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To be honest, I think you're going about it the wrong way for your situation.
I'd give it a year with a "mates" kind of setup.
Basically, one of your CS pals needs to do some work, your down the unit anyway, he can get his car up, fit that dogbone mount he wanted to and leave you a tenner...
LOL!
I wouldn't worry too much Gherk, the car has a sort of in built right of passage.
It tests the new owner for a few months, then it's mint.
For me, it snapped the metal (and bolts) on the top engine mount bracket out of the blue, the clutch went, the CV joints (both sides) died...
Why not just drain the box oil, re-fil with new, maybe even remove the shafts whilst it's empty and check condition? If all's ok, button it back up and run it.
If it get's silly noisy, change it, but if it ain't broke, don't fix it!
To achieve what?
It's got quite a broad spectrum.
My advice would be have a play, follow a couple of tutorials for making a few things similar to what you're trying to achieve, then just go for it.
It's a little clumsy if you're used to CAD or similar, but it's VERY good IME