I'm still fighting the lifter tick in my Dart, 78 360. I've found that my engine has the single groove lifters, while the ones the parts stores come up with are dual groove. Is there a difference, a aside from the extra groove? Any benefits? I'm debating putting those in, in hopes they will fix my tick. Thanks!

I'm assuming your preload is good. More info on when it started/what work preceding the noise. Have you pressed down on the rocker arms while idling (lifter end) while idling with a wooden hammer handle & any got quieter (those are the bad ones) to ID the specific noisy ones? & definitely not an ex leak which reportedly can be nearly identical & sometimes very hard to differentiate. Yes you might need new lifter(s). No info on the 1 and 2 groove difference. (only 1 oiling hole I am assuming)

It's a brand new engine, ~800 miles. Shafts torqued to 20 ft/lbs. Is been doing this since I started driving the car. Once it heats up, it develops a tick, and won't issue in gear. When the engine is child, it runs great. I have changed a couple of lifters to no avail.

I would definitely check preload distance (see if you have at least .020") & hammer haandle check em to see which ones are noisy. Clarify what you said it does when in gear (& is that idling or driving). I'm assuming your psi is adequate?

At hot idle, it has about 20 psi oil pressure. At idle in gear is when it has problems. Sometimes it idles OK, then drops down like it's going to stall. Sometimes it does stall, other times it doesn't.

On the stalling I would shoot a 3 second blast of starting fluid into each of the two idle mixture screw holes (remove the screws/count # of turns to lightly seated to easily return them to their original setting) & might need to enrich em slightly. 20 at idle is OK if it jumps up when you goose it. I would go ahead & check preload first for the clattering. I'm assuming you have enough initial for your cam

I have been adjusting the timng. Attached is the cam spec sheet. What initial should I run? Other than the cam, its a mostly stock 360, with an edelbrock 1406 carb.

that cam should be very quiet.

I also found this under the distributor cap... Any ideas? See attachment.

is there metal to metal interference or just carbon tracking. Ideally you want .010-.015" radial clearance/fairly close phasing (vac adv shifts it CCW on a SB). NAPA has a rotor with a .060" longer blade (Echlin MO3000) for $8 & change out the door (if needed for your app)

Also to clarify. It only does this after about 3 or 4 miles, once it heats up. At cold idle, as in at first start up, it ticks but it isn't as bad. Today it was doing it, and after about 5-10 mins of idling, it went away.

What do you mean by "child idle"? A child is a young human, if they aren't doing something they would be an "idle child". But what does that have to do with an automobile?

R.

I'm running Chevron Delo 15-40, but I think I'm going to change to a 5-30 with a zinc addictive. It actually doesnt really tick when it's cold, it only starts after a couple miles of driving. I don't have an aftermarket temp gauge, but on the factory one it starts soon after the needle gets into the "basket."