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I usually try to completely remove the old components and leads, but there are some execeptions. I've found particularly with some old tube sockets in hard to get to areas with both the soldering iron and the pliers at the same time, that I've sometimes damaged them trying to unwind that bit of old wire from the terminal, so what I've started doing is just clipping the old lead right up at the edge of the terminal it's hooked to, leaving that bit of old wire twisted around it, but also tying the new lead through the hole in the terminal and soldering it directly as well. It's not as neat, but at least I don't break any tube sockets that way. I'll nearly always pull old leads out of circuit boards (but I hate working on circuit boards, I almost always wind up lifting traces, one of the reasons I have yet to restore my ctc-10) Occasionally I'll come up against a really delicate looking horiz lin coil or something similar, or the leads just won't reach, and I will tie the new component to the old leads.
As far as stuffing caps, I've never done it, I figure as long as the chassis looks original on top, and my work is neat underneath, I don't care too much if it looks 100% original underneath as well, as long as it works. I suppose if I ever get a really rare set I might do it.
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