Diff rebuild - available options

[sapote]

You have V1 Diff.
Sounds like the LSD clutch stack jerky slip and causes the M-clunk and noise during a turn, not bearings or ring/pinion issue.

[Kcalhoun27]

Noisy when shifting and a bit when turning. Im also doing the wheel bearings because ill have the rear end torn apart, but from all the reading ive done, im confident the diff is the main culprit for the noise

its a 2003, with a Nov 2002 build date

As for the build, it will be done at a shop, so i will be trusting them to do the work correctly, to include using proper shim techniques. Id love to do the work and learn something but im not confident youtube is a good enough resource for this job

[sapote]

im at the point where my diff sounds like im dragging cans behind my car so its clearly time to refresh

V1 or V2? Always provide month/year build of the car in question.

Noisy all the time or only when turning?
If going to use RacingDiff, don't use the concave spring shim, but measure the clearance and use your own flat shims instead.

[Kcalhoun27]

All,

im at the point where my diff sounds like im dragging cans behind my car so its clearly time to refresh

I believe i have 3 options that are reasonable. With the criteria being:
properly working lsd unit that is quiet
new seals/bearings
not buying more than i will really use

so, the options are:
1. diffsonline - m-variable rebuild, nothing fancy. ~$2000 Shipped both ways
2. Racingdiffs parts, still m-variable ~ $800, $5-800 for shop to rebuild, im guessing
3. Wavetrac/Diffsonline seals/bearings - ~$3500 shipped both ways

i would say concern #1 is a properly working diff, that is quiet and i dont have to worry about it. Second is price, meaning that i can pay for any option listed, but dont want to pay more just to prove i can.

can anyone with experience please chime in? Ive read through every diff thread i can find, they are around 3 years old and things change. What was once good may not be any longer and id prefer to do this once and be done with it. Ive put 7k miles on my car the last 5 years so 80k should last my lifetime. If i go the parts route, i trust the shop doing the work, they build 1000hp drift cars for a living and diffs are oil changes for them. I called diffsonline today, and they said they do not sell m-variable parts specifically, so im guessing they save them for their in house rebuild offerings. I emailed racingdiffs and they linked me to their full rebuild kit. So those are the current options available as i see it

i dont track my car, i dont plan to. Its my fun driving car thats pretty to look at. I thought about gearing up a bit, but have decided against that as well, so its just a diff rebuild im looking for now.

thanks for any info