Leaving the body on was my decision. After having it on and off the car several times, I felt there was a pretty good chance that I would damage it reinstalling after paint. Plus, I wanted my body guy to be able to actually mount the doors, hood, and trunk on the car when working them to be sure of best panel alignment - and to eliminate possible interference when opening doors or trunk.
Body work was the part of this project that most concerned me. I tried to fit and gap the panels as best I could. As it turns out, I made LOTS of mistakes in fitting the panels. If they had painted the body off the car, the end result would be far inferior to what I am getting this way. So far, I think it was the right decision for me and my lousy body-fitting skills!
ERIC