I completed the plenum gasket on my 360 and diffidently noticed that the oil consumption has lessened. but Iam still hearing a squeak from my engine though. Now I thought it was still a ping but now I'm not sure. It happens at low rpm and is mostly noticed when engine is put under strain. could it be an accessory on the front of the motor, like the altenator, but why wouldn't it get louder as the rpm's increased? And no i did not know about the hughes kit until after i finished the job. so I put the old plenum cover back on. Lastly could it be long term damage? drop a comment...I greatly appreciate it and so would my truck before I drive it off of a cliff or into a wall!

 

congrats on the repair. if you used a premium gasket it might last. keep your fingers crossed.

temporarily remove the belt and see if the squeak stays or goes. BE AWARE your water pump is not turning so you can't run it longor it will overheat. i doubt that there's any long term damage.

if you suspect continued pinging, try some premium (higher octane) gas to see if it goes away. you could have some carbon deposit buildup on piston tops. dodge recommend their cumbustion chamber cleaner to remove carbon. some use seafoam.

 

+1 on the above post
It also may take a few days or even weeks for your PCM to adapt to the properly repaired engines new running conditions.