Restoration Philosophies *LINK*

I have a question for those who do restoration work and everyone else here.
I was looking back at some of the video from the original surveys done in 1996 for the 0579 caboose project. At the time the Friends did not have the ability to tear down a car to the frame and replace all the structural members with new wood. While 0579 had suffered problems with bottom sills, basically the rest of the car was intact.
We discussed with the late John Carson and Hawley Seeley (both retired after many years with the Rio Grande) ways how the D&RGW would have repaired a car with sill damage. Their recommendation was to splice the sills, claiming the Rio Grande would have done that also. We eventually did that; but using steel plate for additional strength. We like to joke it's the only D&RGW steel framed caboose ever built.
In the many years since we started, I've become more aware of the techniques other museum and tourist railroads would have used to repair such problems. Many such as the fantastic restoration of F&CC 65 at Stuhr, basically started fresh with new wood from the ground up. And incidently this is also a correct Rio Grande technique, because I am told they routinely "jacked the car number up and built a new car underneath". Especially when the tax man wasn't looking.
So my question is, if we were able to start on another project like a caboose, should we do the same as 0579, or should we basically do what is done elsewhere, and replace all wood (assume most wood is basically okay but with some areas needing replaced).
As somebody looking at a restored piece of equipment, which would you think makes a better result ?