In order:
1. If you have the skills, veneering them in a nice walnut or mahogany would be very nice. Otherwise, I wouldn't hesitate using the poly paint. Just ensure that you have adequate ventilation. No sweat.
2. Any quality capacitor will do. There are many who have capacitor preferences, but this is impossible to determine without personal experience. Others may give you their preference, I have none.
3. Very important. Amazing number of problems stem from simple dirty contacts.
4. Natch
5. Internet is riddled with a number of suitable rubber feet, etc that will do the job. Castors, too.
6. Rarely a problem, but be sure to stay with the original scheme/material. Damping is becoming another Audio Urban Legend on the order of cables. Everybody has an opinion - usually wrong.
7. Bracing. This is one area where it's literally true that more is better. We want to listen to the sound of the speaker system, not the box. There is a caveat, though: adding lots of interior bracing also reduces cabinet volume, and that's a bad thing. The ultimate answer is to brace outside the cabinet by adding another layer of plywood/mdf, thereby doubling the cabinet wall thickness. Lots of attractive possibilities with this approach, but I'm sure this is beyond your intentions.
8. Rarely necessary, but resistors are cheap. Why not?
9. Again, rarely necessary (and only in the case of corrosion), but wires are cheap in the lengths needed for interior use. Easy, fun, and you'll feel an odd sense of accomplishment.
10. Oh, heck yes. The world is your playground when it comes to grill cloth. Big improvements possible here. And don't forget name plates on the grill, too.
And I'm thinking that the 9849 would be an excellent candidate for bi-amping and using a mini-dsp. This would allow you to perform beautiful equalization, time alignment, and all the other worthwhile and fun things you can do with a mini-dsp. Very small expense for a ton of fun and enjoyment.
Keep us updated on your project.
GeeDeeEmm
