Hey guys!

I met a guy the other day who is selling an R53 race team's old parts, who has a spare 05-06 trans with LSD, and it got me thinking.

My transmission in the R53 I bought in December is really noisy. Here are the symptoms:

• Noise very prominent (see link above), especially in 2nd/4th gear.
• Can be difficult to get into 1st gear when cold.
• Double clutching makes the noise less prominent for a short while.
• Noise appears in neutral only when clutch pedal is fully released (clutch is engaged)

I've already flushed the trans with Redline 75W80 to eliminate low fluid levels from the equation.

My understanding is that the symptoms are opposite to a throwout bearing, which indicates to me that it's an internal transmission issue (ie input bearing). I've seen various transmission bearing rebuild kits circulating around, and I'm wondering, should I rebuild the transmission I already have, or should I buy the 05-06 tranny? I'm already low on dough, so my preference is to rebuild. However, my desire for an LSD is creeping up on me, and why not kill two birds with one stone? My questions are as such:

1. How difficult is removing/replacing bearings in the tranny? If I go slow and careful, can anything go wrong?
2. What is needed to mate a pre-facelift engine to a post-facelift transmission? If not, what's a good (but not offensive) lowball offer on a trans?
3. Is it possible that there is some other issue I'm not thinking of? Previous owner states that the "noise appeared after replacing a CV axle"...

Thanks in advance!