Like these guys warned, ground the anode of the CRT every time you power it off. Simply use a test probe with one end grounded to the chassis and touch the anode. If you have a metal tube, find where the anode wire connects and tap it a few times with the grounded probe. Most likely you will see small sparks.
As far as recapping, I first made a list of all the capacitors above .001 and ordered the appropriate quantity before I even started. In addition, order all the Electrolytic capacitors too. Some of your electrolytic capacitors will be in cans on the top of the chassis - you may or may not want to gut the cans and place capacitors in the can. I chose not to do that as there was plenty of space underneath to work.
Also, order a few terminal strips to mount if you choose not to restuff the electrolytic cans. My 1950 Zenith porthole had 5 bad tubes. You might want to go ahead and check all your tubes beforehand and order replacements. Also, get some Deoxit contact spray cleaner to clean all the contact points especially in the drumb tuner.
When I recapped my 1950 Zenith porthole TV, I dismounted the CRT and put it in a safe place. I used a small "test CRT" until I got good video and sound. Much easier to move the chassis without that heavy CRT mounted on it.
In addition, I made a wood frame that tilted my chassis making it easier to get in there and recap the chassis. I found that an immense help.
Sounds like a lot of work -- well it is -- but I think you will find it enjoyable.
I took a lot of pictures of my restoration and posted a lot about the restoration process on
www.AntiqueRadios.com in the Antique Television Discussion forum. If interested, look for "Zenith Porthole TV - G2438R Restoration". I started off with a very rusty chassis. It looked really nasty at start but I got it looking and working real nice now.