I contacted a somewhat local tech school and they don't want to touch it for fear of damaging something that they can't repair. We didn't get into the details but I believe you pretty much are putting the vehicle in their hands without insurance. Mostly because of it's age. At least that's what I perceived.
I think I'll be able to stay away from bondo except for possible deep scratches that have gotten into metal. (and then I'll use a "skim coat" material) Yes, I intended to go to bare metal from the start.
A buddy of mine thought it would look like crap to have it done section by section, but that's not a concern of mine while in the process. I've also been told to watch for nooks and crannies the paint remover can hide in during the repainting, causing problems.
One other question: Has anyone used the spray on liner similar to what's used in truck beds for an undercoating of the inner fenderwells? For the most part, it appears that most folks have them painted the same as the body, but seems to me that it would look okay to use a black liner for those areas as well as a protection measure. I know it's a matter of choice, just wanted to know if anyone has done this and how they felt about it afterwards.