If you come across a question which has been answered correctly, but in a fashion that would require effectively a total rewrite to make it (in your opinion) understandable for the question-asker and who ever comes across the answer later, is it better to edit the answer (even though it's essentially a rewrite), or to post a new answer, with a clear statement of credit?
As this is meant to be a research level Q & A, I assume that we can expect the reader to do a bit of work, but there's also a point where an answer is opaque thanks to the style of the writer (as opposed to because the question is difficult). The situation may also be complicated by the answer being original research (though only a small chunk of course).
I guess an alternative formulation is whether it's more valued (in the context of the site) to recognise primacy or clarity (on the assumption that reputation will be siphoned one way or the other)?
This is kind of similar to this question, but beyond the point where a few suggestions would improve the answer, it really needs a total rewrite.