That's good news
No problem using a BC109 instead of a BC108. Did that solve the problem with the quiescent current and mid-point voltage?
Check C5 is 6u4 rather than 40uF. If you change it, 4u7 or 10u will be fine. A little bit of crackle from the bass pot in the first few seconds of use is normal, as that cap charges.
The inter-station mute is normally reliable. I'm assuming you've tried twiddling the user-control inside? IIRC, the only fault I've had with that was caused by a diode inside the can for L4.
Yes, the same rexine as the case. There's a dilemma here: given that it's easy to clean up the old handles (if the old tape is still stuck on, leave it in a bowl of water overnight), does a bare handle look worse than a handle with something on it which doesn't match the case? Personally, I lean towards the former...