[Bluesman]

I did the same exact thing Bryan Wilson went thru. I could have sworn it was my lifters. It was a tiny, tiny hole through the header gasket between the head and the header. It was way down and in the rear, #8 cylinder. I finally spotted that sucker and put a different type of gasket in. The engine is set back 10 inches from stock and was a pain to repair but eliminated that elusive ticking sound.