Dont you hate it when quotes are taken out of context!!! ROFLMAO

Well, I had a bitter sweet victory last night. Got the engine in and running. It ticked a little, but we figured that it had probably been sitting for a while and just needed to reprime everything. Eventually the ticking quieted down. At idle. Took it for a drive around the block and it ticks under load. It is quiet when coasting. It'* also quiet in park or neutral, even revved way up. It'* just when I'm on the throttle (light or heavy, doesn't matter.)

Everybody keeps telling me that I should just buy a reman engine, but I don't really want to do that. I've already swapped the engine twice and I really don't want to do it again. Any recommendations on engine treatments or cleaners/flushes? I think I'll try that first. If it doesn't work, I might just trade it in for something newer.

I changed the oil at 50 miles and it still ticks. I'm thinking about popping the valve covers off and just checking the rockers. Who knows, maybe the original owner thought it would be funny to loosen everything before they got rid of the car?

How important is it to keep rockers and pushrods with the cam they are originally from together? I'm wondering because number 2 (that'* how I designate the engines) didn't tick, it just knocked. I was thinking I might be able to just switch rockers. Or is this more of a lifter thing that causes the ticking? (I know it could be a sticking valve or bad valve seals or a burned valve, but I'm trying to think of simple stuff first.)