Problem solved... I did order that timing set from Auto Zone. It said Made in the USA on the package but not sure by who. It looked good and was almost identical to the original. Dropped in the new crank and bearings and ran it yesterday and drove it to town today. It hums like a V-10 with no funny rattling noise between shifts. The engine had a little lifter noise on start up before too and that is also gone now. I know now that the engine oil was bleeding down from the loose rods when it sat.

After all these years of wondering what it was, I'm happy to be done with it.