My dad was a collector. He had a couple of old Colts... One of the little "pocket dragoons" which was nonfunctional but all original, and a well used, all original but still shootable 1860 Army revolver, in its original holster! He had no qualms about shooting it, although he was meticulous in his cleaning regimen.
He somewhere acquired a couple of "basket case" antiques which he restored to the best of his ability. One of these was an 1816 Harper's Ferry .69 caliber US musket, still in original flintlock. I think these were supposed to be "armory bright," but Dad didn't know that, and after he repaired or replaced all of the damaged parts, he browned all of the exposed metal. He did a good job, too... Nice, even, textured brown... Just not authentic. However, the gun looks good and is shootable.
Some people would not even want the cylinder turned on an original gun. I'm not a collector and have not acquired the "collector mentality." I don't know if an original Colt that suffered extensive corrosion from 20th century water damage and neglect would be worth more if "conserved," to just stop the deterioration, or if it would be worth more if carefully restored with appropriate parts, hopefully to shooting condition. Personally, I would prefer seeing an old Colt made functional again, with appropriate parts, even if those parts are modern made. But, I'm not a collector.
It looks to me as if the OP is proceeding carefully, trying to find the right parts and use the best procedures to restore these old revolvers to what they were intended to be: functional and good-looking shooters. Would they be worth more if simply left alone? Worth more to whom? I can honestly say I don't know. I can tell you that a couple of months ago I missed the opportunity to buy a restored, refurbished, and tuned-up original Remington 1858, with new nipples, and I've regretted it ever since. This functional old revolver was still "worth" less than any of the other originals I saw on the market at the time, because it had been repaired, and the asking price was less than a "defarbed and tastefully aged" reproduction! Seems like kind of a conundrum.
This is an interesting thread. I guess each one of us is touching a different part of the elephant.
Notchy Bob