After more than a year of rebuilding, modding and replacing parts on this beast, the one part of the equation I didn't look into yet is the rear dif. Now that I finally got her on the road and up to speed, a distinct growl can be heard from the rear end when over about 25mph, it can be heard while traveling at a steady speed and while speeding up/slowing down. Drive shaft has fresh U-joints, axle bearings do not have any noticeable play. Even though I didn't hear this growling before starting the resto, I have gone to poly bushings which may be more effective at coupling the noise into the chassis.

Questions:
1: Is this growling consistent with the dif gears failing/wearing out?
2: Am I better off rebuilding the rear end or finding a good replacement assembly? Rebuild would consist of new gears, setting the lash, and new axle bearings.

Thank you,
jorrell