ticking/slight knock on pass bank

[Duffinatur]

I need some help. I have a 74' 351W with a Crane hyd roller cam, GT heads, Street Master intake and edelbrock 750.

I ran the engine very lttle during my build. Moving around the garage a little and a few trips around the block for sheer enjoyment and motivation.

My first few trips of any distance I had a (I thought) lean condition. Lots of missing, pops and sputtering at speed in 5th gear. The problem worsened. So I changed the metering rods for a little more rich fuel mixture. No real change, so I replaced the original metering rods. Obviously that wasn't the problem.

I gapped and changed the plugs, oil and filter, and I advanced the timing per the specs from my original paperwork and the engine really came alive, but with a light tick at idle to louder noise at cruising speed. Not quite a knock, but more like a louder exhaust from one piston on the pass side. At a more open throttle I can't hear the noise at all. I re-checked the new plugs and there was no fouling.

Could this be a bad piston?
Could I have damaged something by driving with the timing off?
Could I have spun a bearing?
Is this something I could diagnose without the help of a mechanic?
Could I have a plug wire reversed?
How much damagage could I cause if I drove 10 miles or so to a mechanic?

business is still slow so funds are lean, but I can do some repairs at home, however, this seems a little more out of my league


You guys at CC are always helpful and greatly appreciated

Duff

[Rick Parker]

Sometimes what sounds like the ticking of a lifter is actually a blown exhaust manifold gasket.

OR you could have an improperly adjusted lifter(??)

[Duffinatur]

Rick,
You were exactly right. There was a 1" gap missing from the front passenger side gasket. Replaced with some better gaskets on both sides and torqued the bolts to spec. I'm sure it was one of those things I forgot re-check before working on the final tune.

I also changed the oil and filters (strained them through a paper towel to check for any shavings or specks), checked the rollers for any play and buttoned her up and gave her fire. No more noise.

Thanks for your help.

Duff

[Rick Parker]

Glad to be able to help. Be sure to retorque the new ones after they heat cycle once or twice, they will ultimately take a "Set" and will not compress any further, which is good. Makes you feel good when it is an easy fix.