In order to remove the reverb tank, you have to remove the chassis. I had thought about inverting the tank, it will not work. It is a good thought but not feasible since it needs to be supported by the bushings. It is possible to get to all tubes and get the shields back on. I tried changing tube without removing the chassis and damaged the longer shield. The standard short shields are much easier to remove and install on V1 without removing the chassis. You can use the long shied on another tube with more access. I finally got sick and tired of either removing the chassis, or fiddling with the tube shield. I converted my head to a combo, also had to find a home for a new Roadster head so the conversion made sense. Talk about easy tube change in the combo compared to the head. I must have removed the amp chassis from the shell so many times I could do it in just a few minutes. Trick, if you are planning to do a tube roll, remove the chassis and place it on top of your cab (inverted). That way you do not have to wait for the power tubes to cool down to change preamp tubes. Once you are happy with tube rolling, put it back into the shell. Also helps to remove the reverb tank and set it next to the amp chassis during the tube roll. Getting the reverb tank back it is a trick on its own. Hint, use q-tips with one end cut off and assemble the bushings over the q-tip stick. Carefully place the reverb tank back into position. While installing screws (one at a time, remove the q-tip from the bottom while inserting the screw. This helps to prevent fishing behind the tank if the bushings fall out. Don't over tighten the reverb screws either, just tight enough to compress the silicon busing a bit. Before converting my Mark V head to a combo, I bought replacement shields (not very expensive and always good to have extras) from the Mesa store. The only amp that I have kept the long tube shield on is the Roadster head. RA100 does not need it and never had it in the first place. The preamp tubes in general should last much longer than the power tubes and rectifier tube so ease of access is not mandatory. There does not seem like efficient amount of space to get the long shield back onto V1. Use care as it is possible to break the tip of the tube if the spring is not located properly. I would recommend swapping one of the standard tube shields for use on V1 and use the long extended shield on V4 or V5 since you do not have to reach around the OT for access.
