plan.* I want to keep it as original as possible.* I’ll try to post a few pictures later this evening.*
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The truck has a 283 V8 and three-speed manual transmission on the column.* I bought it from the original owner, but it’s got a bunch of miles – likely over 300K. The engine is original, well taken care of, and still running.* The transmission was replaced about ten years ago, but I also got the original transmission from the owner and hope to rebuild it.* The truck runs and drives pretty well, but the body needs work.* There’s rust in all the usual places, including 6 inch square or so (maybe bigger) holes in the floors on both sides.* Bottoms of doors, rocker panels, and hood will likely need replacing.* While all glass is intact, the door windows are pretty much shot – one rolls down with difficulty, the other not at all.* It also looks like the cab braces/mounts are rusted and will have to be replaced.* Otherwise, though, the cab seems pretty sound.* There’s also rust here and there along the bottom of the fenders.
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I’m comfortable handling the mechanics of the truck (engine, transmission, etc), but have absolutely no experience with body work, nor the time really to teach myself and do it right.
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In terms of restoration, what I’d like to do is disassemble/reassemble the truck myself as well as take care of all mechanical restoration, but pay someone else to do the bodywork piecemeal as I bring them the various panels etc that need work (weld in patch panels, paint stripping, refinishing, priming, etc).* I’ll then reassemble the truck including put in a new bed myself, and once the truck’s back together, return it to the body shop for painting.* I’ll also send the bench seat out for re-upholstering.
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My questions/concerns are:
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(1) Can I find a reputable body shop that will work with me in this way?
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(2) Will I save a significant amount of money this way?* Or is the time devoted to disassembly/reassembly minimal compared to the actual bodywork?
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(3) What about the cab?* My thought is to rent a small engine crane or something similar, remove the cab myself, trailer it to the body shop, and then bring back and reinstall when done.* Sound feasible?* Is your typical cab structurally rigid enough to do this once it’s removed from the frame and w/o doors?* How heavy is it stripped bare?
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(4) Perhaps most important, how difficult will it be to reassemble the body and get all of the panels, cab, and rehung doors aligned properly?

(5) Anything I’m overlooking, or other issues/problems I should be concerned about?
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A lot of questions, I know.* I appreciate any advice you might have.
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Thanks
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