ok, so it sounds like I have a 2 point mission for this weekend. check the oil hole positions and prime/soak the lifters. I will probably do that then start it w/o the valve covers to see what happens. I just hope there is no damage already from the lifters not priming quickly. guess I will find out. I can see the priming being a reasonable job on a flat tappet lifter but I think I am going to have some fun keeping these roller lifters still while I try to work the pistons on them. I can see flying lifters already.

 

Plenty of room to prime the oil pump with the engine installed. You'll need the proper prime tool. But seeing how you already run the motor, no need it's already primed now. I'd pull the valve covers and run the motor at idle as mentioned to evaluate oiling and chatter. Pull one side at a time as it might be messy.

 

I plant some on the top so the pushrod has some cushion until the lifter stiffens up and the oil gets to them.

 

Thank all responders for the help!!!! I did find the problem so I thought it may be helpful for others to know what the problem was. Since the "knock" was in time and increased with rpm, I was really thinking internal but it was a really odd noise I never heard before. It was a knock but had a really tinney sound as well. It turns out the crank position sensor (brand new from Rock Auto) came with the metal bracket bent just a little out of line. It was letting the tc bolts hit the back of the sensor. We took the sensor out, re-bent the bracket a little and "knock" gone. Super hard problem to diagnose because wherever you tried to listen, that's where the noise seemed like it was coming from. Hats off to Tommy Smith for helping me out.

 

That's great news, glad you got it fixed. How long did it take to figure it out?

 

Took about a month in all. I was convinced it was lifters so off came the intake and heads (I have ben told the lifters will come out w/o removing the heads but I just couldn't get them out and I wanted to be extra sure they were primed and none of them had any damage). After all that and still had the noise it was a chasing game to pinpoint the sound. I finally gave up and took it to a local mechanic and he had never heard that particular sound before either but told me to leave it with him and he would tinker around with it. I have no idea how he finally nailed it down but I am very thankful he did. He had it about 2 weeks and I was never so happy to pay someone $125 for their time. I was sure he was going to give me some kind of bad news. I am straight as an arrow but I could have kissed that dude. Sometimes it really does pay to get a second set of eyes/ears on a problem after you beat yourself up on it too long.