Cinco, nice post!
I don't have any qualms about replacing wear items like spokes with new on the bikes I ride (which is all of them) but I do have qualms about tearing down a perfectly good, true wheel to re-lace with new spokes just because the originals are rusty or dull. You have reinforced my intention to clean & polish the original wheels for my Empire Professional rather than tearing them down and rebuilding them. Not that I'm daunted by wheel building, but my spare time is in very short supply now and for the foreseeable future. It's easy enough to go the further step later, if necessary.
Are those Weinmann 1-1/4" rims in your photos? They look very similar to a those on a wheelset I acquired for regular use on my Grand Jubilé, in order to save wear & tear on the original Rigida 27x1" rims.